Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

Choosing the right flooring is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your home. Apart from adding value, your floor immediately sets the tone of each room and can even affect the way you feel. (Just imagine how you'd feel if your bed stood on a cold, concrete floor, for example.)

Flooring has to fit the functionality of each room, but it should look and feel great, too — and that doesn't always equate to the fanciest, priciest options. In many cases, you can save money without sacrificing style and design.

While you can make almost any flooring work for any room, there are certain things to keep in mind before you start laying down planks. To help you out, here's the Giant Carpet One guide for choosing the best flooring for each room in the house.

The name says it all — this is one place where you probably don't want to lay down a luxury carpet. Mudrooms take a considerably messy beating since this is where you'll be kicking off your shoes, dumping backpacks and other items that you don't want to track through the house. The key is to choose flooring that's up to the task in terms of durability and ease of cleaning. Top picks here would be something like porcelain tile or vinyl, which are both sturdy, waterproof and low-maintenance.

HGTV recommends porcelain tile over ceramic tile because it's denser, less porous and offers greater stain and water resistance. However, you'll probably want to leave the installation up to the professionals since it can be a bit complex. Vinyl provides a slightly cheaper, easier to install option if you prefer to do things yourself.

The best flooring for your kitchen really depends on your circumstances. If, say, you have toddlers and pets in the house that are prone to messes and spills, you might want to hold off on that fancy hardwood you've been eyeing. But if you're up to the task of staying on top of the clean up, go right ahead!

Bob Vila recommends these four criteria for choosing your kitchen floors:

Because of the heavy foot traffic and susceptibility to messes, the kitchen can follow the same rules as your mudroom with porcelain tile and vinyl both providing viable options. Engineered vinyl can even be made to resemble that hardwood floor you've been craving, so you can get the style without having to worry about the upkeep or price tag.

Keep in mind that vinyl can get scratched easily, so it's a good idea to add felt to your table and chair legs if you go this route. If you choose porcelain tile, be careful not to drop any heavy objects (like a split bag of groceries) on it because it's also prone to cracking.

As the main family gathering places, you want your living/family/dining rooms to be warm, inviting, comfortable spaces — but they also need to stand up to constant foot traffic and everyday wear and tear. Wall-to-wall carpeting may be cozy and it works great for sound reduction, but hard surfaces are much easier to clean and maintain.

Hardwood, vinyl and tile are all popular options that can be customized to fit your style. For living rooms, HomeAdvisor recommends wider planks that don't have a lot of color or grain pattern variation, such as white oak, ash and maple.

Still want the coziness of soft, underfoot carpeting without the maintenance hassle? Try throwing an area rug over your hardwood flooring to add a little warmth.

Just about everyone would agree that carpet is no place for the bathroom. Mix in constant moisture with fibrous surfaces and it's only a matter of time before you're looking at mold or mildew problems. (There are also those inevitable potty-training accidents to consider.) And you certainly wouldn't want to tempt fate with carpet in the laundry room, where the washer might overflow on an unlucky day.

It goes without saying that a hard, non-porous, easy-to-clean surface is ideal in both these rooms. HomeAdvisor suggests choosing concrete, vinyl, concrete, or tiel. Porcelain tile works great and so does luxury vinyl tile (LVT). You'll want porcelain tile if you plan on installing radiant heating underfoot. LVT is a more affordable option if you just want something that's water-resistant and easy to install yourself.

Carpet is the No. 1 choice for bedroom flooring, according to The Spruce, and the reasons are obvious. Not only is carpet a welcome landing spot for your feet first thing in the morning, but it also acts as a great insulator for sound, which can help you catch more beauty rest if you tend to be a light sleeper. Carpet is a safer choice for babies, toddlers and the elderly, who may be more prone to falls. It's also a more affordable option than hardwood, which is another popular choice for bedrooms.

Find the right flooring for your needs

As you can tell from this list, there are pros and cons to any type of flooring you choose. That means choosing the best flooring, in most cases, simply comes down to your preferences. If you could use some guidance, the flooring experts and design team at Giant Carpet One can help you pick out the perfect flooring for each room in your house. Simply visit giantcarpetone.com to find a store near you!