Choosing your floor: from cosy carpet to elegant timber
Replacing the flooring in your home is an excellent way to get a whole new look while updating to the latest style. But before you start tearing up your old flooring, it is important to explore all your options to make sure what you choose as a replacement is right for your tastes and lifestyle.
The Flooring Warehouse owner Graeme Coey says wood-look flooring is undeniably popular and manufacturers have responded with not only more genuine timber, engineered timber and laminates, but also fully synthetic options like wood-look vinyl planks and rolls.
There are important differences across the ranges, he says.
‘‘Real timber is lovely but it will dint and scratch with heavy traffic. It can also fade and move – it basically does what timber does. So it’s not perfect but it has character you’re unlikely to find in a man-made product.
‘‘The man-made products tend to be a bit more durable and easier to maintain, as well as more economical.’’
Graeme says for the above reasons most people choosing a hard flooring lean toward vinyl, laminates and rigid-core products. To narrow it down from there, a visit to a flooring showroom is usually a good idea.
At The Flooring Warehouse, for example, people can browse the latest styles, get a hands-on feel for their qualities and in many cases take samples home.
Tiles are another option and come in tremendous variety. However, Graeme says because they are cooler to touch than most people want in a living area, they are most commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms.
‘‘With the cooler months approaching, most people want something cosy in their homes and that’s usually carpet. Vinyl absorbs sounds quite well but carpets tend to be best for warmth and snugness.’’
Wool carpets hold their colour well and their opaque fibres do a good job of hiding dirt. But busy households where a bit of mess is unavoidable also need to consider the colour, Graeme says.
‘‘A young family might want a carpet that’s a bit deeper in colour because it
Real timber is lovely but it will dint and scratch with heavy traffic . . . The manmade products tend to be a bit more durable and easier to maintain, as well as more economical.
Graeme Coey
Flooring Warehouse owner
will hide a few more ‘sins’. If you aren’t likely to have spills, you can go lighter, but the mid-range colours are the most practical,’’ he says.
The Flooring Warehouse is continuously getting new bargains from manufacturers and updating its specials stand.
At the moment, this includes a light grey, loop-pile wool carpet that was a second due to light streaking. Normally $158 per metre, The Flooring Warehouse has it under half price at $74 per metre.
‘‘It’s extra heavy-duty and the style means the streaking isn’t very noticeable. It will only get better with age so it’s a very good buy for someone,’’ Graeme says.
The Flooring Warehouse has a large team who can help through the entire flooring process, from advice and an initial measure and quote to the final installation.
❚ To browse the range or find out more, visit The Flooring Warehouse at 47 Gasson St, Sydenham, phone 03 353 8899 or visit them online at theflooringwarehouse.co.nz.