Choosing floor covering used to mean picking a colour of shag-pile carpet. Luckily, nowadays there is a huge range of options available to us lucky DIY-ers to choose from. But exactly what is available and what are the pro's and con's of each type? Here is a run-down of the most popular floor coverings, and although it is not definitive, should help you make a more informed choice.
Carpet
Despite the huge increase in laminate or wood flooring, carpet is still the most popular floor covering (in the UK anyway). The majority of carpets are made from wool, synthetic materials or a mixture of the two. You can buy a huge range of colours, styles, and thicknesses. Carpet is comfortable to sit and stand on; it's also warm and can help to deaden the echo in a room. Carpet is also relatively cheap and easy to lay and can be cut to fit even the most awkward room. The durability of carpet, especially in high traffic areas, depends on the quality and the type of weave used. Obviously the better the quality, the more expensive it will be. Think about colours when you choose carpet. A small room can be made to seem bigger with a light coloured carpet, whilst a large room can be made to feel cosier and warmer with a rich, dark colour.
Linoleum
As with carpet, linoleum (or lino) is available in a huge range of styles, colours and thicknesses, helping it shed the image of granny's 1970's kitchen floor the name tends to bring with it. Lino is made from a composition of resins, oils and gums and modern production techniques mean that it is highly durable whilst remaining easy to lay. It adds a certain amount of cushioning to the floor (perhaps saving some crockery disasters) and is easy to clean. However, if persistent damp manages to get underneath the lino, there is little you can do to stop it rotting.
Fibre Matting
Although not particularly nice to walk around on in bare feet, fibre mating, made from sisal or seagrass, is very hard wearing. It is therefore ideal for high traffic areas such as hallways. You can buy it in a range of colours and weave styles and it is fairly easy to fit. Fibre matting will hide stains and is easy to clean. You probably wouldn't want it throughout the house, but in certain areas this material makes for a cost effective floor covering.
Wood
There has been a huge rise in the popularity of wooden floors, whether that means laminate or hardwood. Period houses all over the country have seen the carpets ripped up to expose the floorboards which would have once been a sign of less well-off households. If you are lucky enough to have floorboards in good condition, take advantage of it! Rip up that carpet, strip and clean the boards and treat them with a nice stain or varnish. You might even find a beautiful Parquet floor! If you plan to lay Laminate, make sure you first lay a protective underlay, which will both improve the life of the flooring and increase insulation. Laminate flooring is quite easy to mark and can be very sl...
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