If you live in or near the greater Nashville, TN, area, you know just how hot it can get, especially between June and September. Your home’s air conditioning can provide some respite from the sweltering summer heat, but this energy output comes at a cost. Indeed, you might see your energy bill skyrocket during the summer as you try to keep your home comfortable. There are many ways to maintain cooler interior temperatures without exhausting your HVAC system. However, from investing in more energy-efficient windows to renovating your siding -- your residential flooring has a part to play as well. While some flooring materials retain heat (such as carpeting), others shrug it off. Let’s outline three types of flooring that will help you keep your home cool when it counts most.
Best Floors for Cooling
1. Hardwood Flooring
When properly treated, wood floors can bring down your home interior’s overall temperature when it’s hot outside. Not only that, wood floors can store heat when it’s cold outside, offering the best of both worlds for Nashville, TN’s, four seasons. If you want to benefit from both the look and cool properties of hardwood flooring without the maintenance concerns, laminate wood flooring provides a strong alternative as well.
2. Linoleum Flooring
Made from cork and natural oils, linoleum floors naturally resist heat. You can bolster the cooling properties of linoleum floors by opting for those with lighter colors. After all, darker colors absorb heat while lighter ones reflect it. As such, white linoleum floors can work wonders at keeping your interior spaces cool and increasing your home’s energy efficiency, even when things really heat up out there.
3. Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl is similar to linoleum in many ways, except the former material is made from synthetic components while the latter is not. Like linoleum tile flooring, however, vinyl laminate flooring doesn’t absorb heat, especially when manufactured with lighter colors. And if saving money is your primary concern across the board, you might prefer vinyl flooring for its relatively low cost compared to linoleum and hardwood options.
Other Floor Types to Keep Your Home Cool
The three flooring materials mentioned above aren’t the only options for keeping your home cool. You might also consider natural stone floors (i.e., slate, granite, marble), ceramic or porcelain tile, or even bamboo laminate flooring. With so many flooring possibilities, you might not even know where to begin. Fortunately, the experts at Ozburn-Hessey Company can help. We’re flooring and installation experts serving businesses and homes in the greater Nashville, TN, area. Contact us today!