Giving a re-vamp to your house is not an easy task. There are many aspects that can end up being very daunting, from the budget to prioritizing some things over others. There are so many things in our heads that sometimes we forget essential decisions such as the floor we need. It may seem that the flooring when redecorating is not the most fundamental thing in question, but the floor you choose will act as the foundation of the decor in the same way that foundations of a building are the pillars to keep it sturdy.
Once you have this in mind, the next question you need to ask yourself is what is the best floor for me. There are a few things to look at when choosing a suitable floor, as it will influence the rest of the decoration choices.
There are four main aspects you need to consider when choosing the floor:
Budget
The money you have in mind is important as it is sure to influence what you will choose. If you have decided you love the wood look but you can’t afford solid wood or even an engineered wood floor, then you can always go for laminate. This imitates wood very well, but is much less expensive and has a much shorter lifespan. The amount of your total redecoration budget that you spend on the floor means of course that the budget for the rest of the bits you change will be affected – if you spend less on the floor, you will have more for elsewhere.
Family and Pets
It is not the same to live alone with a partner than it is to have children or pets. With children, spillages are more likely to happen, and with pets, scratches are more likely to happen as well as more dirt buildup. In these cases, you need hard wearing flooring that can withstand spillages, such as laminate or LVT (luxury vinyl tiles).
Maintenance
Cleaning and maintenance is something we would avoid if we could, and for this reason the easier to clean, the better! In general, if you choose a laminate or LVT floor, some sweeping and a damp cloth is enough to keep it clean. In the case of engineered wood, you shouldn’t use the mop too often so water damage is avoided, but a vacuum and sweep is good enough to remove any debris. The most complicated is wood flooring; not so much in the daily cleaning but in the maintenance, as after some time it can look worn out. You need to sand it and refinish it to make it look fresh. True, this is a bit annoying, but by doing that you will be sure your wood floor lasts more than a lifetime!
The Design
How do you want your floor to look? Do you prefer the look of wood to add sophistication or the naturalistic effect of stone? What about color? All of this greatly influences the final look of the room. For this reason, is better to go for neutral colors as they match perfectly with everything.
