What type of flooring is right for me?

Choosing the right type of flooring can be tricky, there are many different styles and formats available and there are many other factors that need to be considered before making your choice. Which room is it for? Is it within budget? Is it suitable and safe for pets and small children?

This article gives more details about three of the most popular flooring choices available in the UK today to help you make the right decision.

LVT or Vinyl Flooring

Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring (LVT) has come a long way since the days of Lino. The vinyl flooring available today can look like real wood or stone floors but provide more practical benefits than the real things.

LVT is far more durable than engineered wood flooring, and can be far easier to install than stone or ceramic tile floors. Some types of LVT are also waterproof - so these are perfect for bathrooms and kitchens.

Vinyl flooring is easy to clean and maintain, so it’s perfect for pet owners or people with young children. Its durability means that it is perfect for high traffic areas of the house, such as the hallway.

Luxury vinyl flooring also feels warm under foot and has good heat and sound insulating qualities, certain types can even be installed over underfloor heating systems. So it’s good for bedrooms and living rooms too.

LVT may not be suitable for all houses though. Sub floor preparation is key for some types of Vinyl flooring. If a concrete floor is not completely dry it may cause some types of glue down vinyl flooring to come unstuck. The subfloor also needs to be completely flat, in order to get the best possible results.

Some types of LVT are easy to install, but some types will require professional installation. There are also environmental concerns regarding LVT, some companies will recycle old LVT when it’s removed from a property, however not everyone is as eco friendly.

Mercian Carpets are an approved Karndean dealer and installer, find out more about our LVT flooring ranges.

Carpets

Traditionally carpets have been the go to choice of flooring for most rooms in the UK for many years. Carpet can provide a warm luxurious feel to a room and there is a suitable carpet for most rooms in your house.

According to the German Asthma Foundation, carpets retain airborne dust particles within their fibres. This means that the quality of air inside the home can be improved. A great benefit to anyone with asthma or a dust allergy.

Carpets also provide good heat insulation which can provide energy savings of up to 10%, which will save you money on your utility bills and help protect the environment.

Carpets absorb noise which minimises noise levels in the home. This is particularly handy in upstairs rooms to minimise the noise of children running around. Another benefit of a carpet that will appeal to parents of younger children is that it is soft and non-slippery. So the chances of a little one hurting themselves when falling over are greatly reduced.

However, there are some things to consider before choosing carpet in your home.

Carpets stain easily and are more difficult to clean than hard floors. They also require regular vacuuming so that the build up of particles, absorbed from the air doesn’t get too much and trigger reactions in those of us with allergies.

If a new carpet is right for you then check out the carpet ranges that Mercian Carpets has to offer.

Mercian Carpets can supply and install all types of floor coverings including carpets, vinyl and wood floors at the most competitive prices. We’re also more than happy to just offer advice, if you’re contemplating which flooring to choose.

Contact us today for more information.