Decision fatigue gets to the best of us, and more often than not, it strikes at an inopportune moment. For instance, when you’re eager to jump into your big home renovation projects, like picking out a new floor for your kitchen, living spaces, bedroom or bathroom. Yup, it’s a real psychological phenomenon felt by many Brits, heightened when large investments and multiple options are involved.
But instead of letting the cognitive load put the brakes on the decision-making, allow me to speed things up: here are 10+ different kinds of flooring that I wholeheartedly recommend as an award-winning floor specialist and, more importantly, why.
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- 10+ Types of Flooring the Specialists Recommend
- Considerations to Comb Through
- Conclusion: The Smartest Way to Get Stylish Flooring
10+ Types of Flooring the Specialists Recommend
When I mention flooring decision fatigue, I’m not exaggerating. Today’s booming market for floor coverings is great (especially for us tradies!), but on the consumer side, it’s something of a double-edged sword. With gazillions of designs, colours, brands, and installation types in the mix for each main product, it’s easy to get lost in the all-consuming scroll.
I’ve fitted a lot of floors in my time, and besides honing my installation skills, I’ve acquired an eye for design. Whether something with a spritz of heritage appeal, like a herringbone engineered wood or a smart, non-nonsense LVT for a new build family home, I always ensure the floor is the right match for the interior it’s going to call home.
That means looking past aesthetics (without disregarding them, mind) to pick the types of flooring that gel with the space installation-wise, have a decent lifespan, perform well day-to-day, and are a pleasure to live with. Without further ado, let’s put a microscope on my top picks.
Different Kinds of Flooring Put Under the Microscope
1. Engineered Wood
If you have a gander at our Instagram, you’ll quickly ascertain that we love engineered wood. And so do our clients. Boasting all of the benefits of solid wood, but at a much kinder price tag, it’s a great alternative when your home doesn’t have any original wood floors to speak of. Just as stunning and infinitely more stable, it’s at the top of my list for a reason.
Pros:
- Works well with underfloor heating
- Installation is relatively straightforward (nail, glue, or float the planks)
- Can handle high-traffic environments, lots of footfall and the clattering claws of pets
- Has that timeless, natural appeal
- More repairable than LVT or laminate, since it can be sanded and refinished
- Superior dimensional stability and water resistance to solid wood
Cons:
- Can get expensive
- Less aesthetic choice than LVT or laminate
- Watch out for reviews as engineered products sometimes suffer from inferior manufacturing
Price Point: ££-£££
Installation level: Beginner-friendly to medium difficulty, depending on laying pattern
Recommended brands: Timba Floors, Brooks
2. LVT
Following in close second is luxury vinyl tile. An unbeatable flooring all-rounder, it’s beloved in Yorkshire homes, many of which I’ve fitted, and is beautifully suited to kitchens, utility rooms, bathrooms and living spaces alike. Of course, its handy click system has it renowned for easy installation, but I think the real star of the show is the material’s water-resistance. Yep, it’s 100% waterproof!
Pros:
- Mega durable (up to 25 years)
- Kind on the eyes, and the feet(!), thanks to a comfortable wear layer
- More affordable than some options and certainly one of the most cost-effective choices
- Numerous styles, designs and colours available
Cons:
- Not the most life-like wood imitation of real wood
- Scratches more than tiling
- Scope for repairs is limited
Price Point: ££
Installation level: An easy peasy DIY
Recommended brands: Karndean, Luvanto, Polyflor
3. Vinyl
Regular vinyl, tile or roll, is serially underrated by homeowners, even though it does a dependable job. Meeting the needs of most homeowners, it’s both durable and versatile, but let it be known, there are a few drawbacks in terms of performance.
Pros:
- A breeze to look after
- Exceptionally water-resistant
- A happy compromise between budget-friendliness and style
- Plenty of design choices out there
Cons:
- Can’t be repaired easily
- Heavy furniture will dent it
- The colour can fade under direct sunlight
Price Point: £
Installation level: Simple and beginner-friendly
Recommended brands: Moduleo, Tarkett, Polyflor
4. Laminate
You’re never going to break the bank with laminate, nor do you need to shatter your dreams of an aesthetic foundation to your interiors, because laminate flooring looks the part despite the lower price point. Indeed, it’s not uncommon for my customers to do a double-take when they see the finished product fitted under their own roof, thanks to its convincing impersonation of tile, hardwood or stone. For the full scoop, I recommend you take a look at my roundup of the top laminate brands.
Pros:
- My top choice for affordability
- A natural choice for underfloor heating
- Boasts a truly impressive array of designs, patterns, colours and styles
- Hands-off maintenance
- Decent durability of up to 15-25 years
Cons:
- More vulnerable to moisture than other kinds of flooring
- It’s missing the intrinsic warmth of natural or engineered wood
- Lack of the acoustics of natural materials
- Repair options are limited compared to higher-end options
Recommended brands: Quick-step, Lifestyle, Balteiro, EGGER
Price Point: £
Installation level: Simple and beginner-friendly
5. Carpet
Comforting, a textural feast for the eyes and a top contender for bedrooms, carpet is a good shout where warmth reigns supreme. Naturally insulating, it keeps your home cosier, all whilst visually opening up the space since there are no joins on display. Do note that the spectrum of quality runs the gauntlet, so you’ll need to do your research before blindly picking a colour and hitting ‘add to basket’.
Pros:
- The go-to for underfoot comfort
- Excellent sound dampening qualities
- A plethora of styles and materials, from herringbone weave to statement stair runners
- Installation is very affordable
Cons:
- More laboursome upkeep and can stain
- Unsuitable for pet owners
- Not one to DIY
- Less durable than hard flooring
Recommended brands: Cormar, Lifestyle, Manx Tomkinson
Price Point: £-£££, depending on brand, type and quality
Installation level: Tricky and best left to the pros
6. Real Solid Wood
Period property fanatics are besotted with original solid wood floors, and understandably so. Abundant in character and heritage, it’s been enjoyed by homeowners (and aristocrats) for centuries, with parquet, chevron and herringbone garnering special attention. From a performance perspective, it’s a strong contender – although not suited to bathrooms or kitchens – with effortless maintenance. Workaholics and parents rejoice!
Pros:
- Brings unmatched charm to your interiors
- Easy to refinish and restore (provided it’s in good nick to begin with)
- Choose from oodles of designs, from rustic to transitional
- Adds tons of value to your home if original
- Simple maintenance
Cons:
- Not as structurally sound as its engineered counterpart
- Vulnerable to moisture and heat fluctuations, and will warp and buckle if you’re not careful
- Lacks the comfy feel of carpet or the pliability of laminate / LVT
- Expensive to fit new
Recommended brands: Ted Todd, Kährs, Russwood
Price Point: £££ new, or £ if restoring an existing floor
Installation level: Difficult
7. Porcelain Tiles
Although tiling is out of my domain as a flooring fitter, I can nevertheless appreciate the beauty of the porcelain tiles I’ve spotted out and about, in hotels, restaurants and in the homes of family and friends. A natural pick for those looking to elevate their interiors with a super hard-wearing, clean foundation, it’s uniquely suited to busy kitchens and bathrooms.
Pros:
- A traditional, classy aesthetic for kitchens and bathrooms
- Superior strength compared to other types of flooring
- Maintenance is breezy
- Holds its own against staining and scratches (better than porcelain)
- Accurately replicate the look of terracotta and limestone
Cons:
- Hard to the touch
- Installation is fiddly and complex
- Grout touch-ups might be required later down the line
- Sound and heat insulation is close to non-existent
Best brands: Bert & May, Baked Tile Company
Price Point: ££-£££
Installation level: Difficult
8. Stone
The most ancient form of flooring, after the bare earth itself, stone has laid the foundation of human living quarters for millennia. It’s also seeing a present-day resurgence as homeowners lean into the biophilic, weathered look in their culinary spaces.
Pros:
- Delivers an unmatched age-old, natural look
- A wide choice of styles, thanks to stone’s colour variation
- Practically impossible to dent or crack
Cons:
- Hard, cold sensation when walking barefoot
- Lacks sound and thermal insulation
- Can be expensive to source and get installed
- Some more porous varieties, like marble, can stain
Best brands:
Price Point: £-££
Installation level: Tricky
9. Ceramic Tiles
I’ve said it in previous guides and I’ll say it again: ceramic tiles are one of the best kinds of flooring as far as easy upkeep is concerned. Delivering 100% waterproofing, a nice feel under your bare feet, heaps of style options and simple maintenance to top it all off, it’s no surprise they crop up in kitchens and bathrooms all the time.
Pros:
- Accessible price-wise
- Pleasant underfoot
- Explore a veritable rainbow of colours and styles
Cons:
- More prone to chipping and cracks than other tile options
- Fitting them requires proper DIY know-how unlike click installation systems
- Little to no sound absorption
Best brands: Fired Earth, Mandarin Stone, Ca’Pietra
Price Point: £-££
Installation level: Medium to difficult
10. Polished Concrete
A chic base layer for an industrial interior scheme or a no-nonsense, low-effort office floor, polished concrete is another option that’s worth considering in my book. As long as it’s well installed – in other words, dry and perfectly level – you can enjoy its superior strength and low maintenance it has to offer.
Pros:
- A budget-friendly option
- Great for cafes, restaurants, open plan living spaces and offices, where a textured appearance isn’t necessary
- Easy-to-clean
- Wonderfully hard-wearing
Cons:
- Cold and hard underfoot
- You’ll need to get the experts on board for installation and repairs
- Echoey acoustics
- Only one look available
Price Point: £
Installation level: A specialist job
Honourable Mentions
Before I mop up this guide, allow me to share a final trio of flooring types. A handful of unconventional options, if you will, but nonetheless, quality materials that can excel in both residential and commercial settings.
- 11. Cork: A more sustainable alternative to the more carbon-intensive, plastic ridden entries to this list, cork flooring is an up-and-coming material I’m seeing more and more in cafes and trendy offices. Eco-credentials aside, it’s durable, hypoallergenic, pleasant to walk on, and highly insulating. The cherry on top? It comes in many styles, tiles and tongue-in-groove planks included.
- 12. Bamboo: If bamboo flooring wasn’t on your radar, it is now! Likewise, a less impactful type of flooring, which is less expensive than solid wood. Strong and stable, it performs well in situ, but do note that there’s fewer aesthetic options to pick from. Similar to solid wood, moisture is it’s sworn enemy, so don’t install it in bathrooms!
- 13. Rubber: A bit of an off-the-wall one to finish, we have rubber floors. This one is a good choice in shared areas in residential flats and play areas, given the spongy surface texture. The downsides are apparent on the face of it: not very pleasing to look at, nor suited to bearing the weight of heavy items, it’s not for everyone.
Considerations to Comb Through
It should be pretty obvious by now that when you’re redoing your floors, it’s not just the material that makes or breaks the interior; the way it’s fitted, its compatibility with the moisture conditions, and how it works with the broader décor all influence the final effect.
Here’s what we local flooring fitters consider when we’re upgrading our own homes – and you should too.
- Longevity: Make your purchase outlast your residence by opting for a floor with high levels of durability, scratch and shock resistance. Plus, it’s a nifty tactic for adding value to your property!
- Heat retention: As British weather becomes more unpredictable, our flooring has got to combat temperature changes. Hence why an insulating material is a good way to go.
- Easy maintenance: I don’t need to spell it out; materials you can quickly clean with a mop are the ideal low-maintenance solution for busy people.
- Moisture repellence:Different kinds of flooring perform differently under damp conditions. For bathrooms and kitchens, I always recommend ceramic/porcelain tiles or luxury vinyl because they’re 100% waterproof – talk about wet room material!
- Slip resistance: Embossed wear layers and non-slip surface textures are a godsend for elderly residents, children and clumsy folk alike.
- Compatibility with underfloor heating: Ooh, who doesn’t love toasty toes? If you’re after a touch of luxury, checking whether your flooring type of choice meets the requirements is well worth your time, especially in small bathrooms where reclaiming radiator space from the walls makes the room much more usable day-to-day.
- Decent warranty: This varies massively, but you can expect somewhere between 5-20 years for most residential flooring materials or a little less for commercial products intended for higher levels of footfall.
Conclusion: The Smartest Way to Get Stylish Flooring
Flooring trends come and go, but some things always remain constant – like the knowledge experienced floor installers can bring to your project.
By teaming up with the people who work intimately with different kinds of flooring, you can glean insider knowledge and get tailored advice if you give them a detailed enough quote. Many even partner with flooring suppliers to bring quality products to the table at affordable prices, my co-founder, Anthony, and I included.
Traipsing around York to fit plush carpets, wide-plank LVT, basket weave embossed laminate, Victorian-effect tiles and everything in between, we’re confident we can get your new flooring pitch-perfect. Give us a call to get the ball rolling.
