How many different types of flooring should you have in your house?

Author: Christiana Kling III  |  Last update: Friday, November 7, 2025

Similar to hardwood flooring, it's up to you and your design preferences when choosing to match tile flooring throughout your home or not. If you do choose to mix your flooring, try to choose no more than three different options. This gives you variety while still keeping a cohesive design.

How many types of flooring should be in a house?

Consistency Across Open Spaces

In open floor plans, it's generally best to use a single type of flooring across the entire space to create a seamless and unified look. This approach helps in maintaining a visual flow and makes the area feel larger and more cohesive.

Is it OK to have 3 different types of flooring?

Not only is it ok, it's part of an unwritten rule that any realtor will tell you. On any floor of your house, you should NEVER have more than 3 variations of flooring. This can go into detail, but basically picture this:

Should all flooring in a house be the same?

Choosing the same flooring for all the rooms creates a unified and harmonious environment, and creates a visual effect that expands its dimensions, which allows us to better plan a reform. However, in open-plan dwellings such as studios or lofts, the flooring can help to delimit areas in an organic way.

What is the rule of 3 flooring?

Apply “The Rule of Three” to Home Flooring

This rule says you should use three flooring types at maximum throughout the whole home. For example, you might use hardwood in public areas of the house, except the kitchen and bathroom, where you use vinyl linoleum.

Vinyl vs Laminate Flooring: How to Pick the Best Option for Your Home

What is the 3 4 5 rule flooring?

Put a mark on the board at the 3 feet point. Now, measure the adjacent board from the same corner to 4 feet and put a mark there. Then, measure the distance between the two marks. If it is 5 feet, then you have a perfectly square corner.

How much more flooring should you order?

As a general rule of thumb, for most flooring types, you'll typically need 10% more flooring than the area of the space that you're installing it in. Some say to order 20% extra which may seem extreme. A site that is 200 square feet to begin with would then require 240 square feet of flooring.

Is it OK to mix flooring types?

Mixing flooring types can add depth and interest to any space, but it's important to take the time to select the right colors, textures, and flooring types to create the look you want. By wisely and creatively incorporating different types of flooring, you can create a stylish and cohesive look and feel in your home.

Is it better to have carpet or laminate in bedrooms?

Carpet is among the top floor-covering options for bedrooms, and for good reason. The material offers plushness, insulation, and sound absorption. Not only that, but it's comfier to sit on than hard flooring, making it a great choice for kids' rooms.

What flooring looks best next to hardwood?

Striking Contrasts: The Beauty of Natural Stone

Natural stone stands tall as an outstanding choice when looking for a flooring option that exudes sophistication and provides a stunning contrast to your hardwood floors. Materials like marble, granite, or slate create a sense of luxury and unparalleled visual impact.

What classic flooring never goes out of style?

Wooden flooring is a type of flooring that never goes out of style. After all, the planks bring nature's beauty to the inside of your home. That being said, thousands of wood species can be used to create hardwood floors.

How do you coordinate different types of flooring?

Here are some tips on how to mix and match different types of flooring to create a beautiful and unique home.
  1. Choose A Consistent Theme. ...
  2. Limit The Number Of Different Types Of Flooring. ...
  3. Use A Transition Piece. ...
  4. Create Zones With Different Flooring. ...
  5. Be Mindful Of Light And Colour.

What is #1 common flooring?

1 common oak. A flooring product characterized by prominent color variation that also contains prominent characters (with size limits) such as knots, open checks, worm holes, along with machining and drying variations. No. 1 Common is a tasteful floor where prominent variation is expected.

What type of flooring adds value to your home?

The more expensive flooring upgrades yield the highest returns and appeal most to homebuyers. And hardwood is the clear winner, followed by engineered hardwood and tile. Carpet and luxury vinyl tiles add comparable value, though vinyl is the cheapest option.

How to transition flooring between rooms?

In most cases, it's wise to use a transition strip between similar flooring. Floors with similar thicknesses benefit from a transition type known as a T-molding. This transition strip doesn't adjust for height, but it provides a smooth shift from one flooring to the next.

Can I put vinyl flooring next to hardwood?

But is it possible to install vinyl against hardwood? That's where coordinating comes into play. The key to great flooring is to pay attention to the transition. Transition strips connect two different types of flooring together, so they blend well as you move from one to another.

What rooms should not have carpet?

5 Rooms You Should Never Put Carpet In
  • Bathrooms. Bathrooms are number one on our no-carpet list for a reason. ...
  • Kitchens. Kitchens often act as multi-purpose spaces: We use them to prepare food, eat meals, entertain, do homework and art projects, and more. ...
  • Laundry Rooms. ...
  • Mud Rooms. ...
  • Recreation Rooms.

Do buyers prefer carpet or laminate?

Resale considerations

One of the most significant considerations is the local real estate market and buyer preferences in your area. In some regions, carpet may be more desirable for its comfort and insulation, while in others, laminate flooring's durability and low maintenance may be preferred.

What is the healthiest flooring for bedrooms?

Healthier flooring options include solid wood, natural linoleum, cork, bamboo, tile and stone. A key feature of all of these is that they are easily cleaned of dust and dirt.

Should you put the same flooring throughout the entire house?

Matching flooring is often recommended because it creates a seamless finish and better flow throughout your home. However, when it comes to interior design rules for flooring, there are no hard and fast rules — if you like mixing flooring or think your interior design could benefit from it, go for it.

How many different floorings should be in a house?

The 'Less than Three' Rule. Having more than two different types of floors colliding with one another is confusing to the eyes and may make your space seem cluttered or mismatched. When making your design choices, do not exceed more than two different types of material per floor of your home.

What is the best mix for flooring?

As mentioned above, floor screed is usually made by mixing cement, aggregates and water. The standard screed ratio is 1 part cement + 2.5 parts sand + 0.5 parts water. However, the screed ratio required will depend on the project at hand, and where the flooring will be located.

Is expensive flooring worth it?

As a rule of thumb, the most expensive floors have the better locking systems which make them easier to fit and they also have the thicker, longer lasting wear layer - please keep reading to get more detail!

How much do most contractors charge to lay flooring?

Flooring installation can cost anywhere from $2 to $20 per square foot of flooring installed, or $1,000 to $10,000 for 500 square feet of flooring. The national average flooring installation cost is around $7 per square foot or $3,500 per 500 square feet, which includes the cost of both materials and labor.

What pattern makes a floor look bigger?

Diagonal patterns add more interest to the floor. They draw the eyes into the center of the space and create an illusion of a bigger room as a result.

Previous article
How to know if roaches are in walls?
Next article
What moisture reading indicates mold?