Flooring Ideas....

The Low Down

on Selecting Floor Coverings

How do I choose a floor that’s right for me?

Flooring 101.....flooring ideas

Flooring is the basis of your color scheme.

In an ideal world, you choose your flooring first. .. easy to do when you are building a new home or tackling a complete home makeover.

Here are some flooring ideas and starter information about many great products that are available to you.

Flooring is a huge topic and it pays to be well informed before committing to buying a product.

There is much more than color alone to think about when choosing a floor covering.

Performance, purpose, comfort and cost also need to be considered.

Making up a large proportion of your interior scheme, what ends up on the floor is often one of your biggest interior decorating expenses...so it’s even more important to choose well!

It’s a matter of getting the balance right for you by figuring out which of your needs are more important...in other words, prioritizing.

Of course there are pros and cons for any type of flooring you decide to go with.

Flooring Ideas

Things to consider...

• Do you want your flooring to be the main event?

Most likely not, as you will be stuck with it for years!

A neutral color choice is a good foundation on which to layer design elements.

• What's your budget?

Your floor is likely to be reasonably costly.

Businesses which sell flooring should give you a free measure and quote service.

Take your room measurements with you when shopping for quick estimations.

• Do you have children or other heavy users of the space?

Then you will need a high performing product to cope with the wear and tear kids can bring.

• Do you have pets?

Animals with shedding fur, cats that like to scratch and dogs with their sharp claws will need to be considered.

Either tile or cut pile carpet could be good solutions in the case of pets.

• Does your home get bright sunshine?

In this situation, you will need a product that can withstand potential fading from the sun’s ultra violet rays.

• Do you need to consider wheelchair use or safety considerations for disabled or elderly family members?

For example, mats on polished floors aren’t going to be a good solution for the elderly!

A low level carpet which is glued to the floor or a non slip vinyl product would fit this need.

• Does the floor require frequent cleaning?

Choose a product that cleans easily such as vinyl.

• Do you live in a hot, cold or even climate?

Wall to wall carpet is great for cooler climates.

When installed with a good quality underlay, carpet gives good insulation as well as sound absorption.

Ceramic or porcelain tile or natural stone is a great flooring choice in warmer climates.

Of course there is the option to have under floor heating.

However if you are conscious of your energy usage and carbon footprint, opt for passive solar design.

Tip

Use tiles in part of the house which will be warmed by the sun and then release warmth into the main living areas in the evening.

An example of a beautiful refinished wooden floor

You may be lucky enough to have floor boards making up the fabric of your house which can be refinished.

The removal of carpets in an older home can sometimes reveal well persevered floor boards.

This is a really affordable flooring idea if you do the work yourself and save on labor costs!

Careful renovation can produce a wonderful foundation for an interior design scheme!

Ideas that work for one room may not be right for another.

For example, carpet is great underfoot in bedrooms and living areas.

But it’s not really suitable for areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or laundries for and hygienic reasons and presence of moisture.

Wood floors look great too but they aren’t recommended for bathrooms.

Some flooring specialists don’t recommend using wood for kitchen floors but if there aren’t too many kids or animals racing around, it’s probably fine.

You could opt for ceramic tile here or perhaps sheet vinyl.

Sheet vinyl has returned to popularity due to its entirely practical nature and relatively affordable cost.

You can buy them in 2m 3m or 4m widths potentially allowing you to have a room finished in one piece of vinyl or at minimal joins. ...a great flooring idea for kids bathrooms where there tends to be more moisture on the floor.

There are great new patterns and colours available in sheet vinyl, many of them designed in Europe.

Vinyl sheet flooring has regained in popularity in the last few years.

Buy a quality product, as the low end of the market product doesn’t last. Vinyl sheet flooring works really well in kitchens, laundries and bathrooms... especially great in homes with children.

An example of sheet vinyl in a bathroom

If you really want a green flooring idea, check out linoleum.

Reminiscent of schools, hospitals and commercial premises, it is now seen in funky cafes and sometimes, a home.

Linoleum is also favored by some green guru designers and architects and for good reason.

It is made of natural materials, in particular linseed oil, and other natural “ingredients”.

It’s hard to find a bad word against linoleum flooring, even though it’s a slightly limited look.

If you are building a natural style home, linoleum is well worth considering as a flooring idea.

It is available in 2 meter sheet widths is a good alternative to vinyl.

Example of linoleum in grey tones

Another “green” flooring idea and well worth considering is cork.

In fact, when you look at the properties of cork, it may well be the closest thing to a perfect flooring product on many levels.

Cork is grown in a fantastically sustainable way...a really environmentally friendly flooring option!

Cork is easy underfoot, provides good sound and thermal insulation.

It’s also a good flooring product to use for people with allergies.

With care it will last well.

The thing here is that you will need to like the look of cork. Some companies produce a variety of tile sizes, as well as offering it in different colors and textures.

To me they are a cutting edge, sleek interior flooring idea!

Ceramics work well in all the service areas of the house but there are some downsides.

They can be cold unless heated and unforgiving in the kitchen.

Crockery that is dropped on ceramic or porcelain tiles will shatter.

Also standing on ceramic tiles is tiring on your legs when you spend a lot in time in the kitchen.

This may be more of an issue if you are older.

On the upside, porcelain or ceramic tiles can be laid throughout a house giving an impression of seamless continuity.

A great flooring idea when using ceramics is to create activity zones with area floor rugs.

Or you may prefer to mix it up by having carpet in the bedrooms, giving you that feeling of luxury under foot.

Ceramics are available in a good range of colors, sizes and quality as well as price.

A fitted carpet has many benefits.

Apart from the sheer tactile pleasure, carpets are a great flooring idea when the sub floor is way less than perfect!

Fantastic in cold climates, a carpeted floor offers warmth, insulation and a degree of soundproofing.

Carpet can be made from wool, a wool/nylon blend, polypropylene, nylon, and other man-made fibers. There is even a shaggy style carpet made from a corn and polyester blend which is hugely popular at present.

Carpet can be a cut pile, loop pile, twisted or plush pile, shaggy, woven, textured (woven or tufted), patterned or plain.

A hard twist carpet is a great flooring choice in homes with children and pets needing a good performing carpet.

Weighing up what your top needs

• What is the "look" you want to create?

• How long do you want your carpet to last?

• Do you need a really hard wearing carpet?

• Would you like a luxury product?

• Are environmental considerations important to you?

It may be that you choose a product that isn’t quite the quality you want or maybe the color isn’t exactly perfect.

And then you find you may need to compromise on some things.

There are so many styles and colors to choose from.

Each has its benefits and disadvantages however.

Go to you carpet retailer for to check out colors and styles.

As you can see, when choosing a covering for the floor, it’s definitely not a case of one size fits all.

More the reverse!

When it comes to looking at ideas for your floor, there are the good, bad, and often the ugly on offer.

If you choose poorly, it can be expensive and sometimes difficult to change.

So take time and do the groundwork.

See which of your flooring ideas are practical and will work within your budget.

Work out your “wants” for your overall look, and balance them with practical needs.

And hopefully you will enjoy the results!