Ever wondered what floor would be right for your new room or hallway? Ever installed one type of flooring only to wish that you used another type instead? In this article are things you should think about to help you invest on the right floor.
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing flooring material. In no particular order, these are:
- Traffic
- How many people will be using the area?
- How often?
- In what kind of footwear?
- An occassional few workers in boots might cause more wear than a regular yoga class passing through the same area.
- Maintenance
- What kind of care does the floor need? How often?
- bunching carpets, lifting tiles, exposed nails, splinters
- Safety
- less slippery
- proper maintenance may be needed to keep the surface safe
- usually textured, no gloss, absorbs water, soft
- Comfort
- feel – even when you sit or lie down on it
- impact
- temperature
- noise
- Water
- exposure
- how well the material handles water from the outside, from cleaning, from accidents
- Theme – not much to discuss here really. Just make sure the flooring you choose matches your theme
Now that you have chosen the type of material to use there are a few more things to consider
- quality of material used
- quality of manufacturing
- additional features (i.e. wear layers, protectants)
- Make sure the flooring you are actually purchasing stikes the best balance between the factors you considered and your budget.
Taking time to sort these things out will go a long way in having peace of mind in your choice.
How do you make your flooring choices?
