Choose the right flooring for every room

Wood wins the prize as America’s favorite hard-surface flooring type, outselling vinyl, porcelain tile and every other option, according to market-research firm Mintel’s 2016 report on residential flooring. But wood can be a loser in the kitchen, where a dropped can of peas can literally leave a lasting impression. Or in the laundry room, where a splash of bleach can blemish its finish.

Consumer Reports analyzed key areas in a typical home and chose the top flooring materials to meet the challenges in each.

Kitchen and mudroom

Though wood remains a widely used aesthetic choice, it won’t stand up well to that assault: Consumer Reports’ tests show that, in general, wood floors are far more prone to denting than other materials, and, with very few exceptions, foot traffic is tough on the finish.

Top choice: porcelain tile. A natural fit for high-traffic areas of the home, porcelain tile outperformed every other flooring material we tested for resistance to scratching and dent-

ing, says Joan Muratore, Consumer Reports’ lead test engineer for flooring. Plus, porcelain tile comes in a range of styles to fit any decor. Tile is also lowmaintenance, never requiring more than a vacuuming and mopping, and it’ll last a lifetime, says design-and-build contractor Rob Wennersten of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.