How should you choose the ideal flooring for your home? Functionality and aesthetics are two of the top priorities, yet they must take a backseat to something far more important: safety!
What good is an attractive flooring option if it leads to more accidents around the home? Some flooring types are slightly more dangerous than others. Tiles are (arguably) the most dangerous due to their hardness, and the grout between each tile can cause people to tip over.
This brings us to the question: what is the safest floor type for your home? Rather than singling out one, here are three very safe flooring choices:
Carpet
Let’s begin with the obvious choice: carpet! Everyone knows the benefits of carpet – one of the key reasons to choose it over other flooring types is for enhanced safety. It’s the softest flooring option money can buy, providing a cushioned surface to walk on. If anyone falls over (mainly your little ones), they shouldn’t be badly hurt. Carpet acts as a buffer and absorbs the fall, so they get off with a small burn at the most.
You also lay carpet down in one piece, which means there aren’t any gaps between it; it’s one big surface. As a result, it’s very hard to trip over the carpet, and it’s not prone to slip-and-fall accidents. If you spill water or grease on a carpet, all you have to deal with is a stain. While annoying, it’s a lot better than handling bruises or broken limbs!
Tongue and Groove
This flooring type differs from the rest because it’s not technically a material. Instead, tongue and groove flooring refers to specific types of hardwood, engineered wood, or laminate flooring. It gets its name because each piece of flooring is installed with a “tongue” piece poking out and a “groove” piece for the neighboring tongue to slot into.
As a result, seamless wooden flooring is produced without gaps or nails and with minimal nails. This makes the flooring much safer, as it’s harder for people to trip over nails or stub their toes in the small gaps between planks.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is a modern option for people who want to replicate the look of wood but with additional safety benefits. It’s made from synthetic materials, which gives it a softer touch and feel than other flooring types. You won’t feel the same softness as carpet, but it’s just below it in the rankings.
The beauty of vinyl lies in how it can replace tiles or hardwood and give you a faultless stretch of flooring without any cracks, bumps, or things to slip on. Likewise, it’s water-resistant and nowhere near as slippy when you spill things on it! That’s why loads of homeowners pick it for their renovation projects.
Aside from being incredibly safe flooring options, these three choices come in all kinds of styles and varieties. You can easily use a combination of all three throughout your home in different rooms. Get vinyl in your kitchen & bathroom, tongue and groove in the hallways, and then carpet in the living room and bedrooms!