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Along with furniture and white goods, flooring is an essential part of any home, and as it is generally a pretty major investment it’s crucial to make the right choice from the get-go.
To help you decide which type of floor to choose, we’ve gone over the various options you have and in which areas one is best than the other.
Key factors to guide your flooring choices
Budget
Where possible it’s always worth stretching your budget as far as possible, as skimping on quality is a false economy if the flooring needs to be replaced earlier than you expected.
Savings can be made by choosing the most cost-effective but suitable flooring for each area of your home, or shopping around for bargains. [Don’t forget to factor in the cost of laying the flooring you choose, if that is relevant.]
Lifestyle
Different types of flooring are designed to cater to different circumstances, so it’s logical to choose a different type of flooring for the kitchen as for a living space.
Durability
Areas of your home which get more traffic tend to do better with harder wearing types of flooring.
Style
Ultimately, how you style your home is a priority as the flooring needs to fit in. After all, it’s something you will be looking at and walking on it for a long time.
Popular types of flooring to look at
Wood
Wood flooring is not cheap, but with minimal regular care and maintenance, it lasts for a long time. It looks good, and is easy to keep clean, but it’s not a cozy option.
Laminate
A durable choice, laminate flooring is a good alternative to wood and has a healthier price tag. A better choice than wood for moist environments, like bathrooms this is also very easy to keep clean.
Vinyl
The cheapest synthetic flooring option, modern vinyl choices are good value for money. An excellent choice for high-traffic areas like the kitchen, vinyl is pretty tough and difficult to ruin. It is also one of the few flooring types which can be laid by a DIY enthusiast rather than a trained expert,
Linoleum
Another cost effective type of flooring, lino is made from natural materials, such as cork and wood making it extremely environmentally friendly. It’s comfortable to walk and stand on, easy to clean and very hard wearing.
Stone
Stone flooring is available in various colours and textures, such as traditional sandstone and shiny marble stone. Always elegant and classy, stone floors do well in high heat rooms, but they tend to still be cool underfoot.
Tile
Porcelain tiles are water resistant, so perfect for bathrooms, utility or wet rooms, as are ceramic tiles, which can be glazed to create a wide variety of patterns to suit any décor.
Before splashing out on flooring it definitely pays to think carefully about what is the best choice for each room, to make sure your final decision not only reflects your personal tastes but also provides the most suitable and best possible value for money option.