01738 493229

If you want to give any room in your home a brand new look then new flooring is one way to achieve that.

And gone are the days when carpets were your only choice.

For 2017 trends for new types of flooring range from tiles to vinyl, reclaimed wood and even bamboo. Bamboo

This has been around for a long time, but what we are seeing lately is an explosion of colours and styles.

While technically a fast-growing grass, bamboo is as hard or harder than most hardwoods when dried.

Newer products called strand-woven bamboo, a highly engineered product using the inner fibers, are twice as hard as traditional bamboo flooring.

Bamboo is offered in wide-plank styles that mimic the look of classic hardwoods.

As with all wood flooring, it’s best to keep bamboo out of moistureprone rooms like kitchens. Reclaimed wood

New factory-finished hardwood flooring offers all the charm of reclaimed timber right down to that timeless hand-hewn look but without the high costs associated with true salvaged lumber.

Factory-finished wood will stand up to moisture fluctuations better than any wood flooring that is finished onsite. Large tiles

Large format tiles are tiles that come 12 inch by 24 inch and even 36 inch by 36 inch — as opposed to the tried-andtrue 12 inch by 12 inch tiles. In addition to looking great, larger sizes mean more tile surface and less grout lines to clean.

But be warned that large-format tiles are heavy, requiring a perfectly level substrate and a professional installer for the job to come out right. Cork Long gone are the days when cork was available in any colour so long as it was blonde — today’s options span the color palette.

Thanks to new factory finishes, cork is far more durable than it was just a few decades prior. But it is susceptible to moisture damage and will fade when exposed to sunlight. Luxury vinyl

Luxury vinyl is a new category of flooring that combines the high-end look of hardwood (or stone) with the durability of vinyl.

Its appeal is that it looks so realistic. NEW FLOORING

And because it stands up to moisture, wood-look vinyl is a natural fit in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.

Today’s vinyl does share one common trait with that old peel-and-stick stuff: It is still a joy to walk on. Laminate flooring

Laminate flooring isn’t as fashionable as it once was. If you want the real thing, other types of wooden flooring are now as easy to fit as laminate and can be reasonably priced. Boards that simply click and fit together are widely available.