Where Should I Place Wood Flooring In My Home?
In the real world, toilets overflow, refrigerators leak and accidents happen. Families have children, pets and all the other things that make a house a home. People will say, put wood flooring in your kitchen, foyer, bathroom or main traffic areas but I would advise differently.
In the Orlando area, homes are constructed with concrete slabs on the ground floor. Homes don't have basements And crawl spaces so the wood flooring that's predominantly used is "engineered wood flooring. It's ideally suited for installations on concrete slabs and our high humidity climate Engineered Wood Flooring.
Traditional wood flooring is a solid piece of hardwood 3/4" thick, where as the engineered product is made up of multiple layers and glued down to the concrete slab. The main difference between these products is the wear layer. With solid planks it's 3/4" thick but with Engineered it's much less and dependent upon which product you select.
Laminated wood flooring is constructed of pressed wood, has a simulated wood finish and normally floats over a foam/film layer rather than being glued to the concrete slab.
Engineered and laminated flooring does not hold up well in high traffic or high abuse areas like bathrooms, foyers, kitchens. I know, people will tell you differently but in my humble opinion experience teaches me not to advise it.
Foyer- It's a high traffic area and the first place we step when entering a home. Dirt and sand is tough on wood finishes. Better to use a more durable material like tile or stone.
Use engineered or laminate flooring in low traffic areas like, living room, master bedroom, dining room and avoid main traffic locations.
Kitchen- you must be joking? Grease, water, spills, certainly not a place for an engineered or laminate product that doesn't tolerate abuse.
Bathroom- Bath tubs flood, toilets overflow, I suggest you pass on placing engineered or laminate flooring close to any wet area.
Some people may disagree with me, especially interior designers but with more than 30 years of home building experience, the above is what I recommend for your custom built home.
Now you know where to place wood flooring in your Central Florida home.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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