Time For Durability: Flooring Your Home’s Entryway
Every entry in your home needs a durable floor. The great news is you can make each entryway a stunning first impression of your home too. Any job worth doing is worth doing right. If you’re thinking of replacing the floor in your entryways, why not take the opportunity to make the best choice possible from a durability standpoint and in terms of looks.
If you’re smart about it, you might even be able to find some that are budget-friendly.
Entryways, mudrooms, vestibule, porch entry, back door, and side door
No matter what you call it if it’s used to get into your house, the floor on the other side of it takes a lot of abuse and normal wear and tear. Mud, dirt, and road grit stuck to the soles of your shoes can good old drip wet clothes from the rain. They all end up on the floor.
Depending on where you live, you might even have to deal with road salt and ice-melting chemicals. Then those wet and dirty shoes are often left there sitting on the floor. If these floors could talk, they would be shouting, “uncle.”
Stay traditional or shake things up
Some people believe the entryway of your home should match as closely as possible with the rest of your home. You can if you like, but surprisingly the tradition is to use something completely different.
For example, most of your home could feature solid hardwood flooring. A rough-textured, natural stone slate entryway adds a perfect accent to a solid oak wood floor. Both materials are organic in nature, and both have been used together for centuries.
Interior design and practicality
Good looks and toughness aren’t necessarily on opposite ends of the spectrum. Today’s flooring materials are a modern marvel that combines both. Of course, some materials are better at one than the other, but they’re not as limited as they used to be. Scientifically developed new coatings are baked into many materials that years ago might not be able to stand up to the demands of an entryway.
Some pros and cons of each choice for entryways
Please take a quick look at this when it comes to entryway ideas. Each floor option will
have its strengths and weaknesses.
- Sheet vinyl and sheet linoleum
Linoleum is coming back strong. The variety of patterns and colors is wide. Both choices include a one-piece installation. Although the entryway may be small, a one-piece installation will try your patience, especially if you’re a DIYer. Water-resistance is excellent. These floors are very easy to clean, and the wear layer on the top is perfect for high-traffic areas.
- Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring consists of multiple synthetic layers sandwiched together, or in other words, laminated. This flooring is very easy-to-install, and the wear layer is very tough and can put up with just about anything that happens in your entryway. Laminate flooring consistently qualifies as one of the most cost-effective choices.
- Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP)
In the last few years, there have been many important advances in this category. In terms of materials used and construction methods, these floors are a lot better than they used to be. In terms of look and feel, these floors deliver on the look of hardwood and mimic the look of ceramic or porcelain tile. They come in a variety of different formats, and the colors, patterns, and textures available are excellent. From a performance standpoint, you can have full confidence that these floors will last a very long time in your entryway.
- Hardwood floors
Both solid hardwood floors and engineered floors are made with real wood in a variety of different species. Modern, high-tech coatings provide a very good level of water resistance. Scratch resistance is not as good as some of the other types of floors. However, hardwood floors more than compensate for their beauty and prestige. Some people who choose wood floors for their entryway add a small area rug to help shield the floor from the worst scratch-producing elements.
- Natural stone, ceramic tile, and porcelain tile
As you can guess, all three of these choices provide unmatched water resistance. Most varieties are also excellent for preventing scratches. These are the main points that you hear from a tile shop. Installation includes the proper preparation of the subfloor. Also, these choices usually are on the high end of the price scale.
Is this project a DIY candidate?
Ask yourself these questions to find out:
- How large is the area of the floor in the entryway?
- Is it something you can handle by yourself?
- How many days do you think it will take you? Now double it to be realistic.
- Will you have another suitable access point to your home? If not, forget about doing this yourself. It’s gotta be done fast and done right in less than a day.
- Do you have the tools necessary, and do you have experience using them? Renting a tile saw is easy but using one properly is something entirely different.
- How much experience do you have with the floor option you’re thinking about?
- If you’re thinking of natural stone, ceramic tile, or a porcelain floor, will you be using one of the very large format tiles? The large format makes them much more difficult to install than the regular size.
- What sort of subfloor preparation will be involved? Keep in mind that natural stone, ceramic, and porcelain tile floors require a precisely prepared subfloor.
- Will the transition be tricky? Will the level of the floor you put in be different than the level of the rest of the floor?
- Will you void the warranty? Most flooring comes with a warranty that will be invalidated by an improper installation.
Consult an expert
If you have any more questions, please talk to a flooring expert from Flooring Direct in Dallas, Texas. No matter where you live, we believe it’s wise to choose a retailer that’s an expert and has been serving the community for years.
Not only will they be able to help you choose the floor, but they’ll also be able to help you determine if you can handle the project as a DIY. You can even shop from home! By the way, if you decide not to DIY it, we have plenty of options for professional installation. Give us a call today!
(214) 390-0850
Dan Ratcliff
Dan Ratcliff is the CEO and President of Flooring Direct in Dallas / Fort Worth. Over the last two decades, he has grown Flooring Direct into a premier Shop-at-Home traditional & hardwood flooring company. With a true dedication to customer service and integrity, Flooring Direct has become DFW's largest highest-rated Dallas-local flooring dealer. Dan has lived in Dallas all of his life and was raised in Dallas with family roots and love for the community and local sports. It's with that sense of family that Flooring Direct has contributed to and sponsored children's organizations like Jonathan's Place and scholastic athletics like Plano's Girls Soccer.
