Choosing the Right Flooring for Your Home

Have you just bought a home? If so, perhaps you’re thinking of ripping out that stained carpet to lay down something else. Or, perhaps you already own a home, but are now making those all important updates to add some value to your property and make it a nicer place to live in.

Whatever the case, you need to be confident you’re choosing the right flooring for your home.

There’s lots to consider, including your budget, the look and feel that you’re hoping to achieve, and the amount of wear and tear you think your flooring is going to get… kids and pets give it a hammering, that’s for sure! Here’s everything you need to know about three major types of flooring for your home so that you can be confident you’re choosing the right one:

Laminate flooring

If your priority is laying down flooring that’s inexpensive and simple to install, your best bet might be laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is made from compressed MDF that’s been overlaid with an image over the top – so while it’s fake, it can be made to look like concrete, tiles or wood, or anything else you fancy! It’s very easy to clean, which is why you’ll often find it in kitchens and bathrooms, especially in rental properties.

Laminate flooring is cheap and you can expect to pay as little as £5 a metre for it. However, it does wear out over time so it could prove to be a false economy if you’re planning on staying in your home for a long while. It also won’t add much value to your property either, so if you’re thinking of selling up, consider laying down a more ‘desirable’ flooring!

Solid wood flooring

Solid wood flooring is expensive, but many people believe it’s worth the cost. It’s exactly what you’ve probably guessed it is: pieces of actual wood that have been cut down to size which are usually around 20mm thick, fitted in a tongue and groove style.

Solid wood flooring is often a selling point for homes, with many estate agents taking the trouble to point out 'the beautiful real-wood floors' to prospective buyers! But because it’s hard to work with, it will probably require that you pay an expert fitter to lay it properly.
Be mindful of the fact that solid wood can warp and change over time too; it swells in damp conditions and contracts in dry ones, so make sure you’re keeping your home heated at a consistent temperature all year round to keep the flooring in good condition.

Engineered wood flooring

Finally, there’s engineered wood flooring. This is a middle ground between laminate flooring and solid wood flooring, in terms of cost, but is arguably the highest quality flooring type available. Constructed from multiple layers of timber, with a real-wood veneer on top of each plank, engineered wood flooring is the strongest, most durable and flexible type of flooring available. It looks just like solid wood flooring when laid, but is simpler to install and can be sanded back multiple times to return it to its prime… perfect if the dog’s claws have scratched it up!

It can be used in pretty much any room in your home, and it copes pretty well with humidity and temperature changes so it’s suitable for laying over the top of underfloor heating systems.

Of course, you could opt to have slate, tiles or carpets laid in your home instead, and some people are even opting for materials that have been traditionally used in industry such as concrete! The main thing is that you evaluate what you can afford, where you want to use it and how much wear and tear it will get.

Conclusion

So if you're in need of new carpet, laminate flooring or wood flooring, but don't know where to go, then these guys have quite a selection of wood flooring that will certainly help you out.