Many of us dream of getting away in a beach house for a little respite and relaxation. Whether you’re in the market for a beach house or already own one, installing new flooring is a great way to update your home, contributing to its functionality and beauty. For the best beach house flooring, you’ll want something durable, easy to clean and beautiful that can stand up to the unique climate of coastal areas.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Flooring for Your Beach House
Many homes on the coast take inspiration from their surroundings, using natural tones and décor elements with muted or nautical colors like beige and grey with accents of navy, soft blues, reds and oranges. The home should look like it belongs at the beach without going overboard with beach-y themes or kitsch. But, beyond just looks, beach houses also have some important considerations when choosing flooring, furniture and décor.
Location and Durability
Think about the climate, environment and location of the beach house. Most beach homes are in warm, moist climates with salty sea air — and windows are often open to let in the fresh, humid air. Waterfront homes on the beach shore may also have more wet, sandy feet tracking through them. With all this in mind, furniture and décor — including flooring — should be durable, resistant to the elements and easy to clean.
Maintenance
Beach homes epitomize the idea of easy, relaxed living. You’ll want your flooring, as well as other design elements, to fit in with this lifestyle. Décor elements that require more upkeep and cleaning may become a headache later. You’ll generally want to avoid anything with a metallic composition, as the moist, salty air can cause rust much more quickly.
Water and Moisture Resistance
You’ll also probably want to choose waterproof flooring, like luxury vinyl, due to the extra moisture in the air. If you like the feel of carpet, go for area rugs instead, which are much easier for you to clean and place over other types of flooring like hardwood, luxury vinyl or laminate.
Cost
Keeping your budget in mind when you’re shopping for new beach house flooring is critical. If your top priority is finding a stylish, budget-friendly floor, you can find a wide selection of floors that offer the same realistic look as hardwood without the extra costs.
Several beach house floors can provide durability, comfort, style versatility and cost-effectiveness, making your selection shopping easier with your budget in mind. You can also purchase floors that increase your resale value to receive a better return on investment if you decide to sell your beach home later.
Best Flooring for a Beach House
The best types of flooring for coastal homes can stand up to the elements, like salt, sand and moisture. Check out these top choices for your beach house or condo flooring.
Luxury Vinyl Floors for Beach Homes
You may have negative images of vinyl flooring from the past, but today’s luxury vinyl flooring has a beautiful look and endless customizable options. This versatile classic is water-resistant, durable and incredibly easy to clean, making it an excellent choice for beach homes. Luxury vinyl can even mimic the look and feel of other flooring styles like tile or hardwood for a fraction of the cost.
Luxury vinyl flooring contains PVC and other synthetic materials layered in a way that makes it incredibly stain and stretch-resistant. The flooring comes in panels or tiles, depending on the look you want to achieve. It’s one of the most affordable flooring options for beach homes and is often more slip and moisture-resistant than other types of flooring.
Luxury vinyl flooring has improved in style and versatility in recent years, meaning you can get the look of natural hardwood at a fraction of the cost. These floors can also withstand humidity and moisture from the nearby beach so that you can enjoy your floors longer without the effects of water damage. In addition, luxury vinyl flooring is easier to care for and maintain than many other flooring styles, meaning you can quickly sweep away sand and clean up other small messes.
Tile Floors for Beach Homes
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) has replaced conventional materials like ceramic and porcelain as today’s top choice for tile flooring. With LVT’s affordability and durability, you can instantly refresh your beach home while staying within your budget. After a fast installation with this material, sit back, relax and enjoy your new floor for decades to come.
The countless styles, colors and features you can customize in your floor make LVT an effortlessly beautiful addition to a waterside residence. The durability of the synthetic materials that create luxury vinyl tile flooring makes the surface resistant to scuffs, stains, dents and chips.
Unlike some flooring options, the technologically advanced construction of LVT can withstand air and humidity fluctuations when living by the ocean. These floors have low absorption rates and are excellent at repelling water. This feature makes LVT flooring perfect for high-moisture areas like bathrooms, meaning you won’t have to worry about warping or water stains.
Because luxury vinyl tile can mimic the look of other flooring options at a fraction of the cost, it is an affordable option for a beach house. The surfaces are also much more durable than some other flooring choices, meaning they can hold up against heavy appliances and frequent moisture. Caring for your LVT floor is as easy as occasionally using a damp mop and spot-cleaning small messes as they occur.
Laminate Floors for Beach Homes
Much like vinyl flooring, laminate flooring options have improved drastically from years past. The laminate floor options today come in an extensive range of styles and can imitate the look and feel of wood floors, ceramic tile and more. This affordable flooring choice is made from several composite layers, creating an incredibly durable surface. Laminate flooring is one of the best for resisting moisture, stains, fading, and other wear and tear.
Laminate flooring is your best option if you want the warm, comforting look of natural wood floors at a much lower cost. The panels fit together seamlessly, leaving no gaps — making laminate the best flooring for sandy feet after time spent at the beach. This durable, easy-to-clean option is a top choice for beach homes.
This flooring looks like natural hardwood without the extra costs. You also benefit from the durable material that can withstand moisture and sand from going to the beach daily. Laminate floors are easy to clean after tracking sand, water and other beach elements inside.
In addition, laminate is faster and less costly to install than conventional ceramic and porcelain tile, offering even more savings.
Hardwood Floors for Beach Homes
A classic flooring choice for coastal homes, hardwood gives a cozy and natural look to the house and a polished, elegant feel. Hardwood flooring comes in various styles and finishes, with lighter wood tones reminiscent of driftwood and sand. Once installed, this type of flooring is low-maintenance and easy to clean.
With solid hardwood flooring, moisture can be a concern. However, engineered hardwood flooring is more moisture-resistant and a popular choice for beach homes. Engineered hardwood flooring contains a thin layer of durable wood on top of high-quality plywood. The layers are constructed in a criss-cross pattern and compressed, resulting in a final product that’s strong, durable and stable. You can use this flooring in areas with higher humidity or moisture without fear of warping.
Hardwood is an excellent option for your beach home’s flooring if you value natural materials and sustainable resources. These environmentally friendly floor options are also durable, stylish and increase your home’s value. Additionally, hardwood floors are excellent choices for allergy sufferers or anyone concerned about air quality since they do not trap allergens like dust, pollen and other potentially harmful substances.
Beach House Flooring Ideas and Inspiration
Beach houses use the surrounding warm, relaxing climate to inspire a similar aesthetic inside the home. Therefore, picking floors with light and warm tones is your best choice for beach house flooring. Luxury vinyl, laminate and hardwood floors can use light shades of brown, gray and blue to mimic the beach’s natural elements while offering a cozy ambiance with wood panels.
The best look for your beach house is to complement the current color palette of the wall, appliance and decor shades with faded, warm tones in your wood floors that resemble the surrounding beaches.
Quality Beach House Flooring
There are so many great flooring choices available for beach homes, from engineered hardwood and laminate to luxury vinyl flooring. With an endless array of colors, styles and finishes, you’ll find something perfect for your beach house. When you choose 50Floor, you can shop for flooring from the convenience of your home and see samples of the flooring you want in the room where you want to install it.
Schedule a free in-home consultation today to save time and money — and after you choose the perfect flooring for your coastal home, our installation professionals will expertly install it for you, taking care of every detail.
