Getting Started: The Foundation of Your Home’s Style
Choosing flooring for interiors is a huge decision when renovating. Your floors are more than just a surface to walk on; they are the foundation that ties your home’s style together, setting the stage for your entire design.
Here’s what you need to know right away:
Key Factors for Choosing Interior Flooring:
- Room Function: High-traffic areas need durable options; wet areas require moisture resistance.
- Lifestyle Needs: Consider pets, kids, and how much maintenance you’re willing to handle.
- Material Type: Laminate offers affordability, while engineered wood provides authentic wood looks.
- Budget: Balance upfront costs with long-term value.
- Design Style: Match your flooring to your home’s overall aesthetic.
- Installation Method: Choose between DIY-friendly systems and professional installation.
Your floors connect every room and get more use than any other surface in your home. A wise choice creates a stunning foundation that stands up to real life. The good news is that picking the perfect floors doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re drawn to the warm look of engineered wood or the budget-friendly durability of laminate, there’s a solution for your style and wallet.
At King of Floors, we’ve been helping BC homeowners make these decisions since 1984. This guide breaks down everything you need to know, from matching materials to room function to avoiding common mistakes.
Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing Flooring for Interiors
How Do You Match Flooring to Your Lifestyle and Room?
When choosing flooring for interiors, be honest about how you live. Your home is a living space that needs flooring to match its rhythm.
Room Function and Traffic:
Different rooms have different demands. A busy entryway or kitchen faces high traffic and spills daily. For these areas, you need flooring that can take a beating. Our engineered wood and high-quality laminate options are designed for durability, resisting wear while looking great. For example, our premium laminate with a high AC rating is built to withstand significant wear, making it a stellar choice for active households.
Moisture Considerations:
For areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, where moisture is a concern, some flooring types struggle. Thankfully, modern advancements mean we now offer advanced waterproof laminate and highly moisture-resistant engineered wood. These innovations allow you to get the beautiful wood look you love, even in wet environments. Our engineered wood offers greater stability against humidity changes than solid hardwood. For ultimate peace of mind in splash-prone zones, explore our range of waterproof laminate and engineered flooring options.
Pet-Friendly and Family-Friendly Flooring:
Our furry friends and tiny humans can be tough on floors. For homes with kids or pets, we recommend options with superior wear resistance. Our European-made laminate flooring is highly scratch-resistant, making it a practical choice for busy families. Engineered wood, especially harder species, also stands up well to daily life. We’ve heard countless stories of Sir Scruffy’s antics, and we know a thing or two about flooring that can handle playful paws!
What Are the Most Popular Flooring Materials at King of Floors?
At King of Floors, we specialise in two powerhouses: engineered wood and laminate flooring. These materials offer incredible versatility, durability, and style for modern homes.
Engineered Wood Flooring:
This innovative material gives you the authentic look of solid hardwood with improved stability. It consists of a top veneer of real hardwood bonded to a high-density core.
- Pros: Offers the natural beauty of real wood, adds value to your home, and is more moisture-resistant than solid hardwood. It can often be installed over concrete subfloors.
- Cons: Generally more expensive than laminate and has limited refinishing capabilities compared to solid hardwood.
Laminate Flooring:
A marvel of modern manufacturing, laminate mimics the look of real wood with impressive durability. It’s constructed from multiple synthetic layers, including a protective wear layer and a high-density core.
- Pros: Incredibly versatile in design, easy to install with click-lock systems, and very budget-friendly. It’s highly resistant to scratches, stains, and fading, and many modern options are waterproof.
- Cons: Cannot be refinished and some lower-quality laminates can be susceptible to water damage if not specifically designed for it.
While solid hardwood is a classic, engineered wood provides the same timeless beauty with greater stability against humidity, making it a more practical choice for many homes in BC. Our unique selling proposition is our massive selection of European laminate flooring. We import directly by the container load, cutting out middlemen to give you factory-direct, unbeatable prices on high-quality flooring.
| Feature | Engineered Wood Flooring | Laminate Flooring |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Mid-range to Premium | Most affordable |
| Durability | Very durable, good dent resistance | Excellent scratch and dent resistance |
| Moisture Res. | More moisture resistant than solid hardwood | Highly moisture-resistant; many waterproof options |
| Maintenance | Easy; regular sweeping and occasional cleaning | Very low; regular sweeping and easy to clean |
| Authenticity | Real wood surface | Realistic wood/stone look (photographic layer) |
| Refinishing | Limited (1-2 times) | Not refinishable |
To dive deeper into flooring materials, explore our expert guide to flooring materials.
What Should You Consider: Budget, Maintenance, and Installation?
Practical considerations like budget, maintenance, and installation play a huge role in choosing flooring for interiors.
Budget and Long-Term Value:
Laminate flooring is often the least expensive option per square foot, making it incredibly budget-friendly. Engineered wood offers a more premium look at a mid-range price point. When budgeting, consider both the material cost and long-term value. High-quality engineered wood can add significant value to your home, with some projects recouping a large portion of the investment, according to industry reports.
Maintenance Needs:
- Engineered Wood: Easy to maintain with regular sweeping. Wipe up spills promptly and use cleaners designed for wood floors.
- Laminate: A champion of low maintenance. Regular sweeping and a damp mop are usually sufficient. Avoid abrasive cleaners or excessive water on non-waterproof varieties.
DIY vs. Professional Installation:
- Laminate Flooring: Often a DIY hero. Modern click-lock systems are very easy to install yourself, creating a “floating floor” without glue or nails.
- Engineered Wood: Can be a DIY project, but it is often more complex than laminate.
Proper subfloor preparation is crucial for any installation. The subfloor must be clean, dry, and level. Always allow flooring to acclimate to your home’s environment before installation and leave expansion gaps around the room’s perimeter.
For a deeper dive into making smart choices, check out our tips for picking the perfect floor.
How Do Colour, Light, and Pattern Transform a Room?
The visual impact of your flooring is paramount. Its colour, light reflection, and pattern can dramatically alter a room’s perception.
Light vs. Dark Flooring:
- Light Flooring: Light-coloured floors make a room feel larger, more open, and brighter by reflecting natural light. They are fantastic for creating an airy, minimalist, or Scandinavian aesthetic.
- Dark Flooring: Deep, dark floors add sophistication, drama, and coziness. They ground a space and create a powerful contrast with lighter walls, perfect for a contemporary interior. However, they can make small rooms feel smaller and work best in well-lit spaces.
Always test samples in your room at different times of day to see how they interact with the changing light.
Patterned Flooring:
Patterns add visual interest and elegance. Classic patterns like herringbone and chevron lend a high-end feel to modern and traditional interiors, creating a sense of movement. For those drawn to character, our laminate options that mimic reclaimed wood bring warmth and authenticity, ideal for eclectic or industrial design styles.
For inspiration, explore our stylish Kronoswiss laminate collection.
There Is Only One King of Floors
As a family-owned, 100% Canadian business in Surrey, BC, since 1984, we have decades of experience helping you build the foundation of your home. We believe in offering unbeatable value by acting as direct importers, buying by the container load straight from high-quality factories in Europe. This process cuts out the middlemen, passing factory-direct, unbeatable prices on to you. You get premium quality without the premium price tag.
Our showroom at 15350 56 Ave, Surrey, BC, V3S 5K7 is truly worth the drive. The massive 85,000 sq ft facility boasts over 10 million sq. ft. of flooring in stock and ready for same-day pickup. Forget tiny samples; our huge display tables let you see full-size planks, giving you a real feel for how the flooring will look. You can even take samples home to see them in your own lighting.
We’re less than 20 minutes from all major bridge and tunnel crossings, making us easily accessible from anywhere in the lower mainland. When you visit, you’ll get real advice from real people. Our team of flooring pros is here to help you find the perfect match for your lifestyle and budget, without any pushy sales tactics.
We stand by our products with a customer-friendly 90-day full refund return policy on unopened boxes. If you need a hand with installation, we work with certified bonded installers who uphold our high standards. We’ve even had Sir Scruffy “inspect” a few installations in his day, and trust us, he was quite the stickler for quality.
Come experience the King of Floors difference for yourself.
