The flooring you choose is an investment that should last for many years. No matter where it sits within the home, it is the first place your feet go as you step in after a long day. The spot where your beloved family dog will curl up after their daily walk. And a new train track or city road for your little ones to scoot their cherished cars along. Flooring in the family home couldn’t be more important. And, neither could the need to find the right flooring for each room.
To do this, you need to identify the different needs of every room individually. Some spaces will have heavier foot traffic and need more durable solutions. Equally, quieter areas can be fitted with something more luxurious and delicate to suit your interior style. This guide will help you decide how to choose your flooring all throughout the house. Let’s take a look at each room individually.
Hallway
The entrance into your home and the place most likely to feel the full brunt of the external weather. Your hallway is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the home. Whether you’re answering the door to the delivery man or scooting out the door for the school run, it needs to be durable and robust. Equally, many homeowners aren’t willing to compromise on style. After all, the hallway is normally the first spot that guests will see upon their entry. And, therefore, it is the perfect opportunity to impress.
Hallway Demands
- High foot traffic.
- Muddy shoes.
- First impression spot.
Flooring Solutions
Seeing as you’re looking for durability and hardwearing properties, we recommend airing away from carpets. The build-up of dirt from shoes and coats can accumulate in these high traffic areas and increase the maintenance demands – not suitable for a busy family. Instead, choose something like Luxury Vinyl Tiles. A new generation of vinyl flooring, they allow you to maintain a wooden look with heightened resistance. Each one is manufactured from multiple layers and can be finished with a realistic texture. This way, you’ll be able to personalise the hallway space while minimising cleaning requirements and the risk of excessive wear.
Kitchen
In many homes, the kitchen is the hub of the house. It’s where friends and family gather to discuss the day’s activities and enjoy a hearty meal. Many families find that they spend more time in the kitchen than the living room or other areas in the home. Therefore, the foot traffic and wear demands here are equally as great. Also, the kitchen is one of the spaces in a home where you find the biggest fluctuations in heat and humidity. Turning on the oven, using the washing machine and even cleaning up after a big meal. This added moisture and temperature changes can cause some flooring options, like real wood flooring, to expand or contract. You may notice uneven areas underfoot or even gaps where contaminants can become trapped.
What you want in this type of space is something hard-wearing, easy-to-clean and suitable for moisture-rich settings.
Kitchen Demands
- High foot traffic.
- High possibility of spills and soils.
- Temperature and humidity fluctuations.
- Stylish.
Flooring Solutions
A popular choice in kitchens is a natural stone, such as slate or granite. They are extremely hard-wearing, durable and very easy to clean. These materials also often sit well alongside kitchen units beautifully and can be found in a variety of styles to suit your kitchen space. LVT is also another brilliant option here. It allows you to create that natural-looking finish, if needed, with exceptional water resistance. LVT is also very comfortable underfoot and has a warmth to it that overshadows tiles.
You could also consider laminate flooring if you’re looking for something more budget-conscious. It also offers good water resistance, a range of colour options and can be styled into your kitchen easily.
Living Room
The living room is where you snuggle and relax after a long day. It’s where the entire family comes together, to watch a film or play a board game. The spot in the house where you spend the last few hours doing whatever it is that helps you to wind down. Therefore, it’s all about style and comfort here. You want something that feels luxurious underfoot. There is more flexibility in these spaces too – you can pretty much choose from all options available on the market.
Living Room Demands
- Low-medium foot traffic.
- High stain-resistance.
- Easy-to-clean.
Flooring Solutions
The living room is the perfect spot for a deep pile, luxurious carpet. There’s something about sinking your feet into good quality carpet fibres that makes you think of relaxing and chilling out. Choose an option made from natural fibres, such as wool or silk. This will give you an incredibly opulent feel and a solution that provides brilliant thermal and sound insulation. Carpets can also adjust to the humidity in the room, meaning it won’t shift or move during the year. And luxury natural carpets are an investment that lasts for many years to come.
If you’re looking for something with lower maintenance, consider LVT or laminate flooring. Or, if you still want to hold on to a feeling of warmth and luxury, stylish wood flooring is ideal. It is an elastic material which is comfortable underfoot, emanates warmth and has an undeniable elegance. Wood is also biodegradable, hygienic and anti-allergenic making it perfect for families.
Bedroom
The bedroom is another room in the house that should be cosy and relaxing. You want to create a haven that helps you get the best possible sleep, every single night. The right flooring should incorporate in with your interior design, feel luxurious underfoot and help to hold warmth throughout the year. It should be an investment that stays put for many years, growing and evolving with the changes you may make to the decor of your bedroom. You want something that is easy-to-clean but makes you want to step barefoot every single morning.
Bedroom Demands
- Low-medium foot traffic.
- Luxurious under barefoot.
- Easy-to-clean.
- Help to maintain temperature.
Flooring Solutions
Again, luxury pile carpets are the perfect option for bedrooms. Natural fibres can be incorporated into the rest of your soft furnishings – invest in quality bed sheets, throws and scatter cushions to create a space you’re desperate to be in every single night. With brilliant thermal properties, carpet helps to keep your room cosy during the colder hours of the morning and has sound insulation properties which are brilliant for use in children’s bedrooms too.
LVT and luxury wood flooring can also work wonders in these spaces. If you’re concerned about that plush feeling underfoot being lost, combine them with rugs. Wood already has a unique warmth to it and can be finished with a range of treatments – wax, oil or sealing – to heighten this.
Bathroom
Again, the bathroom is a room in the house where excessive moisture is commonplace. So, this needs to be taken into account when choosing the right flooring. You need something hard-wearing and durable, with high water resistance. It also pays to take into account your appliances. If you have a fixed shower panel and walk-in shower fitted, you need something with good slip-resistance. Consider how soft the floor is underfoot – especially important if you live with an elderly person to reduce accident risk in the event of a fall.
Bathroom Demands
- Good water resistance.
- Easy-to-clean.
- Soft underfoot.
- Hardwearing.
Flooring Solutions
A lot of households opt for either ceramic or porcelain floor tiles for bathrooms. They benefit the style of most bathrooms, bringing a natural finish and one that can be paired with basins and bathtubs easily. They also have low porosity, minimising the risk of damage due to high moisture levels and have a long lifespan.
If you’ve fallen in love with the idea of wood-style floors, LVT is the solution. The unique manufacture has exceptional waterproof properties and high stain-resistance. You’ll be able to mop spills clean in minutes, minimising the risk of slipping injury and the solid panels make moisture-damage extremely unlikely.
No matter which room of the house you’re looking to style, there is a flooring option out there for you. If you need any help or advice with choosing the right floor, get in contact with our expert team here at Virtuoso Flooring who will be happy to help.
This guide will be designed to help people choose the right floor for their needs. It will discuss the need to identify the main features needed in each room, including durability, waterproof finish or longevity. The guide will be split into numerous sections, to analyse which floor options fit the features needed and, therefore, as suitable for different rooms. Where relevant, the guide will include inner linking.
