Top Flooring Options

Solid hardwoods are an elegant flooring option that adds depth and unique character to any space. With a wide variety of hardwood types—some of the most popular are red and white oak, maple, cherry, white ash and hickory — hardwood floors can be tailored to your individual taste. Solid wood flooring adds not only to the beauty of a home but to its value as well. Image courtesy of US Floors

Bamboo is a grass, and a fast-growing one at that. It can grow from a tiny sprout to being ready to harvest in just three to five years, which makes it a very eco-friendly flooring option. And fast turnaround isn't the only great thing about this tall shoot. Bamboo is also fire-resistant, comes in easy-to-install planks and is 27 percent harder than Northern red oak and 13 percent harder than hard maple. Image courtesy of US Floors

Similar in appearance to solid hardwood, engineered hardwood is composed of a core of hardwood, plywood or high-density fiberboard and a top layer of hardwood veneer that's available in almost any species. Three to seven layers of the materials are then glued and compressed under high pressure and heat to create flooring that's not only sturdy but completely resistant to humidity as well. Because of this, they're perfectly suited to parts of the home where humidity and heat could be detrimental to solid hardwood floors, such as the kitchen and the basement. Image courtesy of Smith and Fong Flooring

Composed of materials like linseed oil, cork, limestone, wood flour and tree resins, linoleum is extremely durable, low-maintenance and comes in many patterns and colors. Available in sheets or more intricate cuts, linoleum can complement almost any home style.