Complete Guide to Flooring For Your Home - Build It

29 Jul.,2024

 

Complete Guide to Flooring For Your Home - Build It

What about stone flooring maintenance?

RAITTO are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

All natural stone needs sealing at the point of installation to prevent it from being porous.

Routine maintenance is as simple as brushing the floor, but a more rigorous clean can be done with a neutral, stone-friendly cleaner and hot water.

Wipe up any spills as soon as they occur &#; if you treat it right then stone flooring should last a lifetime.

What advice would you offer to anyone looking to install stone flooring?

Choose a stone that suits your lifestyle as well as the look you&#;re trying to achieve.

Visit a showroom to see a larger area fitted rather than just an individual tile. Here you can check you&#;re happy with the level of natural variation that may occur.

Natural stone in its raw state can look dusty and unfinished, but it will look different once finished and sealed.

Luxury vinyl tiles

Mark Findlay from Harvey Maria discusses LVT flooring:

Where in the home is vinyl most suited?

Luxury vinyl tiles are hardwearing and durable, comfortable and warm underfoot, slip and scratch resistant and easy to clean, plus they are available in a wide range of colours, designs and finishes.

Cheaper sheet vinyl on a roll (often referred to as lino) isn&#;t as strong and is only really suited to areas with lower footfall where the quality of finish and durability is less important.

LVT also works really well alongside underfloor heating, as the warmth can easily permeate through to provide a cosy and pleasant feeling underfoot.

What are the main benefits of LVT?

Extremely easy to clean and maintain, vinyl tile flooring is both highly durable and hygienic in comparison to other materials.

It&#;s available in a range of authentic-looking wood and stone designs that mimic its material counterpart without any of the drawbacks of the natural product &#; primarily they are easier to clean and require less maintenance.

Unlike other hard floor coverings such as ceramic, vinyl feels comfortable and warm underfoot as well as less slippery. LVTs are also available in a wonderful array of stunning colours as well as patterns, too.

Have you noticed any recent trends when it comes to colour & style?

In recent months it&#;s been popular to combine different LVT finishes to achieve a unique combination of pattern, colour, and texture.

We&#;ve created a collection of Premium Wood effect tiles and solid coloured Little Bricks (pictured above left) that have been specifically thought-out to work in harmony with each other.

With these units, it&#;s easy to create a bespoke floor design, define spaces, and create borders, for a surface that flows beautifully throughout your entire property.

What are the typical costs?

The price of vinyl can vary significantly, depending on lots of different factors, but it&#;s generally true that &#; in terms of quality &#; you really do get what you pay for; for instance, Harvey Maria&#;s LVT prices start at £33 per m2.

Cheaper sheet vinyl will be much more flexible, meaning it&#;s more likely to be susceptible to being damaged over time.

Beware of fitting lower priced products &#; the cost of replacement can often be considerable and this is not something that you will want to be doing too often.

What advice would you offer to homeowners thinking of installing LVT?

It&#;s important to lay down a suitable subfloor (plywood or a smoothing compound) to ensure the surface is smooth and flat, plus its absorbent so will allow the adhesive to bond properly.

Depending on a number of factors (the material and condition of the existing floor, whether you can add any extra height etc) it may be possible to fit the subfloor on top of your current flooring.

The company is the world’s best Custom Vinyl Flooring Skirting Boards Manufacturer supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

However, you might find that removing the existing covering is a better option for your space.

Carpet flooring

Natalie Littlehales from Brintons shares her top tips for choosing carpet:

Where in the home is carpet most suited?

Softness underfoot is what makes carpet so popular in bedrooms, but also living rooms, dining areas and hallways.

Brintons&#; pioneered the 80% wool 20% nylon blend that is now used throughout the entire industry, which provides the softness of wool with the hardwearing robustness of nylon.

There are a wide variety of colours and patterns out there meaning you can change the look of each room.

What are the main benefits of carpet?

Wool provides comfort underfoot at the same time as helping to insulate your home and reduce energy bills as a result.

It absorbs sound to give a sense of calm and tranquillity and is naturally fire resistant, too. The protective and natural waxy coating that&#;s on wool fibres keeps it protected against staining; these carpets will also pick up less dust as they&#;re naturally anti-static.

Natural wool is easily recyclable and biodegradable, plus shearing is essential for the welfare of sheep, making it a fantastic sustainable choice for flooring.

Have you noticed any recent trends when it comes to colours & style?

Expect to see grey carpets paired with colourful walls and furniture. This hue is sophisticated, constructed of various shades and undertones.

It is not only a wonderful companion to other neutral shades, but also has the power to balance out bold accents creating a calming backdrop for colour, adding texture and introducing natural, tactile materials to your scheme. It will add interest and break up any colour blocks.

What maintenance is needed?

All types of flooring get dirty, although some show soiling more than others. Because of the nature of the fibre in wool rich carpets, they generally hide soiling better than synthetic products and will be easier to clean.

Vacuuming is the most important thing you can do to keep your carpet neat &#; you cannot overdo it!

The amount of short fibre removed from the carpet in the first few weeks after installation can look very dramatic, but it is in reality only a very small proportion of the pile weight and will in no way affect performance.

It&#;s a good idea to use small mats or an offcut of your new carpet in kitchen doorways, or in other areas where the soft covering is next to a hard floor, to prevent greasy spots spreading to
the carpet; the same is true with external doors.

What advice would you offer to anyone considering carpet?

Dark flooring works best for rooms with lots of natural light, making the space appear larger and brighter &#; they&#;re ideal for high traffic areas, too, as they conceal dirt and marks.

To uplift and brighten the decor of a smaller room with less daylight, pair darker walls with earthy or cream shades.

The texture of carpet adds another dimension to a room, as well as offering extreme comfort underfoot and being a great insulator.

Flooring cost guide

The figures given here are based on the installation of 20m2 of flooring in a new build home, and include all labour and materials (including adhesive, sealant, threshold bars and beading), as well as assumptions on breakage and wastage.

They do not account for renovation-related work, such as skirting alterations or the use of levelling compounds. We have assumed a mid-quality option in each flooring category to try to account for the many variables between different products and suppliers.

Flooring typeFlooring cost per m2Flooring-only cost (20m2)Additional materials costsLabour costTotal flooring cost Natural stone tiling£25£500£765.60£854.33£2,119.93 Porcelain tiling£20£400£596.54£809.33£1,805.87 Solid wood£45£900£339.06£345.33£1,584.39 Engineered wood£30£600£239.12£345.33£1,184.45 Wood effect laminate£20£400£186.82£345.33£932.15 Vinyl£20£400£467.48£164.53£1,032.01 Carpet£15£300£175.47£136.63£612.11

These indicative prices exclude VAT and builder&#;s profit. Self build projects qualify for zero-rated VAT on labour and materials (the latter will be reclaimed on completion).

Skirting & architrave buying guide

As both of these boards are crucial for new doorways and floors, this skirting and architrave buying guide explores the different types available, helping homeowners pick the right designs and sizes. Maintaining a consistent look from floor to ceiling is key in any home, and this guide covers popular styles and colour options to achieve a flawless finish. It also runs through key considerations to keep in mind when planning new features, ready for a trade professional to start fitting skirting boards and architrave.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Custom Vinyl Flooring Skirting Boards Factory. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.