For those who are looking for something different to put on their kitchen, bath, or laundry floor, Alterna, a fairly new product made by Armstrong Flooring, is a great choice as an alternative to ceramic tile or dated-looking sheet vinyl.

This latest material is a hard, high-performance, durable, easy-care flooring for residential applications. It’s made of a limestone composite and is nicely textured. What makes it a really good alternative is it’s softer under foot, warmer, and very easy to care for. It can be grouted or not. It looks like ceramic tile, but with an easier installation process. These tiles come in various sizes, and there are lots of nice slate or stone-looking patterns, and each pattern has many colour choices.

Another great option is Luxury Vinyl Tile. There are many great manufacturers of LVT and this once-commercial application is now easily moved into the residential market. It has been used for years in supermarkets, retail, and healthcare spaces. LVT comes in tile sizes or planks. It typically mimics wood, cement, or ceramic tile patterns. It’s a glue-down installation, which keeps the tiles secured in place.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Carpets on Quadra near Cloverdale has a nice selection of the Armstrong limestone composite product called Alterna. Each time I have specified this product, Fuzzy Wuzzy has done a fabulous job on both price and installation. They also carry many lines of LVT as well.

Another flooring store with lots of selection is Hourigans at 477 Boleskine. They have great choices of LVT and years of experience in both sales and installation. Their showroom has recently been renovated and is nice and easy to navigate. They, too, carry the Armstrong Alterna line, as well as other manufacturers.

Sheri Peterson has been an interior designer for 22 years in Victoria. She designs for commercial, residential and hospitality clients.