Flooring: Choosing the right type of floor
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The floors of our homes take a beating every day. They get trodden on, things dragged over them, dirty, clean. They break falls, provide insulation and have acoustic properties. They affect the decor, can be warm, cold or hot. There is such a wide range of flooring options available these days. Given how much impact flooring can have on our lives (sounds so dramatic, but it's true!) it's sometimes difficult to choose your flooring. Here's some information that will hopefully help you to make a decision.
Safety
Smooth surfaces such as linoleum and timber floors of course become slippery when wet. Carpet is considered the best non-slip surface, followed by a slip-resistant ceramic tile, linoleum and finally timber. Tiles are rated for 'slipping' and there are companies that are able to apply a non-slip chemical to existing floor tiles if necessary. For softness of landing (avoiding injury in the event of a fall onto the floor) the safest would again be carpet, followed by timber, linoleum and finally tiles.
Aesthetic
Carpets can be chosen with a spotted or patterned look to help hide stains. Ceramic tiles provide a massive variety of colour from the very plain to the absolutely dazzling - a seemingly endless choice of tiles is available on today’s market.
Durability
Carpets can sometimes become fluffy or patchy if cleaned badly. Timber floors are very easily cleaned and maintained, stains are easily removed and they are generally hard wearing. Floating floors have become very popular with a fantastic wearing rate and overall the timber flooring option is very hard wearing and easy to maintain. Stains are easily removed and with tongue and groove flooring oil can be rubbed in to hide scratches and in 10 years time the floor can be sanded and re-sealed without having to be replaced. Tiles are easily cleaned of all stains, however there needs to be a maintenance program in place every three to six months for cleaning of grout and floor and walls to remove the unavoidable build-up of grit. Linoleum today is a lot more durable than it used to be and it is easily cleaned - It has a low-allergenic finish and is easy to remove and replace but it can still be prone to being cut from sharp objects.
Insulation from heat and sound
These days most tilers use a two part rubber based glue to adhere tiles to concrete floors that gives a good soundproof barrier. Linoleum is also a good insulator. Timber flooring can be noisy itself and is generally not a great insulator from sound depending on how it's fitted. Carpet deadens the sound in a room and provides a little comforting warmth too.
Fire retardant properties
Carpet - particularly wool blend (that has natural fire retardant properties) or carpet that's treated with a chemical fire retardant will be best. As well as the carpets being treated with a fire retardant, underlays are certified to be used with different types of carpet for maximum protection against fire. Linoleum is fire resistant with a slow burn rate.
Cost
And, finally, there’s the cost factor. No home owner is ever going to make their decision without considering a budget, but sometimes other things are more important. In order to expense from least to most, this is how cost affects your flooring decision. Carpet (especially cheaper carpet) is usually the least costly, and a veneer floating floor or linoleum are usually about the same and more expensive than carpet. Hardwood flooring with floating floorboards is usually double the cost of carpet, and adhered to the concrete slab is usually a little more. Ceramic tiles cover almost the whole range of price variation between the different floor types and can cost anything depending on the tile chosen.
With so many excellent products on the market, choosing the right floor for the job is tougher than ever. Take into account all the factors and keep an eye on trends and innovations. Remember how the floor will feel and look to you and your family, not just how easy it will be on your budget and cleaning schedule.
Ready to get some flooring quotes? Post your job today.
Need more information? Read more flooring articles here.
- Carpeting price: How much does installing carpets cost?
- Maintenance of your polished wooden floor
- Top tips for choosing the right carpet
- 5 benefits of carpet
- Understand laminate flooring
- Timber flooring price: How much does a wooden floor cost to install?
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I am going to redesign my home and your article gives me very useful information to choose best type of floor.
over a year ago by Timber Flooring Melbourne
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