These days, flooring options range depending on one’s budget or lifestyle. This variety is spread over to the style of flooring, the type of surface finishing and the process of installation. Arizona homeowners can easily come up which flooring suits them knowing the differences of Arizona flooring.

Wood Flooring

In architecture and classic interior design, hardwood is highly valued for its famous elegance and durability. This choice of flooring harmonizes every room by promising consistency in open floor plans. The sources of hardwood are regional and domestic. For regional hardwood, you will get chinquapin, pecan, and mesquite while domestic source gives you maple, black walnut, and oak.

You can buy imported species in Arizona that include Purple Heart, African Padauk, and Brazilian cherry. Certification from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) would guarantee you wood species obtained from sustainable and managed forests. The popularity and market conditions will determine the availability of the exotic species.

Prefinished hardwood may require coating and must also be fixed to a subfloor. Some of the finishes that are applied to produce incredibly tough surfaces include aluminum oxide, acrylic monomers, and ceramics. When using solid wood, you are at an advantage since it can be repaired over and over in its lifespan.

Hardwood floor cost:

  • Hardwood costs: $2 – $6 per square foot
  • Exotic hardwood: about $14 per square foot
  • Professional installation: $5 to $12 per square foot

Engineered Wood

This is a compact material made from decorative layers of wood and cheaper plywood. Compared to solid wood, it provides more stability and adaptability to change in atmosphere. Other than plywood, new substrates can be used for backing to provide extreme stability like mixing stone dust with recycled wood fiber. This flooring material is preferred in the basement, installation over in-floor heating systems and kitchen. On a cushioned pad, it can be installed, nailed or glued to a floating floor. However, there are also available self-locking or clickable engineered wood that does not require to be glued or nailed.

Bamboo flooring

Bamboo is perhaps the most popular grass material used in flooring as compared to Harwood. They are used as planks or solid strips during installation. It can be designed or engineered into three grain patterns: flat, vertical and woven. Bamboo is ecologically friendly, durable and tough in its used in flooring. The bamboo is popular because it regenerates quickly. They are mostly imported from Asia and are available in Arizona.

Bamboo floor costs:

  • Bamboo costs: $2 to $7per sq. foot
  • Professional installation: $7 to $12 per sq. foot

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is an easy to maintain type of flooring that consists of a top plastic coating. It is designed to look like a hardwood flooring as it uses photorealism technology to provide an indistinguishable surface. They are available in Arizona hardware as planks or tiles. Just like engineered wood, they can be used as floating floor systems without using glue or nails during installation.

  • Laminate coat: $1 to $7 per square foot
  • Installation: $2 to $5 per square foot

Linoleum Flooring

This material is made from linseed oil and cork- renewable, biodegradable materials. It’s rich and vibrant colors come from Mineral pigments additives. It is environmentally friendly and does not produce VOCs. It is applied in two ways: glue-down installation (sheet goods) and as a floating floor system (laminated planks and tiles). To enhance its stability against foot traffic, most manufacturers provide a protective coating. If no coating is provided, the material is refinished after every two years.

  • Linoleum flooring costs: $2 to $5 per sq. foot
  • Installation: $7 to $12 per sq. foot

Cork

This is a maintainable material obtained from the bark of a tree. It is harvested every 8-10 years. It is known for its unique whirls and speckles grain patterns and likely appearance. It is also a warm and comfortable underfoot material. It assumes a laminate construction when in tiles or planks forms. It is used as a floating floor, so it can be installed or glued.

  • Cork flooring costs: $2 to $6 per square foot
  • Installation: $3 to $5 per square foot.

Ceramic Tile

This is a product of baked and hardened mixture of clay and shale. The earthy tones that vary from ochre to deep red come from dry pigments additives. Their appearance in many sizes, shapes, texture and colors makes it easy to create artistic patterns. It appears in four types: Porcelain tile, Glazed ceramic tile, Terracotta tile and Quarry tile. You can get unique anti- slip tiles in Arizona that provide adequate traction. You are expected to choose tiles that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act slip-resistance standards.

  • Ceramic tile flooring costs: $1 to $100 per sq. foot
  • Installation: $4 to $12 per sq. foot- total price is raised by Complementary decorative trim pieces and mosaic inlays if required.

Carpet Flooring

Carpet flooring is one of the most versatile materials in flooring, offering more colors and textures. It is selected by the density of the fibers used to make the carpet, this means, the more fibers per square inch, the more durable the carpet. Pads are used in Indoor/outdoor carpeting to add cushioning and durability in withstanding forms of weathering. They are, therefore, rated by their ability to withstand wear and tear. For standard quality which includes moisture and stain resistance, durability and user-friendly, wool is better than synthetic fibers- Acrylic, Polypropylene olefin, Nylon, and Polyester.

  • Carpeting costs: $2 to $12 per sq. foot
  • Padding and Installation: $2.5 per sq. foot

Stone Flooring

For luxury and premium kitchen flooring in Arizona, natural stone tiles are used. They are made from materials like limestone, granite, travertine, slate, and marble. The hardness of the stone use will determine its stain and water resistance. Sealing is done every four to five years for hard stones (granite and marble) and every few years in soft stones (limestone and sandstone). For kitchen applications textured or skid-resistant stone tiles are available: Honed and polished stone tile are slippery and should not be used in wet areas.

  • Stone costs: $2 to $100 per square foot
  • Installation: $5 to $10 per square foot

Vinyl Flooring

This is the cheapest flooring material used. They are available as tiles and sheet goods. Vinyl is used in resilient flooring which has features like toughness, durability, flexibility, low maintenance cost and soft underfoot comfort. It is available in the market in variable color and pattern selection. The normal vinyl is supported with a layer of felt while the cushioned vinyl has a layer of foam. The thicker the vinyl, the more expensive it becomes. To resist stains and scratches, a wear layer is used on the upper surface. With this wear layer, you should expect a warranty of 15 -20 years.

  • Vinyl flooring cost: $1 to $5 per square foot
  • Installation: $1 to $2 per square foot

Flooring does depend on the buyer’s decision and state. But it is also evident that your budget can help you decide which type of flooring to buy. As a buyer in Arizona, you can easily get the material if you have a better plan. Make sure you get professional services that also supplies the material that is suitable for your floor plan.