Flooring is not only functional, it also makes a significant impact on comfort, ambiance and acoustics. Therefore, when choosing the perfect floor for you and your family’s needs (children/pets included), remember to take all these into consideration before you choose to put your feet down.
Tile brings energy and flair from around the world, while hardwood oozes charm and increases the value of your home. Carpet generally offers softer underfoot comfort, and the newer LVP options can give the look of wood both visually and tactility.
Living Room
Floor coverings will form an important part of designing living areas and should primarily look beautiful, but also withstand heavy foot traffic and spills.
Classic or contemporary, you just can’t go wrong with hardwood floors in your living room – ultimate in style and warmth – or buy some luxury vinyl tile and laminate for the budget stylish look and ultimate in strength.
Consider how often and who will be entertaining in your living room, whether or not people will be walking around in their socks or shoes, and whether children or pets will be hanging out. Take these factors into account and it will help you pick the flooring to best match your lifestyle because the construction has to fit your need. It could be a hard floor such as hardwood or rigid LVT, or it could be carpet.
Dining Room
Since a dining room is a place that is used most frequently in a house and is one that sees a lot of day-to-day traffic, the flooring material needs to be one that can withstand spills, sweat and the stickiness of children, teenagers’ homework and adulthood Zoom calls for work from home.
Hardwood floors work well for dining rooms as they are easy to maintain and look sophisticated and reserved. Laminate is a great option as it can accommodate any style, shade or texture for any aesthetic.
Tile is another indestructible material that is lovely to look at, and meets the challenge of use, moisture and maintenance that an active eating place requires, as well as being something you can pass through to your kitchen-diner.
Kitchen
Kitchen flooring needs to stand up to lots of walking, resists staining and tolerates high temperatures without being uncomfortable to stand on while chopping vegetables. Tile is also hard on feet and backs, while cork, vinyl, linoleum and wood floors are more hospitable places to spend time.
Yes, it should last, and it should be comfortable to walk on, but looks are important, too. Hardwood, installed almost anywhere in the house, but especially the living area and kitchen, is the look that many well-heeled homeowners crave. Stone (travertine, slate, granite) also can be spectacular, as can bandwidth-limited, indestructible, water- and stain-impenetrable luxury vinyl tile or planks. These products can be easier to install than solid wood.
Bathroom
Because bathrooms are the busiest room in homes, as well as a space that is frequently exposed to excess moisture and sudden temperature fluctuations that subject the flooring to various stresses, it’s important to have an interior floor covering that will perform well.
Pick out bathroom flooring that is easy to keep clean and resists stains, such as laminate, vinyl, porcelain tile and ceramic tile.
A bathroom might be an inappropriate place for hardwood floors, but if your home has hardwood floors throughout, and you are dedicated to keeping them looking good, engineered wood makes sense if properly protected against moisture ingress due to its plywood base and veneer of real hardwood on top. The veneer wears well in bathroom environments, which are susceptible to high moisture levels.
And this includes luxury vinyl tile and roll (ditto for ceilings), which offers the benefits of being long-wearing, moisture-resistant and, if desired, slip-resistant gripping for accident avoidance.
Bedroom
Your bedroom should offer a retreat and sanctuary to truly relax; a space worthy of barefoot indulgence! Your flooring should serve to provide a comfortable, ergonomic base for your feet, while echoing or complimenting the other design aspects important to your style.
For bedrooms, plush carpet is usually the favoured choice since it feels good on your feet while offering a wide variety of colours and patterns that will blend with any existing decor. Furthermore, hardwood flooring is also an aesthetically pleasing choice not only aiding in increasing the potential resale value of your home, but also helping to maintain good indoors air quality. Eco-consious consumers can also opt for either eucalyptus or bamboo flooring as alternative long-lasting, but sustainable, choices.
Another durable favourite for bedrooms is laminate flooring, which gives the illusion of luxurious, hardwood planks in several widths, shades and textures – a bonus feature in many jumbles – and it’s also impervious to water so spills won’t ruin it.