Types of flooring: Which floors are best for an apartment?

The modern market of construction and finishing materials offers a huge range of floor coverings with a wide variety of properties and characteristics. Both modest budget options and expensive luxury finishes are available for sale.

Types of floor coverings

After reviewing the information presented below, you will get a complete understanding of the main types of floor coverings and will be able to make the most correct choice.

Linoleum

Modern linoleum consists of six layers

One of the most common types of flooring. Materials for household, semi-commercial, and commercial purposes are available for sale. Classification is carried out in accordance with the strength indicators of linoleum. The best option for the home is semi-commercial rather than household linoleum - it is slightly more expensive, but lasts much longer.

What is the difference between commercial linoleum and semi-commercial

Advantages

Resistant to moisture.
Unpretentiousness and ease of care.
No noise when walking.
Impervious to rotting.
Long service life.

Table of class and marking of household linoleum

linoleum

Flaws

Demanding requirements for the foundation. The subfloor must be level - only in this case can you count on a long service life of the coating.
Relatively low environmental friendliness. In this regard, linoleum, as an artificial material, is noticeably inferior to natural finishes.
Low resistance to mechanical loads. The weight of a person and small interior items is supported by linoleum, but under the pressure of heavy furniture and large equipment, the material is pressed through.
Weak resistance to temperature changes. Relevant for cheap and low-quality linoleum. This finish quickly becomes deformed and becomes cracked.

Table of characteristics of Tarkett linoleum (Tarkett)

Polyvinyl chloride coatings

Polyvinyl chloride coatings have a service life of up to 30 years

Available in the form of tiles and panels with an adhesive base and a locking joint. Also on sale are tiles mounted using third-party adhesive mixtures. Modern vinyl floors look more aesthetically pleasing and are characterized by significantly improved performance characteristics compared to their old Soviet-made counterparts.

Advantages

Resistance to various types of loads.
Easy to install.
Resistant to moisture.
Good sound insulation properties.
Nice external texture.
Large selection of colors and textures.
Long service life.

PVC tiles. Specifications

Flaws

Demanding requirements for the foundation. The subfloor must be level, otherwise over time all defects will appear on the vinyl. The humidity of the base should not exceed 5%.
Demanding requirements for storage and storage conditions. Before use, vinyl must be given time to adapt to environmental conditions. In addition, the temperature intervals recommended by the manufacturer must be maintained during the finishing process and after its completion.
Weak resistance to ultraviolet exposure. Relevant for cheap vinyl. Direct sunlight causes the color to fade and yellow spots to appear on the surface of the coating.
Unnatural composition. Vinyl is a man-made material. When burned, it releases substances that are toxic to humans. At the same time, a cheap and low-quality coating makes them stand out even in a “state of rest.” When purchasing, be sure to ask the seller to present quality certificates.

PVC floor tiles

Cardboard mining

I’ll honestly tell you how many times I’ve done repairs, but I’ve never bought cardboard! Logically, you need it for the same area as you took the film for, i.e. 26.25 square meters. Where can I get it?

in some construction hypermarkets, cardboard packaging is thrown out of the backyard;
You can find boxes in bicycle shops, especially in the summer, on sales days;
In grocery hypermarkets you can ask for cardboard packaging.

If you still haven’t gotten cardboard for free, you can buy it at a construction hypermarket in the form of prefabricated cardboard boxes.

Lucky are those who have a car. In general, it’s hard to do repairs without a car, but it’s possible. If you don’t have a car, then you need to find a private owner who will agree to deliver the cardboard to your home.

Cork coverings

Cork floor

How to lay cork flooring

Natural coating with high heat and sound insulation properties. The finishing is based on cork tree bark. Produced in roll and slab formats. Perfect for finishing floors in rooms that require environmental friendliness, silence and comfort.

Interlocking cork floor

Advantages

High thermal insulation performance.
Good sound insulation.
Resistance to deformation influences. Even heavy furniture and equipment leave no traces on the cork floor.
High shock-absorbing properties.
No slipping.
Normal tolerance to a variety of chemical influences, with the exception of aggressive alkalis.
Resistance to various pests.

Types of cork coverings

Flaws

High price. As a result, taking into account the costs of various additional materials and the work itself, the price of a cork floor is comparable to the costs of purchasing and laying good parquet.
Low tensile strength. Sharp furniture legs, pet claws, heels and other similar things negatively affect the condition of the traffic jam.
Low thermal conductivity. It will not work to use cork flooring in combination with a floor heating system, because... the “cork” simply will not allow heat to pass through.
Tendency to swell when in contact with water. This point eliminates the possibility of installing cork floors in bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity levels.

cork floor

Laminate

Laminate in the interior

A panel made from fiberboard and supplemented with several layers of thick paper. A texture is applied on top of the paper (the most popular option is imitation parquet), and protective materials are applied on top of it. The production technology ensures that the panels are resistant to abrasion, sunlight, various types of damage, deformation and contamination.

Laminate classes

Laminate is relatively easy to install and has a long service life. The only limitation is that the panels cannot be installed in bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity levels. The installation technology requires preliminary laying of a special substrate.

Which laminate to choose

Laminate classification

Advantages

Resistance to external influences.
Good tolerance to elevated temperatures.
Relatively easy to care for.
Environmental Safety. The panels contain no substances that can cause harm to human health. The material does not accumulate bacteria, it does not cause allergies and is perfect for finishing the floor even in a children's room.
Easy to install.
Can be combined with underfloor heating systems.
Long service life.
Relatively affordable price.

Laminate in the interior

Flaws

Poor resistance to moisture. The material is not recommended for use even in kitchens. If you decide to decorate your kitchen floor with this material, give preference to its adhesive variety.
Risk of bubbles and other swellings if installation technology is violated.
Creaking when walking when laid on an insufficiently leveled subfloor.
Low quality cheap varieties.

laminate

How the work on creating warm heating and installation of finishing material proceeds

The specific manipulations depend on the type of system used and the type of room in which the work is carried out. Among the features of installation of different types of flooring are:

A water heated floor is installed either in a screed or in special mats that allow you to hide the coolant pipes inside. All work is carried out during major repairs or during the construction of a house.
The electric version can also be hidden in a screed or laid on top of a rough covering. When using an infrared system, installation can be done over any subfloor.

It is infrared flooring that is the most popular solution for home use inside apartments. It does not require special organization of the subfloor. Can be laid on wood, concrete and any other hard surface. Infrared floor film is packaged in a roll. You just need to roll it out, cut it correctly and connect it. You can immediately lay a specialized laminate or tile on top of the protective film.

Important! Before starting to create a project, you need to carefully study the features of each heated floor, what additional elements will be required to create one or another option and where it is better to use different types of systems.

Ceramic coating

Ceramic floor tiles

Ceramic floor tiles can be used in various types of living spaces

One of the most popular materials for flooring. The tiles are especially suitable for tiling floors in rooms with heavy traffic and high humidity. A huge range of tiles are available for sale, differing in size, design, strength and a number of additional characteristics.

In private house construction, ceramic coatings are most often used in bathrooms, as well as hallways, toilets and kitchens. In general, you can choose tiles that will fit perfectly into the interior of any room, but in bedrooms, living rooms and other similar rooms, it is better to combine ceramics with floor heating systems, otherwise it will be cold.

Advantages

The widest selection of design solutions.
Almost limitless scope for the implementation of a wide variety of ideas. Using tiles, you can create unique compositions and visually change the proportions of the room.
Strength.
Easy to care for.

Flaws

Labor intensive installation.
Presence of seams. It will not be possible to completely remove them. The width of the seams directly depends on the skill of the installer.
Cold. Walking on such material with bare feet is not an acquired taste. To be comfortable, ceramics must be combined with a heated floor system, which leads to additional costs.

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ceramic floor tiles

Each room has its own floor

It often happens that in one room you have to lay one type of covering in another. A common example: tiles in the kitchen and bathroom, and starting from the corridor and continuing with other rooms, another covering is laid. This solution can be said to be classic. Waterproof coating in wet rooms, and warm and cozy in residential areas. But there are other combination options. For example, in the kitchen, only the cooking area should be tiled. The dining area can be covered with laminate or other covering. This technique is especially good when the kitchen is combined with the living room.

On the other hand, in the same studio apartment, zoning can be done using different materials. For example, the sleeping area in the main room is lined with carpet or carpet tiles, and the rest of the space is lined with laminate.

Carpets

Variety of carpets

This popular type of flooring is characterized by a relatively affordable cost, ease of installation and an almost limitless range of design solutions. Modern carpets are not of interest to rodents, insects and other pests; they are easy to care for and durable.

Natural carpet

Carpets made from acrylic, wool, polypropylene, nylon, silk and many other materials are available for sale.

Carpets, made in Türkiye

Advantages

Among the advantages of modern carpeting, the following characteristics should be noted:

resistance to various adverse effects, including abrasion;
wide selection of colors and designs;
low creasing;
decent sound insulation when using carpets with soft and elastic pile.

Flaws

If carpets have disadvantages, namely:

poor resistance to direct sunlight. This is especially true for cheap models. Carpets lose color and generally presentable appearance;
poor tolerance to exposure to water and use in conditions of high humidity;
tendency to accumulate dust between the villi. If you prefer carpet flooring, be prepared to use a broom and vacuum cleaner often.

carpet

Parquet coverings

A classic version of expensive and high-quality flooring. The performance characteristics and appearance of the material directly depend on what kind of wood was used for its manufacture. Homes with wooden floors are always warm, comfortable and cozy.

Parquet

Advantages

Excellent appearance.
Long service life.
Complete environmental safety.
Low thermal conductivity.

Flaws

Tendency to deformation. In summer, wood expands; in winter, on the contrary, it shrinks. In view of this, when laying the panels it is necessary to leave technological gaps.
High price. High-quality parquet is noticeably more expensive compared to other types of coatings. However, it has to be changed much less frequently, which fully compensates for the high cost.

parquet

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages that can be obtained by using the system in an apartment or private house are:

uniform heating of the floor over the entire area;
the ability to create a complete heating system in the complete visual absence of radiators and pipes;
high level of security;
when using a water boiler - efficiency;
when using an electrical infrared system - high installation speed.

The disadvantages of use are the possibility of restrictions during further operation (if an infrared coating is used, then serious pressure cannot be applied to it), complexity of installation (if we are talking about water systems) and ineffectiveness if installed incorrectly.

To get the maximum benefits from using the system, you should trust the installation to professionals. You should also choose the right floor covering so that you can heat the floor with minimal energy consumption. After carefully familiarizing yourself with the features of each system option, you will be able to easily choose for yourself the solution that will be better in terms of functional qualities, cost or complexity of creation.

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Polymer coatings

Self-leveling floor

Decorative floor 3D. Volumetric image on your floor

This category includes self-leveling floors, loved by many. The coating can be made on a cement-acrylic, epoxy, as well as polyurethane and methyl methacrylate base. Suitable for use in a wide variety of spaces. In residential buildings and apartments, 3D floors based on polyurethane are most often used. The compositions fit perfectly into the interiors of bathrooms and kitchens. They are characterized by aesthetics and exclusivity of appearance, high durability and long service life.

Materials for the installation of polymer floors

Advantages

The main advantages of self-leveling floors include the following characteristics:

resistance to high humidity;
attractive design;
long service life;
good tolerance to chemical influences;
high adhesion properties;
resistance to fire, temperature changes;
excellent hygiene;
ease and unpretentiousness in care.

Self-leveling floors 3d photo

Flaws

The material also has its weaknesses, namely:

high price;
comparative difficulty of dismantling. Over time, even the most beautiful 3D floor can get boring for the owner, and considerable efforts will have to be made to remove the coating;
demands on the subfloor;
complexity of arrangement.

self-leveling 3d floor

Construction of a foundation on the ground

Installation of a concrete floor on the ground with waterproofing
A subfloor on the ground is a concrete foundation of the basement or first floor of a building, which lies directly on the soil. Such a floor is made with a strip foundation, when there is no layer between the soil and building materials. Such designs are most often found in private houses and cottages. And since the base directly “interacts” with the soil, many nuances must be taken into account during its installation.

The arrangement of a rough covering on a strip foundation begins with the laying of waterproofing materials, which, if necessary, can perform a drainage function. In what order are the layers of the “pie” stacked?

Sand is poured along the entire perimeter of the soil located inside the building;
The thickness of the sand layer should range from 6 to 12 cm;
To protect the layers of the “pie” from the influence of moisture, a plastic film is laid on the sand;
After this, a mound of crushed stone is made, the layer thickness of which should be approximately 15 cm;
Then the installation of reinforcing mesh with a cell size of up to 20 cm is carried out;
Next, the concrete screed is poured;
As soon as the concrete dries, it is additionally treated with bitumen mastic to eliminate the possibility of moisture seeping through the concrete;
Before laying the finishing coating, a layer of vapor and thermal insulation can be laid, which will prevent the accumulation of condensation under the finishing coating and heat loss in the room.

The stages of work on arranging a rough foundation on a strip foundation can be seen in the photo below.

Cost of different coatings

For many buyers choosing the appropriate finishing option, the deciding factor is the cost of the material. Of course, this point also needs to be taken into account, which is what you are asked to do using the following table.

Table. Average prices for flooring

Flooring	Prices, rub/m2
Linoleum	100-700
Polyvinyl chloride coatings	On average from 1000
Cork covering	On average from 1600
Laminate	170-1250
Tile	300-1500
Carpets	70-2000
Parquet	1000-2600
Self-leveling floors	On average from 800-1000

Now you are aware of the key characteristics, advantages, weak qualities and average prices of the most popular types of floor finishes. The information received will help you think carefully and make the best choice.

When choosing a floor covering, it is important to balance environmental characteristics, health concerns and the cost of the covering

Good luck!