Saturday, February 1, 2020

How to Pick the Best Flooring for Your Home

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If you're super indecisive, like me, you'll already give a lot of consideration into almost everything in life- especially home projects. There is so much to choose- paint colors (which I may have had lots of personal struggles with), wall decor, curtains and more. If you're doing a bigger home renovation project, one thing you may overlook would be flooring. Flooring makes a big difference in how a room looks and feels, which can make or break the atmosphere of the house at large. That's why it’s important to do some research around the right types of flooring for your home. Here are a few things to think about when choosing floors that you'll love! 

 Floating Timber

In industry terms, floating floors are a system of flooring that can be installed directly over an existing floor. This will lift the height of your floor, but it makes installation super easy and carefree. Don’t go prying up old floorboards or getting the jackhammer into the tiles just yet: consider slapping these down right over the surface of your current floor instead!

Another reason these floors are a great choice is that they look beautiful. They tend to retain heat rather than lose it, which is friendly for your feet, making them great for winter or those places that get a little chilly.

Timbers are relatively easy to keep clean, requiring little more than the occasional sweep and light mopping, but they’ll show dust if you choose a range that has dark tones. If you damage your floor, it's relatively easy to replace the damaged units by prying them up and swapping them for new ones – keep a few handy just in case. 

Tiles

If you enjoy a cool, hard surface underfoot or you live in a fairly hot climate, tiles are a great option for you! They expel heat really quickly, meaning your floor will remain nice and cool to the touch at most times of the year. On the flipside, you may want to steer clear of these bad boys if you live in a chilly climate: they’ll really make your toes curl if you have to get up in the dead of night in the middle of winter to use the bathroom!

Another reason that tiles are a strong fan favorite is that they’re easy to maintain and are highly durable. A quick vacuum and mop and your tiles will shine like new. Just make sure you opt for a more neutral color on the grey-white spectrum with low-key patterns or veins, because flat dark colors generally show up more dust and aren’t all that pleasing to the eye.

Finally, tiles are reasonably priced and won’t lead to a budget blowout should you choose to invest in them. One last piece of advice: it’s better to install tiles in homes where the walls are soft and insulated because tiles and hard walls together may create an echo chamber that will annoy the heck out of you!

Vinyl Planks or Rolls

Vinyl planks are a softer surface than tiles, meaning they’ll be kinder on your feet and back. Due to this feature, they're also warmer than tiles, but not as warm as floorboards. Their cool surface makes them highly suitable for a variety of climates. Thanks to modern flooring technologies, vinyl planks are now available in a huge range of colors, designs, and types, including waterproof planks.

Waterproof planks are amazing because they mean you can extend the floor from living spaces into laundries and kitchens (although I'd advise against venturing into the bathroom!) creating a look of uniformity throughout most of your home.

If vinyl planks are too expensive for you, or you’re operating on a budget, you can always opt for vinyl on a roll. This is the more cost-effective option, and you can install it yourself with a little hard work and a competent DIY approach, meaning you’ll also save money on installation costs. And who doesn't love that? 

Vinyl planks look fantastic in the right indoor environment, but vinyl on a roll is a little uninspiring. It isn’t the most visually pleasing option on the market, so you may want to save it for projects where you’re limited by a budget, like fitting out a rental property. Otherwise, think about relegating it to playrooms and basements where kids can play on it to their heart's’ content.


Carpet

There is nothing better than sinking your feet into a nice, lush carpet on a cold winter’s night. And honestly, our house could probably use an overall on carpet when we can budget for it. Carpet's main attraction is that it's the softest and most comfortable surface to have under your feet, and it’ll keep your toesies nice and toasty throughout the year.

However, you should keep in mind that carpets are notorious for harbouring microscopic bugs and nasties that can cause allergens, they’re vulnerable to stains and marks, and it’s much harder to clean them should you happen to spill something on them or if you have a messy pet or child.

Carpets come in a range of qualities and designs, which can drive up prices depending on the type that you’re after. This means you’ll want to ask yourself if it’s worth investing in upmarket carpets such as Godfrey Hirst, Quest Carpets, Victoria Carpets, and more.

Finally…

At the end of the day, you’ll probably want to pick a combination of floors to suit the variety of rooms in your home. This is because the flooring that suits one space, such as the bedroom, may not necessarily suit another, such as the bathroom. We love tile in the bathroom and carpet in our bedrooms.

As you hunt down the right floors for your home renovation project, keep in mind your budget, the style that you’re after, as well as useability and durability: you don’t want to pick a floor that is impractical and clashes with the overall design of the rest of your home. Good luck in finding the right floors for your renos!

Currently,
Kelsie



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