What’s the most used surface in any home? That’s right, the floors. An average house’s floors take the worst of everyday activities. Walking, dragging furniture, spilling food and drinks, etc. usually impact floors. An after a while, the floors start showing the signs. I had a boiler leak early last winter, and it ruined my hardwood floors. The damp spoiled my floors, and though I have boiler cover, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps the fault lay with me for choosing the wrong flooring.
Choosing the Right Kind of Flooring
A short survey of the types of flooring out there will leave you overwhelmed. This makes choosing the right flooring even more important. You want to make the right choice right at the beginning or else face expensive re-flooring costs in the future. That’s not to mention how the wrong floor can make your house look less attractive. Floors should be functional but also add a classy element to your living space. Here are a few important factors to consider:
- Functionality
- Ease of Installation
- Sustainability
- Style
- Maintenance
Let’s discuss these points in some detail.
Functionality
The function of a room determines the type of flooring you need. Living rooms are for entertaining guests, so classy wooden floors seem like a good idea. But would you put wooden floors in your bathroom? The dampness will spoil the wood completely. The points you need to consider is simple. Namely, how much traffic will the room see and how much wear and tear will the floors go through. If a room is likely to see a lot of traffic, you should pick a durable, maintainable option. Areas see a lot of wear and tear require scratch, stain, and water resistant flooring. Choose the flooring for a particular room based on these parameters.
Ease of Installation
So you have decided what floor you want in a specific room. Have you considered the installation? Will you be saving money and doing it yourself? Will you bite the bullet and hire a professional? Having a few samples on hand can help you make this decision. You can decide if you want to risk laying the floor yourself or getting help. The easier a floor is to lay down, the lesser the cost. The samples also let you make sure you’ve chosen the right floor before installation begins. You don’t want to get cold feet halfway through the floorers’ efforts.
Sustainability
Going green is a huge part of homemaking and home building. Flooring is an area where you can do your bit for the ecology. Bamboo floors are green, sustainable floors that leave a smaller impact on the environment. Bamboo one of the best options for people who like to go the green route. Bamboo floors are also highly durable and have a unique aesthetic to them. Add a Far-Eastern touch to your flooring.
Style
The style of the flooring you want is something you should consider carefully. A good idea is to go for colors that reflect the mood you want for a room. You can then add paint and décor to complement the mood. Light, neutral colors give a more soothing and relaxing aura to a room. Dark wood textures add a very comfy, cozy feel to any room. Solid wooden flooring adds a refined aesthetic to your home. The choice is entirely yours. Just choose the style that best fits the mood you are going for.
Maintenance
This is one of the most important factors to consider when getting new flooring for your home. You want them to look new even after years of use. This means you need to know what it will cost you to maintain and take care of them. Active households with lots of members should go for durable floors that require minimal maintenance. Loo into laminate floors as a low maintenance option. If you are getting wooden floors, you should ensure you don’t need any sanding or sealing done. Your floors should be ready-to-walk at any point during the day.
Put serious thought into the type and style of flooring you want in your house. You should focus on how durable and easy to maintain your floor is. Accidents happen and there’s nothing you can do about that. Your boiler could burst, and you might not even have a central heating cover to help you through it. In such times, it always helps if you made a sensible flooring decision and saved yourself the added expense.