In 2024, give your home some love!

Now we're firmly into the new year, perhaps you've been looking around and feeling like your home could do with a fresh start too?

A bit of a touch-up here and there. Maybe some new furniture. Perhaps... perhaps... some new flooring – throughout, or just in certain areas. A new year is a great excuse (if one were needed) to give your property a makeover. There are as many flooring solutions as your home has floors – and not every floor is right for every room. Here, in no particular order, are just a few to consider, and the pros and cons of each.

Wood

Wooden floors can be divided into two sub-sections: solid wood and engineered wood. Solid wood is, as the name implies, planks, while engineered wood is plywood with a thin veneer of real wood on top. Both look beautiful, but they’re not the cheapest (solid wood particularly is a bit pricey), nor are they maintenance-free. Engineered wood is a little easier on the budget, and more durable, but both types of wood floor can be dented or scratched, and solid wood can be affected by humidity. Great for an elegant dining room; not so great for a much-used, well-trodden hallway.

Carpet

Comfortable, cost-effective and as colourful as you want it to be, carpet is the UK’s most popular flooring solution. Different types of carpet will suit different rooms, from a lovely, warm, deep-pile carpet in the bedrooms to something hard-wearing and stain- and water-resistant in the kitchen or bathroom (carpet tiles could be a good option in either of those). But, however durable the carpet you choose, dirt will still get in and potentially degrade the quality of the carpet over time. Carpet may not be appropriate if you have pets, and dust mites could have an adverse effect on people with allergies.

Laminate

Laminate floors are super-durable, and really can be laid anywhere. They’re great if you have pets and/or young children – extremely scratch- and dent-resistant – and they’re dead easy to clean. They’re also among the cheapest flooring options available.

The problem is, they can look it too. They can have a plastic feel and sound underfoot, and the repeated patterns mean no-one is ever going to mistake a laminate for real wood. Laminate can never be refinished, so it’s not a forever floor. And the use of certain chemicals in the manufacturing process makes laminates a less healthy and less environmentally sustainable choice.

Vinyl

Rapidly growing in popularity, vinyl flooring ranges from inexpensive sheet vinyl to luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs) and planks. Vinyl resists stains, scratches and dents, plus it’s waterproof, making it safe for basements and bathrooms. LVTs particularly are thick and sturdy, and the range and quality of finishes is fantastic. Vinyl (LVTs especially) are great for a “statement” hallway or porch, but work equally well in a kitchen or conservatory. However, vinyl can’t be refinished – once it’s worn out, that’s it – and LVTs in particular are not a budget option.

So, if you’re considering new floors for the new year, let us help you choose the floor covering that suits you best. Our Home Select service brings our expertise to your home – call us or send an email, and we’ll make an appointment to visit on a day and time that suits you. Plus, we’ll bring a range of samples for you to evaluate. Now you can select your perfect flooring solutions from our biggest ever range! We’ve moved to larger premises, which means we can stock more of the products you love – carpet tiles, laminates, LVTs, carpets – giving you even greater choice.

We welcome visits by appointment, but to see how our flooring products would look in your home, let us come to you. Get in touch today to arrange a no-obligation visit.