Few things have as great an impact on both the functionality and look of your home than flooring. Given that it literally covers the entire floor space – and accounts for a significant proportion of any building budget – it’s worth giving more than a passing thought to what your feet will connect with when they hit the floor in the morning.
Carpets
Thanks to the warmth and softness, carpet is still by far the most popular flooring choice for bedrooms in Australia and remains a strong preference for living areas as well.
One of the greatest advantages of carpet in decorating terms is it versatility. Due to the huge variety of colours and textures available, it can be a key player in your home decorating and contribute greatly to the style and mood of your home.
Cool crisp colours can give a feeling of freshness and space whilst subdued colours or earth tones will create a quiet mood. Carpet can also cover a multitude of sins; whether you choose to use deep and rich colours to warm and close in a room or light colours to open up a dark space, carpet can actually help you disguise ‘shortcomings’ within your home.
Of course one drawback of carpets is the potential for staining and bleaching so you must be realistic about whether they are compatible with your lifestyle.
Timber Flooring
Australians have always loved timber flooring and there has never been more options for those who want to incorporate a little bit of nature into the very fabric of their home.
Hardwood
Also known as ‘solid’ timber flooring this is what we all traditionally know as ‘floorboards’. Spotted gum is an extremely popular choice because of its warm tones, however there are many options – with more than twenty varieties to select from – and species such as brush box, blackbutt and jarrah being also very popular.
Hardwood floors do not need to be ‘finished’ to make them durable and attractive. Although you can opt for a satin or gloss finish should you require.
A good looking and well maintained hardwood floor can add impressive resale value to your home. However, you will need to ensure that there is good underfloor ventilation as it is susceptible to moisture retention.
Floating floors
Do-it-yourself renovators and builders love the other type of timber flooring – floating floors. The term ‘floating’ comes from the fact that this type of flooring isn’t nailed or otherwise attached to a subfloor system – it’s literally laid over the existing solid floor. And about the only thing a floating floor can’t be laid over is carpet.
Because floating floors aren’t nailed down like conventional floorboards, any movement in the boards is spread across the entire floor, which makes gaps – less likely to appear. Floating timber floors are held together through a tongue and groove system that makes it ideal for DIY installation though, depending on the type of feature timber, it may not be any cheaper than having a hardwood floor installed.
Tiles
Ever popular in wet areas tiles are hard wearing and can look incredibly classy if chosen and laid well. The huge variety of materials and designs available leave you literally spoiled for choice and can be a real asset in helping you give your home the look you want.
Natural stone
Natural stones such as marble, slate or shellstone can help give your home an earthy feel and are available in a surprisingly number of hues from greys to browns to pinks. Though they are very durable, natural stone tiles tend not to be as hard-wearing or easy to maintaining as porcelain tiles. Because natural stone tends to be porous it generally requires regular sealing to protect it from water and wear.
Porcelain
Porcelain tiles are a ceramic tile and come in two types: glazed or vitrified (AKA – full-bodied). Unlike glazed tiles, vitrified tiles are the same colour all the way through, so if they will hold their original colour even in heavy wear situations. Porcelain tiles come in natural or polished finished.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring, commonly known as laminate is another popular choice for wet or high traffic areas. There is an almost inexhaustible range of styles, patterns and colours, and is fairly soft underfoot, has good fade resistance and is easy to maintain. It is also a good option to install yourself as it is very easy to put down. Vinyl is also a very cost effective option and varieties are available to suit every budget. Disadvantages of vinyl flooring include poor resistance to scratching and indentations.
So there you have it...solutions that will leave you floored.
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