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Flooring Ideas


It can be difficult when choosing a new flooring to know where to start. There are so many styles, textures, finishes and colours to choose from, it can feel daunting. Read on and let us help you to decipher through the endless flooring possibilities.

We advise firstly to think about the practicality requirements for the flooring, for e.g. is the flooring for a bathroom or kitchen where there will be excess water and moisture or for a space which experiences heavy traffic and outdoor footwear such as a hallway requiring your flooring to be extra hard-wearing. Considering this is important to ensure your chosen floor meets the function of your room, fulfils its life span and still looks amazing in years to come.

The most popular types of flooring at present are:

  • Luxury laminate flooring
  • Tiles
  • Real Wood Flooring
  • Engineered Wood Flooring

Luxury Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring has come a long way and it has been kicked back into the modern day due to new technology and up-to-minute designs from leading manufactures. Long gone is the 80’s style laminated floors we remember so well of cold and outdated school halls and rarely used dining rooms.

With outstanding and high-quality manufactures such as FAUS, it is no wonder we at Building Supplies Online have seen an increase in consumers opting once again for laminate flooring. Boasting advantages such as non-colour fading, stain and water resistance and extreme durability it really is a fantastic option especially for families.

Check out the Faus Retro Rigid Victorian Laminate Flooring to give your home an individual style with its modern twist and classic elegance.

The obvious benefits of luxury laminate flooring are the acquiring of a beautiful wood-effect grained floor at a more affordable price as well as the added benefit of being easier to install by a DIY enthusiast eliminating hiring a specialist to do the job for you.

Faus 8mm Chevron Boho Laminate Flooring - 2.08m2 Pack

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Engineered Wood Flooring

We usually presume wood flooring to be an extremely expensive road to go down but like luxury laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring is another trendy and affordable option. Engineered wood flooring has also seen a recent make-over and modernisation. Wood floors overall has received a lot of great press recently and are currently used repeatedly in design publications. If you are wanting to replicate these designs engineered wood flooring is a stylish and cost-effective way to do so.

Tuscan Forte 15mm Light Grey Brushed Engineered Wood Flooring -1.44m.sq Pack

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Using engineered wood allows you to be creative, bring individuality and add flare to you chosen room thanks to new and exciting species of wood being used. This is possible due to less real wood being used in the overall product as it simply just uses a top layer of real wood of which is visible and therefore keeps production costs low whilst maintaining a stunning wood finish. These new and beautiful species include Quickstep Snow White Oak Flooring and Quickstep Frosted Oak Flooring (both North American) options which look stunning in any style of home. The introduction of a wider spectrum of woods has meant an increased range of colours and tones making the decision of which floor to go for that little bit more difficult.

The trend has seen the extension of wood floors being used outside standard typical rooms such as living rooms and dining rooms to new realms including kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms thanks to their beautiful looking finish, durability and resistance to water if pre-treated correctly.

Injecting style, warmth and elegance, wood flooring allows us to feel closer to nature and add an element of serenity and calm into our homes.

What’s the difference between real wood and engineered wood flooring?

As opposed to real wood flooring with a content of 100% wood, engineered wood is a system of layered materials with the solid wood sitting as top layer which is the visible element. This is bound on to a layer of plywood or a similar soft wood material and is lastly finished with a bottom layer of solid wood again bringing in stability.

Engineered wood flooring usually comes in a choice of two finishes; oiled or lacquered. Lacquered will be usually be used in rooms where water is a hazard such as bathrooms and wet-rooms due to the lacquer providing a harder-wearing property to the wood. Due to this treatment and introduction of engineered woods, trends have seen an increase in wood floors being used in bathrooms and kitchens which look stunning, traditional and luxurious.

Woods with a worn and rustic characteristic are rapidly on the rise along with patterns incorporated within the wood such as Herringbone and Chevron patterns. These looks complement either a traditional or contemporary home equally and provide a sublime worn authentic and rustic look and finish.

When choosing a real wood or engineered wood, just take a few minutes to consider the following 3 options:

What surface finish would you like to achieve?

Would you prefer smaller or larger plank effect?

Do you have a preference in the styling of the grain effect?

Engineered Wood Flooring

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Floor Tiles

Mosaic floor tiles are proving to be extremely popular now. Of course, these are nothing new, the Romans set the trend originally, but it is in the last 12 months that this contemporary look has really taken hold. In sleek and stunning colours such as the trendy greys and whites to endorse an interesting subtle pattern to the bold and striking colours of greens and reds of which will set your room far apart from others you know. Two contrasts but equally popular and both look set to stay for a long time to come. Geometric pattern designs and interesting tile shapes really make a statement floor as you can see from our Laura Ashley Marise Tile and our Laura Ashley The Heritage Collection Wicker Charcoal Floor Tile.

It is important when using geometric or any patterned tile to keep your chosen room’s colour palette neutral and limited in colours to really make your geometric design come through and show off those delightful angles and vibrancy. As you will see from our geometric tiles range, they are not reserved purely for the contemporary style home as they work equally well in period properties, or even a mixture of the two to show off both rustic features and modern elements adding style, opulence and beauty to your room.

The above applies to 3-dimensional tiles also. Allow your tiles to add intriguing depth and make a statement for you and let every other design aspect to your room remain serene and calm allowing your design to really ‘pop’.

Underfloor Heating

Whilst you are completing your flooring project, why not consider the ultimate in flooring luxury; underfloor heating. This can eliminate the need for radiators altogether and add another feature element to your room. Underfloor heating is available as either an electric or a water system dependent on where you would like to install your underfloor heating and the style of your property.

Take a further look at our Underflooring options here and if you have any questions at all regarding this or any of our range, please don’t hesitate to join us on Live-Chat where we will always be happy to help.

Posted By Building Supplies Online, 16th Nov 2018