Month: July 2021

If you are someone who is lucky enough to live in a home with hardwood floors, you should be thankful. Hardwood floors are the epitome of class and elevate a home’s look and feel that is tough to replicate.

But if you are deciding upon the type of hardwood floor you want in your home, you have options. There are many selections for your home flooring but when it comes to hardwood floors, most people start with selecting the tone: light or dark? Yet, even those two options might feel overwhelming and impossible to choose between.

Getting Started

Light, cool, dark, warm – these are the tones of hardwood that can alter the overall look and feel of a floor. There are many factors to consider. In the end, it all depends on what type of homeowner you are and what sort of things you value. What type of cleaner are you? Are you a pet owner? Do you have children? All of these things will come together to help inform if your hardwood floors are going to function better in a dark tone or a lighter one. 

Before you really get into the pros and cons of dark and light hardwood floors, it is important that you make a commitment to decide upon the option that you like the most. At the end of the day, the final choice should always be the one that makes you happiest. It’s your home and it should look the way you want it to. 

When the time comes to make the final decision, here are the things to think about when choosing between light or dark hardwood floors.

Which is Easier to Keep Clean?

While some of the competing topics between light and dark hardwood floors end up with neck-and-neck results, this one isn’t really close. The truth is that lighter toned hardwood floors are much easier to keep clean. Light hardwood floors tend to show less dirt than their dark alternatives. This is important if you have a home that has a lot of open windows, fans, or pets. An open window, for example, will bring in dirt and dust from the outside world. That will show up pretty readily on your hardwood floor. 

The same dirt and dust will also get all over a carpeted floor too. However, it will show up much more on hardwood. Thankfully, seeing a mess easier on hardwood can actually be a good thing because that means you will be able to tend to it faster and get it cleaned. People who have carpets are often walking around on dirty ground without even knowing it. Meanwhile, homeowners with hardwood are able to spot and fix these problem areas much faster. 

If you are looking for a floor that is easier to clean, you should go with light hardwood floors.

Which Shows Scratches More?

Hardwood floors are striking in their appearance, there is no doubt about it. But it is also undeniable that hardwood floors are more prone to scratches and little damages more than most other flooring methods. This makes sense when you think about it, wood is more susceptible to little imperfections over time. Hardwood floors are still strong, don’t misunderstand that. However, there is a good chance that your hardwood floor will receive some dings and damage over time. 

Since some minor damage is unavoidable, the question becomes which shows scratches more: light or dark hardwood? Most people agree that dents, dings, and scratches show up much more on dark hardwood. Why is that? Because most wood floor species are light, so when you scratch through the dark-colored surface, the contrast of the light underneath is more obvious, meaning that the scratch shows up much easier than it does on a light-on-light hardwood floor. 

This is something to consider if you are a parent or pet owner. Children and animals are the two biggest culprits when it comes to damage to hardwood floors. They bring a lot of love into your home but they also can bring in a lot of roughhousing and damage. If you have children or pets – or both – you should seriously consider having a light hardwood floor for your home. 

If you still decide to get a dark hardwood floor knowing that your scratches will show up more, there are options for you. There are many ways to clean your hardwood floor, no matter how dark it is and how many scratches it has.

[Source: Unsplash]

Which One Will Cost You More?

You may be wondering which one, light or dark toned hardwood floors, will make a larger impact on your wallet. The truth is that in this case, both light and dark hardwood floors are about the same when it comes to pricing. In some markets, that may be different. However, generally, the difference in pricing is minimal. 

Personal Preferences

While maintenance and cost are common deciding factors, one thing that can’t be neglected is considering one’s personal preferences. 

A home’s style is unique. Depending on the color schemes of the rooms in your home, there is usually an optimal choice. There is actually a science that revolves around floor color. Here are some highlights. 

• Floor colors impact the way we perceive the size of a room. Some colors make a room look larger, while others make the room feel smaller. 
• Brown has a feeling of comfort and inspires nature.
• White has a feeling of cleanliness, innocence, and happiness.
• Black has a feeling of sophistication and power. 

Specific colors are used by interior designers in numerous ways. 

• Bring attention to a specific part of a room
• Convey emotions
• Create contrast
• Create connections
• Alter perception of space

Final Thoughts

No matter which you choose, light or dark hardwood flooring, no choice is wrong. Although, each has their own unique benefits. To make the final choice, you should think about what type of homeowner you are, who lives in your home, and how often you want to clean. And of course, don’t forget to consider your own personal preferences, which is the most important factor in deciding which tone is right for you.

Carpet vs. Hardwoods – Which Is More Sanitary?

Carpet versus hardwood: it’s a debate that feels as old as time. New homeowners have dealt with this issue for ages now and people come down hard on either side of the debate. 

When you are trying to decide between carpet and hardwood, you need to ask yourself one major question: which is more sanitary? Are hardwood floors or carpet more sanitary for your home and the people living in it? This is a vital question to answer because if you end up with the option that is dirtier and more prone to getting messy, you will have to clean it more often. Over time, this will cost you a lot of time, energy, and money. Additionally, you want the option that is going to be cleaner because that is better for the health and well-being of everyone living in your home, especially children or pets. 

At the end of the day, there is a cleaner, more sanitary choice, and it might surprise you.

Sanitary Properties

We all know what it’s like to get stains on our carpets. Not only is there the problem of getting the stain out, but it’s almost impossible to completely remove the effect that takes place within the fibers themselves. Dirt, urine, smells, and funkiness are brought out even more when stepped on, so the issues are never actually completely resolved. 

What’s more, the bigger problem is the allergens that come from infected carpets. Even if your family has a tolerance or lack of allergies from these things, the guests that you bring into your home may experience them. 

If you insist on carpeting part of your home, the best thing you can do for safety is using a vacuum that has a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Note that you will need to vacuum every week or two regardless of visible pollutants to maintain your carpet and enable the ability to get rid of major issues when they do arise. 

Steam cleaning is a popular choice, and this is an okay option, but it’s very important to dry the carpet after use. Opening windows and using fans are great tools at your disposal here. If the carpet isn’t dried, mold and pests show up. 

The beauty of hardwood floors is the ease and effectiveness of cleaning. A simple mopping gets the job done for good. No more dealing with things like nasty pet dander or dust mites. Bacteria is not a joke.

Visible Messes

One of the benefits of having a hardwood floor is that you are able to see messes on it much easier. If you stay on top of cleaning, that means that a hardwood floor will be a cleaner floor because you will quickly take care of any damage or mess that you see.

[Source: Unsplash]

Keep in mind, hardwood isn’t always the best choice when it comes to this aspect. There are times when you might not see a mess because it is on hardwood. A liquid spill, for example, often shows up easier on carpet, which means you will notice it sooner and clean it up faster. Depending on the coloring of your hardwood, you might not see a spill of any liquid and that might lead to it sitting, drying, staining, or doing long term damage. 

However, most messes will be much more visual on a hardwood floor. Whether it be a dropped piece of food, mud and dirt, or a mess from your pet, it will show up clear as day on hardwood. If you clean your floors once a day – even if it’s just a quick sweep – you will see the latest mess that needs to be addressed. 

For this reason, hardwood floors are often cleaner simply because the messes that end up on them are so much more obvious and don’t fall into the many nooks and crannies of a carpet, forever lost below the surface. 

Which Costs More to Clean?

This is a tricky aspect of the debate between carpet and hardwood floors. Many people want to know which one is more expensive when it comes to professional cleaning. Will you be spending more money on a hardwood floor or will you be spending more on a carpet? The answer isn’t that surprising: hardwood floors will set you back far less than a carpet.

Just because cleaning a hardwood floor is cheaper than cleaning a carpet doesn’t mean that tending to hardwood won’t be cheap. It will still cost you a pretty penny. Actually, it can cost a lot because most people will clean their hardwood floors far more often than they clean their carpets. Many homeowners who have hardwood floors keep a bottle of wood cleaner handy and pour a bit on the floors and mop it up at least once a week. The best wood cleaners that will really get the job done don’t come cheap. So while hardwood floors are going to cost less than carpets when it comes to cleaning, it will still cause a hit to your wallet. But staying clean is always worth it.

Cleaning a carpet is much more expensive than cleaning a hardwood floor for multiple reasons. For one, you will need a vacuum and those are usually quite expensive if you are looking for one that will actually achieve everything it’s supposed to. A vacuum is vital for a carpeted floor, otherwise your home will soon be filled with germs, dirt, grime, and other things that can do long term damage to the carpet as well as to the people living in your home. 

However, everyone who owns a home with carpet inside also knows that there will come a time when you will have to purchase the services of a professional carpet cleaner. Whether you are renting the tools yourself or hiring a firm that will do it for you, professionally cleaning a carpet is quite the process. First of all, it can cost more than $100 per visit. Secondly, you need to be home when the professional team arrives to clean. Thirdly, you need to do a lot of prep before someone comes to clean your carpet. Generally, you need to remove all of the furniture from the floor and have it totally bare so that the cleaning can take place. Plus, after your carpets are professionally cleaned, they can remain damp or wet for about a day more. 

The truth is that carpets get dirty much faster and much easier than hardwood floors and the cleaning process to take care of them is a lot more of a hassle too.

[Source: Unsplash]

Dirty carpets are breeding grounds for allergies. For those reasons alone, buying a hardwood floor over a carpet is probably the right approach when you are trying to choose the more sanitary option. 

Final Thoughts

Of course, you can still have a very dirty hardwood floor, even if it is usually cleaner than a carpet. However, carpets are higher maintenance and it’s harder to tell if they are actually clean or not. Hardwood floors are more sanitary and cost-effective when considering the time and money that goes into most carpet-cleaning products. 

The truth is that no matter which option you choose, you need to make sure that you are always attentive to your floor and buy the right products and spend the appropriate amount of time making sure it is as healthy, bright, and clean as it can be. Cleaning a floor, whether it is hardwood or carpet, is an essential part of owning a home.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Just picture it: Summer is here, the kids are in and out of the garden trampling in wet muddy footprints from the pool and grass, and you’re following along with a mop wondering if your floors can handle this amount of pressure. In this blog we will cover some of the best flooring types for busy family homes that will easily cater to your little one’s antics.

Engineered Wood Flooring  

 

First on the list is engineered wood flooring.  Engineered wood flooring combines multiple layers of timber with a solid wood veneer. Designed to allow for wood expansion, engineered wood is compatible with underfloor heating systems and boasts a high moisture tolerance level. 

 

Thanks to the solid wood veneer, engineered wood flooring displays all the stunning looks of solid wood at a fraction of the cost. Available in an array of wood species, colours and finishes – there’s a range to compliment every home and budget!

Thanks to its robust design, the nature of this flooring means it can easily withstand the pressures of a busy family home. Spills, heavy traffic, toys, pets. Whatever your worries are, this flooring can cater to the demand.

 

Not only that, engineered wood is easy to clean. Unlike solid wood, engineered wood is less susceptible to water damage and is water resistant to a degree. 

 

To clean your engineered wood a lightly wet mop with clean water and floor cleaner will do the trick! 

 

If you’re wanting to introduce that luxurious solid wood feel to your home but your lifestyle conflicts with being able to meet the demands, don’t worry! Engineered wood allows you to have the best of both worlds. 

 

So you don’t have to worry about anything with this durable contender. From practicality right through to maintenance, it’s perfect for your bust family home. 

 

EvoCore

 

This next family friendly flooring should be high on your list of options to consider. EvoCore is an innovative flooring range that is in a league of its own in the flooring market. 

 

EvoCore Flooring is the most versatile flooring range that we offer. Providing maximum protection from moisture, stains, dents and scratches, as well as  temperature fluctuations. Our EvoCore ranges are designed with many factors in mind to provide a great option for all areas of the home, including high-risk areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.

 

If you’re a parent or even a dog owner, we’re sure these benefits are music to your ears!

 

Thanks to EvoCore’s durable and waterproof qualities, it’s easy to clean. So when those inevitable spills or muddy footprints appear, you can easily clean them away with peace of mind that your flooring will stay intact. 

You’ll also be pleased to hear that EvoCore comes in a wide variety or amazing ranges. Each of these offering their own perks, designs and styles. So there is something for everyone when it comes to fitting the interior of your home. As well as being perfect in the practicality department. 

 

Laminate

 

Next on the list is laminate flooring. This flooring often gets the reputation that it isn’t the best of quality when it comes to practicality with flooring. However, that couldn’t be more wrong. 

 

Laminate flooring has actually come a long way and is one of the most popular flooring options. It comes in different AC ratings. This judges the laminate flooring based on its ability to resist against abrasion, impact and stains. All the things you need to consider with your flooring when living in a busy family home. 

 

The higher the AC rating, the more durable the flooring. Laminates of AC4/5 make amazing additions to family homes thanks to their practicality. 

 

They’re easy to maintain, available in a wide range of colours and styles, replicate real wood for a fraction of the cost, resists moisture, scratches and wear and tear. 

So you can have a stunning real wood appearance, with all the practicalities needed in a flooring for it to stand the test of time in your family home!

 

There we have it, some of the top performing flooring for busy family homes. If you have any more questions regarding flooring, get in touch with one of our advisors today!

The post Best Floors For a Busy Family Home appeared first on Direct Wood Flooring Blog.

Reading Time: 7 minutes

When it comes to home renovations, there are a number of elements that come at a significant cost. Flooring is often one of them. Think about it; your flooring has to cover the entire area of your home. But it doesn’t always have to break the bank to achieve the desired aesthetic you’re wanting. In this blog, we’ll cover cheap flooring ideas that are alternatives to your expensive hardwood flooring. 

Laminate Flooring 

 

Where cheap flooring is concerned, laminate is a great option!

Laminate is renowned for being practical, budget friendly and excellently replicating real wood flooring in a wide range of colours and styles. So you can have a high performing floor at a low cost.

 

It is manufactured from multiple layers of high-density fibreboard (HDF). A digitally printed top layer covers densely-packed wood fibres to create a stable core. High-quality wood image is printed, which is often paired with authentic-feeling bevels and grains, to create a hyper-realistic wood effect. This has even extended to being available in tile designs too!

 

Benefits of Laminate

 

On top of being appealing from a budget angle, laminate offers a host of benefits that are practical to day-to-day life:

 

• Manufactured to be highly durable
• Easier and cheaper installation
• Scratch and water resistant
• Hygienic, easy cleanable surface.
• Realistic design
• Available in a wide range of styles
• Available in a wide range of budgets 
• Pet-friendly 

 

AC Ratings 

 

As previously mentioned, laminate is up there with being able to adhere to most budgets. Though there is still often the connotation that with laminate, whilst being budget friendly, quality is compromised. However, this isn’t necessarily true. 

 

When shopping for laminate flooring, you may encounter a term referred to as a “laminate AC rating”. Meaning “abrasion class”, AC rating describes a floor’s durability against a number of key factors. The higher the AC rating, the more durable it is. Whilst laminate with a rating of AC1 is only suitable for areas with little footfall, the higher AC5-rated laminate floors are robust enough for use in commercial buildings, such as busy retail stores.

 

Laminate AC rating determines how well a laminate floor copes within different environments.

In order to receive an AC rating, laminate flooring must go through rigorous testing. Known as the Taber test, the process assesses the flooring to measure its resistance. The AC rating is dependent on how it deals with a number of different stress points. Abrasion, stains, impact, moisture, heat and scratches are all factors used to produce a laminate AC rating.

To receive an AC rating, every aspect of the test requires a pass. If it fails even one, it receives an “unrated” label, meaning it misses the mark in terms of quality expected by both retailers and consumers.

So in reality, you don’t have to compromise quality at all. Making sure you know your stuff when it comes to AC ratings can help you with a steal – purchasing cheap flooring that supports the demands of any lifestyle. 

Saving Costs With Laminate

 

On top of laminate being relatively cheap to purchase for your packs of flooring, there are other cost saving benefits that come with choosing this cheap flooring option. 

 

Installation 

 

When it comes to your installation, the majority of laminates are available in a tongue and groove locking system. This means that installation is quick and easy, so the DIY method is welcomed. Alternatively if you’re hiring a fitter, this could save you on costs as you wouldn’t require the fitter for as long a duration.    

 

Laminate Styles 

 

Another way you can save money by purchasing laminate flooring is in the style department. 

 

Herringbone and chevron are traditional flooring styles turned trend, now a popular choice with contemporary interiors. 

With this being more of a classic design, it has typically only been available in your hardwood flooring options, however there is now a vast array of designs available in laminate. So you can save money, whilst still shopping in style! 

 

LVT Flooring

 

The next contender on the cheap flooring list is LVT. 

Luxury Vinyl Tiles, also known as Click Vinyl Flooring or LVT, are renowned for the ability to imitate high-end flooring designs to an impeccable standard. Built with multiple layers, this robust flooring not only looks amazing but is one of the toughest flooring options on the market too.

 

Benefits of LVT

 

As well as being a front-runner for a cheap flooring option for your home, LVT offers an abundance of benefits, from style, to budget, to practicality. 

 

• Available in a range of budgets
• Available in a range of styles
• Highly durable 
• Waterproof
• Slip resistant
• Provides warmth and cushioned feel underfoot
• Insulates sound
• Easy to maintain 
• Its innovative design makes it difficult to differentiate from real wood thanks to its textured finish 
• Easy to install
• Easy to replace individual tiles where any areas may be damaged
• The average lifespan is 25-30 years (depending on maintenance and traffic)

 

Saving Costs With LVT

 

Thanks to the amazing price points of LVT with some ranges being from around £8.99, you’re already getting a whole lot of bang for your buck when comparing the price to the benefits. 

 

However, that’s not the only cost savings you will find with Luxury Vinyl Flooring. 

 

Installation

 

One money saving method that comes as a cost benefit of LVT is its easy installation. Because LVT is available in click or stickdown options, the installation is a lot quicker in comparison to fitting real wood, ceramic or stone flooring. 

 

As a result of this easy installation, time and effort will be saved when fitting, so if you’re hiring a fitter, this may save you a few pounds. 

 

Furthermore whilst Luxury Vinyl Flooring is extremely durable, on the off chance that any damage occurs to the flooring,  you can easily replace the area the damage has occurred without ripping up your entire flooring. 

 

This is because Luxury Vinyl Flooring is fitted in individual tiled packs as opposed to vinyl roll. So no more worrying about paying to replace your entire flooring for one or two scuffs. 

LVT Styles 

 

In addition to the cost saving in terms of practicality, this versatile flooring is also ahead of the game with style. More importantly, these styles could be the difference between a large bill or a pleasantly surprising one. 

 

Similarly to laminate flooring, LVT has a wide range of styles available. From herringbone, to tile to chevron and your typical real wood effect. 

 

This means that you can achieve the looks of more expensive flooring options for a fraction of the price. Moreover, if it’s a real wood effect you’re wanting to incorporate into your design, then LVT’s ability to imitate this is second to none, thanks to its innovative design. 

 

It’s extremely difficult to tell the difference between real wood and LVT because of the textured finish and bevelled edges adding realism to the design. 

 

As real wood can be a large investment on its own when it comes to renovating your home, you don’t have to compromise on adding a real wood tone into your interiors thanks to luxury vinyl flooring. 

 

EvoCore Flooring

 

Next on the list is a flooring you may not have heard of, or if you have, you may not associate it with the word cheap… EvoCore.

 

EvoCore is one of the most innovative flooring types on the market and with good reason, not all of the EvoCore ranges are at the lowest of price points in comparison to other flooring types. 

However, EvoCore has expanded its ranges to hit a wider range of budgets, so that practicality, style and versatility is made more affordable. 

 

Our ranges offer diverse results whether you’re transforming your home or commercial property, with a range of styles and budgets to suit a variety of needs.

 

These exclusive ranges are designed with every lifestyle in mind. Whether you’ve got a house-full or populated office, you can add luxury, comfort and style to your space with EvoCore.

 

Benefits of EvoCore 

 

EvoCore Flooring provides many beneficial factors. Each range comes with its own additional benefits, however we have listed the standard benefits below. 

They ensure the best protection and resistance against both common and rare household and commercial activities. Below is a bullet-pointed list of each benefit that this range offers: 

• EvoCore is 100% waterproof
• Anti-slip surface
• No expansion or contraction when exposed to heat and cold
• Pet-friendly
• Durable and hard-wearing
• Easy installation
• Real wood look and feel
• Scratch-resistant
• Compatible with underfloor heating
• Hides minor subfloor imperfections
• Can be laid over existing flooring
• Eco-friendly

 

Saving Costs With EvoCore

 

Now that EvoCore has had such success in its initial ranges, it has continued to expand offering even more versatility. Through this expansion, we have been able to offer even more diversity in styles, practicality and budgets.

 

This is where it gains its place in this list of cheap flooring options. 

 

EvoCore Origins

 

EvoCore Origins is one of the more affordable ranges within the EvoCore brand, offering beautiful authentic wood designs for adding a natural warmth to your home. Featuring in-built underlay, home-wide suitability, high durability and a variety of colours and styles, EvoCore Origins is an ideal flooring for any home, with any lifestyle, and what’s more, it’s budget friendly. So you can have all of this without breaking the bank.

 

When coupling the fact that this flooring is at a lower price point already, with it having in-built underlay and easy installation. You’re saving money in not one, not two but three places. 

 

You don’t have to purchase your underlay separately, and you can also save money on installation fees due to the ease of its installation. You could even fit it yourself if you’re feeling confident and want to upskill in the DIY department!

 

Styles

 

If you had your heart set on introducing real wood flooring into your design, but the cost is putting you off, don’t worry. Similarly, to laminate and LVT, EvoCore Origins is outstanding when it comes to imitating real wood. Each plank incorporates a registered embossed true-to-grain real wood feel. 

 

So if you were wanting the warmth, and natural essence delivered by real wood, you can still achieve this for a lower cost, and more practicality. 

 

Amazing, right?   

 

To conclude, you’re not short of cost effective ways to save on your flooring whilst still achieving that desired real wood effect in your home. Flooring can be a large investment but with these options, it doesn’t have to be. 

 

For any questions regarding your flooring, please get in touch with one of our advisors who will be happy to help with any queries. 

 

 

The post Cheap Flooring – Replicate Real Wood On a Budget  appeared first on Direct Wood Flooring Blog.