Monday, October 09, 2017

Home Style || Choosing The Right Flooring


What’s the Best Floor for You?


Choosing a new floor when you’re redecorating or renovating your house, isn’t as easy as choosing the paint for your hallway or running up a new pair of curtains. If you suddenly get bored with the colour of your hallway you can just crack open a new can. If you get fed up with your floors, it’s a bit more complicated and expensive. You need to make the right choice before you even visit a site like the discountflooringdepot. Knowing what you want as well as what you need for your home is vital to a making the right investment. Here's five tips to help you make the perfect flooring choices in your home.



Think about what the floor will be used for


Apart from walking on and resting your furniture upon, you need to consider the role of the room and what the floor will be exposed to. If you’re re-flooring your bathroom, you need to be ready for the deluge. Thankfully no-one puts carpets in their bathrooms anymore, but exposed wood isn’t ideal either. You need vinyl or tiles ideally and if you look after these surfaces correctly they’ll last for years.

High traffic areas like kitchens, hallways and playrooms need durable flooring that won’t scuff too easily or fade after years of cleaning. Tiles are a good idea, especially if you have underfloor heating. If you don’t fancy tiles, then engineered wood or high-end laminate is your best bet.



Consider your budget


Flooring is expensive and if you want yours to last for years, it’s wise to spend a bit more so you’re not pulling it all up after five or six years. I've said it before but it's so true - if you buy cheap, you buy twice. Tiles and engineered wood are the most durable options, but if you can’t quite run to that, then high-quality vinyl is your next best go-to. Vinyl is very hard-wearing and waterproof and even a bit warmer than tiles!

Not everyone likes vinyl though, so you might prefer laminate instead. If you go down this route, you need to choose the best quality you can afford to reduce the ever-present risk of splitting and warping.


Consider the long-term consequences of your choice


The flooring you put down doesn’t just look and feel a certain way, it has an impact on the whole room. If you have solid wood and you don’t put down any rugs, then you’ll have a serious echo and noise problem. If you like rugs, all well and good. If you really don’t like rugs but you still want the look of an expansive wooden floor, then vinyl will work much better.




Think about your lighting


Your flooring will affect the amount of light in your rooms and how it “behaves”. If you get a lot of light through big windows into a south or south-east facing window then you can have a big dark floor. If it’s north-facing then it might feel a bit dingy and oppressive. Of course, there are workarounds – if you really want your big dark wooden floor you’ll need to draft in some new lighting of some kind.

Match flooring to the main function of the room


Vinyl flooring in a kitchen is ideal because it washes well, it's waterproof and can stand up to the inevitable red wine spill. White tiles in a bathroom make you feel clean before you even run the bath and soft, warm bamboo works well in a child’s bedroom. Different rooms do require different styles to suit the look and function of the room, so don't be afraid to vary the flooring options in your house for each room.


If you consider these five simple factors before shopping for flooring, you stand a much better chance of making a decent investment that will last for years to come whilst suiting your family as well as your needs.




* This is a collaborative post.