The range of choice in flooring for your home is endless- and each one enables you to furnish your home to your unique style, needs, and preference. The flooring throughout your property enables you to dramatically alter the way your home feels for you and your guests and can have a huge impact on your home life.
Choosing the flooring in your home is a huge decision, as it’s not economically viable to change your floors around every six months. In addition to this, there are several other factors that are involved when deciding how to choose the flooring of your property, such as moisture, the durability of the floor, and costs.
Additionally, flooring can impact the value of your property greatly, as more expensive and well-designed flooring can appeal more to prospective buyers.
How to choose flooring for your home
If you’re wondering “how can I sell my house fast?” Perhaps the flooring of your property is a great place to start. Here at We Buy Any House we have compiled our top tips.
Consider location
The type of flooring you choose to lay down may be impacted by the location of where it is. At the entrance of your home in the hallway, you may want to opt for a floor that is durable and strong enough to endure the elements. For example, in winter, when you bring snow into the hallway off the bottom of your shoes, you ideally want your floor to withstand the elements and not be destroyed by snow, mud, or moisture that drapes in from outside.
For your bathroom and utility rooms, you may want to consider water-resistant floors as they can be easily cleaned, and the area can be kept in a hygienic condition. However, for bedrooms and the lounge areas, perhaps laying down carpet is the best option as it’s warm, comfortable, and can accommodate bare feet.
Space
The size and space of each location in which you are considering laying down the floor are crucial and play an integral role in the finish of the room. In addition to this, color is also a vital factor in how flooring impacts the space of a room. Lighter colored floors will help the room feel more spacious, so are better for smaller spaces- however darker accents of colors can add warmth to a room if necessary. A good way to test colors and how various types of flooring affects space is to get some samples from your local flooring supplier and lay them out in the room to get a greater sense of how the flooring will blend in with each room.
Lifestyle
The flooring you choose may be impacted by the type of lifestyle you lead at your house. Depending on how much traffic you have coming through your home, and what each room is used for (besides its intended purposes) this may influence the type of floor you choose. Perhaps for a house with heavy traffic, or a noisy house that is full of children, you may want to consider the practicality of the flooring you choose. Additionally, if you have pets in the house, you may want to think about flooring with superior wear resistance. For instance, although site-finished solid hardwood can be easily cleaned, it is also easily scratched.
Budget
Budgeting when it comes to flooring is very important. Depending on a few factors, such as the type of flooring, the area you’re wanting to cover, and the installation method- the prices of flooring vary massively. Also, you might want to consider a 2D and 3D floor plan conversion. In order to avoid becoming way out of your depth financially, it’s best to set a budget with firm guidelines. Prior to purchasing anything, work out what type of flooring you are going to have, which area you’re going to floor and which installation method you’re going to undertake.
Maintenance
Once your preferred flooring is laid down and your home is looking exactly how you want it to be- there’s just one thing left- maintenance. This is probably something to think about the way in advance, as it can specific flooring can easily become a hassle to maintain and result in you tearing it up and wasting more money investing in an alternative. Ask yourself whether you’re prepared to give your flooring the TLC it needs or is its upkeep likely to become a chore? It’s an important factor to keep in mind as the maintenance of the floor will greatly influence the amount of work that follows.
Types of flooring
If you’re looking for some creative inspiration, these are the most popular types of flooring throughout properties:
- Stone flooring: A popular flooring solution for centuries. Both hard wearing and looks chic in both traditional and contemporary homes.
- Porcelain tiles: Low maintenance and cost effective, they sit between stone and ceramic tiles and are available in lots of styles and finishes.
- Ceramic tiles: Lighter in weight and used to emulate stone, can be designed in lots of styles and colours and are popular in bathrooms.
- Engineered flooring and solid timber: Wooden flooring is immensely popular throughout period homes but can also be worked into contemporary schemes- and offer a water and movement resistant alternative to solid wood.
- Carpet: Homely, warm and quiet underfoot, carpet has lots of positive qualities. It’s great for most rooms aside from wet rooms, utility rooms and areas with heavy traffic- although you can get around this with specific carpet choices.
- Cork: Sustainable and renewable, cork flooring4 is made from the bark of the cork oak tree. It’s comfortable to walk on but does need sealing to keep it dry.
Final thoughts
Your choice of flooring throughout your home can really make or break a space. Depending on what your desired outcome is, the type of flooring can adhere to or hinder the final result. Choosing your flooring comes with a lot of responsibility in terms of finish, cost, and maintenance- but it can tie the interior décor of your home together fabulously.
