The Family-Flooring Stress Test: What to Check Before You Buy

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A family can be tidy, but not gentle, on a floor. The same wet track from shoes, the same dining room chair scraping backward from the table, the same dog racing around a corner, the same rolling office chair can erode different kinds of flooring in a home.

It’s not enough to think about style. To truly evaluate flooring options, focus on the issues of wear and tear first. Ask, “What will be doing the most damage in this room?”

By understanding what makes a floor fail in the first place, you’ll have a practical basis for comparison when it comes to specifications.

Start With the Most Chaotic Five Minutes of the Day

Think about the five most hectic minutes in the room you’re considering.

For an entryway, that could be a February afternoon, with all comers tracking in wet snow or slush, bringing in dog hair, and dumping groceries. For a kitchen, it might be the half-hour breakfast rush, when anyone within reach of the fridge is likely to spill on the counter or the floor. Make a list of potential sources of damage that would touch the floor: water, dirt, pet claws, rolling casters, food, sun scorch, heavy furniture.

This is much more informative than “hardwood or vinyl?” because it leads you to a true understanding of the failure point. It also keeps you from planning for a world that doesn’t exist. If nobody in the family takes off their boots at the front door, don’t select a floor that looks fabulous but is undermined by a lack of water resistance. If your dog sheds like a barn cat, a black floor is an unnecessary challenge.

Learn the Four Specs That Matter Most

You don’t need to be an expert in materials, but knowing a few key terms makes a huge difference in knowing what questions to ask.

For luxury vinyl, pay attention to the thickness of the wear layer. That’s the transparent top layer of film that determines how long the design will last; the number you want to see is “12 mils” (the symbol for thousandths of an inch), and a thickness of 20 mils would be considered commercial grade.

For laminate, the most helpful spec is the AC rating, which is based on resistance to abrasion, impact, stains, and scratches. (Note that NALFA considers AC ratings to be advisory only, since these classifications are based primarily on abrasion resistance; impact resistance is also a factor, but the standard doesn’t address other elements such as stains.) A higher number indicates a better residential floor, so keep that in mind as you compare.

For tile in a moisture-sensitive area, ask about the slip-resistance rating that specifically applies to the tile. One standard you’re likely to hear about is DCOF (Dynamic Coefficient Of Friction); the recommended minimum for level indoor surfaces subject to moisture is .42.

For carpets, think beyond softness to how the face fibers are constructed. Fiber type, pile density, pile height, twisting, and backing, as well as soil-resistance treatments and warranty, contribute to performance. To judge two carpets against each other, look at face weight, which indicates the amount of fiber in square yards. Face weight is only one consideration when comparing similar carpets, however; a low-profile, densely twisted carpet is often more resilient in high-traffic areas than one with looser construction designed to feel plush.

The point is, you want to zero in on the specs that have a real-world application in the room you’re considering.

Michigan Weather Takes a Toll on Entry Floors

Michigan weather takes a particular toll on entry floors, subjecting them to icy boots, melting snow, salt, and muddy paw prints multiple times daily.

That’s why you’ll want to consider a wet/dry mat outdoors, an even more absorbent indoor mat, and perhaps a “no shoes indoors” policy to prevent tracking beyond the first few feet.

The temperature in your house is another factor if you want to protect real wood floors from the effects of the changing seasons. For the long-term stability of hardwood, says the National Wood Flooring Association, maintain indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent and indoor temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees.

That doesn’t mean a hardwood floor is an unsuitable choice for a Michigan climate, especially if you’re prepared to manage these variables.

Compare Three Options for the Same Room

When you’ve developed a list of needs specific to a room, it’s time to narrow your focus to individual products, rather than flooring categories. Choose three products that seem most suitable (or that you’d like to compare), and set up a simple spreadsheet that includes such relevant factors as your list of concerns. For example, a comparison of carpets would include face weight, warranty, cleaning codes, and price, but exclude such factors as slip resistance or thickness if these features are irrelevant to the room.

Here is where a resource like Carpets of Dalton is useful, since it carries carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and tile, and ships nationwide, allowing Michigan homeowners to choose from a wide variety of products that are all delivered directly to their door. From these options, you can identify three that seem most appealing, then put together the comparison spreadsheet that includes those three. Make sure it covers your list of requirements and addresses the most relevant information for your purposes. Then get those samples in the mail.

Study Your Samples in the Place of Installation

Once you’ve received the samples, spend some time in the room where the installation will go, studying the samples against the baseboards and in the light.

Wear socks and shoes around the room, and place a few pet hairs near each sample to see how easily they show. If the room includes a rolling office chair, make sure to roll it over the surface so you can note the pressure marks, or ask the salesperson whether the warranty includes an exclusion for caster traffic.

The same goes for other potential problem areas like the edges of cabinets or the floor around the base of a toilet or bathtub. Remember that a sample is just that, but having one in the room allows you to see flaws before you commit to thousands of square feet.

Match the Room to the Floor’s Failure Mode

Bedrooms, hallways, kitchens, and family rooms each have different needs, so treat them as different rooms. In a mudroom, moisture is a bigger concern than comfort; in the kitchen, spills and traffic dictate what type of surface is best; in the home office, a rolling chair creates a pattern of wear on whatever surface it rolls over. For the family room, comfort and noise reduction are sometimes as important as general wear and tear, especially in a household with preschoolers. Carpet is an easy choice when it comes to reducing echo, but it might be too challenging to clean in some families, creating a trade-off.

The bedroom may not see as much overall traffic as the adjacent hallway, but the hallway should see a more durable surface than the bedroom.

Thinking about floors in these terms keeps you from assuming that premium always equals appropriate. Upgrading to a commercial-grade installation in a seldom-used second-floor bedroom is a waste of money.

Price the Whole Project, Not Just the Floor Material

The price of the material may seem to be the most important number of all, but your flooring expert should be able to offer a more comprehensive estimate that covers removal of the existing floor, any subfloor preparation, underlayments, transitions, trims, delivery, and installation. It also includes such factors as door trimming or replacement, if uneven floors or large height differences are an issue in the installation room.

Before placing an order, walk the perimeter of the room where the flooring will go to see where it will meet tile, carpet, other rooms, or exterior doors. Ask the salesperson how the connection is made at such transitions.

Now that you’ve received this information, you may want to step back and reassess the value of upgrades. Moving from a 12- to 20-mil thickness in luxury vinyl might sound impressive, but what benefit does it provide if the only thing that touches the floor in this room is a rolling office chair? Similarly, paying more for a ceramic tile with a superior slip-resistance rating in a bathroom makes sense, but you may need to rethink that purchase if the tile is intended for a bedroom.

A durable floor is a valuable investment in the face of everyday wear and tear, but it has to be appropriate for the room in question.

Run the 15-Minute Family-Flooring Audit

Before making your final decision, take a moment to review what’s most important to you about the two or three options you’re considering by answering the following questions:

1. What is the most common source of damage in the room?
2. What specification prevents or reduces this kind of damage?
3. What problems is the warranty explicitly excluding?
4. What cleaning regimen does the manufacturer require?
5. Are there any problems at the transition to the next room?
6. What will show on this floor: pet hair, grit, footprints, scratches, or visible seams?
7. Are you paying extra for features you probably won’t need?

If a flooring option doesn’t immediately answer question 2, it’s likely more about style than substance that you’re being persuaded to choose.

A family floor doesn’t have to withstand every contingency imaginable. It just has to withstand the most common ones hundreds of times: the wet track at the front door, the dining room chair scraped backward in protest of a slow eater, the dog circling the couch three times before settling on the rug, the snack bar mess, the frayed and tangled vacuum cord, the dry winter air.

The most suitable choice will have weaknesses apparent to you before installation, and strengths that continue to appeal after installation.

*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.