The flooring of a home is one of its most defining features and can add greatly to its value. Choosing flooring is far more complicated than just finding the best-looking product. Several factors like moisture, durability, pets, high traffic, and costs should greatly influence your decision.

Here are some ideas that can help you make a decision:

• Hardwood: Hardwood flooring is both beautiful and fairly durable, especially in lower-traffic rooms like bedrooms and dining rooms. But, if you have pets or a lot of foot traffic, your hardwood floors might show the scratches and wear overtime. Basements and bathrooms with a lot of moisture are also not good places for hardwood flooring. On the other hand, continuous sunlight can fade your hardwood flooring overtime as well.
• Laminate: Because laminate flooring is so durable, it’s less susceptible to wear and tear from pets and foot traffic. While it withstands moisture better than hardwood, it should not be in a regularly wet area of the home. Because of its topcoat, laminate flooring typically does not fade from sunlight as quickly and noticeably as hardwood flooring and can be used safely in rooms with large windows.
• Vinyl plank flooring: Unlike wood, it’s safe to use vinyl flooring in damp areas making it perfect for bathroom floors and kitchens.  It holds up well to heavy traffic because it doesn’t scratch easily. However, it can be punctured by sharp items. Vinyl is also susceptible to denting from heavy furniture and can fade from sun damage.
• Shiplap: Can be done with a wide range of materials including all the ones above. However, it is most commonly done with cheap wood such as pine or old barn siding. Installing shiplap horizontally in a room can help carry the eye around the space, making it feel larger. Installing it vertically helps emphasize the height of the room, making it feel larger.  It can even be installed on the ceiling, to draw the eye upwards

A new floor or shiplap walls should be a beautiful addition to your home and a conversation piece that lasts for decades to come.