Flooring Types

Solid hardwood has a classic warmth and feel. It can be incredibly durable, and last for a lifetime with proper care. 

-Available in several styles, textures, and colors to coordinate with any room.

-If properly maintained over the years, can provide lasting beauty and charm. 

-Can be refinished with a new protective coating, or can be sanded down for a completely new look years down the road.

-Not for use in wet areas, spills must be cleaned up immediately to avoid damage to floor.

Engineered hardwood will look very similar to solid hardwood, with some features that make it unique.

-Available in several styles, textures, and colors to coordinate with any room.

-If properly maintained over the years, can provide lasting beauty and charm.

-Quality products can be sanded down and refinished down the road.

-Great resistance to the effects of Michigan weather- summer humidity, winter dryness, and minor spills.

- Typically available in wider widths than solid hardwood. If you want a true wide plank floor, engineered hardwood might be what you are looking for!

Laminate flooring will hold up the best to scratches from pets, toys, and shoes. Many now have high definition prints and textures such as distressing, wirebrushing, and graining. 

Better options also include a water resistant core that can prevent water from ruining the flooring for up to 24 hours. This will prevent damage from minor spills, pet accidents, etc. But any large amount of water will still damage the laminate if left for long enough.

Vinyl plank holds up the best to water, mud, spills from juice, wine, ketchup, or anything similar. Spills from the dogs water bowl, no problem! Great scratch resistance, but comes in second place to laminate in terms of this.

Several Sub-options exist in this category. Solid vinyl, PVC core, rigid core, stone core, etc.

Generally, the thicker the plank, the better it will perform over time. Stone core options are the best, and have the advantage of not requiring a break point in large areas or whole houses. They are designed to be dimentionally stable with temperature and humidity changes, and are the best in the category.

Pattern repeat: 

Basic rule of thumb- cheaper options will have less total # of unique planks. (approximately 4 unique on cheapest, 6-8 unique on higher end.) If you are the type of person who notices pattern repeats, and this bothers you, go with an option with the most unique planks. Some brands are better than others in regards to this.