Not all flooring is built to handle Arizona’s hot, dry weather, which makes picking the right materials so important. To prevent your floors from early damage, it's best to look for flooring that can handle constant sunshine, hot days, and cool nights.

So, what type of flooring should you choose? Can you have hardwood floors in Arizona?

We'll cover how to choose the right flooring for your North Phoenix home by discussing how desert conditions affect your floors, which materials are best for our climate, and what floors to watch out for.

If you’re ready to look through the options and discuss your project with our team, Floor Coverings International® of North Phoenix, AZ, offers personalized in-home consultations that make it easy to compare options in the room you’re planning to renovate.

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How Weather in North Phoenix Affects Your Floors

When you’re considering what type of floor would work best for your North Phoenix home, it's worth thinking about your lifestyle and the conditions you deal with every day. The heat, constant sunshine, and dust can wear heavily on certain materials, and high-traffic areas or homes with pets may need extra durability.

Your floors can be affected by:

  • Heat and changing temperature. Since Phoenix homes experience long stretches of triple digits that can make some flooring material warp or discolor, it’s best to look for heat resistant options that maintain their integrity with fluctuating temperatures.
  • Humidity. Low humidity can dry out materials like hardwood and cause gaps or cracking. In some cases, you can prevent this issue by allowing for proper acclimation and choosing floors that can handle changing moisture.
  • Maintenance and durability. Desert dust, grit, and sand can scratch some floors more than others. Choosing surfaces that are scratch-resistant and easy to clean will help your floors look beautiful longer.
  • Energy efficiency. You can choose light colored flooring that’s cool to the touch to help regulate indoor temperature and keep interiors cooler.

Choosing the Best Flooring for Desert Climates

In North Phoenix, our desert climate comes with strong sun exposure, dry air, and changing temperatures that can wear out some materials. It's best to look for surfaces that stay comfortable and perform smoothly even in extreme conditions.

Tile Flooring

While it’s most recognized as a waterproof flooring for places like kitchens and bathrooms, tile has a natural cooling effect that can help regulate your home temperature even on hot summer days. It's a resilient flooring option for any part of your North Phoenix home because tile is:

  • Ideal for a hot, dry climate.
  • A naturally cool flooring, which makes it perfect for Arizona summers.
  • Extremely resistant to damage from dust, heat, and sunlight.
  • Able to reflect sunlight to make rooms brighter when you choose light colored tile.

Luxury Vinyl Plank

Can vinyl flooring be used in Arizona? It certainly can! Luxury vinyl can be a great fit for climates like ours because it’s durable, water-resistant, and comfortable. Unlike some materials, vinyl doesn’t dry out or warp in low humidity, and with UV-rated vinyl, you can worry less about fading.

Vinyl works because it’s:

  • Resistant to warping, fading, and cracking despite looking realistically like hardwood.
  • Great for homeowners who love the look of hardwood but want something lower maintenance.
  • Not easily damaged from temperature changes.
  • Softer and quieter than tile, and ideal for bedrooms or family rooms.

Laminate Flooring

If you’re looking for durable, low-maintenance flooring for your North Phoenix home, laminate is worth considering. Its strong layers keep it stable in dry conditions, and it can have a UV-resistant finish to prevent sun damage in rooms with plenty of natural light.

For many homeowners, it’s a practical choice since modern laminate:

  • Offers a durable finish that mimics the look of real wood.
  • Works well in climate-controlled homes. However, excessive heat in uncooled spaces like garages may not be ideal.
  • Has a scratch-resistant surface that easily handles daily traffic and dust.
  • Is a cost-effective option for many homeowners.

Engineered Wood

What about hardwood? Are wood floors ok in Arizona? Although traditional wood floors are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, engineered hardwood has a layered core that offers more stability for our hot, dry climate. In short, engineered wood floors:

  • Are built to handle temperature changes better than solid wood.
  • Have a layered core that adds stability and reduces warping in dry climates.
  • Are better to install in humidity-controlled areas, since moisture changes can damage the wood.

Sometimes, Carpet

Are carpeted floors better in Arizona? No, not normally since carpet adds warmth to an already warm room. While homeowners rarely choose carpet for the entire home, there are certainly rooms where soft carpet is still enjoyed:

  • It's still popular in bedrooms or upstairs spaces for softness and noise reduction.
  • Choosing low-pile, stain-resistant fibers can help manage dust and wear.
  • It’s best to avoid wall-to-wall carpet in entryways or high-traffic areas where sand accumulates.

Ready for Beautiful Floors Perfectly Suited to Your North Phoenix Home?

To choose the right flooring for your North Phoenix home, you’ll want to think about the heat, dust, and how the floors work with your family’s lifestyle. Durable, low-maintenance options, like tile, luxury vinyl, laminate, and engineered hardwood all perform well in our dry climate because they are resistant to warping, fading, and cracking.

With Floor Coverings International® of North Phoenix, AZ, you’ll get a personalized in-home floor selection, so you can see and feel the floors with your decor before deciding.

Ready to browse various materials, colors, and textures to find the best fit for your North Phoenix home, and then enjoy expert installation? Reach out for a free consultation or call us at (623) 323-9500 today for a Seamless Service experience.