Flooring to Suit Your Lifestyle
By HOUSPECT Building and Pest Inspections|February 27, 2019
Do you get anxious at the thought of choosing flooring for your home? It’s understandable to feel apprehensive about what is a fairly large project. Getting the material, style or colour wrong could transform a space in all the wrong ways. Do your research before spending good money because there are plenty of suitable options out there when you know what you are looking for in a floor.
Cosy Carpeting
If you want a comfortable space that feels soft under foot, carpet is the ideal choice. Living areas, bedrooms and hallways are the most suitable spaces for carpet. You can purchase carpets made from wool or synthetic fibres. Choose your carpets wisely as some materials are better for people who suffer from allergies, whereas others are known to harbour allergens.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring gives you the option of wood effect in an abundance of styles and colours. This type of flooring is incredibly easy to install, and it can cover other types of flooring such as ceramic tiles without issue. Kitchen, dining rooms, hallways and living areas are popular choices when it comes to laminate flooring.
Durable Timber
If you want a floor that lasts, consider timber. You can refinish most floors a number of times but solid hardwoods can be finished an infinite number of times. Staining is another option for timber flooring if you want to change up the look of a room. It is not generally recommended that you use timber in wet rooms. However, there are engineered wood options that provide greater stability for rooms such as the kitchen where less spills are expected.
Natural Bamboo
As a natural flooring option, bamboo is a great alternative to timber. It is a popular, sustainable material that is hard wearing and can handle spills better than timber. If you want to go with a greener option, consider bamboo for flooring in any room.
Resilient Vinyl
You can use vinyl flooring in any room and most options are durable. Kitchens and bathrooms are the usual targets for vinyl flooring due to the material’s resistance to water and staining. If you have small children at home, you may want to opt for vinyl over tiles for the same impact without the cold feeling under their feet.
Waterproof Hybrid Flooring
With multi-layer hybrid flooring, waterproofing is built-in. Perfect for wet areas, hybrid flooring is similar to laminate or timber in look and functionality. The material is made using technological advances in sealing and protection, making hybrid flooring a great option for modern minded homeowners.
Hypoallergenic Tiles
Allergies are a problem for a large number of South Australians. Ceramic tiles are durable, hardwearing and non-porous. You can’t go wrong with a floor covering that is easy to keep clean and doesn’t harbour the allergens that make life misery for you or members of your family. The main problem with ceramic tiles is that once they are damaged, repair is difficult – if not impossible. Ceramic tiles are also costly and require an extensive amount of work to install.
Invest in Underlay
No matter what type of flooring you choose, don’t forget about underlay. It may seem like unnecessary extra labour in most cases but there are advantages to using underlay. Comfort is one of the main factors when you install underlay but protecting your flooring is also a consideration. The right underlay can give your flooring a 50% boost in estimated lifespan, which is good news when you consider how much it costs to replace flooring in any room. Other benefits of underlay include shock absorption, levelling, soundproofing, and energy conservation.
If you have a major project planned such as a new build or renovations and need construction reports, Houspect carries out building inspections and serves the people of South Australia. Call 1300 655 694 today for a quote.
Cosy Carpeting
If you want a comfortable space that feels soft under foot, carpet is the ideal choice. Living areas, bedrooms and hallways are the most suitable spaces for carpet. You can purchase carpets made from wool or synthetic fibres. Choose your carpets wisely as some materials are better for people who suffer from allergies, whereas others are known to harbour allergens.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring gives you the option of wood effect in an abundance of styles and colours. This type of flooring is incredibly easy to install, and it can cover other types of flooring such as ceramic tiles without issue. Kitchen, dining rooms, hallways and living areas are popular choices when it comes to laminate flooring.
Durable Timber
If you want a floor that lasts, consider timber. You can refinish most floors a number of times but solid hardwoods can be finished an infinite number of times. Staining is another option for timber flooring if you want to change up the look of a room. It is not generally recommended that you use timber in wet rooms. However, there are engineered wood options that provide greater stability for rooms such as the kitchen where less spills are expected.
Natural Bamboo
As a natural flooring option, bamboo is a great alternative to timber. It is a popular, sustainable material that is hard wearing and can handle spills better than timber. If you want to go with a greener option, consider bamboo for flooring in any room.
Resilient Vinyl
You can use vinyl flooring in any room and most options are durable. Kitchens and bathrooms are the usual targets for vinyl flooring due to the material’s resistance to water and staining. If you have small children at home, you may want to opt for vinyl over tiles for the same impact without the cold feeling under their feet.
Waterproof Hybrid Flooring
With multi-layer hybrid flooring, waterproofing is built-in. Perfect for wet areas, hybrid flooring is similar to laminate or timber in look and functionality. The material is made using technological advances in sealing and protection, making hybrid flooring a great option for modern minded homeowners.
Hypoallergenic Tiles
Allergies are a problem for a large number of South Australians. Ceramic tiles are durable, hardwearing and non-porous. You can’t go wrong with a floor covering that is easy to keep clean and doesn’t harbour the allergens that make life misery for you or members of your family. The main problem with ceramic tiles is that once they are damaged, repair is difficult – if not impossible. Ceramic tiles are also costly and require an extensive amount of work to install.
Invest in Underlay
No matter what type of flooring you choose, don’t forget about underlay. It may seem like unnecessary extra labour in most cases but there are advantages to using underlay. Comfort is one of the main factors when you install underlay but protecting your flooring is also a consideration. The right underlay can give your flooring a 50% boost in estimated lifespan, which is good news when you consider how much it costs to replace flooring in any room. Other benefits of underlay include shock absorption, levelling, soundproofing, and energy conservation.
If you have a major project planned such as a new build or renovations and need construction reports, Houspect carries out building inspections and serves the people of South Australia. Call 1300 655 694 today for a quote.
