Along the lines of our Best Flooring Series, we wanted to discuss the best flooring for your Colorado mountain cabin (or whichever state your mountain cabin is in!). Having a mountain cabin to vacation in is the dream of most of us here in Northern Colorado, but it comes with some design challenges. Winter moisture, extreme temperature changes, and tracking in dirt, debris, and snow can all wear on your flooring.  Here are the best flooring options for your mountain cabin and how to care for each of them. In addition, we’ve made suggestions for flooring if your cabin is used as a rental! And be sure to take a look at our picks for the best flooring in the bedroom, kitchen, basement, and bathroom.

Best Flooring For A Cabin

When we envision a mountain cabin, it may have hardwood floors, but in reality, hardwood is not the way to go. Wood contracts and expands with temperature changes and it is sensitive to moisture. We’ve come up with three better suggestions for your cabin: carpet, laminate, and tile.

Carpet

Carpet is so comfortable and will insulate in cold temperatures. This could be perfect for your cabin, especially because of its versatility. Try Berber, patterned carpet, or even a glue-down commercial carpet. To aid in the life of your cabin carpet, consider putting tile or laminate at the entryway, or use plastic mats to avoid tracking in mud and snow.

How to Care for Your Carpet

Some simple tips to care for your carpet: Take your shoes off when you come inside. Utilize plenty of rugs and mats. Vacuum frequently (at least once a week) with a quality vacuum cleaner. Clean up spills quickly! Steam clean your carpet once a year.

Laminate

Laminate is a terrific choice because it has natural insulation and it is water-resistant. It also has many design options and can give a wood-look to keep the cabin aesthetic of hardwood. Even if you decide to put carpet in the living room and bedrooms, laminate is great in kitchens, bathrooms, and at the front entrance.

How to Care for Your Laminate

To care for your laminate flooring, use lots of rugs and mats in high-traffic areas and clean up spills and messes quickly. Then, vacuum weekly and mop about once a month using a soft, washable mop head and a little water, laminate-safe spray, or DIY floor cleaner.

Tile

Tile might not seem like a good option because it can be a bit cold underfoot, but it resists the “moisture that comes with freezing temperatures,” according to BuildDirect. They (and we) recommend using a radiant heating system along with the beautiful, versatile, and resilient tile. There’s nothing like a toasty floor under your toesies! And tile is super long-lasting and easy to clean up!

How to Care for Your Tile

For cleaning ceramic and porcelain tile, sweep often and use a rag or non-sponge mop with water as needed. Dry your tile with a clean rag rather than letting it air dry. And don’t forget to clean your grout with grout cleaner or a baking soda and water solution. Stone tiles vary in their cleaning needs, you can find suggestions for cleaning the different surfaces here.

What About Vinyl?

Vinyl is typically an excellent flooring option because of its many design options, water resistance, and warmth on the feet. Unfortunately, it is not friends with extreme temperature changes, so we don’t consider it a good option for your mountain cabin. If you still decide to go with vinyl, WPCs (wood-plastic composites) are going to give you more insulation and SPCs (stone-plastic composites) don’t expand or contract in extreme temps. 

Best Flooring For A Rental Cabin

When it comes to vacation rental flooring, we like to recommend these six options: carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and linoleum. We chose these because of their ROI (return on investment), durability, safety, and ease of installation and maintenance. However, in vacation rentals with extreme temperature variations, we’d still recommend carpet, laminate, and tile above all else.

How Can Graham’s Flooring & Design Help?

We hope our suggestions for mountain cabin flooring have helped! But if you need more information, the experts here at Graham’s Flooring & Design are more than happy to chat! Contact us today to talk laminate, tile, and carpet in Fort Collins and the surrounding Northern Colorado areas. And for more tips and tricks, take a look at some steps to getting great flooring and the mistakes to avoid when deciding on a floor covering store. We are dedicated to honest and fun home design and can’t wait to make your buying experience a great one! Enjoy a Free Design Consultation today! For additional information on Fort Collins carpet, laminate, and tile, be sure to read our blog!