Selecting flooring is an important decision for your home. It has both functional and aesthetic considerations. Budget is also an important factor. We’ve recently changed the carpets in all our bedrooms which made think how do you select the right flooring for your home.
Materials in flooring
From my experience there predominantly three common types of flooring materials. They are tiles, carpet and some kind of floorboard. Floorboards can be proper hard wood, hybrid, laminate and vinyl.
All these materials have their pros and cons.
Let’s take carpet for example. At the top of the range you will have a 100% pure wool carpet. Which may be less resistant to stains. But feels and looks great.
On the other hand a blended carpet of synthetic materials can be long wearing and more stain resistant.
With floor board type flooring, hard wood timber panels can be noisy and dusty and discolour in direct sunlight. Whereas a hybrid floor has useful functional qualities such as scratch and water resistance.
So how do you choose right flooring for your home?
Functional use of the floor
Key to deciding what flooring option to select is function. That is who uses the spaces and how will it be used?
Who uses the space ranges from pets to children and everyone in between? But also how they use? Are you a shoes off at the door household or not? What kind of furniture and furniture placement do you have? Do you often have to move furniture for any reason such as guests?
Function is the key question for any interior design decision and for my clients this is always the first question.
Sometimes we play it safe for example and put carpet in a bedroom. However, I have specified hybrid floor boards for bedrooms, especially in an apartment environment.
This opens up the space and allows for the placement of a beautiful rug to add warmth, texture and colour a carpet would not provide.
Your style in flooring
Definitely some interior styles suit some floor surface options. Climate and temperature also plays a role in the flooring you chose for your home.
For example, Industrial styles home lend themselves well to tiles or even polished concrete. Hamptons home would benefit from parquetry.
Knowing your interior style and colour scheme will help you decide on the type of flooring and the colour.
For example I’m working on a Brunswick extension project and because the client wants a touch of Mid-Century Modern in their home so I’ve chosen an oak flooring.
As we’re achieving the Mid-Century Modern style through the application of walnut cabinetry in the kitchen.
Walnut is a deep warm colour and I wanted a neutral timber such as oak to complement the kitchen colours and materials.
If you’re not working with an interior desighner, then it’s best to talk to an expert such a flooring retailer. Explain to them your key functional requirements in your flooring and budget and they can advise you.
