Floor coverings are used to embellish the floor of the building and improve hygiene. They are laid as a layer on the floor of the house. Many sports fields as well as some swimming pools use them to prevent slipping. on football pitches floors are used that are very similar to natural grass. There are many points to consider when choosing the best floor covering. In this article we try to familiarise you with the most important points when choosing the best floor covering.
The most famous floor covering we all remember. Carpets were the first choice, and there was never a house where not all rooms were carpeted. In many countries around the world, carpets are still the first choice because carpets are easily compatible with any furniture and interior style and they luxuriously contradict our expectations. They have a high standard. Carpets are available in a wide range of textures, colors and designs, so they can easily be combined with interior design.
Usually they put carpets in small rooms to make them look warmer and busier. This middle of choosing a carpet pattern can also play a big role in creating a homely atmosphere. For example, for large rooms, patterned carpets are used, and for small rooms, simple carpets without patterns and with light colors are used. The less fluff on the carpets, the larger the room. Rugs in dark colors make large rooms cozy and small. Carpets in sunny colors give a pleasant warm feeling to the surroundings and are a good choice for rooms that are not exposed to natural sunlight.
Due to its water and moisture absorption, carpet is not normally used in bathrooms. But for the bedroom and living room of the family and of course for the children’s room, carpet is the most suitable floor covering!
Carpet is difficult to maintain, especially if it is light in color. If the carpet is made of wool, you should shampoo it once a year with the help of special carpet washing machines, but if it is made of industrial fibers, it should be thoroughly washed every two years, except for daily maintenance. One of the disadvantages of carpet is that it is not resistant to heat and moisture, but the good thing is that this floor covering does not make any noise.
Although they were among the first floors to find their way into houses instead of carpet and mosaic, they still have so many followers and are now among the best-selling modern house floors. Wooden floors, like parquet, make the house look warm and beautiful. Of course, parquet has another important characteristic that is perhaps less true of other floors: luxury and a classic look. Parquet is the only floor covering that gives the house a more beautiful appearance the longer it lasts.
The good thing about this category is that they are available in different sizes. Parquet floors are suitable for both formal and classic rooms. Their texture also has a great influence on the choice of parquet flooring. Oak, pine and cherry are the main woods that make up the original parquet. Their colors also vary; from blond to black. These medium-sized parquets are not only rich in color variety, but they are no less than artificial floors in design and structure. Their brightness can vary; of course the texture of the wood can be high or low. The less the texture of the wood, the calmer and cooler the environment appears. The hardness of the wood also varies with wooden floors.
For houses with children and pets it is better to use stronger and higher quality materials, such as red oak. The price of wooden floors varies depending on the quality and type of wood, and more natural and higher quality woods have a higher price. The less the purity and quality of wooden floors, the lower the price. Wooden floors are usually easy to install on cement and concrete floors, but if wooden floors are to be laid directly on the ground, they must be provided with insulation and anti-humidity layers before installation.
Parquet is suitable for any room and space; it can even be used in kitchens, as long as the landlord is careful when pouring water. Parquet can be used not only in laundries and bathrooms.
Wooden floors require a high level of maintenance. This may be the only reason why synthetic compounds are preferred to hardwoods today. To keep parquet floors clean and shiny, special waxes and varnishes should be used for polishing, and they should never get wet; not even for cleaning a small room.
Laminates have been on the market for less than half a century, but in a short time they amde a lot of popularity. These floors were first invented by a Swedish company in 1977. The company launched its products in 1984. Laminates are floors whose appearance is based on wood design. At first glance you might think they are real wood, but with a little caution you can see that they are artificial. In fact, laminates consist of several layers of dense and pressed wood “HDF”, and their outer surface is coated with a coating that resembles the patterns and structures of natural wood.
These floors belong to the category of modern floor coverings and are particularly suitable for apartments where the residents intend to use the modern decorative style for their homes. One of the advantages of this modern floor covering is its high resistance to external influences. Laminate floorings have high resistance to environmental influences, and their color and shape are durable for long-term use. Laminate is one of the most UV-resistant floorings. So if a part of your house is exposed to sunlight, this floor covering is a good choice.
Another remarkable advantage of laminate flooring is its portability; you can remove the laminate from your floor when you move house, for example, and take it with you to your new home. Unlike most floors, where a loose or damaged part requires the replacement of the entire floor, it is easy to replace a healthy part with a damaged part in the laminate and there is no need to replace the entire floor. In appearance, laminate floorings are very similar to wood, and in terms of beauty they are among the most beautiful floorings.
Walking on laminates makes a little noise, which may not be comfortable for some people. Laminates, unlike parquet, which is grouped according to its hardness, are classified into each group according to their thickness. In fact, the thickness of the laminates is a very important factor that depends on the desired use of the room. The thicker these floors are, the stronger and more durable they will be.
The thickness of the laminates is usually between six and 12 mm. A thickness of eight millimeters is sufficient for homes with medium traffic, but for high traffic areas you will have to pay more and choose the thickest grade. The color scheme of these products is also different. They belong more to a beige and brown family.
Moisture is the main enemy of laminates. For this reason, the use of these floors for kitchen and bathroom floors is not suitable at all. However, if the landlord does not like a lot of water, you can hope to install it in the kitchen, but nowadays laminates are the best option for all rooms; even the bedroom and baby room.
The maintenance of the laminates is not that difficult, but it is not something that is easily forgotten. In houses that have been laminated, an underlay must be used at the entrance to the house to avoid stains or dirt on the surface. In fact, dirt is the main enemy of laminate. So as soon as drops of water or mud or food are spilled on it, it should be cleaned immediately. Special cleaning agents are available for this purpose. Never use a steam cleaner to clean laminates. Laminates only last longer than parquet flooring if you do not place any furniture on them, as laminates are very sensitive to scratches.
They have been on the market under different names for several years. Some call them vinyl floor coverings, others introduce them as PVC. Purely artificial products manufactured and produced by the petrochemical industry, but with stone and wood facades. They are soft and flexible and can be easily laid in any room. They have the design and color of wood laminates and are produced in the shape and appearance of ceramics and tiles, but because they are easier to install and use, they are quickly competing with classic floors today. Vinyl flooring is not only versatile, but also durable and easy to replace.
Furthermore, in wet or humid rooms, the choice of vinyl is the best option. Rectangular floor coverings are available on the market, approximately 15 cm wide and 90 cm long. They are no more than a few millimeters thick. To increase the strength of the floor covering, protective layers are usually applied to the floor covering in two ways, simple and corrugated. The corrugated type of this layer has small protrusions on its decorative surface that prevent objects from slipping and moving on the floor.
Plain flooring is quite similar to parquet and wood designs. There is another type of floor covering known as vinyl tile. These vinyl floors are designed in the form of ceramic and decorative stones in the home and are used with their facades instead of stone products. High quality vinyl floors are among the most expensive floor coverings, contrary to the opinion of many who choose vinyl floors for cost reasons. Cheap floor coverings lose their color and shine after some time or are no longer as beautiful as they used to be because of the distance between other parts. So make sure that you buy flooring of the highest quality.
Vinyl floor coverings can be scratched when used against heavy objects such as sofa bases and can also yellow slightly in direct sunlight. For this reason, they are not a good choice for living and dining rooms, but they are suitable for bathrooms, toilets and kitchens. Certain types of vinyl, which have better insulation than their counterparts, may be suitable for the bathroom, otherwise the simple and ordinary types can only be used in the kitchen.
Unlike wooden floors, vinyl does not need to be waxed and is easy to clean. Stains on vinyl can be removed with a mixture of water and dishwashing detergent. Floors should never be immersed in water for washing, as water seeps through the seams and removes the adhesive. The good news is that they can be cleaned quickly with a damp cloth and regain the look of the first day.