With so many different flooring options available, it can be hard to decide which is the right one for your home. If you’ve always coveted carpet, or been wowed by wood, why not explore a new take on your favourite, or try something completely different altogether?
Mix and Match
Before you hot-foot it down to your local flooring supplier, take some time to make sure you choose a material suitable for your room. This means thinking about how the space is used, and how frequently, and importantly, how much budget is available for the project.
Classic Carpet
Carpet has, in recent years, fallen out of favour due to fashion trends, environmental and allergy concerns. Carpet is still the best option for creating warmth and softness under foot, and even if you’ve cast it from elsewhere in your home, it’s difficult to match that feeling of hopping out of bed onto a carpeted floor. Since your last look, carpet designs have probably come a long way. There’s now a huge range of patterns, textures and materials available. Why not try make a greener choice with seagrass, sisal or coir? Being hard-wearing, these are ideal for high traffic areas, without compromising on style. The weaves and colours of these natural fibres create a unique and striking look.
Bamboozled
With such a huge range of finishes available, hardwood is a stylish and high quality choice for your home. Wood has that wow factor, adding personality and cosy charm to any property’s style or age. While it’s true that wood flooring will need some occasional TLC, and can be noisy, it remains a very popular choice. For a stunning look that’s kinder to the environment, take a look at bamboo. Harder still than wood options, bamboo flooring is made from fast growing grass, and is available in a range of different shades. Its durable and sustainable nature makes bamboo a great choice for a busy space.
Love Laminate
Budget-friendly laminate is a fantastic choice if your pennies won’t stretch to real wood. A no-fuss option, laminate is also low-maintenance and extremely durable, and for the DIY devil, it’s very easy to lay. The quality of laminate flooring has reached such a level that, at a glance, the best are almost impossible to distinguish from wood. Some clever detective work will unearth some alternative colours, too – great for an unconventional look.
Crazy Days
If you fancy going right past unconventional to plain crazy, vinyl should be your first port of call. While some fantastic natural-look finishes are readily available, for a fun floor, look past these to the dazzling array of colours and patterns now on offer. From flowers and pebbles, to bubbles and even grass, vinyl flooring can be a real talking point. This is a great option for a bathroom, or playroom – anywhere you need a little (or a lot!) of stimulation.
Seeking Ceramic
Odour and germ-resistant ceramic tiles make an excellent kitchen or bathroom choice – just be prepare to bid farewell to any breakables dropped on to a ceramic floor! From slate to terracotta, quarry to stone, each look is different, and equally stunning. Colour and size variations make ceramic tiles a very flexible choice, and modern or traditional mosaic designs are a great creative idea for a bathroom floor.
Whether you seek a classic or contemporary style for your flooring, you will not struggle to pick the perfect one. Having fun with flooring is a fantastic way to express yourself and stamp your personality onto your home. Visitors beware!
