Whether you are renovating, building or revamping your home, we discuss and compare different types of flooring with industry experts to help take the stress out of choosing the perfect floor
Choosing the right type of flooring for your home is as important as the very roof over your head — after all, the right floor surface can make your house a warm, comfy and beautiful home. However, with so many options to choose from, shopping for flooring can be overwhelming. Here, with help from Carpet Court ambassador Darren Palmer, as well as industry experts from Cosentino and Concreate, we compare most flooring types to help guide you through this important building step.
Carpet
For softness under foot and effective sound insulation, carpet is a great flooring option, especially in apartments or two-storey homes where insulation and soft footfalls are appreciated. Aesthetically, carpet provides visual softness and a continuous, flat colour.
One advantage of carpet is that there is something for practically every space.
Loop-pile carpets feature a wear-resistance pile, which is perfect for active families or those wanting a smart, tailored look, while cut plush pile is soft and luxurious with a velvety appearance that adds elegance.
Tips from Darren: “Walking barefoot on a plush, carpeted room is a treat to the senses. There’s nothing like getting out of bed in the morning and having your feet land on something soft and luxurious.”
Limitations: Some fibres on cut-pile carpets can fall in one direction while some fall in another, creating a watermarking effect. Mostly, this pooling effect is unavoidable. Loop-pile carpets don’t have this effect but are less plush underfoot.
Carpets can be easily stained with heavy use but with the right care and attention, your carpet can stay looking great for years to come.
Room suitability: Carpets are good for bedrooms and living areas, particularly plush pile or wool carpets for bedrooms and textured pile, wool or nylon carpets for high-traffic living areas requiring durability and stain resistance.
Average price: From $46 per square metre.
Timber
If you’re after a natural, continuous floor, timber boards cannot be beat. Let the timber flow from room to room for the illusion of a larger space. With various widths, lengths, colours and patterns available, there are myriad options with timber.
For a contemporary look, you can’t go past solid timber or engineered boards. They provide natural character and warmth, with visual interest through natural grain variation and tone. Plus, they are incredibly easy to clean.
Because solid timber floorboards can be expensive and difficult to work with, a floating floor provides an easier and more cost-effective way to get the desired look. Carpet Court’s Quick-Step Readyflor timber planks simply click together and “float” across a floor.
Tips from Darren: “Timber is harder underfoot than carpets, though a beautiful rug atop your wooden floors is a great way to add softness and warmth.”
Limitations: While they are easy to clean, timber floors can become scratched and worn over time. If laid in full sunlight, timber floors can also suffer from fading in some areas, resulting in an uneven look. Also, if the floors are exposed to water or moisture for a prolonged period, they can warp and buckle.
Room suitability: Timber can be used in every room except bathrooms or wet rooms. Applying in toilets and laundries is possible but not advised.
Average price: Darren Palmer’s Provincial Lane Stained Oak timber flooring, exclusive to Carpet Court, is priced from $119 per square metre.
Tiles
Tiling has come a long way in the last 10 years with many soft, organic-looking designs that replicate natural materials such as timber or stone. Tile sizes are almost endless, as are the colour, pattern and texture options. If you’re looking to create something truly unique, tiles open the door to lots of possibilities.
Tile flooring is also hardwearing, easy to clean and you can install underfloor heating for a touch of luxury.
Tips from Darren: “Avoid using white grout in high-use areas.”
Limitations: Like timber floors, tiles are hard underfoot. They can also be hard on the eye, though new designs allow for a more soft and natural aesthetic. Grout lines can discolour over time, and with extreme wear, tiles can become chipped, cracked or even broken.
Room suitability: Tiles suit mainly bathrooms, laundries, kitchens and hallways.
Average price: Prices vary; visit a Carpet Court store for pricing.
Laminate
If you’re looking for a quick and cost-effective way to spruce up your home, laminate flooring is a great choice. Laminate has come a long way in terms of design and functionality. Today, there’s a huge palette of styles and colours from which to choose.
Laminate is easy to lay, easy to clean and hardwearing, perfect for high-traffic areas. Quick-Step laminate from Carpet Court clicks together for fast,
easy and seamless installation.
Tips from Darren: “If you’re looking to replicate a timber look, laminate now offers a beautifully embossed texture.”
Limitations: Depending on your choice, laminate flooring can be seen as the less prestigious, budget option. There are, however, many high-quality collections that can make a great statement. Also, underfloor heating is not an option with laminate.
Room suitability: Laminate can be used in every room except bathrooms or wet rooms. As with timber, use in toilets and laundries is possible but not advised.
Average price: Darren Palmer’s Provincial Lane Designer range flooring, exclusive to Carpet Court, is priced from $45 per square metre (excludes GST and installation costs).
Bamboo
Bamboo is a real favourite among eco-conscious designers as it’s sustainable and fast growing. Visually, bamboo flooring features the same colour variations as timber flooring and provides a distinctive look. It is extremely hardwearing, versatile and easy to clean. Depending on your choice, bamboo flooring can be
a do-it-yourselfer’s dream.
Tips from Darren: “Strand-woven bamboo in Carpet Court’s Provincial Lane range features a smart Unilin locking system for easy, gap-free installation.”
Limitations: The linear look of bamboo can be overwhelming and doesn’t work in every space. It’s also hard underfoot. As with laminate flooring, underfloor heating cannot be installed with bamboo.
Room suitability: Bamboo can be used in every room except bathrooms or wet rooms. Installation in toilets and laundries is possible but not advised.
Average price: From $69 per square metre (excludes GST and installation costs).
Vinyl
Vinyl is the ultimate low-cost, easy-to-install and -remove option. It’s great if you are giving your home a low-budget revamp or a temporary fix up if you are renting. You can lay vinyl over any even substrate, cutting the perimeter with a box cutter to fit the floor plan. When you move out, simply lift it up and take it with you. Vinyl plank is particularly easy to install. While more pieces are used, any home renovator can transform a room in a day. Vinyl is also hardwearing and easy to clean.
Tips from Darren: “Vinyl has a low flame resistance and cannot be installed with underfloor heating.”
Limitations: While vinyl is a cost-saving option, it can also look low budget.
Room suitability: Vinyl can be installed in any space — with proper waterproofing, even a bathroom can be temporarily refurbished with a vinyl floor, though this is not a good long-term solution.
Average price: Carpet Court’s Laneway collection is priced from $48 per square metre (excludes GST and installation costs).
Polished concrete
With a variety of colours, textures and finishes to choose from — including non-exposed, partially exposed or fully exposed aggregate — polished concrete floors are a stylish, durable flooring alternative. A polished concrete floor is smooth underfoot and offers unique variations in colour, providing a sleek and distinctive look. Surprisingly, a concrete floor adds warmth to any room.
Tips from Concreate: “Thinking of adding some heat or a touch of Scandinavian flair? Concrete floors work particularly well with underfloor heating, adding comfort the whole year-round. Concrete is naturally conductive to heat.”
Limitations: The use of a correct sealer is paramount to a long-lasting concrete floor. Sealer usage should always be discussed with the installer.
Room suitability: Bathrooms and kitchens are particularly suited to polished concrete floors, although this type of flooring can be used in any room or on stairs.
Average price: Boutique flooring is $850 per square metre (excluding underfloor heating).
Dekton solid surface
Dekton by Cosentino is a new and innovative ultra-compact surface. It is a sophisticated blend of the raw materials used to produce the very latest in glass and porcelain, together with the highest-quality quartz surfaces. Those who select Dekton for their flooring experience its superior characteristics, including resistance to UV rays and extreme temperatures, very low water absorption, porosity and high resistance to scratching and abrasion.
Tips from Consentino: “Due to the finer technical properties of Dekton, this type of flooring can be applied to a range of environments, from classic indoor spaces to harsh outdoor settings.”
Limitations: If you are using untreated Dekton, internal application only is recommended for slip-resistance purposes. Upon request, Dekton anti-slip technology can be easily applied to your desired Dekton colour from Spain.
Room suitability: Dekton can be applied anywhere in the home for flooring and beyond, such as stairs, walls, ventilated facades, countertops and work surfaces. Dekton allows for diversity and continuity, with endless opportunities for creative application.
Average price: Prices may vary. Please visit or call your local Cosentino showroom or Dekton supplier.
For more information
carpetcourt.com.au
royaloakfloors.com.au/concreate/
silestoneoceania.com