Choose Your Flooring Wisely
December 1st, 2008There are various things which need to be thought about when selecting what kind of flooring to get fitted. Getting new flooring fitted in your home can breathe new life into it and can be a great way to reinvigorate your living environment. It may not be as expensive as you think either.
An important factor when choosing flooring is the function of the room it will go in. Flooring which makes sense for the dining room may not be appropriate for the bathroom for example. Some of the more widely used types of flooring are carpet, vinyl, wood, and laminate.
Laminate flooring can be a fantastic substitute for wooden flooring if you are looking to achieve a wood effect floor at a lower cost. Laminate flooring consists of a sheet of MDF with a wood-effect plastic surface attached to it. One pitfall of laminate flooring is that whilst it is resistant to sctratches once it is scratched it is not possible to repair. That aside it can still be an ideal choice for a kitchen, where the plastic coating provides an easy to wipe clean surface. Conversely solid wood flooring would not be advisable in a bathroom, or in fact any room which is likely to get very humid and wet. Some woods are particularly sensitive to moisture such as beech.
If you are planning to install a wooden floor, it’s important you have the right surface to fit it on. Ideally your existing floor needs to be flat, and dry. There are options however to resolve uneven flooring problems, such as laying ply throughout, or employing an underlay to create a ‘floating floor’.
Often laminate flooring is sold as a product you can assemble yourself which is a great way of keeping costs to a minimum. Solid wood flooring requires however a higher degree of DIY competence, so it can sometimes be advisable to get solid wooden floors fitted professionally which can add a considerable cost.
One point to remember many people do not realise when they measure their room to calculate how much flooring they will need - is that it is important to include a 10mm gap around the edge of the room for the wooden flooring to expand and contract.
As a fundamental part of any interior design strategy, it is important to select the right flooring. Whilst wooden or laminate floors can be ideal - often for a more chic minimalist look; carpet can be a better option if you are trying to achieve a more traditional home feel. The important thing is you take into account the various factors you need to consider before ordering new flooring.
