You could save a lot of money and maximize the comfort of walking on your floors by learning about the best types of floors for hot weather.
Heat and humidity can and will have a direct effect on certain types of floors. Here’s how:
- Expansion and contraction of panels or planks: High humidity results in expansion, while low humidity results in contraction. This can cause gaps to form in the floor or cause warping and buckling.
- It may cause crowning and cupping: Crowning refers to the center of the floorboard raising, and cupping refers to the edges raising due to swelling.
- Warpage: A form of distortion in shape and edges also attributed to excessive moisture caused by heat.
- Elevated growth of mold or mildew: Moisture and heat create an ideal environment for mold and mildew growth. This will damage your floors and pose a significant risk to your health over time.
- Issues with grout: During the application, excessive humidity can interfere with the drying process of grout. Furthermore, it has the propensity to cause cracks with exposure to heat on a long enough basis, not to mention discoloration from sunlight.
A lot of these issues can be mitigated with the selection of the right type of flooring, followed by preventative measures.
Here’s a list of the best types of floors for hot weather:
- Porcelain tiles
- Luxury vinyl tiles
- Rubber
- Ceramic tiles
Some of these are more superior than others, while others are more affordable. Now that you have a bird’s-eye view of what’s best for your home, let’s take a closer look at the reasons why these types of floors are best for hot weather.
What Types Of Floors Are Best For Hot Weather?
1. Porcelain Tiles
Clay, feldspar, and sand are typically used in the production of porcelain tiles under high temperatures, which is why they are so resistant to heat from weather conditions. Given their composition, they are not susceptible to warping, crowning, or cupping.
They’re dense, thick, and far less porous than other types of floors, like hardwood. This makes it far less susceptible to damage from moisture.
The price of porcelain tiles varies depending on size, shape, surface, and color. They start at $9 and go up to $40 per square foot, including installation.
2. Luxury Vinyl Tiles
Vinyl is made from plastic with a print that often resembles wood. It’s a synthetic type of floor that is non-porous. This means that there aren’t enough air pockets for moisture to seep in and cause damage.
What this also means is that it’s quite resistant to heat and can maintain a stable temperature despite the weather conditions.
The issue with LVT is that they have a shorter lifespan than other types of flooring, they can experience fading and discoloration, and they’re difficult to repair or remove when damage has occurred.
Ordinarily, LVT costs approximately $3 to $9 per square foot. Check out this article by Forbes for more information on the price.
3. Rubber
Rubber floors tend to be less affected by heat than those of stone, cement, and even plastic.
They’re not the most attractive option on the market, but if you’re looking for convenience, durability, and resilience to heat, this may be a great option. Gyms tend to make the best use of rubber floors.
Perforated rubber floors provide additional air flow between or under the rubber that will help to regulate the temperature of the floor, even outdoors.
The average cost of rubber floors ranges between $3 and $6 per square foot.
4. Ceramic Tiles
Much like porcelain, ceramic tiles are made from sand, clay, and talc, with a water absorption of 3 percent on average and 20 percent at it’s highest.
It’s more porous than porcelain and less dense. But they’re a lot more affordable, with a glazed finish that closely matches porcelain.
Despite these differences, ceramic tiles tend to remain cool under high temperatures and are quite comfortable for home owners. They’re also easy to clean and maintain due to their smooth and glazed finish.
You can expect to pay anywhere between $7 and $27 per square foot, including installation. Check out this article by Forbes for more information on the pricing.
How To Protect Floors From Damage Caused By Heat
Control the indoor temperature
Use air conditioning systems (HVAC), ventilation, and oscillating fans to control the temperature and humidity levels in your home.
Install blinds and sheer curtains
Limit the amount of direct sunlight that enters through windows to minimize the amount of heat on the floor.
Decorate with rugs
Adding a protective, decorative, and comfortable rug to areas of the floor that heat up from sunlight exposure can prevent damage.
Use moisture barriers
During the installation of floors, install moisture-resistant underlayments or vapor barriers to prevent damage from moisture.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to choosing the best floor for hot weather, consider it’s proclivity to warp or crack, your budget, and the aesthetics before making a decision.
The 4 types of floors in this article are most ideal for hot weather, but if you were to choose other types of flooring like hardwood or carpet, you could regulate the temperature of the floors using the suggestions provided in the section above.
I hope you found this article to be insightful. I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions in the comment section below.
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The best types of floors for cold weather