Carpet is a flooring that is nice to have but it goes out of style, stains and needs to be replaced often.  It is also extremely absorbent to liquids and smells. There are better alternatives. With that in mind, here are three types of affordable flooring that will last for years. 

Flooring Ideas Steps

1. Hardwood Flooring

Carpet floors are a thing of the past, especially if you have children and pets.  They are hard to keep clean and it is the end of the World if the carpet gets wet or an animal has an accident.  They absorb smells and can also keep dust in a home. Hardwood floors do not have these drawbacks.

Hardwood floors are not exactly cheap, but they are one of the cheaper alternatives when it comes to purchasing floors for durability.  You also have a big selection when picking out wood styles and types. On average a hardwood floor can cost anywhere between $6 and $23 per square foot for materials and installation.

Marble floor seems like it would be a little bit on the ritzy side, but it isn’t one of the most expensive options.  There is a lot to consider when you are picking out a marble floor. Price, style, and durability are the main things that you want to examine when having marble flooring put into your home.

Marble floors, while not cheap, do not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars like you may have been told.  In fact, marble flooring runs about $9 to $50 per square foot installed, depending on what type and style you are getting.  Normally for marble floor to run $50 a square foot you have to be getting specialized marble.

Marble floors are even easier to maintain than hardwood floors.  When mopping them you do not have to use a special chemical to keep it nice like with hardwood.  Marble does not retain liquid at all, so there is no worry of spills soaking into the floor. This can be a good thing if you have children or pets running around and making messes.

3. Tile Flooring

When it comes to durability tile might be something for you to check into.  People overlook tile as a flooring option for living rooms and mostly use it for bathrooms and kitchens, but tile is very versatile.  It can also be very pretty depending on what look you choose. It can be a bit costly to purchase and install, but tile is great as a flooring option.

Tile is one of the most expensive options that you can go with for a durable floor, but it may end up being worth it.  It can range anywhere from $13 to $83 per square foot with installation.  This may seem very costly, however, if treated properly tile can last for well over 100 years.  One more good thing about tile is that if it cracks, only one tile has to be replaced, not the whole floor or a portion of the floor.

Tile is one of the most durable types of flooring but maintaining it might pose a small issue.  It isn’t as easy to clean as marble or hardwood, because most tile involves grout, which can be a pain if the wrong color is chosen or something gets spilled and not immediately cleaned.  

Tile must be swept once daily to keep glazed tile looking nice, due to wear and tear from sand and grit.  It also must be mopped twice weekly with a good cleaner to keep the grout from getting dull or moldy.