Budget Friendly Alternatives To Hardwood Floors

Get The Look and Feel Of Hardwood Floors In Your Home With These Budget Friendly Options

Many of us love the look and feel of hardwood floors, especially those of us who also love vintage style. Quite a few years ago laminate flooring became popular. I can remember the commercial with the little girl tap dancing out on the patio because the parents did not  want her to ruin their expensive wood floors and how laminate flooring was scratch resistant. Laminate is supposed to look and feel of hardwood without the wear, tear and care.

Sounds great right? I thought so too until we installed laminate in our kitchen. It wasn’t long before there was a bunch of scratches in the floor from chairs, dogs and heavy shoes clopping around on them.

Scratched Up Laminate Floors

Oh, and when laminate flooring gets wet they warp! I regret getting the laminate on the first floor of my home for these reasons. I ended up painting the laminate floor in the kitchen. Eventually we will rip it up and replace it with something else.

Painting Laminate Flooring

We have laminate in our master bedroom and hallway upstairs and after a year it is still gorgeous. I do not recommend placing laminate, at least an inexpensive laminate in high traffic areas and especially bathrooms. Bedrooms should be ok as long as there are no kiddies roller skating all over them.

If you love the look of hardwood floors but they are not in your budget or you don;t want to deal with caring for them, there are a couple other alternatives to hardwood floors that will give you the same look. There are a number of wood inspired vinyl floor selections on the market with a variety of colors and detail. You can purchase it in one large piece to cover the entire floor or in tiles. I have even seen it in long plank tiles, just like wood floors would come in. This particularly like the design on this vinyl tile by Congoleum offered at my local Lowe’s Home Improvement.

Wood Inspired Vinyl Flooring

There is also another option to achieve the look of hardwood floors on a budget. I went to see my doctor the other day  and when they ushered me into the exam room I couldn’t help noticing the floor. The nurse was asking me questions and caught me feeling the floor!

Wood Inspired Ceramic Flooring

The flooring was actually ceramic tile made to look and feel like hardwood. Now, that’s a floor that can hold up to spills and all sorts of traffic! Lowe’s has a couple of options for this type of flooring and at $1.78 a square foot it’s a good deal. It may feel a little colder under foot on a cold winter night than real wood but would definately consider putting this in my own home. The look, feel and durability of this flooring is amazing.

If you are looking for some budget friendly alternatives to hardwood floors try considering these options. They are easy to care for and look great. Laminates are ok in low traffic areas. The vinyl flooring would be easier to install yourself but the ceramic tile would be my choice if you are rough on your floors. It is the most durable.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

~Lisa

 

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