By Jana Ward

This holiday, consider giving the family a gift that will brighten your home throughout the year.  Flooring is one of the easiest ways to update your home or provide the basis for a whole new look.  It can be the new color canvas for redecorating or serve as the foundation for a complete makeover.  If you’ve been in your house awhile and you have kids and pets, or just an active lifestyle, the odds are you need to consider replacing your floor anyway; so new flooring is an opportunity to do interior maintenance that has a real visual impact. 

 Just as technology has changed at a rapid pace, so have flooring options.  The old standard asphalt tile and basic carpeting has given was to a wide variety of natural stone, ceramic tiles, hardwood laminates, and textured carpets.  To choose the perfect flooring for your new look, start with a vision and then consider the options: 

Carpets are now available in a variety of multilevel loop and cut/loop textured patterns that provide sophistication and interest. Sculptured designs that "pop out", such as diamonds, bows, pin dots, or fleurs-de-lis, along with an array of textures, colors, and patterns, can complement or contrast with patterns of your window treatments and furniture. A textured solid color carpet can provide pizzazz, even in a solid color.  Textured styles are great for today’s active and casual lifestyles since they wear well and are known for their soil-hiding ability.

 Vinyl flooring is a standard in homes today. There are thousands design choices, with quality that ranges from entry level to premium with everything in between. Vinyl floors are an easy, affordable way to customize your floors with more patterns, colors, and styles choices than ever before.

 Ceramic tile has been used by builders since early civilization.  It is durable, practical, beautiful, and easy to maintain. Designing with tile offers endless possibilities, with looks that embody rustic charm or modern style.

 Porcelain tile is a ceramic tile that is generally made by the dust pressed method from a composition which results in a tile that is dense, impervious, fine grained and smooth, with a sharply formed face. Porcelain tile is available in mat, unglazed or a high polished finish.  Quarry Tile is a glazed or unglazed tile made from natural clay or shale. This tile is most common in the dark red shades.  Mexican tile, or terracotta, is usually hand-made and varies in texture, color, and appearance. Available in various shapes and sizes, it comes either pre-finished or may require sealers or coatings on site.  Terrazzo Tile is pre-manufactured and consists of marble or granite chips in a cement or epoxy base and comes in various thicknesses and sizes.

 Hardwood flooring offers a wide variety of design options, from standard plank types to hand cut intricate patterns. It can be sanded and refinished over several generations of use. Solid Wood flooring comes in three basic types.  STRIP fooling is usually 2-1/4 inches wide, but is available from 1-1/2 inches to 3-1/4 inches, and is installed by nailing to the subfloor. PLANK flooring boards are at least 3 inches wide and can be nailed or screwed to the subfloor, with wooden plugs covering the screw holes. PARQUET flooring comes in standard patterns of 6" x 6" blocks, with some specialty patterns ranging up to 36" square units.

Solid wood floors can be installed on a concrete slab as long as the floor is on or above ground level.
 
Engineered wood is made of several layers of different woods or grades of wood stacked and glued together under heat and pressure. Engineered wood flooring can be installed above, on, or below ground level since it is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity.

Wood laminates are made from a plywood base covered with a layer of veneer. Three-ply, 3/8 inch flooring is most common. The veneer topping of wood laminate floors (commonly 1/8 inch thick) can be sanded and refinished once or twice.

Stone flooring has been used for centuries and is as popular today as it was a thousand years ago. It can be finished it to a level of beauty unsurpassed by any other flooring material.  One of the most popular stones used for flooring today is Travertine, limestone that has been formed over a long period of time. Travertine is porous with many visible holes that may be filled with matching cement, colored epoxy, or polyester resins. It is available in colors ranging from ivory to golden brown.

 You can install many of the new flooring options yourself, or, if you’re like most of us, you can hire a professional to do it for you.  To find a qualified flooring contactor, call the Greater San Antonio Builders Association for a free copy of the Remodelors Council directory and the brochure “How to Choose a Remodelor.”