Top 5 Alternatives to Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring — floors made of solid wood all the way through — is desired by many. However, it’s also the most expensive type of flooring out there. Your only option if you want something that looks as good as hardwood on a budget is to look at some of the alternatives to hardwood flooring. 

But what’s the best alternative to hardwood floors? What’s the best hardwood-like flooring?

This article will walk you through five flooring alternatives to hardwood and teach you a bit about flooring along the way.  

1. Cork

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly option, look no further. Cork flooring is completely renewable. It also looks great. 

Cork is available in both tiles and planks. It’s naturally sound absorbent, so it’s perfect if you have kids and worry about waking them up. . . or vice versa. 

Speaking of kids, cork is cushy. You won’t have to worry about any small children falling and hurting themselves on the floor. 

Cork also contained suberin, which is a natural insect repellent. It doesn’t easily rot or absorb water, so you don’t need to worry about your floors diminishing in quality over time. 

2. Ceramic Tiles

You probably already have ceramic tiles in your kitchen or bathroom. However, every homeowner would do well to consider ceramic tiles all over the home. 

3. Laminate

This option is truly great. 

Laminate perfectly brings together the aesthetic beauty of wood without all of the worry and upkeep. You’ll have a perfect and visually clean-looking floor without having to worry about rot and water damage. 

Laminate is synthetic — but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look great. Click for more information on laminate flooring. 

4. Bamboo 

Bamboo demonstrates the classical beautification of hardwood floors for a fraction of the price. Depending on how you want your bamboo to look, you can either disguise it as hardwood flooring or flaunt its uniqueness. 

You don’t have to worry about harming the bamboo population as well. Codes of ethics ensure that bamboo trees are harvested when they’re old for flooring purposes, leaving the young saps time to grow up.  

5. Carpet Tile 

Anyone looking to replace their floors should consider carpet tile. Rather than spending money on redoing your whole floor, with carpet tile, you can simply cover up the problem. 

If your floors are structurally sound, and their main problem is they just don’t look as good as they could, then you should consider going with carpet tile. It’s very easy to design your tile exactly how you want; you can leave bits of your old flooring underneath. 

Understand These Alternatives to Hardwood Flooring

We’re not denying that hardwood looks great — however, it isn’t the only game in town. Consider cork, ceramic, laminate, bamboo, and carpet tile as alternatives to hardwood flooring, and you’ll wind up with a floor that looks just as good and costs a lot less. 

Check out our “interior design” section for more articles like this.