Select Your Flooring Carefully
There are numerous factors which need to be thought about when selecting what type of flooring to install. Getting new flooring installed 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.
A big consideration on what flooring to choose is what the role of that room is. Flooring which is suitable for the front room may not be appropriate for the kitchen or bathroom for example. Some of the more widely used types of flooring are carpet, vinyl, wood, and laminate.
Laminate flooring can be a fantastic alternative to solid wood floors 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 fixed to it. The downside of laminate flooring is that whilst it is scratch resistant once it is damaged 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. On the other hand a solid wood flooring would not be appropriate in a bathroom, or in fact any room which is likely to get very wet. Some woods are particularly sensitive to moisture such as beech.
If you are looking to fit a wooden floor, it’s critical you have the right surface to fit it on. Ideally your existing floor needs to be flat, and dry. There are options however to counter uneven flooring issues, such as laying ply throughout, or employing an underlay to create a ‘floating floor’.
More often than not laminate flooring is sold as a product you can fit together without help which is another useful way of keeping costs to a minimum. Solid wood flooring requires a higher degree of DIY skills, so it can sometimes be advisable to get solid wooden floors fitted professionally which on the downside can add a considerable cost.
Something many people do not realise when they measure their room to work out 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 an integral part of any interior design scheme, it is vital to choose the correct 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.
