When selecting the perfect flooring for your home, climate plays a crucial role in determining durability, comfort, and performance. In Wichita, Kansas, where the seasons range from humid summers to cold, dry winters, your flooring must withstand fluctuating conditions. Here’s how climate affects flooring choices and recommendations to ensure year-round comfort and longevity.
- Hardwood Flooring: Beautiful and Durable with Proper Care
Hardwood flooring is a timeless choice, offering elegance and longevity. However, because hardwood can expand and contract with temperature and humidity changes, it’s important to take extra precautions in climates like Kansas.
- Humidity Control: High humidity in summer can cause hardwood to swell, while dry winters may lead to gaps between planks. Installing a whole-home humidifier or using dehumidifiers during summer can mitigate these effects.
- Ideal Locations: Hardwood works best in rooms with stable indoor climates, such as living rooms and bedrooms. Avoid areas prone to moisture, like bathrooms or basements.
By maintaining consistent indoor humidity levels (30-50%), you can keep your hardwood floors looking their best across all seasons.
- Luxury Vinyl Flooring: Resilient in Any Climate
Luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent choice for areas with fluctuating weather. Luxury vinyl is water-resistant, durable, and less prone to expansion or contraction due to climate changes.
- Why It Works: Luxury vinyl’s layered construction makes it highly stable and able to handle temperature and humidity swings without warping or buckling.
- Best Locations: Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and even high-traffic areas like entryways benefit from luxury vinyl’s resilience against moisture and wear.
Luxury vinyl flooring also offers a range of styles that mimic wood or stone, providing versatility for any room in your home.
- Laminate Flooring: Affordable and Versatile
Laminate flooring is another great option for climates with seasonal changes. While it looks similar to hardwood, laminate is made with a dense core material that handles expansion and contraction better than solid wood.
- Considerations: Though laminate is more moisture-resistant than hardwood, it’s not entirely waterproof. Use it in areas like living rooms and bedrooms, but avoid spaces with high moisture, such as bathrooms.
- Maintenance Tip: Protect laminate floors from prolonged exposure to standing water or spills by cleaning them promptly.
Laminate offers the beauty of wood at a more affordable price, making it an ideal choice for budget-conscious homeowners in Kansas.
- Polished Concrete: A Durable Choice for Extreme Conditions
For a modern, low-maintenance option, polished concrete is perfect for spaces like basements or garages. It resists moisture, handles temperature fluctuations well, and can even help regulate indoor temperatures by storing heat during the day and releasing it at night.
- Why It’s Ideal: Polished concrete performs exceptionally well in climates with significant seasonal variation, as it doesn’t warp, swell, or crack under changing conditions.
Climate-Proof Your Flooring with Great American Flooring
Choosing the right flooring for Wichita’s climate ensures that your floors remain beautiful and durable year-round. From the classic appeal of hardwood to the all-weather resilience of luxury vinyl and polished concrete, Great American Flooring offers solutions tailored to your needs. Contact us today to explore options that will keep your home stylish and comfortable through every season.