Selecting the Right Flooring

There are many variables to consider when choosing floor coverings. What is the room used for? How much traffic will it have to endure? Children and/or pets? How much do you want to spend?

For a kitchen or bathroom, you want flooring that's easy to clean and resistant to water and other spills. Popular choices for these rooms are ceramic tile, vinyl or laminates. But don't forget to consider the noise factor. Tile and other very hard floors can be cold and noisy. More resilient floors, such as vinyl and carpet are best in work areas. Hallways and playrooms will have to endure more abuse than bedrooms, so more durable flooring will be required in those areas. Tight Berber carpeting may be a good choice. Hardwoods are popular for their beauty and durability. Hardwood and other non-fibrous floors are best if family members are allergy prone.

Carpet is the most common floor covering, and options in this category alone are numerous. The single-most important feature of carpet is the quality. If you press your finger between the carpet pile, it will give you an idea of the density of the yarns. Dense carpet will resist tracking and wear better, thus last longer. Another factor of quality is the fiber content. Most carpets today are synthetic fibers, such as nylon and polyester. Many offer stain resistance for easy care.

If you prefer hardwood or another hard surface, but want to soften or add style to the room, an area rug can make a big difference in a room. Area rugs can also be used over existing carpet as an economical way of updating a room. Area rugs are often still made of natural material, such as wool. Wool typically will cost more than a synthetic, but a wool rug can last for generations.

All Wolf Furniture showrooms carry a selection of area rugs. Our Altoona, Johnstown and Bellefonte locations carry a complete line of flooring.