Lifestyle Expert Shoana Jensen is undergoing her own home renovations right now – and is breaking down the best options when it comes to flooring.

Hardwood:

Hardwood is considered a great luxury option as it’s solid wood all the way through.

Pro: Hardwood is often finished on site and can be sanded down and refinished in a different colour down the road. It’s very solid and therefore can last for hundreds of years, and if need be can be repaired.

Con: The drawbacks are that it’s a very expensive option, and you need to be aware of water. Different types of wood needs different type of care. In addition planks can only be about 5 inches wide as in a Canadian climate due to extreme temperature changes they can easily warp.

Engineered Hardwood: 

This is an excellent alternative to solid-wood hardwood. Engineered hardwood is a thin layer of hardwood, or wood of choice, on top of another wood product on the bottom, it varies based on the brand. The fact that it is not the same wood all the way through helps with cost while still maintaining the beautiful look of hardwood. We recommend the brand PurParket, as we went with the colour Character Bisque. This flooring option is an eco-friendly choice that gives a great natural look with it’s matte-finish. Purparket is produced in Toronto and are VOC (volatile organic compound) free.

Pro: This is a much more affordable option, that also gives you unlimited options which all of it’s customizations! This type of floor is solid and durable. Light scratches can be easily repaired with this type of flooring

Con: Depending on the depth of the wood layer, it can only be refinished one time only. Also, much like hardwood, you need to be mindful of water around this flooring.

Tip: When choosing a finish, you can choose a different finish in the same colour that you want. Depending on whether you want it to be knotty or more refined – same colour might be available in different finishes

Laminate: 

Laminate flooring is a great budget option that features a photographic layer onto man-made wood like fiberboard. The possibilities with this type of flooring are really endless.

Pro: This type of flooring is much more affordable and way more scratch-resistant than wood floors.

Con: Since laminate is an image, it can repeat and the pattern has the potential to look unnatural. It can also feel less sturdy on your feet and make a lot more sound than wood options.

Luxury Vinyl:

Vinyl is a synthetic man-made material. It has come very far since the 70s, as it is incredibly real looking. Now they even have imitation finishes that have matte- wire brushing finishes that gives the feeling of a wood.

Pro: Vinyl is very budget friendly, can be installed quickly and you can easily do-it-yourself. It’s extremely durable as it’s 100% water-proof, wont’ scratch and easy to clean. It also comes in many colour options.

Con: The fact that this flooring isn’t wood is a big drawback- some vinyl floors need to be glued so it’s hard to remove.

Tip: When choosing your floor, no matter what the kind, bring the samples home and move them from room to room. It is incredible how the colour changes in each room. We thought that we chose the ones we wanted but changed our minds once we got the samples here.