Flooring is one of the most versatile elements of home interiors. Although, unlike walls, it is not something that meets the eye often, the flooring covers a significant area in the room. It can add hospitable attributes to a home and make it feel welcoming. Patterns, colors, textures, and the size of flooring tiles add character to a room in the most subtle form. Hence, flooring selection is considered a key activity in home interior design.
Source: Flooring Inc
Flooring has to be functional as well as aesthetic to suit the user's needs. And, using the right material for flooring can spruce a home's interiors like no other. Every material has a different grain, density, volume, scale, and laying pattern which makes it unique. So, if you are in two minds about the flooring selection for your home, then below is a guide you can use.
Size of the Room
The size of the room is the preliminary deciding factor for flooring selection. If you want to make the room appear bigger, using smaller flooring tiles would be a good idea. On the other hand, if you want to make a room appear smaller, selecting bigger flooring tiles would be suitable for you. The size of the flooring helps in proportioning the room to an eye-pleasing scale.
Source: Urban Company
Material
The three most popular and widely used flooring materials include stone, wood, and tiles. These materials are further categorized into flooring solutions. Marble, Kadapa, and granite are popular flooring finishes under the label of stone. Solid Wood and engineered wood are flooring materials under the header of wood. Ceramic tiles, vitrified tiles, and porcelain tiles are the most popular categories for flooring in the tiles section. Each of these flooring materials has its set of pros and cons based on properties such as durability, maintenance, water resistance, heat resistance, and more.
Cost
Since flooring occupies a significant area of the home, the architect or interior designer must strictly follow the Bill of Quantities (BOQ) in the process of flooring selection. Drawing the balance between flooring aesthetics and economic feasibility is important to keep the project cost under control. If you have liked a material but it's surpassing your budget, then we suggest you look out for alternative economical look-alike materials. For instance, a good alternative to classic Italian marble flooring would be porcelain tiles. They can provide you with a similar visual appeal and cost you much less in comparison to Italian marble.
Source: Urban Company
Color, Style, and Pattern
Flooring selection is a highly creative process. While the designer juggles to fit the flooring cost into the budget, the flooring material should be highly good-looking. A dark-colored flooring tile makes the space feel warmer whereas a light-colored flooring tile makes the room feel airy. Flooring patterns and styles are also available in a variety of geometric and abstract compositions. You can do the flooring pattern selection based on the purpose of the room. The design concept of the home will also play a role in determining the flooring finish. If your. For instance, if your home is designed in the Scandinavian way then we recommend you to use light-colored tiles and natural stone flooring materials.
Laying of Flooring and Maintenance
A significant part of flooring selection is the laying of tiles and maintaining them. Laying certain tiles requires skilled labor and consumes more time than easy-to-install flooring materials. You must select the flooring based on the availability of skilled labor, their costs, and the time involved in the installation. Also, consider the maintenance needs of the flooring and its durability based on the cleaning routine of your home.
The Final Word
While selecting the flooring, make sure that you do not select more than 2-3 tiles for your home. You can use one for the living area and shared spaces, the second for the bedrooms, and the third for the toilets. This will help you build uniformity in the design language and reduce the decision-making time for flooring selection. It is advisable to order a few material samples and try them on the site before placing the bulk order. You can discover digital platforms such as Archizy to explore new materials and source them from verified vendors.
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