Overview Of Flooring Options

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O’Connor discuss the wide world of flooring products.

Project details

Traditional oak-strip flooring is nailed to subfloor, and requires sanding and finishing.
Prefinished hardwood can be glued or nailed down, and walked on immediately after installation.
Engineered-wood floating floors come pre-finished; the long planks snap together and aren’t fastened down to the subfloor.
Plastic-laminate planks comes in a wide variety of realistic wood-grain and ceramic-tile patterns. Laminate flooring is durable, but it can’t be refinished.
Floor tiles come in ceramic, porcelain and natural stone.
Vinyl resilient flooring is available in tiles, strips and sheets.
Linoleum is made of natural materials and comes pre-sealed to eliminate waxing.