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Flooring, it’s a jungle out there – tiles, laminate, vinyl, flagstone or timber? Then, comes the interior trends – magazine feature after magazine feature, telling you that stripes are in, that geometric patterns are hot right now.
There sure is a world of choice when it comes to your flooring – confused yet? Overwhelmed?
Let’s demystify this realm a little and explain how you can choose the right flooring, that’s right for your home.
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#1 Colour, space and sunlight
First things first: think about your floor space and the sunlight that each room benefits from. The smaller and darker your room, the lighter your floors will need to be (if you’re to avoid a shrinking effect, that is).
To lengthen a rectangular room, opt for lined carpet or laminate/wood flooring that is laid to flow with the length or the room.
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#2 Making an entrance (and other areas of your home)
Here’s are some key practical pointers for some of the rooms in your home when it comes to your flooring options…
Entrance area: You want your home to have an impressive reception room, but you need to ensure your flooring stands up to the outdoor elements, such as rain, snow or mud – for this challenge, think slate, tile or hardwood, such as eucalyptus hardwood flooring (which can be 3x harder than other woods).
Bathrooms and utility rooms: Avoid carpet at all costs (which can soak up all sorts of bacteria nasties!) – opt for water-resistant flooring and remember that hardwood or laminate aren’t ideal for rooms with a high moisture content as they can warp.
Kids’ rooms and bedrooms: Kids’ rooms and bedrooms are typically places where you want to walk barefoot, so consider carpeting (or at the least, a few well-placed rugs).
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#3 Let’s talk about money.
On a budget? When it comes to flooring, it’s vital to take to the calculator to tap out some figures, whether you’re working on a shoestring or have a healthy home improvement piggy bank. Given that flooring is priced per square foot, the total price can quickly rack up.
If you’re opting for carpet, you’ll also need to add the carpet pad, and with vinyl or laminate, you’ll need to think about the underlay.
Stone and tiles (such as ceramic, slate, and marble) are typically more expensive than carpet, while real wood flooring comes in at the middle of the road between carpeting and stone.
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#4 Family-proof your floors
Although there are carpets that are today extra durable (and often referred to as family-proof or child-friendly), you may need to consider the amount of scrubbing that could be required should you little bundle of joy drop their sticky afternoon snack or wander through with muddy feet. Ultimately if you’re looking for an easy life – opt for wipe over floors such as stone, wood or vinyl (you may also want to think about choosing a darker colour or mottled pattern to hide all manner of sins).
Pet- and child free home? Feel free to opt for thick, plush carpet if you’re looking for softness underfoot (however you do need to bear in mind that the thicker and softer the carpet, the higher the price tag).
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#5 Consider your green credentials
The floors under your feet can carry quite the hefty carbon footprint – the average carpet tile comes along with 12kg of C02 per meter, and where you choose an 80/20 wool/nylon broadloom carpet, you’re then going to be upping the fumes to 63kg.
By comparison, many flooring manufacturers are taking leaps and strides when it comes to cutting down the impact our flooring has on the planet. Bamboo and eucalyptus floors are two shining examples – bamboo’s capable of an almost impossible to believe 1.2 meters of growth per day, with one species reaching 22 meters tall and 22 centimetres in diameter.
If you’re looking to go green, bamboo and eucalyptus are the way to go, no question about it.
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A guestpost by Ambient Floors | top image source
