Woo hoo…we have floors and they’re so, so beautiful!!! Choosing the flooring for this renovation was no easy task, I assure you! There was some serious overthinking involved – even for my standards!! But we finally landed on Classic Oak Beige in the Impressive range, by Quickstep.
It’s a waterproof laminate, even suitable for a kitchen. I love being at ease if we spill something and as a lot of downstairs is now open plan, we really wanted the same flooring throughout. When we were looking first so many of the floors had grey, yellow and sometimes even green undertones. I wanted to avoid that and I think we scored with this floor. The tones and colours are perfectly neutral, meaning I know it will match any paint or furniture we’ll add later.
We were lucky and got a great deal in the January sales – 25% off. I’d highly recommend waiting for these sales if you can, you can save big time! Choosing big ticket items like floors first is a good idea and there were lots of different options, each of which I’m going to outline here. Floors really set the tone for the style and colour scheme you want in your design, so it’s worth putting in the time to get it right!
Choosing floors is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when renovating. But with so many types and colour choices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed! To make your decision easier, I’m here to tell you the pros and cons of the most popular flooring.
Engineered Wood
Engineered wood is made using layers of good quality plywood, with a thin layer of hardwood on top. As with all gorgeous wood flooring, it very popular.
Pros: Due to this popularity, engineered wood can increase the resale value of your home. It deals well with moisture, though spills should be cleaned up straight away. It’s suitable to use with underfloor heating. Looks just like solid wood. Best of all, it’s easy to install.
Cons: Engineered wood can be expensive. You should double check the adhesive used when installing, as some can be toxic if it leaked in the future. Like hardwood floors, the surface can be prone to scratches and dents but this can only be refinished once or twice in it’s lifetime.
Hardwood Flooring
Solid wood flooring has no layers. It’s made from a single piece of timber. There are two types – softwood and hardwood. Softwood (like pine) is inexpensive, but extremely prone to scratches and dents. While many people (like us!) have pine floors upstairs, they would be unsuitable for high traffic areas. Unless you really want the distressed look! So I’m just going to talk about hardwood floors today.
Pros: Looks beautiful, really beautiful! They can last for decades, as any scratches or dents can be sanded out. It’s always in trend as the colour can be changed by sanding and re-staining. Each plank of wood is unique. As with engineered wood, it can add to the resale value of your home.
Cons: It’s one of the most expensive floors. It can be noisy when walked upon. Wood can warp and swell when exposed to too much moisture, like in bathrooms. It scratches and dents easily, though this can be repaired. Depending on the condition of the sub-floor it can be difficult to install.
Laminate
Laminate is made up of different layers fused together. The bottom layers are usually made of fibreboard. On top of that is the design layer. This is where a photograph is essentially printed on the fibreboard to make it look like wood or stone. The top layer is a clear layer to add protection. ** Top Tip if you’re considering laminate floors – It’s durability is graded from AC1 – AC6, with AC1 being the least durable. Try to buy a laminate with a rating of AC4 or above for high traffic areas of your house. It’s worth it!
Pros: Laminate is one of the most affordable flooring. The quality of laminate is so much better nowadays. There are some timber laminates that look almost like the real thing! Because of that top layer, laminate flooring can be very durable against scratches and dents. You can install it quickly and easily.
Cons: While there are some waterproof laminates, most are not. Spills must be cleaned up immediately. If laminate is damaged, it cannot be repaired. Some laminates are produced with only a small amount of pattern variation, which can look a little fake.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is basically plastic, mainly produced in large sheets, which are cut to size to fit your room. I have to say, I was shocked by how much the quality of vinyl has increased in recent years! LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) is a pretty new type of vinyl. It almost like a plastic tile that locks into place with each other to create a very realistic tile or wood plank effect.
Pros: This is 100% waterproof – perfect if you have pets or small children! It’s one of the cheapest flooring you can get, unless you want LVT which can be expensive. It’s very easy to install. There is a huge variety available.
Cons: Can look fake at times. The floor underneath has to be perfectly smooth as any indentations will show in the vinyl. Can be dented under heavy objects. Sunlight can cause the colour to fade. Can be difficult to remove if glued down. (A friend of mine recently had to burn the glue off to remove it!)
Tile
The four most popular tiles for flooring would be ceramic, porcelain, slate and stone. Don’t forget when choosing tiles, that wall tiles will not work on the floor! No matter how gorgeous they are, they are simply too thin!
Pros: Tiles can be really cost effective. They are durable and easy to maintain. Depending on the material, they can be easy to install. They are water resistant. There is a HUGE variety of tile. (Though sometimes this makes the decision harder!)
Cons: The sub-floor must be perfectly level. Grout lines can sometimes be annoying to keep stain-free. They are cold to walk on (especially in winter when you’re running to the kitchen to make a cup of tea!) They are slippery. Some of them are hard – like break a plate hard!
Concrete Flooring
Concrete floors are becoming more and more popular. When creating this floor, the concrete is not poured directly onto the sub-floor. A vapour barrier sheet is laid down first and a wire mesh is placed on top. Then the concrete is poured over, smoothed out and let to dry.
Pros: Concrete floors are obviously highly durable. They are easy to maintain and long lasting. You can be creative when using concrete floors, like staining and creating different textures by polishing and etching.
Cons: This floor is hard. If you drop something, be prepared for breakages! Concrete can also be very cold under bare feet in winter. Without the use of rugs it can be uncomfortable to stand on for long periods of time. If it’s not sealed properly, it can be vulnerable to moisture.
One Last Tip…
So there you have it folks, lots of info to help you out when choosing new floors! Don’t forget that whatever floors you do choose, get a sample and bring it home for a few days. See how quickly it gets stained and how easy it is to clean. Most importantly, make sure it matches anything that you know will definitely be staying in the room, like a couch or kitchen cabinets.
