Summer Series – Flooring

FLOORING The impact of this interior base layer can be overlooked but is most definitely worthy of careful thought. Not only does it visually contribute much more than it is often given credit for, it connects with our bodies every footfall and from a practical perspective is a large and well used surface to maintain.

Here is a small collection of images showing a hint of the interesting ways we can make the most of our floor.

When it comes to types flooring consider all your options: broadloom carpet (wool, synthetic), carpet tile, ceramic tile, timber (solid, recycled, veneer/laminate/engineered), vinyl (homogenous, rolled,) luxury vinyl tile (eg LVT, timber look vinyl), cork, linoleum, stone… oh and also rugs!

Your preference will be influenced by both practical and aesthetic considerations.

FLOORING: PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

This selection of images, some from our amazing suppliers, feature but a few of your options when it comes to selecting a new floor. What should you consider to ensure your choice will complement how your space will be used?

USE How will the area be used and by whom? How will users effect wear? (spills, pets, scraping chairs, stilettos, high traffic?). Should it cater for wheels? (office chair castors, wheelchairs)

MOISTURE Is the space vulnerable to exposure to water?

HEAT AND SUN How well will your floor need to cope with UV and temperature exposure for fade and material degradation? Can you UV treat your windows?

SOUND Should your flooring contribute to some sound insulation? Should you add an acoustic layer for your comfort and those in the floor below?

MAINTENANCE How much time will you be able to give to looking after your new floor? Natural materials require TLC… although I would say they are worth it 🙂

BUDGET Get the best you can afford. Flooring pricing is relatively competitive so you get what you pay for. This of course also plays into LONGEVITY How long do you want your floor to last? On this matter I like to play the long game.

Remember to check for sustainably sourced timber and recycled and recyclable materials.

Yeah, sorry, lots to think about and that’s before you get to the aesthetics.

FLOORING: AESTHETICS

Colour, texture, pattern, scale — there is plenty to take on board over and above the practical considerations of flooring covered in our last post.

Here are a few tips when it comes to assessing the aesthetics of your flooring options:

Look at your flooring samples on the floor — the light interacts differently on horizontal and vertical surfaces, usually they will look lighter. Carpet especially looks quite different due to the texture.
Also, as with all wall and floor surfaces, if possible look at in the space you will use them.
If it’s a tile or plank look at multiple pieces laid together so you can factor in the scale of the joins and how that contributes to the overall effect across your floor.
If there is a linear element to your floor the lines created will effect how the space looks – lines ahead will stretch out the space, lines across will shorten them.
Bear in mind that a pattern or texture will be much less busy or obvious when en masse, so see as large a sample as possible and perhaps feel confident to be a bit more bold with your choices.