What is the cheapest way to floor? Which option is the most durable, waterproof, scratch resistant, and easy on your feet?

When it comes to settling on a type of flooring to lay in your home, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with the number of options available. It’s no longer as simple as picking a flooring type that looks the part, but instead, you have to consider a wide variety of factors, such as: what is the cheapest way to floor? Which material is the most durable? What flooring types are waterproof? How about scratch resistance? And of course, which feels the best underfoot? 

The type of flooring you will settle on will largely depend on the room in question. Using the same flooring in every room in your home isn’t viable, as certain rooms have different requirements. For example, a bathroom should have a waterproof floor, whereas the bedroom should utilise something that is more comfortable underfoot. With that said, let’s dive a little deeper into the various flooring options, for your convenience. 

What is the cheapest way to floor?

One of the most commonly asked questions is: which is the cheapest way to floor. Now, before we get stuck in, it is important to remember that going for the cheapest option isn’t necessarily the smart move. Yes, if you are on a budget you’ll want to find something affordable, but the flooring must meet a certain standard before you rush in and make any decisions. 

Sheet vinyl is arguably the most affordable and least complicated option for flooring. It’s a synthetic material made up of mainly PVC, it’s lightweight, and it provides excellent durability. What’s more, is that quality sheet vinyl can last for several decades when looked after properly. 

Does that make sheet vinyl the best option? Not necessarily. There are other affordable options that have different features which might make them more attractive to you. Again, it all depends on the room that you are fitting. 

What is the most durable type of flooring?

When it comes to durability, vinyl plank is among the most highly rated materials. What’s great about this option is the fact that it’s actually really rather affordable as well. So, if you are on a budget and you want a relatively inexpensive material that is hard-wearing and has great durability, plank vinyl is an excellent option. 

Another great benefit to fitting plank vinyl is that, unlike sheet vinyl, it comes in planks that match the size of standard hardwood floorboards, thus making it far less complicated to install – perfect if you want DIY Floorboards that you can fit without having to pay for professional installation. 

What is the most waterproof flooring?

As for flooring materials that offer excellent waterproofing, your best bet is either ceramic or porcelain tiles. These are virtually impenetrable and will not allow any liquid to soak in, thus allowing for ease of maintenance and worry-free cleaning. Similarly, they’re perfect for a bathroom environment. 

Then again, ceramics and porcelain tiles aren’t the cheapest options. While they offer great durability and are waterproof, you may wish to stick with vinyl planks which—while not entirely waterproof—offer excellent waterproofing. In other words, vinyl plank is suitable for a bathroom environment, however, you should be conscious of cleaning your bathroom thoroughly so as not to let water seep in – just to be safe. 

Another 100% waterproof flooring options are vinyl tiles. These are among the most resilient flooring options and boast total waterproofing. 

Then there are certain laminate flooring options that can be 100% waterproof if finished properly. It’s all about weighing up the pros and cons and finding a flooring type that fits your budget and has an aesthetic appeal that matches your desire for the finished décor of a given room. 

What type of flooring does not scratch?

For homes with pets and children, you’ll want a flooring type that can withstand lots of traffic, claws, and little terrors dropping heavy toys on a regular basis. 

Unfortunately, if you are looking for a flooring type that does not scratch at all, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything. The fact is, if you try hard enough you can scratch practically anything. So, the real question is, which flooring type is the most scratch-resistant? 

Ceramic and porcelain tile are a winner here and offer the most scratch-resistance out of any flooring type. Ceramic is made from fired clay and has a hard and durable surface. Porcelain is a type of ceramic that is made using cultivated clay that is baked at higher temperatures, thus providing excellent scratch resistance as well. 

Laminate flooring is renowned for being rather scratch resistant while coming in a wide variety of style options. It has a base wear layer that makes it difficult to scratch, however, the downside is that unless treated properly, laminate flooring isn’t always 100% waterproof. In any case, it’s extremely durable and can take a fair amount of wear and tear. 

What flooring is easiest on your feet?

If you’re not so worried about budget, waterproofing, or scratch resistance and you have a low-traffic home that calls for maximum comfort, what flooring type is the easiest on your feet? 

Carpet is the first type that springs to mind. While carpet has many downsides compared to most other flooring options, you cannot deny how wonderful a lovely carpet flooring feels underfoot. 

Another great option is cork flooring. Cork is the perfect blend of hardwood and carpet, providing a porous and insulated flat surface that feels truly brilliant underfoot. 

For those on a budget, vinyl is an excellent all-rounder that boasts excellent softness. Then again, it’s all dependent on the quality of the vinyl, so we definitely recommend shopping around and spending that little bit extra on a vinyl plank that has been manufactured to a much higher standard. 

Conclusion 

Again, choosing a flooring type all depends on your budget, the type of room you are renovating, and the various qualities that are important to you. If you are looking for an excellent all-rounder that performs well in all of the categories mentioned above, we’d say that you cannot go wrong with high-quality vinyl flooring.