When it comes to replacing the flooring in your home, it’s not simply a case of picking a new carpet colour.
Deciding on which type of flooring would be best for each room in the house can
be a tricky business. Are you better off putting down carpet, and if so, which
sort? How about vinyl, tiles and wooden floors? How to choose?
Thankfully, there are plenty of guidelines to follow which will enable you to
pick the best flooring to suit your lifestyle. Here are just a few basic
pointers to get you started.
Budget
The first and most important factor is, of course, how much money you have
available to spend.
If the sky’s the limit, you have more choice, including luxury deep-pile carpet
and beautiful wooden floors.
If, however, your funds are somewhat limited, you will probably be restricted
to cheaper carpet or vinyl, depending on the room. That does not mean you have
to compromise on quality, though – there are plenty of hard-wearing but cheap
brands of flooring out there.
Room
Certain rooms call for certain types of flooring. The spills in bathrooms and
kitchens are better suited to the harder types of flooring such as tiles and
vinyl, while bedrooms and living rooms may be better served by cosy carpet.
According to the Money
Crashers website, the best location for carpet is
low-traffic rooms.
The ‘footfall’ of a room is also relevant – for instance, busy hallways require
a more hard-wearing flooring option in order to stay looking good for longer.
Lifestyle
Your family’s lifestyle also plays a part in which flooring you choose. If you
have pets or small children, or you are a keen rambler or footballer, you may
want to choose tiles in the hallway rather than carpet, as it is way easier to
keep them clean and time is of the essence.
There are lots of hard wearing types of flooring including Wood Flooring – such
as that available at https://irwintiles.ie/ – can be used in most rooms.
Easy to install, clean and maintain, as well as very good-looking, wood
flooring suits most lifestyles and is ideal for areas where footfall is high,
such as hallways and dining rooms.
And if you have dogs, carpet is probably best kept to a minimum, as their claws
can catch in the loops.
Hardwood and tile compared
Hardwood gives a room a clean, natural and inviting look, and new boards can seem part of the home’s original design. With some care it can last a lifetime, and scratches can be sanded and polished away. It is a better choice than carpet for allergy sufferers, because it does not trap dust. On the downside, it needs regular maintenance in busy areas, it is noisy underfoot, and it should not go in bathrooms or kitchens, where moisture can make boards swell and crack.
Tile is among the most durable floorings available and is easy to keep clean with light sweeping and vacuuming. It works in almost any room, suits wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, and performs very well over underfloor heating.
Without underfloor heating, though, tile can feel cold. It can be tricky to lay, so it may be beyond a casual DIYer, it does not absorb sound and can make a room echo, and wet tiles can be slippery.
Affordable alternatives to solid wood
If budget matters, several floor types look good for less. Laminate offers good quality in many styles, is easy to install, resists mould and needs little maintenance, but it cannot be refinished and can dent or suffer water damage. Engineered wood gives the look and feel of hardwood at a lower cost, handles moisture well and, with a thick veneer, can be refinished, though it is pricier than other budget options.
Cork is durable, resists fire, mould and mildew, and its soft, warm feel suits families with young children. It needs professional fitting, fades in sunlight and is not ideal with pets. Vinyl is excellent value, comes in a vast range of styles, can be laid yourself and lasts around fifteen years on average, but sharp objects can damage it and the subfloor must be even.
Carpet, fitted or in tiles, is warm and versatile, and tiles can be laid without professionals. It absorbs moisture and stains, though, so it is a poor choice for bathrooms.