hard flooring

 

Not so very long ago, you were considered poor or unfortunate if you didn’t have fitted carpets throughout your home. Oh, how times have changed. Today, people feel the freedom to have a whole range of flooring options throughout their homes, and carpet seems to be falling further and further down the preferred list for most people. Hard flooring is certainly making its presence felt in most homes in the UK and well beyond – and with really good reason.

In this article we’d like to give you a conclusive guide to hard flooring – warts and all. At Wood and Beyond we’re not naïve enough think that the flooring solutions we provide suit everyone, and we know that there are some other great options out there. So let’s explore them together.

Here are some of the most popular hard flooring options 

Wood

 

hardwood floor

 

Clearly at Wood and Beyond we’re huge fans of wood flooring otherwise it wouldn’t be the mainstay of our flooring range. However, we know that some people hesitate when it comes to choosing wood, so here are the hard facts about this hard floor option:

Pros:

  • Warm under foot
  • Comfortable and forgiving to walk on
  • Extensive choice of species, grade, finish and colour
  • Can be used throughout the home with the right planning
  • Long-lasting
  • Can be re-sanded and re-finished several times to look like new
  • Affordable
  • Can be used over underfloor heating

Cons:

  • Here we’re struggling a bit. However, it’s only fair to say that wood flooring can be a challenge to fit on a DIY basis, and some people find it expensive to have it fitted for them. But apart from that, there are very few downsides.

Laminate

 

laminate floor

 

Laminate flooring was, for many years, the poor relative of the hard flooring options, but it has seriously improved in recent years and for some people is a great solution. Once again, here are what we see as its pros and cons:

Pros:

  • Low cost
  • Convincing
  • Comfortable under foot
  • Can be used throughout the home
  • Good looking
  • Fast to fit
  • Some options can be used over underfloor heating

Cons:

  • Certain options don’t wear well
  • Certain options just look ‘fake’

Tiles

 

tile floor

 

Tiles have been a huge favourite with our European counterparts for a very long time, but until fairly recently in the UK floor tiles were restricted to kitchens and bathrooms. The growing popularity of underfloor heating has changed this and here’s what we think of tiles:

Pros:

  • Can be used throughout the home
  • Huge choice of colours, sizes, finishes and prices
  • Affordable
  • Long lasting
  • Can be prone to scratching/chipping
  • Can be used over underfloor heating

Cons:

  • Hard under foot
  • Can be cold under foot if you don’t have underfloor heating

Stone

 

stone floor

 

Stone again was dismissed by many as a challenging, horribly cold flooring option until the luxury of underfloor heating became more accessible. A stunning option in the right setting, stone can still be cold and challenging, but it has some really strong plus-points…

Pros:

  • Can be used throughout the home
  • Huge choice of colours, sizes, finishes and prices
  • Long lasting
  • Good looking

Cons:

  • Hard under foot
  • Can be cold under foot if you don’t have underfloor heating

If you’d like some help to explore the hard flooring solution that would work best for your unique project, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we pride ourselves on our impartiality and share our knowledge willingly and freely with our customers. Even if we think you should choose a flooring option we don’t stock, we’ll tell you so; and we’ll even point you in the right direction to find it. Now if that’s not good, straightforward, honest service; what is?