Choosing flooring - help!

cherryblossomzel

So I'm going to have to make a decision about new floors in my flat in the next couple of months. I know that I want some kind of hard flooring, wood-effect, but that's all I know. I don't know if I want vinyl or laminate (or something else?), or exactly what colour I want, or really anything else. Because I have no clue I'm also finding it impossible to set a budget because the prices cover such a huge range. Obviously I want reasonable costs, but not so cheap that it needs to be replaced in a few years.

Does anyone have any tips on where to start? Any shops/showrooms that are good? Or any websites that you may have found useful yourself?

Thanks

-taff

Go to a shop that sells it, take your shoes and socks off and stand on it, walk around on it.
That'll tell you whether you want vinyl or laminate. Once you know which one you want, it'll be easier

SandraX

Dear OP

If you live in an above floor flat that has wooden floors, please go for a very good underlay and this will make the floor feel softer and warmer and keep you out
of trouble with the residents below your feet.
ATB

silvercar

Check your deeds, there may be a condition that bans hard flooring due to noise for the flat below.

cherryblossomzel

Thanks all. It's a ground floor flat and hard flooring is allowed.

cherryblossomzel

-taff wrote: »

Go to a shop that sells it, take your shoes and socks off and stand on it, walk around on it.
That'll tell you whether you want vinyl or laminate. Once you know which one you want, it'll be easier

That's helpful. I'll go around the shops and hop around on their floors

pinkshoes

If it's a decent price you are after, then find an independent floor fitter that will come to your house with samples.

Go to some show rooms first and take some photos of what you like, and send off for some samples from the bigger name stores.

An independent will be able to supply the same flooring as the high street shops but offer lower prices as less overheads. They also tend to have better knowledge .

I learned the hard way after having a disastrous experience with a chain store of flooring.

Fire_Fox

cherryblossomzel wrote: »

So I'm going to have to make a decision about new floors in my flat in the next couple of months. I know that I want some kind of hard flooring, wood-effect, but that's all I know. I don't know if I want vinyl or laminate (or something else?), or exactly what colour I want, or really anything else. Because I have no clue I'm also finding it impossible to set a budget because the prices cover such a huge range. Obviously I want reasonable costs, but not so cheap that it needs to be replaced in a few years.

Does anyone have any tips on where to start? Any shops/showrooms that are good? Or any websites that you may have found useful yourself?

Thanks

Don't rush and regret unless it's super cheap and just for a little while. Forget colour, for the most part.

Focus on type in really general groups: fitted carpets and huge rugs, wood look fake or real, vinyl and linoleum, ceramic and stone tiles. What types do you like in friends or families homes?

Floors plural? The whole flat at the same time? Or two/ three different looks?

Your sub floor and how much clearance under fire doors may be relevant to what is possible.

Carpets and rugs: often better for cleaner areas like bedrooms, kitchens get minging fast. BUT there are exceptions. for example I am looking to get a real cowhide for underfoot warmth in my kitchen (from food production so ethical).

Woods and wood effects can go almost anywhere they don't get soaked. Washed and lightly dried yes, big absorbent bath mat yes, messy bathing or showering only specialist products. Too much water swells wood, gets between layers or between planks and makes bumps or splits. You have probably seen that in someone's house.

Ceramic and stone can really raise the floor level, fitting is a skill, cold and hard so dropped things break or dent easily (inc. A floor tile). I ARORE travertine marble, but aside from the cost the practicality is a killer.

Vinyl and linoleum: softer, can be patterned or plain, good for kitchens, bathrooms, halls. There are some sheet vinyls that are rubbish fake wood and some that you would swear are wood. Then any colour under the rainbow, all sorts of cut in patterns with lino.

Starting a new post ....

Fire_Fox

Price does not dictate longevity. Some wood or wood veneer floors are quite soft, so need treating with some respect. Shoes, small children, how high traffic an area is. Certain doorways or rooms get walked through constantly even in flats.

Hardwood is most expensive, then some softer wood, then veneer then laminate. But you can get almost the same look in all these at widely different prices. To see that you want to go to a few proper flooring shops.

When we chose my parents (many metres, huge living and long hall) wood veneer we went to every single flooring store in two cities! Mum didn't have a budget, just got a feeling from rough head sums, metres square plus rough fitting as we went around. Her brain just went NNOOOOO at a point.. My dad was fine whatever as they both know this floor will be until they leave in boxes

If you do wood/ veneer you may be the same. Love something cheap or brain stops you at a certain point. Depends what sort of person you are, and how MSE you were raised. My dad was right as a nun's knickers when we were little.


My cheap oak laminate over concrete thoughout my kitchen-living area is going strong after fifteen years. Mum was right I should have done the hall (always right!). It was Wickes or IKEA or similar shed own brand.

It was well fitted by the developers and I like the colour. Lifted at a join in one place I think. Lots of small scratches if you look straight at it because I am a home abuser and have a cat running about.

Currently covering the laminate bit by bit with rugs for warmth and lightness. Point being floors can be flexible and change with the seasons or budget.

Trendcarpet website is great for rugs: loads of choice, quality, customer service and free returns. Looking at the cowhide as already noted, a white rag rug, already have a white reindeer and he needs a friend ( ethical like cowhide and sheepskin). Super thick but decorative not hard wearing.

HTH!

cherryblossomzel

Lots to think about, thanks. I think I'll start by going to several stores and having a look at options. Hopefully that'll start to focus my mind a bit, as I'll start to figure out what I do and don't like.

I'm pretty certain I do want something that requires little ongoing maintenance, so nothing too delicate, and easy to clean. That's why I though of an inoffensive wood-effect laminate/vinyl: just add rugs for colour, and those can be easily changed later if I want. I'm glad to hear someone's having good luck with relatively cheap laminate!