Roll Up the Carpet, Scrape Out the Grout

New Flooring Is the Bottom Line for Home Value

By Tara Knudson

Few things affect the aesthetics and market value of your home like the quality and choice of flooring. Making smart choices is so important, whether you have kids, pets, or neither; whether you plan to live in your home or flip it; or whether you’ve got a little condo or a sprawling rancher.

Stone, tile, and hardwood are three popular choices for savvy homeowners, and for good reason. If you’re picking flooring for a new building, you want durability and lasting value, and you want a beautiful backdrop for your furnishings and your life. Stone and tile are excellent choices for areas that get dirty feet traipsing over them all the time, or that may be subject to spills and leaks—bathrooms, entryways, basements, and kitchens. Wood is a great choice for almost any room in the house, and especially adds richness to living rooms, bedrooms, and dining areas.

All three are beneficially hypoallergenic, easy to clean, and available in a broad range of stylish options. They’re also durable, sometimes lasting four or five times as long as their counterparts in carpet, vinyl, and laminate. In addition to being healthy, beautiful, and long-lasting, natural stone, wood, or tile floors come in numerous planet-friendly offerings. You can choose sustainable-harvested hardwood and stone, handmade natural tiles, and tiles made from 100 percent recycled materials. You might pay a little more up front for the quality, but the pleasure of living on such stylish, valuable surfaces and the higher price your house will most likely get at resale time will numb your checkbook pain.

If you already have hardwood, stone, or tile floors but they’ve become cracked, broken, and worn, replacing them is strongly advised. Loose, broken tiles can cause trips and falls, and only tile and stone in good condition can keep moisture from getting at the subfloor. Moisture can potentially cause rotting, molding, and structural damage (and bigger repair bills down the road). If hardwood hasn’t been well cared for and must be replaced, you’ll have an opportunity to find extremely durable and planet-friendly planks to install. Replacing old floors also gives you the chance to add underfloor heating, another big selling plus and a pure delight underfoot. If you decide to put your home on the market, you’ll have difficulty getting your home’s worth if potential buyers realize they must spend thousands of dollars to update or redo the floors. As a seller, you would be more justified in asking for a higher price than you would have been if you hadn’t upgraded the flooring, and many real estate agents would agree that you could possibly get upwards of twice the cost of the flooring in your return.

If your flooring is in good condition but shows some wear or minor damage, you might be able to refinish the surface or repair just a small section, and thus gain all the benefits of a new look. Hardwood can be sanded, stained, and finished as long as it isn’t deeply decayed. Tile may be repaired if you can find appropriately matching replacement tiles, and removing and replacing the grout can make tile-work look completely fresh. Stone is very durable, and rarely needs to be repaired, but if necessary, even a small section of stone can be replaced by a skilled craftsperson.

Whether you’re building a new home, or repairing or replacing flooring you already own, tile, hardwood, or stone finishes will elevate the beauty, livability, and market value of your home and will always be safe, smart choices.