Selecting the perfect flooring for each room is essential for ensuring both functionality and aesthetic appeal. Whether you’re updating your home, or outfitting a commercial space, choosing the right flooring can impact the room's durability, comfort, and overall look. This guide will help you understand which types of flooring, such as luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs), linoleum, carpet tiles, and vinyl sheets, work best for different rooms in residential and commercial settings.

Living Rooms and Lounge Areas

Residential

Living rooms are the heart of the home, where comfort and aesthetics come together with equal importance. You need a flooring option that offers warmth, durability, and easy maintenance.

• Carpet Tiles: Great for creating a cosy atmosphere. The soft texture underfoot makes carpet tiles ideal for living areas, especially when you want to reduce noise and enhance comfort. Plus, they can be easily replaced if a tile gets damaged without needing to replace the entire floor.
• LVTs: These provide the look of natural wood or stone but with the practicality of vinyl. LVTs are highly durable and easy to maintain, making them a great option for living rooms that get heavy use, and they look great when paired with a rug.

Commercial

In commercial settings, living areas are replaced with client waiting rooms or staff lounges, where durability and easy maintenance are priorities.

• Carpet Tiles: Often used in offices and hotels for their noise-reducing properties and comfort. They are available in various designs to match professional or hospitality settings. Carpet tiles can be replaced individually, which is helpful in high-traffic areas where wear and tear is more likely.
• LVTs: Used in offices, hotels, and other public spaces for their versatility. They’re easy to clean and available in a wide range of styles to suit both modern and traditional interiors, as well as boasting great durability.

Kitchens and Dining Areas

Residential

Kitchens require flooring that can handle spills, high traffic, and the occasional dropped utensil. You also want a design that complements the rest of the home, and one that creates a welcoming feeling as kitchens are a regularly used space.

• LVTs: Highly resistant to moisture, stains, and scratches, making them perfect for kitchens. Available in a wide range of designs, from natural wood to tile-look finishes, LVT offers both style and practicality.
• Linoleum: Made from natural materials like linseed oil, wood flour, and jute, linoleum is a sustainable and durable choice. It’s water-resistant and provides a warm, comfortable surface underfoot.
• Vinyl Sheets: A budget-friendly option for kitchens, vinyl sheet flooring is seamless, reducing the risk of dirt and bacteria build-up. It is highly waterproof and easy to clean, making it ideal for a wet area.

Commercial

Kitchens in restaurants, cafes, and offices need flooring that can withstand constant use, spills, and high foot traffic. In some instances, kitchen flooring will also need to provide additional safety benefits, as well as water-resistant qualities. 

• Vinyl Sheets: Frequently used in commercial kitchens for its waterproof and hygienic properties. Vinyl sheets are easy to clean and offer a seamless surface, which is important for food preparation areas.
• LVTs: Ideal for dining areas or restaurants where aesthetics and durability are important. LVTs can mimic high-end materials like wood or stone while offering superior water resistance and ease of maintenance.

Bathrooms and Wet Rooms

Residential

Bathrooms and wet rooms need flooring that is water-resistant, durable, and easy to maintain.

• Linoleum: Ideal for bathrooms, linoleum is water-resistant and naturally antibacterial, which is perfect for hygiene-conscious spaces like bathrooms.
• LVTs: Water-resistant and available in slip-resistant options, LVT is a great choice for bathrooms. It can mimic the look of natural stone or wood while providing a soft and warm surface underfoot.
• Vinyl Sheets: Perfect for bathrooms, vinyl sheet flooring is water-resistant and seamless, making it easy to clean and maintain in high-moisture areas.

Commercial

In commercial settings, bathrooms and changing rooms require hygienic, durable flooring that can handle heavy foot traffic.

• Linoleum: Often used in healthcare facilities and schools, linoleum’s antimicrobial properties and durability make it a great choice for commercial bathrooms and washrooms.
• Vinyl Sheets: Often found in public bathrooms, where ease of maintenance and hygiene are key. Vinyl sheets are durable, waterproof, and easy to clean, making them an excellent choice for high-traffic commercial spaces.

Hallways and Entryways

Residential

Hallways and entryways experience a lot of foot traffic, so you need a flooring option that is durable, easy to clean, and able to withstand dirt and debris brought in from outside.

• LVTs: With their durability, ease of cleaning, and wide range of designs, LVTs are an excellent option for hallways. They are also slip-resistant, which is a bonus in entryways.
• Carpet Tiles: For a softer, quieter entry, carpet tiles work well in residential hallways. They can be easily replaced if damaged and are available in various colours to match your home’s aesthetic.

Commercial

In commercial buildings like offices or hotels, hallways and entryways must handle high foot traffic while looking professional.

• LVTs: LVTs are frequently used in commercial spaces like hotels, offices, and retail stores due to their durability and aesthetic flexibility. They’re easy to clean and can handle high traffic.
• Carpet Tiles: Carpet tiles can be used in offices or hotels to create a professional atmosphere while providing sound absorption and comfort for employees or guests.

Offices and Workspaces

Residential

For home offices, you want a floor that’s comfortable to work on for long periods, easy to clean, and helps with noise reduction.

• Carpet Tiles: Offer sound insulation and comfort, which is ideal for a quiet, productive environment. They are also easy to replace if damaged.
• LVTs: These provide a professional look, with the durability needed to withstand rolling office chairs and heavy foot traffic. LVTs also offer easy maintenance for those working from home.

Commercial

Offices in commercial spaces need flooring that is durable, easy to maintain, and creates a professional environment.

• Carpet Tiles: Common in office environments for noise reduction and comfort. Available in a range of styles and colours to match the company’s branding or desired office aesthetic.
• LVTs: LVT is a great option for offices due to its ease of maintenance, wide variety of styles, and high durability. LVTs can create a sleek, modern look that is both functional and attractive.

Bedrooms

Residential

Bedrooms are spaces for rest and relaxation, so the flooring you choose should prioritize comfort, warmth, and noise reduction. You also want a flooring option that complements the overall decor and creates a cozy, inviting atmosphere.

• Carpet Tiles: Ideal for creating a soft, quiet environment in the bedroom. Carpet tiles provide warmth underfoot and help reduce noise, making them great for sleep and relaxation. They are also easy to maintain and can be replaced if damaged.
• LVTs: Luxury Vinyl Tiles are a great option for bedrooms due to their versatility in design, offering the look of natural wood or stone without the maintenance. They are soft to walk on, durable, and easy to clean, making them a functional and stylish choice for bedrooms.

Commercial

In commercial spaces such as hotels or dormitories, the flooring in bedrooms needs to be durable, easy to clean, and comfortable, all while fitting the aesthetic of the space.

• Carpet Tiles: Commonly used in hotel rooms and other hospitality settings, carpet tiles offer comfort and warmth, while also providing sound insulation. They are easy to replace in high-traffic areas and are available in various colors and patterns to suit the overall design.
• LVTs: Often used in commercial bedrooms or suites due to their stylish appearance and easy-to-maintain surface. LVTs can replicate high-end flooring materials like wood and stone while offering the practical benefits of durability and water resistance, which is important for spaces that need to withstand heavy use.

Final Thoughts

When selecting flooring for residential and commercial spaces, it’s important to consider the function of each room. In residential settings, LVTs, linoleum, carpet tiles, and vinyl sheets can each contribute to a stylish and practical solution, depending on the room. In commercial spaces, durability, ease of maintenance, and specific functional requirements like noise reduction and water resistance are the top priorities.
Choosing the right flooring for each room ensures your space is not only visually appealing but also durable and comfortable for everyday use. Whether for your home or business, consider the unique needs of each area to make the best choice.