How to choose the best floor covering?
Before starting the renovation of the flooring in the apartment, the question inevitably arises – how much will this or that material cost, based on the initial budget. Laminate, carpet, linoleum, granite, parquet – now you can choose for every taste and budget.
The problem is that each room requires a certain material, taking into account the characteristics of the room. However, the mass consumer proceeds here solely from financial opportunities, rather than from the practical features of coverage.
Most often we are driven by stereotypes. Wanting to save money, we take linoleum, without fully realizing that this material wears out quickly and we will have to spend money on replacing the coating again. And vice versa, having enough funds on hand, we grab the parquet and do not think that such a floor needs careful care and it requires a very careful attitude.
Of course, the floor covering should be chosen at an optimal price for yourself, but at the same time take into account its features and your needs. How difficult such a choice is, we will consider in our article.
Difficulty in choosing a floor covering
The floor in the living room is laminate, parquet, linoleum? Sometimes it is so difficult to choose a floor covering for maximum comfort and coziness.As practice shows, before purchasing a floor covering, the features of the premises are rarely taken into account. Since laminate looks great in the bedroom, why not put it in the bathroom? There was a penny linoleum – great, let’s put it all over the apartment. But in each area of the apartment there are special requirements for the material from which the floor will be made.
Living rooms
They spend the most time in the living room, bedroom and nursery. Therefore, the floor covering there should be durable, environmentally friendly, comfortable, durable and beautiful.
Hallway
All the dirt and dust from the street is collected here. Therefore, the floor covering should not absorb moisture and be easy to care for. Another important requirement for the hallway floor is resistance to various loads, for example from heels or a baby stroller.
Kitchen
Various edible oils, crumbs, drops of tea or coffee – all this must be removed from the kitchen floor quickly and without difficulty. This means that you need to choose a sufficiently dense floor covering for trouble-free cleaning of its surface. The floor must be resistant to moisture and heavy objects falling on it when creating culinary masterpieces.
Bathroom
The key requirement here is moisture resistance. In addition, the floor covering should not be slippery and break down under the influence of detergents and washing powders. An important requirement is warmth and tactile comfort.
Loggia and balcony
The floor covering in this area must withstand temperature changes. This is especially important if a heated floor is installed on the loggia. On an unglazed balcony, it is permissible to use only tiles and porcelain stoneware, since the coating requires resistance to rain and snow.
Disadvantages of floor coverings
Laying of tiles Most floor coverings are difficult to install, and they are suitable only for a certain type of premises.
When choosing, it is worth considering that each floor covering also has disadvantages:
● Laminate – does not tolerate moisture, is pressed under heavy furniture and is the loudest material – the fall of even a small object is clearly audible to the neighbors from below, and even more to your household.
● Parquet and parquet board is an expensive material, which at the same time has no class of operation at all. Therefore, it is impossible to predict how long such a floor will last you.
● Porcelain stoneware is cold, slippery, which means that it is a traumatic and rather fragile material.
● Tile – the same disadvantages as porcelain stoneware. It is easily covered with cracks, it is difficult to replace and impossible to restore.
Linoleum – does not always meet the requirements of environmental safety, it is easily deformed under the influence of temperature changes, chemicals and mechanical damage.
● Quartz vinyl requires careful preparation of the base before installation.
The most suitable for all rooms according to the described requirements is quartz-vinyl tile.