Choosing the materials for a new custom home remodeling project isn't always as straightforward as it looks. You may be on a budget, and you may have specific qualities you're looking for in the materials as well. For instance, you may want your flooring materials to be water resistant (especially for the kitchen and bathroom) or may be looking for long-lasting materials.

Here are some long-lasting types of flooring you could use for your remodel.

Ceramic Tile Flooring

Tile flooring comes in many styles, sizes, and textures, but they all have a few things in common. For example, all tile floors tend to be very hard, water resistant, and extremely long-lived. In fact, a ceramic tile floor could last you up to 100 years.

Natural Tile Flooring

If you choose a floor made of natural stone tiles, you could have an even longer-lived floor. A marble tile floor could last well past the century mark. Other types of tiles made of natural stone include things like granite and slate.

As you can imagine, these floors are very high-end. Some, such as slate tiles, may also require specialized installation and maintenance. Slate flooring needs to be sealed before use, for example, to keep it from absorbing substances that will stain it. Slate also needs to be re-sealed regularly at three- to five-year intervals.

Wood or Bamboo Flooring

Wood flooring can be one of the longest-lived types of flooring, but not every wood floor falls into this category. Flooring made of real wood can have a huge variation in life expectancy. For example, softwood flooring can be softer and more vulnerable to wear. On the other hand, a high-end hardwood like oak could serve well for over a hundred years in some cases.

Bamboo flooring, usually grouped with wood (though bamboo is not technically a tree), may last two to five decades. You have to be careful when choosing a bamboo product, or you could end up replacing your floor in just twenty years. One way to check for a longer life expectancy is to look at the product's warranty and compare it to the warranty on other flooring products.

These are some of the flooring types you can choose from if you're hoping to have the longest-lived floor possible. For example, if you're hoping your home will stay in the family for centuries, sparing no expenses for the floor with the most longevity could make sense.

If you're still unsure what type of floor to shop for or need help comparing different flooring products, contact your custom remodeling contractor. They'll be able to help you clearly see the pros and cons of each material that you're considering.