5 popular flooring materials, notes to choose the right floor

Currently, there are 5 popular flooring materials on the market including tile, stone, wood, plastic and carpet with distinct characteristics. Tile floors stand out with good water resistance, high durability of 10 - 20 years. Stone floors (granite, marble, sintered stone) bring luxurious beauty with granite having high hardness and compressive strength up to 225 MPa.

In addition, wooden floors including natural wood (durable for 30-100 years) and industrial wood floors (durable for 10-20 years, scratch-resistant AC4-AC5) are increasingly popular in modern constructions. Plastic floors have the advantage of good water resistance, scratch resistance AC3-AC4, and a lifespan of 5-15 years. Carpets help reduce noise by 30%, reduce falls by 70%, suitable for families with small children.

To choose the right flooring material for the project, you need to consider 5 factors: space characteristics, water resistance, durability, aesthetics and maintenance costs.

“According to Grand View Research (2024), the global flooring materials market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% during 2024-2029, with the Asia-Pacific region leading the growth rate.”

Tile Flooring – A Durable and Easy-to-Clean Choice for Any Space

Tile flooring is always one of the best choices in the construction industry, from residential to commercial buildings. With its superior water resistance, tile flooring is especially suitable for areas with high humidity. Not only that, the floor also has outstanding durability with a lifespan of 10 - 20 years, ensuring long-term use.

Thanks to the great advances in technology, today's tile floors are not only functional but also diverse in terms of aesthetics. Tiles can be designed to look like stone, wood... to bring natural beauty. Currently, the price of tile floors ranges from 105.000 - 700.000 VND/m² (price updated on the market in December 12) to meet diverse needs of customers.

According to the report “Global Ceramic Tiles Market Report” (2024) by Research and Markets: “The Vietnamese ceramic tile market is expected to reach 5,86 billion USD by 2024 and grow at a CAGR of 13,64% to reach 11,11 billion USD by 2029”.

Stone Flooring – Luxurious flooring solution for high-end homes

Stone floors bring natural beauty and luxury, making the space more prominent and impressive. What makes stone floors loved by many people is the unique and natural beauty they bring. The veins and colors of the stone create a difference, making the space more intimate but no less sophisticated. In addition, stone floors are very durable, can be used for many years and still look beautiful if properly cared for.

Popular types of stone today include granite, marble, and sintered stone, each with its own unique beauty, suitable for a variety of styles and preferences of each family.

• Granite stands out with more than 400 colors, high hardness (withstands compressive force up to 225 MPa) and scratch resistance, less affected by chemicals, suitable for areas with high traffic.
• Marble brings a soft, luxurious beauty but is porous, soft, highly absorbent and easily stained, requiring waterproofing treatment to maintain durability.
• Sintered stone is artificial stone, produced by modern technology, creating large-sized stone panels that are superior to conventional tiling materials.

According to the 'Global Natural Stone Market Analysis 2023' report by the Natural Stone Institute (USA), natural stone accounts for 35% of the global high-end construction materials market share, of which granite and marble are the two most commonly used types.

Wooden Flooring – Flooring solution brings a warm, cozy beauty to the interior

Wooden floors are always considered the top choice in modern architectural works thanks to bringing natural beauty, a cozy feeling and closeness to the living space. Currently, natural wooden floors and industrial wooden floors are the two most popular product lines, meeting almost all needs for interior decoration and finishing with prices ranging from only 180.000 - 2.000.000 VND/m² (price updated on the market in 12/2024).

• Natural Laminate flooring has a high durability of 30-100 years, stands out with its authentic beauty and good sound and heat insulation. However, one of the factors to consider when choosing natural Laminate flooring is the relatively high price compared to other types of flooring materials.
• Laminate flooring has a durability of 10 - 20 years is an economical choice, diverse in designs with more than 100 options, good scratch resistance reaching AC4, AC5. Advanced product lines such as Egger Aqua or Robina Aqua are not only reasonably priced but also overcome many disadvantages of natural wood such as moisture resistance and termite resistance.

According to a survey by Global Flooring Market Research (2023), the cost of installing and maintaining laminate flooring within 10 years is 40-50% lower than that of natural Laminate flooring, while still ensuring 85% of equivalent aesthetic properties.

Vinyl flooring – Waterproof, good price and easy to install

Plastic floor (vinyl flooring) has become the leading flooring solution with a series of outstanding advantages in quality and convenience. With good water resistance, scratch resistance meeting AC3, AC4 standards, and a reasonable price ranging from 219.000 - 299.000 VND/m² (price updated on the market in December 12), plastic flooring is gradually asserting its position, replacing many traditional materials.

Not only that, plastic floors also stand out with their light weight, making transportation easier. In particular, smart locking vinyl flooring and the integrated rubber base provides maximum convenience during installation, ensuring aesthetics and a lifespan of 5 - 10 years depending on the type of vinyl flooring and supplier.

According to Grand View Research's 'Global Vinyl Flooring Market Analysis 2024' report, the vinyl flooring market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2023-2024, with 72% of consumers choosing vinyl flooring for its water-resistant and durable properties.

Carpet – Soft material, safe for children

Carpets not only bring warmth and softness but also contribute to enhancing the aesthetics of the living space. With the ability to insulate, reduce noise up to 30% and keep warm effectively, carpets become the ideal choice for many modern projects.

In addition, the carpet also provides a soft, shock-absorbing feeling and ensures safety when used, reducing the risk of falling by up to 70%, especially for children and the elderly.

Made from many different materials such as wool, felt, synthetic fibers..., carpets also stand out with their variety of colors and patterns, helping to match many different interior styles. Currently, there are more than 100 different carpet designs on the market, meeting all customer needs.

Research by the European Institute of Acoustics (2023) shows that carpets can reduce noise in a space by up to 50%, while also contributing to maintaining a stable temperature in the room thanks to their natural insulation properties.

Compare 5 types of floors: tile, stone, wood, plastic and carpet

Below is a comparison table of the advantages and disadvantages of 5 popular flooring materials in 2026:

5 things to keep in mind when choosing flooring materials

To choose the right flooring material, you need to pay attention to the following 5 important factors:

• Features of space used: Spaces such as living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom… all have their own characteristics in terms of usage level, temperature and humidity conditions. For example, bathroom floors need to be water-resistant, kitchen floors need to be heat-resistant, high humidity and easy to clean. Living room floors should prioritize aesthetics, bedroom floors need to be soft and soundproof. Understanding the characteristics of the space helps to choose materials with suitable features.
• Water and moisture resistance: Materials such as bricks, stones, and plastics have good water resistance. On the contrary, industrial wood and natural wood are not water resistant and are susceptible to warping and termites if exposed to water frequently.
• Durability and load bearing capacity: Areas with high usage density such as living rooms, hallways, stairs, etc. Materials such as stone, tiles, laminate flooring, and wood-like plastic flooring with scratch resistance from AC4, AC5 can be used for these areas.
• Aesthetics and design style: Each type of material has its own beauty, such as tile floors and stone floors bring luxury. Meanwhile, wooden floors and plastic floors have a variety of styles, bringing warmth and luxury to the space.
• Budget and maintenance costs: Compared to natural materials such as natural wood floors or marble with high prices, laminate flooring and plastic flooring stand out with reasonable costs, suitable for many customer segments.

Some frequently asked questions

Which flooring materials are suitable for allergy sufferers?

Allergy Friendly Flooring are materials that can minimize the accumulation of dust, pollen, house dust mites, mold and allergens in the living space.

Should I install the floor myself?

Most of the new flooring materials today have built-in smart locking systems, so the construction requirements are simple and easy to install. However, to ensure the durability and quality of the project, you should hire a professional worker.

What is the average lifespan of each type of flooring?

Tile and stone floors have the longest lifespan, up to several decades. Natural wood floors have a lifespan of 20-30 years. Laminate floors have a lifespan of 10-20 years. Plastic floors and carpets have a shorter lifespan, about 5-10 years.

Although the lifespan of artificial materials may not be as long as natural materials, thanks to modern manufacturing technology, laminate flooring and plastic flooring have been significantly improved in terms of durability, in the near future the durability will be approximately equal to that of natural Laminate flooring, abrasion resistance and easy maintenance, helping to minimize replacement costs in the long term.

How to evaluate the quality of industrial wood floors?

The quality of laminate flooring can be compared based on criteria such as HDF core with compression ratio of 800-920 kg/m³, expansion ratio <20%, meeting scratch resistance standards AC3, AC4, AC5. Formaldehyde content is safe for users. For high humidity areas, you should choose water-resistant, termite-resistant wooden floors from countries with advanced laminate flooring production technology such as Germany and Malaysia to increase durability.

>>> See more: 6 ways to choose the right laminate flooring for your project.

Each type of flooring material has its own outstanding advantages, meeting a variety of customer requirements. Understanding the characteristics of each type will help users make the right decision to create a harmonious, comfortable and durable living space. If customers have any questions in choosing flooring materials, please contact Kosmos immediately via the hotline. 0932.067.388 for the fastest response.