Choosing the right flooring for your home can make a huge impact and dramatically alter the way your property looks and feels whenever someone enters it. It’s also something that you’ll need to get right first time, as you will have to live with your decision for quite a while. Changing your flooring once every six months is not economically viable!
To help you out, we’ve put together a few things to bear in mind next time you decide that your flooring needs a makeover. Let’s jump in.
1. Space
The first thing to consider is the room/s in which the flooring is going to be laid. The size and shape can play an important role in making the right choice, as can the way the room is lit. Flooring works in much the same way as wall coverings and paint in this regard. Light colours will help make small rooms feel more spacious, while darker accents can bring warmth if needed.
It’s a good idea to get some samples from your local flooring supplier and lay them out in the room that you are thinking of sprucing up. Seeing them in place can give you a greater sense of how they’ll blend in with the room and its furnishings. It’ll also give you the opportunity to see how your new flooring will look at different times of the day, too.
2. Style
While we are thinking about how the flooring will fit with the existing surroundings, it’s a good idea to talk about the style of flooring that you opt for. It can be easy to get carried away when in a showroom or browsing online. One can often forget the simple fact that the flooring we choose needs to sit well with what we already have in our home.
Selecting the right style of flooring for your property is largely going to be down to personal choice, but ensuring that it fits with existing items is definitely something that you’ll need to keep in mind when narrowing down your selection. Failing to do so could lead to a trip to the furniture shop as well!
3. Practicality
Another important consideration is practicality. Think about the amount of use that your flooring will get and the type of activities that take place in that particular room. Is it likely to see heavy footfall, such as a hallway, or will the room only be used on an occasional basis? Maybe a spare room, for example?
What goes on in the room is also something you’ll have to bear in mind. Kitchens will frequently encounter spills and stains, so you’ll need something that is both hardy and easy to clean in areas such as this. Similarly, bathrooms need to have flooring that will take the constant moisture levels associated with them.
4. Type
Now that we know a little bit more about the style, space and practicality of the room in question, we can start to look at the different types of flooring options available. There is an abundance of choice available these days, but for most people’s homes there will be four main types: tiles, vinyl, wood and carpet.
The type that you select will be influenced by the points that we have addressed above, but it will also come down to your own personal preferences a lot of the time, too. Once you have made a decision on the type of flooring, you will then need to select the sub-type. For example, if you like the idea of wooden flooring in your home, do you want solid wood flooring, hardwood flooring, old-fashioned boards or, maybe, imitation wood-effect vinyl?
Then, there’s the shape. Some people prefer uniform squares, while others think that long, thin planks are the way to go. No one said this was going to be easy!
5. Budget
As with everything else in life these days, flooring can be relatively inexpensive or eye-wateringly, jaw-droppingly dear. Knowing your budget is essential, but sticking to it is probably more so. Work out what you have to spend and stay within your means.
Marketing materials and friendly showroom staff are all there to tear you and your hard-earned cash apart. Stick to your guns.
6. Professional installation or Do It Yourself?
You may decide to save yourself a bit of cash by having a go at laying the flooring yourself. This is all well and good if you are a seasoned DIYer, but probably not the best of ideas if things are constantly sliding off of the last shelf you put up. While it may seem like a simple job, laying flooring is actually anything but. However, if you do decide to give it a shot yourself, choosing the right type of flooring will help you make a successful job of it.
Engineered and laminate flooring are generally considered the easiest types for the amateur to work with, so try and stick to those if you can. You will need certain tools, however, so it’s worth doing a few sums to work out exactly how much you’ll be saving by doing it yourself. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of your own time and the potential headaches you may encounter if you decide to go down this route.
If you decide to opt for a professional installation, there’s still scope for savings. The internet is likely to be your friend here. Make use of Google and do plenty of research into local firms before you dive in. Ask for quotes and experience levels and make a judgement from there. If you get stuck, you can always give us a call. We have access to some fantastic local tradesmen and contractors who may well be able to give you a price that suits.
7. Maintenance
The last thing on our list is maintenance. Are you prepared to lavish your new floor with plenty of TLC, or are you more likely to treat the upkeep as a chore? It’s an important consideration to keep in mind before you buy, as the type of flooring you choose will greatly influence the amount of work that follows.
Resilient types, such as sheet vinyl, vinyl tiles and laminate flooring, require very little maintenance. A quick mop round every now and then will keep them looking good as new. Sure, you’ll still have to address any spillages there and then to prevent stains from setting in, but that’s only to be expected. Other than that, these floors will stay in good shape with the minimum amount of effort.
Wooden floors, on the other hand, can be extremely hard work to maintain. You may see manufacturers advertising low maintenance as a selling point, but it’s worth treating this with a huge pinch of salt.
Wooden floors are hard to beat when they are looking at their very best, but if they are left to their own devices they can quickly become very shabby indeed. Using rugs in areas of heavy footfall can help, but then you’re covering your brand new flooring with something. Is this really what you want for your money?
Choosing the right flooring for your home can be a great way to give the property a new lease of life. Following the tips above will help you make the right choice and create an atmosphere you’ll be rushing to get home to.
Fancy changing more than your floor? Call our agents today to explore the properties that we have in and around East London and West Essex.
Wanstead office – 020 8989 2091 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Buckhurst Hill office - 020 8504 5403 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
