Six Flooring Options Worth a Second Look

When considering flooring, a lot of folks spend tons of time debating whether hardwood or carpet is right for their space (and budget). But there are plenty of other flooring options out there, many of which are surprisingly affordable. Here are six options from Apartment Therapy that you might not have thought of.

Concrete

Concrete floors, whether just polished or finished with a sealant that makes them shiny, are beautiful in contemporary spaces, and can be a nice way to add a bit of an edge to a traditional space. Depending on the treatment you may save a little money over other floor options, as well. After all, chances are good (if you live in a house with a slab on grade foundation, or in a much larger building with steel construction) that you already have a concrete floor. Cork

Cork flooring looks beautiful underfoot, with a warmth and movement similar to wood. Plus it has a little bit of springiness that makes it easier on your feet, which is especially nice in places like a kitchen where you’ll be standing for long periods of time. Rubber

Rubber flooring is already quite popular in Europe, although the trend is still making its way down South. But it can be quite attractive, and it’s also exceedingly practical — easy to care for, incredibly durable, and nice and forgiving underfoot. Tile (and not just in a bathroom or kitchen).

You may think of tile as something that only goes in wet spaces, but lately we’ve been seeing lots of beautiful tile designs that are just too pretty to hide away in the bathroom. Encaustic tile is especially nice in the right living room or dining room, and if you live in a place where it gets particularly hot during the summer its coolness will be wonderful to have underfoot. VCT

If you’ve ever been an architect you’ll know that VCT (or vinyl composite tile) is cheeeeap. It’s almost always the budget flooring option in any project, the one you go to when you are really trying to squeeze money out. I wasn’t totally sold on the idea of using VCT in a home, as opposed to an elementary school classroom, until I saw a kitchen remodel from The Art of Doing Stuff, where this inexpensive flooring looks like a million bucks. It’s pretty hardwearing, too. Carpet Tile

Carpet tile gets used a lot in industrial buildings, for obvious reasons — it’s easy to install, easy to clean, and can be replaced one section at a time in the event of stains. There are manufacturers that make carpet tiles for residential applications, too, and they come in a huge variety of patterns and colours that are anything but office-building boring. You can configure it into all kinds of interesting patterns (think geometric and ombre designs), and it comes in a huge variety of low-pile options that read a lot more sophisticated than traditional wall-to-wall.