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Lorraine Howard

Choosing flooring may seem less exciting than choosing cushions or modern art to display, yet floors have as much decorative potential as walls.

Especially when there are a host of materials and styles from which to choose.

Laying leather on your floor may seem like a wacky concept.

However, Jago Anderson, the sales director at Element 7, the flooring specialist, has noticed an increase in demand for leather flooring. He says: “Using leather underfoot has an inherent glamour. It is popular in bedrooms, dressing rooms, studies and living rooms.”

Full-grain leather floors are dyed so that the colour runs all the way through, which means that scratches and marks don’t show.

Jago went on: “It isn’t bulletproof, but it’s extremely durable and perfect for everyday use. If it does get marked, leather always looks even better when it has a story to tell.”

Vinyl is synonymous with hospital and office flooring but more families are laying vinyl in their homes.

Sales of vinyl flooring are up 50 per cent in the past year.

You may want to use different materials in different parts of the house, but keep to one colour and make the floors look seamless.

Tiles are typically used in kitchens and bathrooms yet they are becoming a far more familiar sight in living rooms and bedrooms.

If you have small children or pets you will need a floor with superior wear resistance.

Some flooring that appears to be wear resistant often is not.

For example, site-finished solid hardwood can easily scratch.

Its saving grace is that scratches can be sanded out.

Instead, try a durable flooring like ceramic or porcelain tile, laminate flooring, plank vinyl flooring, or even carpeting.

By installing your flooring yourself, you can often cut your entire flooring cost in half.

Laminate flooring and plank vinyl flooring tend to be the easiest floor coverings for homeowners to selfinstall.

Both are floating floors, which means