The stresses and strains that family life can bring to a home makes the choice of flooring and general décor a hugely important one. Heavy footfall areas in a home require a floor that is durable and practical to maintain. There are several excellent products on the market. Let’s have a look at the options:

Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT)

LVT flooring has become incredibly popular. Vinyl flooring is incredibly hardwearing, durable, quiet and comfortable under-foot and generally compatible with underfloor heating. These floors are easy to look after and are hygienic (they don’t hold dust, dirt, pollen or other allergens), making them both child and pet friendly!  New innovative LVT flooring also allows for very quick installation – in fact, installation is possible over existing floors, such as ceramic tiles or floorboards, or an uneven subfloor. This can be an attractive proposition.

The range of LVT flooring taking inspiration from the natural world and providing quality imitations of wood and stone is incredible. If your home lends itself to a more traditional style of tile, though, LVT could still be the answer as many designers offer flooring imitating historical tiles.

Leading brands on the market include Karndean, Amtico and Kährs.

Solid or Engineered Wood

Often referred to as the luxury choice in flooring, wood floors are popular and offer beauty and practicality in equal measures. Wood floors will inevitably succumb to scratches and dents over the years – we would say adding to its character! But if you want to restore a wood floor to its original beauty then it can be sanded and re-stained simply.

Engineered wood is less expensive than solid wood blocks, for obvious reasons, but offers the same beauty and longevity as solid wood. Although excessive water can cause damage to a wood floor, a damp mop to clean wood floors after sweeping/vacuuming works well.

Wood floors can come in a variety of finishes – different colours and stains, as well as patterns – from basket weave to chevron, herringbone to plank! Remember, the beauty of wood is that no piece will be the same – the story and history of its origins lives on!