Solid hardwood floors are made of planks milled from a single piece of timber. Originally, such floors were used for structural purposes, and they were installed at particular angles of support beams known as joists or bearers. Engineered wood flooring gained popularity with the increased use of concrete as a subfloor. However, hardwood flooring is still common and popular. Since they have a thicker wear surface, hardwood floors can be sanded and finished more times than an engineered wood floor. It is not uncommon for homes in New England, Eastern Canada, and Europe to have the original solid wood floor still in use today.

Carpet is a soft floor covering made of bound carpet fibers or stapled fibers. Carpeting refers to wall-to-wall coverage, whereas a rug is simply used to cover a space. This type of flooring is typically used indoors and can be used in both high and low traffic areas. It typically lasts for 15-18 years before it needs to be replaced. The quality of a carpet is usually measured in face weight, or how many fibers there are per square inch. The higher the face weight the more plush a carpet will feel.

Vinyl flooring is the most common type of resilient flooring. This type of flooring usually has some elasticity when you walk across it. Vinyl flooring is made out of plastic and has superior resistance to moisture. It is used indoors, mostly in kitchens and bathrooms, due to its moisture resistance, great appearance, and a wide variety of textures. Vinyl floors before looked like sheet goods with printed patterns and featured a not-so-convincing ceramic tile look. But, nowadays, vinyl floors can realistically imitate the look of wood, stone, ceramics, or just about any other material. And, cleaning these floors is truly a piece of cake.

Laminate flooring is made 99% out of wood and it is more natural looking than vinyl. When it comes to water resistance, unfortunately, there is no such thing as waterproof laminate flooring. Since all laminate floors are a wood product, the will soften if exposed to water. However, there is laminate flooring that is moisture-resistant. Installing laminate flooring is easier than installing the sheet vinyl flooring since the click-and-lock system is more secure than the current interlocking system for vinyl planks. And, the great thing about laminate floors is that they are among the ones that are the most affordable and most suitable for a DIY project.