The 5 toughest, most resilient flooring available

If your family is tough on floors, you'll need something that can stand the test of time. These floors are proven to handle more than most, which means you can save money and still have floors that look great.

Sheet vinyl comes in 1.8 metre and 3.6 metre widths, making it awkward to handle and install. Since even the smallest error during any point of the process can ruin a whole roll, so it's best to let professionals install this flooring. Sheet vinyl comes in two grades:

• Inlaid vinyl consists of layers of coloured vinyl granules that are fused under heat and pressure. Affordable, durable, and featuring patterns that hide nicks and gouges, inlaid vinyl a very popular choice.
• Printed vinyl is less expensive but also shows wear and tear more quickly, in part because the pattern is printed only on the surface. But it also comes in a wide variety of sizes, making seamless installation much easier.

• For do-it-yourself projects, vinyl tiles are a particularly good choice.
• Tiles come in 23 centimetre, 30 centimetre and 92 centimetre (nine, 12 and 36 inch) squares.
• Many homeowners mix two or more colours to create custom borders and patterns.
• Many tiles have peel-and-stick adhesive backing. If the underfloor is clean and smooth, you can lay tiles directly on it.
• Always buy extra tiles in case the original tiles get damaged over the years.
• Vinyl tiles share many of the advantages and disadvantages as sheet vinyl.

Inlaid tiles are the most durable and expensive offerings in this group. Like inlaid sheets, they are coloured through so they hide nicks and tears more easily.

Printed vinyl is less expensive and less durable, but with a wide range of photographic colours and patterns. If you want something truly unique , this might be the flooring you're looking for.

Composition tiles are a mixture of vinyl and other materials, making them the least expensive of vinyl tiles. They share many of the advantages of vinyl tiles.

Tough, scuff-resistant and easy to maintain, these floors could stand up to almost anything you throw at them. If you're household needs floors that can stand the test of time, these materials may be your best bet.