Flooring
How to Install Kitchen Floor Tile
How to Install a Prefinished Hardwood Floor
How to Install Wall-to-Wall Carpeting
Which Room, Which Floor?
The first step toward choosing flooring is to determine which look you want for which room. When choosing your flooring, the experts at Designer Kitchen & Bath can work with you during the selection process. Let’s take a look at some basic options:
Kitchen – when choosing flooring for your kitchen remember that it is a high traffic area and will probably be subject to dirt from outside entry points and from cooking debris. Since spills are common in the kitchen, choose flooring that is easy to clean and non-slip for safety reasons!
A good basic option for your kitchen is vinyl. A resilient vinyl floor has more bounce and may prevent breakage when you drop a glass or a dish. A deeply textured pattern could hide dirt too! Very popular choices in later years are tile, laminate and wood. These add a rich depth to your kitchen and can be softened by the use of area rugs and mats.
Bathroom – when choosing flooring for your bathroom remember that the flooring must be waterproof or water-resistant. Your bathroom floor also needs to be easy to clean and non-slip.
The obvious choice for years has been vinyl flooring in the bathroom. It is easy to clean, comes in an almost infinite variety of colors and patterns and is easy to install. However, ceramic tile is rapidly gaining popularity for bathrooms. While more difficult to install, the results can be stunning. You may want to call a professional if you are thinking of using more than one color tile in your design. Newer versions of laminate and wood products can also be adapted to bathrooms even with excessive moisture. Make sure any rugs or mats are non-slip.
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Living Room – the living room is obviously the focal point and centerpiece of most of your home furnishings. That’s why you need to make the flooring the perfect backdrop for your prized possessions. Choose living room or family room flooring that matches the room’s function as well as its décor.
Carpet offers fibers and styles that accommodate informal or formal use. With the variety of colors, patterns, piles and textures, you can adapt carpet to almost any room. Hardwood also provide a durable, attractive options. Wood or wood-like flooring doesn’t hold dirt and dust like carpeting and is now available in several options: laminates, parquets, bamboo, and more. The addition of area rugs give you endless possiblities.
Bedroom – bedroom floors are usually overshadowed by the bed and its coordinating fabrics and accessories. Foot traffic is not a big issue in the bedroom, so your flooring choice does not have to be as durable as other rooms in your home. Consider going with a neutral floor since people change the décor in their bedrooms more often than in other rooms. A neutral lets you change your color and fabric themes as often as you wish.
Carpeting is usually used in bedrooms. It lends a warm, cozy feeling to the room and is conducive to relaxation. Wood or laminate floors are good alternatives however, especially if you use interesting decorative area rugs as accents.
Hallways and Stairs- steady traffic brings dirt and moisture to entry halls, so look for sturdy material that coordinates with the rest of your home. Entry halls are where you greet guests in your home so make sure it makes a bold statement.
Laminate flooring is great for hallways and entryways, especially if you add non-slip area rugs. Inlaid patterns of wood parquet or ceramic tile can be dramatic and still handle the heavy traffic of an entry hall. Stairways dictate an eye toward safety. Carpeting is the traditional choice.