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Home / How to Choose / Selecting the Best Flooring for Your Lifestyle

Selecting the Best Flooring for Your Lifestyle

  • In this post, we highlight a few aspects to keep in mind when choosing flooring, including your lifestyle, budget and more.

  • Pet owners should consider modern vinyl and laminates for scratch-resistant wear and water-resistant or waterproof flooring.

  • Install waterproof or water-resistant flooring such as vinyl plank, tile, or sheet vinyl in rooms with high foot traffic.

  • Climate plays a part in certain floor materials, making an engineered option more suitable.

  • Replacing carpet with a hard flooring surface alleviates allergens.

  • Numerous flooring brands offer environmentally-friendly products for green-conscious households.

  • The subfloor can determine what type of flooring you can install and whether you need an attached pad or additional underlayment.

Twenty&Oak flooring in living roomWhen we make purchases for our home, it is natural to first be drawn to the style and look of what we are buying.  The last thing we want to hear is "that is beautiful, but it won't work in your space."  However, some components of your home are both functional and visually important, such as cabinetry, fixtures, lighting, and yes, flooring! 

One of the biggest factors to consider in your flooring choice is your lifestyle. As you answer the questions below, you will find it easier to arrive at your perfect flooring solution.

1. Do you have pets? 

If you want to install hardwood flooring, one or two small pets won’t alleviate the option, but if you have large or multiple pets, you may want to consider a vinyl or laminate product. These floors have scratch resistant wear layers for durability that hold up to everyday wear and tear from your pets’ nails and playful activity.  Modern vinyl (LVT and sheet) and laminate floors have the same visuals as hardwood floors including distressed, wire brushed, and rustic wood styles, or earthy, natural patterns.  So, you can still have the look you want, but the function that you need (and less worry about damage to your floors!). 

young girl and puppy both dressed in tutus sitting on Metroflor Genesis hardwood floors

If you really have your heart set on hardwood floors, then look for a hardwood collection with surface treatments that camouflage this type of wear, and offer sufficient durability for small pets or pets with more subdued behavior.  Some suggestions would be a hand scraped, wire brushed, or distressed hardwood. 

Aside from flooring that offers scratch-resistant wear layers to hold up to pets’ nails, you should also consider waterproof or water-resistant flooring. As a pet owner knows, from a new puppy still in training to the occasional spilled water bowl, accidents do happen. And if you leave a pet alone during the day, it’s difficult to clean up said accidents right away.

If you have a furry family member in the home, learn more about some of the best pet-friendly flooring options Twenty & Oak has to offer.  

2.  Do you have children?

Consider the ages and activity level of your children.  Are they active in sports and bring home muddy or heavy equipment every day? 

Beauflor BlackTex HD Nouveau Cream


If you have a dedicated area for those items, such as a mudroom or entryway, consider using a durable, waterproof or water resistant product for that space. If you think these items will make their way all over the house, you may want to choose a super durable, yet beautiful vinyl plank, tile or sheet product that will stand up to years of activity, for your entire home.  Not only are luxury vinyl floors easy to clean and maintain, but the large range of color and style options available in realistic wood, stone and tile patterns will surprise you!  

3.  Do your family members have allergies?

Hard surface flooring is a much better choice over any carpet product to alleviate allergy symptoms and triggers.  Hardwood, vinyl, and laminate products can be safely and thoroughly cleaned frequently with the peace of mind that there are no hidden dust mites or mold lurking beneath the surface.  

4.  Where are you installing your new flooring?

With the exception of bathrooms and mud/laundry rooms, all Twenty & Oak types of flooring, including hardwood, can be used in any space in your home.  It is the collections within each flooring type that offer the diversity of installation for basements, concrete slabs and/or less than perfect subfloor conditions.  For example, vinyl products that don’t require adhesive, and rigid core products are much more forgiving of subfloor imperfections. 

Engineered hardwood can be installed in basements thanks to its cross layer construction.  Choose a vinyl or rigid core product with waterproof or water resistant warranties, such as BeauflorPalmetto Road, and Metroflor collections for any space that has frequent exposure to topical water spills or tracked in mud.  Flooring options with an attached pad reduces noise and also helps smooth over small imperfections in the subfloor.

5.  Where do you live?

The climate in which you live can limit your hardwood selections.  Avoid wide plank, solid only hardwood collections if you live in a very humid, southern region of the US.  Although gluing and nailing these products can alleviate some cupping and crowning, an engineered option may be available in the same visual and will result in a much more stable installation.  

With today's options in flooring, it is very easy to find the look that you want with the functionality that you need.  An expert flooring retailer will be able to show you all the options available that best suit your lifestyle. 

6. Are you environmentally friendly?

Many families today take steps to recycle and bring reusable bags to the grocery store to promote a healthier earth. But when it comes to your home, did you know you can choose a green-friendly flooring option?

Twenty & Oak offers numerous flooring options from manufacturers who undergo strict procedures and rules to gain certification status. Some of the environmental commitments from our brands ensure that the wood is gathered from sustainable forests and some guarantee the use of non-phthalate plasticizers. 

In fact, many of the flooring manufacturers Twenty & Oak carries are committed to one or several of these environmental certifications:

  • CARB Compliant

  • FloorScore Certified 

  • Phthalate Free

  • NWFA Verified

  • AHMI Verified Sustainable

  • Forest Stewardship Council

  • Lacey Act

Twenty & Oak Flooring Experts

Twenty & Oak Flooring Experts are a team of flooring professionals with over 150 years of combined experience in the industry. They have hands-on experience with all flooring types and bring inside industry know-how to homeowners in the Southeast.

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