When you’re ready to shop for home flooring, you’ll want to start by thinking about the room where you want to install the flooring, matching the material to the use case you have in mind for it.

Laundry room. Finding just the right home flooring for a laundry room or utility room, where dampness or moisture is common, can be a challenge. Additionally, because this flooring often must hold the weight of heavy appliances, such as a washer and dryer, toughness and durability are key.

You can make use of PVC plastic, vinyl, laminate, or rubber here, all in an easy to configure tile format. All of these are water resistant and easy to clean if you ever have a nasty spill in the room.

Bathroom. The type of home flooring you need in a bathroom also should be able to stand up to wet conditions. You will want a type of flooring that doesn’t become slick when its wet, which protects people stepping out of the shower or bathtub from slipping and falling.

Consider adding a foam or soft PVC plastic to give you the sure footing you need in a bathroom. Or you can try a laminate flooring that is attached to a raised plastic base. The raised base allows air to flow underneath the tiles, allowing any unwanted moisture, which could bring odors, to drain and evaporate.

Basement family room. By transforming a cold, cement floor in your basement with the right home flooring, you can create a livable space that’s perfect for the entire family to enjoy.

Multiple styles of floor will work for this type of installation, including foam, rubber, vinyl, and carpet. The surface of the foam and vinyl tiles can be made to mimic wood or slate.

Many times, you will find a raised plastic base under a top layer in a basement type of floor. This is ideal in a basement that may have moisture seepage problems with the cement floor. The raised base allows air flow under the tiles that reduces the dampness.

Bedroom. In a bedroom, the flooring needs to match the decor you have in use. Interlocking carpet squares often are the best choice in a bedroom, as you can pick from multiple colors and texture styles.

A carpeted surface will be more comfortable to walk on with bare feet, especially first thing in the morning.

Workout room. If you’re looking to create a workout space at home, you may want to convert an unused bedroom or basement area. You may need a type of flooring that can stand up to the heavy weight of exercise equipment, or you may want a cushioned flooring that protects the knee, hip, and ankle joints.

Rubber tiles work nicely to support the weight of a treadmill or free weights. Or you may want foam tiles to provide extra cushioning for aerobic workouts. When you want to blend the benefits of both, consider PVC plastic, which is extremely durable and has just a bit of cushioning.

Kitchen. If you spend quite a bit of time on your feet in the kitchen, an anti-fatigue mat is a nice addition to keep your joints feeling fresher. These mats often consist of rubber or foam, and they’re available in multiple colors and thickness measurements.

If you’re looking for a flooring to use throughout the kitchen, interlocking vinyl tiles with a faux hardwood design work nicely. If you choose a foam backing on the vinyl, it gives you just a bit of cushioning for standing while preparing meals.

Game room. Many of our customers have success with foam or carpeting in a game room, where people may be sitting on the floor to play. Foam and carpet provide a bit of insulation from a cold subfloor too.

Foam tiles offer a lot of versatility in the colors and design patterns you can select, including faux wood grain that mimics hardwood, faux slate, or multiple solid colors.

Carpet tiles also give you multiple color and texture options, ensuring you can find just the right style to match your design needs.

A modular tile like this often will have an interlocking edge, which makes it easy to install. You also can place tiles next to each other of different colors to create a fun pattern.

Home flooring buying guide. The best home flooring choices deliver a great mixture of durability, comfort, quality, and design features. There are so many different types of floors available that you surely can find one to fit your home’s needs and your budget.

If you’re looking for specific advice and product information regarding floor choices for your house, we have plenty of helpful links. You’ll find information including layout plan ideas, usage options, product reviews, videos, and blog articles in our guide to home flooring.