When we are looking for our next flooring, there’s loads of factors that influence your decision. One of the most important is durability, how well is your flooring going to hold up against the wear and tear of everyday life without showing it after a year? The truth is that this is a very important factor, if not the most important, so make sure you do research and get it right. With many of us coming from busy family homes, durability becomes all the more vital and can be the deciding factor. 

Wood

Wood is incredibly popular. It has so many attractive features, including ease of maintenance and famous good looks. Its best feature by far however has got to be its incredible durability. Wood flooring is known to last for many years, even out living the person who laid it and is expected to live past its 100th birthday. This means it’s likely you won’t ever need to worry about replacing it, spanning across several decades. Solid and engineered wood flooring is without a doubt a gorgeous classical choice, but its good looks and durability does come at a price. It is an expensive choice, however you get what you pay for so if you do decide to splash out, you can be confident that it will last a lifetime. 

The only concern with wood flooring is that it can scratch and stains, meaning it is best to lay it in rooms that don’t see high exposure to these. However, it can be sanded down and refinished to remove any damage, which you can’t do with any other flooring choice. This should not normally need to be done for the first 15-20 years either and can be done more than once, so you can only imagine how durable these amazing floors are!

LVT Tiles

LVT tiles are another worthy mention. If you’re looking for something highly practical with nice easy maintenance, then you need LVT tiles. Coming in perfect replicas or normal tiles, it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. If you do decide to go for LVT tiles, then you won’t need to think about replacing them for at least 20 years and they’ll complement any space they’re laid in. As well as being very hard wearing and durable, LVT tiles are also scratch, water and stain proof which only adds to its fantastic durability. This means it will stay looking newer for longer, therefore your money well spent!

Laminate

We’ve all heard of laminate and most of us have it laid somewhere in our homes. Popular with first time buyers, it’s a friendly, cheap and safe choice. But how durable is it? Although not quite as durable or as good tempered as LVT tiles, laminate certainly has its place in the durable flooring world. It is resistant to scratches, stains and water; however it is not full proof against these so just be aware of this. You will need to replace the whole floor if laminate does damage, but it is a much cheaper option so you get what you pay for. You’ll get a good ten years out of laminate!

Stone

This material speaks for itself. Stone is a lifetime material and will not wear out in any way. However, it can have a rough surface and very hard if someone does take a fall. The other thing with stone is that although it is very hard wearing, it can scratch which are not easily removed. As long as you’re aware of all the snags, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy your gorgeous durable stone floors!

Although there are loads of durable floors and they’re all durable by any standards, we would say these are the best options. If you’re someone that would rather pay a bit more at the time and not have to replace things too often, then solid wood is a good bet. If you need a durable and reliable choice, then laminate is the way to go.