Choosing flooring for how you live
Kids, pets, moisture and subfloor decide flooring far more than style does. Get those right and almost any look is achievable.
What this decision really turns on
Moisture
Basements, bathrooms and kitchens rule out solid wood in most homes.
Wear and claws
Dogs and hard-wearing households need a tough wear layer or a harder species.
Refinishing
Solid wood can be sanded back for decades. Most engineered and luxury vinyl cannot.
Questions worth answering first
- Which rooms, and is moisture a factor in any of them?
- Pets, children, or both?
- What's underneath — concrete slab, joists, existing floor?
- Do you want it to last decades or a decade?
HOW HOUSE asks these one at a time, then reasons from your answers — and your photos, if you share them.
Mistakes that cost homeowners money
- Installing solid wood over a slab or in a damp basement.
- Choosing a soft species in a home with large dogs.
- Skipping underlay, then living with the noise.