If you are planning to build a new home you will find many decisions need to be made. One of the more important of these is the materials you want the various components of your home to be made from. But before anything else can go into the home, the floor must be put down, even though the coverings – if there are any – will need to wait until later.
It is important then, to decide what material you will have your floors made from, for each specific roo, such as the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. There are several choices:
- Solid timber
- Floating timber that is installed over something else, often done for renovations.
- Flooring panels that must be covered with something such as carpet or vinyl (although you need a professional carpet cleaning service like www. brilliancecarpetcleaningperth.com.au close at hand).
- Polished concrete
- Tiles – ceramic, cork, porcelain or stone
Advantages of a solid timber floor
Solid timber is a very popular choice of flooring, even though it is fairly expensive. It has several advantages; durability, strength, aesthetics and variety in colour and pattern that can be achieved by using parquetry.
For a solid timber floor, you would usually have tongue and grooved planks that fit together and are laid directly over the floor joists. This kind of flooring is extremely durable and long-lasting. It can last a lifetime. Once it is finished properly it will not scratch too easily, but after some years it can be re-sanded and finished to create a floor that is almost new again.
Maintenance is relatively easy with damp mopping and vacuuming the two best ways to keep it clean. Modern finishes mean polishing is not necessary.
