Five Tips for Choosing your Flooring!
After purchasing a house or a car, the flooring in your home will be the next major expense so getting it right can be daunting. Consider the following five tips:
Your Lifestyle
Who lives in the house and what is your lifestyle? Are there teenagers or young children, lots of entertaining, a family dog and an indoor-outdoor flow? Do you want easy care and maintenance or is a natural floor with upkeep acceptable? Consider durable man-made laminates or tiles for busy, active homes. Genuine timber particularly larger planks are luxurious and high end but require regular maintenance and refreshing.
Style Selection
Flooring should complement the style and features of your home such as kitchens, fireplaces, decorative walls, expansive sunny decks or architectural elements. Timber adds warmth and character whereas stone and ceramic floors are durable and hard underfoot. Carpets are mostly selected for bedrooms, living rooms, snugs and libraries for their sound absorption, warmth and comfort. The lighter the colour of any flooring the more expansive the space appears. Darker colours draw your eye to the walls and make a space appear smaller and cosier.
What is your budget?
Is the floor part of a new build or a renovation? Will you engage professional installers or are you up for a DIY project? What is the subfloor and how level is it? There are numerous floating floor options which can be laid over an existing floor or pull up some old carpet and lay planks or tiles. There are great savings when completing your own installation but be sure to watch the online videos and equip yourself with the correct tools for the job.
Continuous look
The trend for open plan living and continuous flooring from room to room means the flooring must be suitable for wet areas such as bathrooms and laundries. The increased moisture levels in these areas require tiles, wet area laminates or multi-layer vinyl flooring with water resistant features.
Environmental Considerations
The growing trend for sustainable eco-friendly flooring choices has increased the popularity of bamboo and cork flooring. Originating from fast growing plantations with sound production practices they come in planks or tiles. Quality bamboo flooring is extremely durable and highly resistant to scratches and dents while cork flooring has softness and warmth underfoot and increased insulation properties.
Words by L M Powell
