Choosing new flooring starts with a look you love, but the right floor also has to work for the way you live. A busy kitchen has different needs than a bedroom. Pets, kids, moisture, maintenance, and even how a floor feels underfoot can all influence the decision.

Fortunately, narrowing the choices doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by thinking about what matters most in your home, then compare the advantages of solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, rigid core luxury vinyl plank, and engineered stone tile.

Solid Hardwood Flooring: For Character & Authenticity

For many homeowners, there is simply no substitute for genuine solid hardwood floors. Real wood brings natural grain, color variation, and individual character to the floor, with each plank contributing its own distinctive markings and nuances.

Hardwood flooring also works naturally with a wide range of interior styles. Oak and other familiar hardwood species can move easily from traditional rooms to clean, contemporary spaces, depending on the color, plank width, texture, and finish. That combination of authentic material and design flexibility gives solid hardwood a character that feels both enduring and highly personal to the home.

Consider a solid hardwood floor when:

• You want the warmth and authenticity of real wood.
• Natural grain and variation are part of the appeal.
• You are choosing flooring for above-grade living areas.
• You want a floor with lasting style that becomes part of your home's character.

Armstrong Flooring® solid hardwood features high-performance finishes designed to resist everyday dents and scratches while making routine cleaning and maintenance simple.

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Engineered Hardwood Flooring: For Real Wood With Added Stability

Engineered hardwood floors offer the beauty and character of genuine wood with a construction designed to provide greater dimensional stability. A real hardwood surface is bonded to a layered wood core, with multiple layers arranged in alternating directions to help the flooring respond more evenly to changes in humidity.

That added stability reduces the expansion and contraction that can lead to cupping, crowning, or gaps in hardwood floors. It also gives homeowners more flexibility in where hardwood flooring can be installed. Engineered hardwood can be used over most subfloors, including concrete slabs, and in below-grade spaces such as basements.

Because the surface is genuine hardwood, engineered flooring brings the same natural grain, variation, and character that make solid hardwood appealing.

Consider an engineered hardwood floor when:

• You prefer the look and feel of genuine hardwood over a wood-look flooring product.
• You need greater dimensional stability as humidity levels change.
• You want hardwood flooring over a concrete slab or below grade.
• You want more flexibility in where hardwood can be used throughout your home.

Explore Armstrong Flooring Engineered Hardwood

Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring: For Real Life

Love the look of hardwood but need a floor that can handle more of whatever the day brings? Rigid core luxury vinyl plank flooring, or LVP, combines realistic wood visuals with durable, waterproof construction.

That makes rigid core flooring especially useful in homes where spills, pets, kids, and heavy traffic come with the territory. It can also extend the look of wood into moisture-prone rooms where solid hardwood may not be the best choice.

A rigid core gives the plank strength and stability, while the surface is designed to stand up to the scratches, stains and scuffs of a busy household. LVP offers homeowners a wide range of species, colors, and styles to choose from.

Consider rigid core luxury vinyl plank when:

• You want the look of hardwood with waterproof performance.
• The floor needs to handle pets, kids, spills, or busy household traffic.
• You want to use the same wood look in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, or other moisture-prone spaces.
• Easy care is high on your list.
• You want a floor that can be installed above, on or below ground level, or in three-season rooms and other spaces with significant temperature swings.

Read our blog, “What Is Rigid Core Flooring?” to learn more about how rigid core flooring is made and how it performs.

Armstrong Flooring DLuxe Plank HDPC™ uses a proprietary HDPC® core and is designed for use throughout the home, including above-, on- and below-grade spaces. DeLuxe Plank HDPC is available in Foundation and Signature collections. Both feature our proprietary HDPC core and Diamond 10® Technology for durable, waterproof flooring that resists dents, scratches, stains, and scuffs.

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Engineered Stone Tile Flooring: For the Look of Tile With a Different Feel

Stone, ceramic, and porcelain tile have a distinctive look, but their hard, cool surface isn’t for everyone. Engineered stone tile offers another way to bring stone and tile visuals into the home.

Built on a stone composite base, engineered stone has a warmer, more comfortable surface underfoot than traditional stone, ceramic, or porcelain. Engineered stone tile is tough enough to endure what an active household can throw at it (or drop on it!). These floors resist water, scratches, and stains, and are designed to resist cracking more than natural stone and ceramic tile.

Design flexibility is another advantage. Engineered stone tile is available in stone, marble, and other natural looks, and it can be installed with or without grout. That gives you the option to create the familiar appearance of a traditional tiled floor or choose a cleaner look with less emphasis on grout lines.

Installing engineered tile is faster, easier, and cleaner than installing natural stone, ceramic, or porcelain, which can be messy and take 2 to 5 days. With just a few basic tools, you can be done and living in the room the same day.

Consider engineered stone tile when:

• You prefer a stone, marble, or tile look rather than wood.
• You want a surface that feels warmer and more comfortable underfoot than traditional tile.
• Water, stains, and everyday household messes are a concern.
• You want the option of a non-grouted tile installation.
• You are looking for flooring that can work in virtually any room of the home.
• You want a quick and easy installation.

Explore Armstrong Flooring Alterna® Engineered Stone Tile

Alterna® Engineered Tile offers slate, travertine, concrete, and marble looks, with a comfortable, durable surface designed for everyday life.

Explore Alterna products

Think About the Room, Too

The flooring you love still needs to make sense for the space it will live in. Before making a final choice, consider the conditions your floor will encounter every day.

Living rooms and bedrooms offer plenty of flexibility. Solid and engineered hardwood floors deliver the character of genuine wood, while rigid core LVP floors give you a wood look with added resistance to spills and wear.

Kitchens need flooring that can stand up to frequent traffic, dropped food, and the inevitable spill. Waterproof rigid core LVP is an easy option for homeowners who want a wood look, while engineered stone brings stone and tile aesthetics to the room.

Bathrooms and laundry rooms make moisture resistance especially important. Rigid core LVP and engineered stone flooring are both designed for these spaces.

Basements also call for careful attention to flooring construction and moisture. Engineered hardwood and DLuxe Plank HDPC can both be installed below grade, giving homeowners real-wood and wood-look flooring options for finished lower levels.

So, Which Flooring Is Best for Your Home?

The right choice comes down to the look you want, the way the room is used, and the level of performance and comfort you need.

Choose solid hardwood floor for the authenticity and natural character of real wood.

Choose an engineered hardwood floor when you want genuine wood with added dimensional stability and more flexibility in where the flooring can be installed.

Choose a rigid core luxury vinyl plank floor for realistic wood looks with waterproof performance and durability in spaces throughout the home, including kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and three-season rooms.

Choose an engineered stone floor for the look of stone or tile with a warmer, more comfortable feel underfoot.

Once you have narrowed down the flooring type, the fun part begins: finding the color and style that make the room feel like home.

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