In most homes, the living room is the primary gathering place for families and their guests. It often serves as the main entry point, too. This means it experiences heavier foot traffic than other areas in the residence. Consequently, the choice of living room flooring is one of the most important decisions a homeowner must make.
If you reside in or around Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C., trust Metro Flooring Contractors for all of your household flooring needs. As one of the leading living room flooring contractors in the region, you can count on us for high-quality products at low prices along with professional installation.
Things to Consider When Choosing Living Room Flooring
When you’re deciding on new living room flooring, there are several important considerations to keep in mind to ensure you get the right flooring for your home. Think about these main factors so that you can figure out your priorities and preferences for your living room flooring:
Appearance: One of the first things many people think about when choosing flooring is how it will look. Consider the vibe you want your living room to give off and what your overall interior design style is. Your living room serves as a welcoming point in the home for your family and guests, but that can mean different things to different people. Do you want the room to look clean, sleek and modern? Cozy, plush and comfortable? Something else entirely? Think about the styles of your existing furniture and the color schemes used in the room too.
Cost: For any type of home upgrade, the budget is a crucial consideration. Before digging into a new project, decide how much you’d like to spend on your living room flooring and see which options fit in with your desired budget. With such a wide variety of options available, you can find both budget-friendly and more luxurious choices. Keep in mind that the more money you invest in your home, the more you may increase its resale value.
How you use the space: It’s important to also consider the living room’s purpose and how you and your family generally use the room. Is it more of a formal entertaining space or a cozy family room where most of your day-to-day life happens? Do you have small children? Pets? Think about whether you will allow rough play in the room, have lots of toys stored in the room or allow food and drinks in the room, as these factors can all lead to the next two considerations — durability and maintenance. Certain types of flooring may be conducive to different uses of a living room.
Durability: Some types of family room flooring simply last longer than other types before needing to replace them. Perhaps you want something that’s more durable and longer-lasting so that you don’t need to worry about replacement for a long time. Additionally, some situations call for more durable flooring, including heavier traffic in the room. If you have children or pets, you may want flooring that can stand up to their running and playing all day long.
Location: Depending on where you live, there may be certain types of flooring that are more popular than others. But this factor isn’t simply about fitting in with the neighbors. Sometimes, the local style and climate can dictate which types of flooring are best. For example, carpeting is warm and cozy in a cold climate, and tile often works best in more humid areas.
Maintenance considerations: Each type of flooring may have different suggested maintenance requirements for cleaning and upkeep. You may want to think about your preferred cleaning methods — vacuuming, sweeping, mopping and more — then consider which types of flooring may work best with them. Other than regular cleanings, carpets may need an occasional steam cleaning, while hardwood floors might need resealing after several years to protect the finish, depending on the level of wear and tear.
Top Flooring Types for Living Rooms
When you’re looking for the best floors for living rooms, the good news is you have lots of options. Let’s take a closer look at the top choices for the best flooring for living rooms:
Carpeting for Living Rooms
By far, one of the most popular choices for living room flooring is carpeting. Comfortable, soft and cozy, carpeting is great for families who love to play on the floor. One of the main pros of having carpeting lies in its innate coziness. It’s simply softer underfoot than any other option and provides superior insulation during the colder months, as well as sound-dampening qualities to reduce noise. Living room carpeting is also a very affordable option, with many types and colors available, allowing you to find a style that fits your budget.
Some of the downsides of carpeting in living rooms are that it may not be as durable as other options and may need a replacement sooner. Stains can be an issue too, and if allergies are a concern in your home, carpeting may not be the way to go. It can trap dust and allergens more than other types of flooring.
Our wide variety of living room flooring options includes carpeting and carpet tiles from top manufacturers such as Shaw, Philadelphia Commercial and Mohawk. Carpeting is ideal if you crave coziness and a soft underfoot feeling as you walk across the room.
Choose from numerous types like frieze, textured, plush and loop, any of which will enhance your living room’s appearance. Pet-proof carpeting is also available that holds up well and resists stains from pet accidents.
Laminate Flooring for Living Rooms
Laminate flooring is another cost-effective and popular option for living rooms. This unique flooring is made of layers of composite materials to give the look of hardwood floors at a much lower cost. Laminate is available in a wide variety of colors, patterns and finishes to complement any room. The main benefits of laminate flooring are that it’s very durable, as well as resistant to moisture and easy to maintain and clean.
The downsides to laminate flooring include the fact that it is not insulated, so there’s not much sound dampening or additional warmth. It can also be harder to repair than other options if it becomes damaged. A full replacement is the usual recommendation, as it’s very difficult to repair or patch a small area of laminate.
Laminate flooring looks like real wood but is much less expensive than solid hardwoods. Laminate manufacturing technology has made significant improvements in recent years. These days, you’ll find flooring products with deeper embossing and enhanced seaming mechanisms that have improved their appearance and durability. The material is also easy to maintain.
Metro Flooring Contractors is pleased to offer laminate flooring from reputable manufacturers such as Mohawk, Chesapeake Flooring and Carolina Home.
Vinyl Flooring for Living Rooms
Vinyl flooring is another great option for living rooms, especially when the budget is a main priority. Vinyl is not only affordable but also easy to clean and one of the best flooring options for water resistance too. If frequent spills happen from entertaining or having kids around, vinyl flooring is a great option. The main downsides of vinyl flooring are that it isn’t quite as durable as other flooring choices and can be more difficult to repair or replace, as it is typically glued down.
Vinyl flooring is a versatile synthetic material that is an excellent choice for living rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, kitchens or entryways. As with laminate, vinyl flooring has made substantial strides in quality and durability in recent years. It’s also highly attractive. In fact, it can be hard to notice the difference between a well-constructed vinyl floor and a hardwood floor.
We feature a broad selection of beautiful wood plastic composite, luxury and rigid core vinyl flooring from leading manufacturers like Tarkett, Novalis, Firmfit and Ivcus.
Hardwood Flooring for Living Rooms
Living room hardwood flooring is one of the most popular choices and comes in a variety of styles and finishes. It’s often seen as the gold standard of living room flooring and is highly desirable for homeowners and home buyers. In fact, living room hardwood flooring installation can even improve the resale value of your home. Hardwood is one of the longest-lasting and most durable flooring options and provides an elegant and upscale appearance.
The cons of hardwood flooring include that it is not waterproof and can succumb to water damage. It also requires some occasional maintenance in the form of re-sealing to maintain its look. Hardwood is in the upper reaches of the prices for flooring options, but it’s worth it for the long lifespan and gorgeous, timeless look.
For many homeowners in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., nothing can match the elegance, style and timeless appeal of authentic hardwood flooring in a living room.
Metro Flooring Contractors is your one-stop headquarters for beautiful hardwood flooring that offers unmatched durability and ease of maintenance. We have a variety of engineered, solid and waterproof options from noted manufacturers such as Mirage, Carolina Mountain Hardwood, Bruce and Mullican.
Tips for Choosing Living Room Flooring
Now that you know some of the most popular flooring options for family rooms, how should you choose what’s best for you and your home? The right flooring choice for your home will depend on your personal priorities and preferences, but here are some top tips to get you thinking:
Choose hardwood floors for timeless style: If you want a classic family room flooring option that is built to last and will never go out of style, hardwood should be your top pick. There’s a reason real estate listings promote the fact that a home has hardwood floors, especially in the living room — it’s highly desirable. Hardwood is a high-quality, durable option and is available in a wide variety of woods, colors, finishes and even layout patterns like parquet. Hardwood is also easy to clean and can withstand a few scratches and dings easily.
Go with carpet for luxurious comfort: Nothing quite provides the soft coziness of a high-quality carpet in a living room. If you’re the type of family that spends lots of time playing on the floor or cozying up on the floor to watch movies, the best flooring for sitting rooms is carpet. Living room carpet installation provides the best in underfoot comfort as well as noise-dampening qualities, adding to the overall coziness of a room. Carpet is also available to suit a variety of budgets, styles and color choices.
Get the look of wood with laminate: Hardwood is a top choice for family room flooring, but it can be very expensive. If you want the look of hardwood but have a smaller budget, consider laminate flooring. Today’s laminate is more durable and better-looking than the options of the past. It can truly mimic the look of real hardwood and is easier to install.
Consider vinyl flooring as a cost-effective option: Similar to laminate, vinyl flooring can mimic other, more expensive styles like hardwood or tile at a much lower cost. For many living rooms, it can be a great option. One of the benefits is that it has a warmer, softer feel underfoot than more expensive options like tile or hardwood.
Opt for tile or natural stone: These are two choices that are often overlooked for family room flooring ideas but can be great options for many homes. You can get a unique look with tile and natural stone that is luxurious can even mimic wood styles. Go for a neutral look, or go bold with more interesting colors and patterns.
Things to Avoid When Choosing Living Room Flooring
When you’re looking at living room flooring ideas, sometimes it’s just as important to know what to avoid. You can learn from these common mistakes when you’re choosing your own flooring. This way, you can avoid getting flooring that’s less than ideal for your room. Here are some of the flooring mistakes you should avoid:
Choosing flooring based on trends: For all aspects of home design, trends easily come and go, and flooring is no exception. But don’t be swayed by the latest design trends. Your flooring covers a large area of the home and should last for years to come. You don’t want your flooring to look dated before it needs a replacement. Re-doing your flooring with every trend is not as easy as changing out the throw pillows or decor. It’s best to stick to timeless classics for flooring and follow trends with other details.
Ignoring bold flooring options: On the flip side, you also don’t want your rooms to look boring. Many homeowners are afraid of going too bold, but there are many beautiful options that are still classy and timeless without being too trendy. Don’t be afraid to consider patterns, parquet or interesting colors. Sometimes a more bold choice can really elevate the design of a space.
Forgetting about transitions to other rooms: You may have chosen the perfect flooring for your living room, but what many people overlook is how it fits in with the rest of the house. While you can certainly use different types of flooring as well as different styles and color schemes room to room, you do want to have a good flow throughout the home. This flow is especially important in living rooms that are more open to other spaces such as hallways, dining areas and the kitchen. The flooring should coordinate well with the surrounding rooms and have a neat transition between each space. You may even want to continue the same type of new flooring in some of the adjacent spaces for better continuity.
Choosing flooring that doesn’t match your lifestyle: Don’t forget to take into account your lifestyle and how you use the room to make sure you get flooring that’s not just beautiful, but can stand up to the rigors of daily life with pets, young children, entertaining guests or however you choose to use your space. Involve the whole family in the choices, ensuring everyone in the home approves the choice.
Neglecting to consider lighting: You may not think much about it, but the lighting in your home plays a huge part in how every aspect of your interior design looks — including your flooring. Don’t just choose flooring from a catalog or showroom without seeing a sample in your home. Both the natural and artificial lighting will be different in each home or even each room, so look at samples in the room you are flooring and ensure the color and finish looks good at all times of the day.
Trying to do it all yourself: DIY is popular for many home improvement projects, but DIY living room flooring installation isn’t recommended. Professional living room carpet contractors and living room hardwood flooring contractors use special tools and precise measurements to give you the high-quality look you want. Those who try to do it themselves often find that small mistakes can add up or lead to disastrous results where you end up calling in the pros to fix it anyways. Save yourself the time, hassle and added expenses of potential mistakes and use a trusted flooring installer from the beginning.
Experience the Metro Flooring Contractors Difference
When you choose us as your living room flooring contractor, you’ll get expert advice in selecting the right low-cost flooring or carpeting product based on your style preferences, home decor and budget.
You can also trust us for fast, efficient installation. Why attempt to handle such a challenging task yourself when our team of professionals can remove the burden from your shoulders? We also provide free flooring estimates and measurements.
Contact Metro Flooring Contractors today to learn more about all of your living room flooring options or to schedule a free in-home consultation.
