What You Need to Know about Flooring
There are many factors which need to be thought about when choosing what kind of flooring to get fitted. Getting new flooring put in 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 how that particular room will be used. Flooring which makes sense for the front room may not be appropriate for the kitchen for example. Some of the most widely used types of flooring are carpet, vinyl, wood, and laminate.
Laminate flooring can be a great substitute for solid wood floors if you are looking for a wood effect floor at a lower cost. Laminate flooring is made from a sheet of MDF with a wood-effect plastic surface fixed to it. The downside of laminate flooring is that whilst it is resistant to sctratches once it is scratched it is extremely difficult to repair. Apart from that it can still be an ideal choice for a kitchen, where the plastic coating provides an easily cleanable surface. On the other hand a solid wood flooring would not be appropriate in a bathroom, or indeed any room which is likely to get very humid and wet. Some woods are more vulnerable to the wet than others.
If you are looking to fit a wooden floor, it’s critical you have the right surface to fit it on. An ideal surface would 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’.
Often laminate flooring is sold as a product you can fit together without help which is a great way of keeping costs down. Solid wood flooring requires however 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 crucial to include a 10mm gap around the edge of the room for the wooden flooring to expand and contract.
As a fundamental part of any interior design scheme, it is crucial 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.
