Flooring: Reviews

Updated May 2009
 

Adds most value to a home, but pricey

Hardwood and engineered wood flooring *Est. $5 per sq. foot and up Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports is one of the few sites that compares actual products and recommends brands as well as types of flooring. A ...

AskTheBuilder.com: Nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Tim Carter explains various types of flooring in response to readers' questions. ...

Lowes.com: This retailer website offers a basic look at wood, laminate, tile and vinyl flooring. It is written and organized in a ...

Better Homes & Gardens: Although not comprehensive, this report describes basic flooring options and includes a guide to choosing and maintaining floors ...

Which? Online: Which? is the British equivalent to Consumer Reports. This article compares real wood, engineered wood and laminate options. ...

Dulley.com: This brief but helpful free report covers hardwood and laminate flooring. The paid report describes the offerings of various ...

American Hardwood Information Center: This is the website of a trade organization, but it's helpful because there is an enormous amount of information on various kinds ...

WolfeFlooring.com: This retailer website obviously wants to sell you flooring and thus is not unbiased. But there are useful descriptions of what to ...

SeeMyDesign.com: This website seems to exist in part to direct readers to sellers of flooring, but there is still plenty of worthwhile information ...

FlooringGuide.com: This website directs readers to manufacturers and retailers. Still, there's helpful information on just about every type of ...

 

Durable, easier installation

Laminate flooring *Est. $4 to $8 per sq. ft. Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports gives general information on laminate flooring, as well as recommending actual brands. You must be a subscriber ...

The New York Times: The New York Times notes that the latest laminate floorings offer improvements in appearance, ease of installation and even sound ...

AskTheBuilder.com: Nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Tim Carter explains laminate flooring in response to readers' questions. Discussions on ...

Lowes.com: This retailer website discusses the basics of laminate and other types of flooring. It is well-organized with lots of ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This guide describes the basic types of flooring including laminates. Information about selecting and caring for floors is ...

Which? Online: Which? is a British publication that's similar to Consumer Reports. This report covers laminate flooring and compares it to ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This brief report offers suggestions for high-traffic areas in your home, offering pros and cons for many types of flooring, ...

SeeMyDesign.com: This website directs readers to manufacturers, but it also has plenty of useful information about various flooring types, ...

FlooringGuide.com: This website has a useful database with information on just about every type of flooring. A number of articles about laminate ...

 

Elegant but cold and expensive

Stone *Est. $15 to $30 per sq. ft. Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Better Homes & Gardens: This report discusses a number of flooring options, including stone. It includes a list of features to consider and a set of cost ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This short article offers suggestions for areas that see a lot of use in your home. It suggests concrete as a cheaper alternative ...

AskTheBuilder.com: Nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Tim Carter answers readers' questions about different types of flooring, including ...

Essential Industries, Inc.: Essential Industries produces polymers and resins for floor finishes, so it's not an unbiased source of information. But it also ...

WolfeFlooring.com: Wolfe Flooring sells various types of flooring, and thus is not unbiased. But this site has a lot of useful information about ...

SeeMyDesign.com: SeeMyDesign.com seems to exist in part to direct readers to flooring manufacturers and resellers, but it also presents useful ...

FlooringGuide.com: FlooringGuide.com has several useful articles about selecting and purchasing stone flooring, as well as articles on stone ...

 

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Good for high-traffic areas

Tile *Est. $8 to $15 per sq. ft. Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports doesn't rate ceramic tiles but does cover vinyl imitation tile. A subscription is required to view the ratings, ...

Lowes.com: This retail website offers a basic look at choosing and installing tile flooring. It is written and organized in a very ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This article describes different types of flooring and includes a section on ceramic and stone tile. The information here is ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This short report offers flooring ideas for high-traffic areas. Tile is briefly mentioned as one possibility. There's not much ...

Essential Industries, Inc.: Essential Industries produces polymers and resins for floor finishes, but the website offers helpful information on the various ...

WolfeFlooring.com: This retailer website provides helpful information on buying and installing ceramic tile. There are useful descriptions of what ...

SeeMyDesign.com: This website exists in part to direct readers to sellers of flooring, but there's a useful chart comparing the different types of ...

FlooringGuide.com: This website directs readers to manufacturers and retailers, but it also has helpful articles on selecting and installing tile ...

 

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Most economical and easiest to install yourself

Vinyl flooring *Est. $2 to $8 per sq. ft. Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports test 10 vinyl flooring products and rates them according to their ability to resist wear, scratches, dents, ...

AskTheBuilder.com: Home improvement columnist Tim Carter presents helpful information on vinyl flooring while answering readers' questions. Several ...

Lowes.com: This retailer website offers helpful information on choosing, maintaining, and installing vinyl flooring. There's an especially ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This report describes basic flooring options and includes a very short section on vinyl that mainly highlights the different ...

Better Homes & Gardens: This report offers brief flooring suggestions for heavily trafficked areas. Vinyl is mentioned several times, but there's little ...

Essential Industries, Inc.: Essential Industries makes resins and polymers for floor finishes. However, this website offers a helpful overview of the general ...

WolfeFlooring.com: This retailer website sells flooring. It also presents useful information on buying and installing vinyl tile and sheet vinyl.

FlooringGuide.com: This website offers detailed information on installing and caring for vinyl flooring. The how-to sections include some photos, so ...

 

Green flooring

Cork, linoleum and bamboo flooring prices vary based on material Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports discusses the pros and cons of "green" flooring, including bamboo, cork and linoleum. Ratings are only available ...

AskTheBuilder.com: Columnist Tim Carter answers readers' questions. A number of his replies cover bamboo, cork and linoleum flooring. There are ...

JamesDulley.com: This brief but helpful free report covers cork flooring. A separate buyer's guide to cork flooring brands with manufacturer and ...

FlooringGuide.com: Bamboo is discussed as a "specialty" flooring in this how-to guide to different types of flooring. The brief article discusses ...

 

Where to buy:

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