If you live in an apartment, you may be wondering if timber flooring is right for your home. While timber flooring can be a great investment for the right apartment, there are some important considerations to keep in mind.
Before choosing your timber flooring, it’s important to know what will work best with your space and lifestyle. Consider the following:
Always test before you buy
The best thing about timber floors is that they can be adapted for use in a wide range of home styles and homeowners. From contemporary to classic, casual to formal, traditional timber flooring looks great in every setting. But there are many different products on the market, and choosing one can be a daunting task. Here’s how to go about it:
Know your needs. For example, do you have kids or pets? Timber floors offer practicality and durability, but some materials may be more suitable than others, depending on your family’s needs. Do you want a light or dark floor? How much traffic do you expect the room to get? What kind of maintenance are you prepared to carry out?
Test before you buy. Once you know what style of timber floor will suit your living space, always test the product in your home before committing to buy it. Make sure that you like the way it feels underfoot (in terms of comfort and warmth) as well as its overall appearance.
Laminate VS wood flooring
Laminate is cheaper and easier to install but not as durable as real wood flooring.
When it comes to choosing laminate flooring, there are a few important things to consider.
If saving money is a priority, and you don’t mind the idea of a synthetic material being used in your home, then laminate flooring may be the way to go. Laminate is cheaper than real wood and often easier to install because it can be placed directly over existing floors.
Real wood flooring is generally more durable and longer-lasting, but keep in mind that the cheaper the laminate flooring under construction, the lower its quality will be. As with any major purchase for your home, it’s very important to do some research before buying your new flooring.
Engineered timber – good choice
Engineered timber is stronger, more stable and easy to care for than solid timber floors.
Engineered timber is real wood, but it’s made up of layers of wood veneer glued together.
It’s stronger than solid timber and more stable, which means it won’t buckle or cup when exposed to different temperatures, so it can be used in sunrooms and conservatories as well as rooms with large windows.
It’s also easier to care for than solid timber because its top layer is resistant to stains and scratches. If you don’t mind paying more for higher-quality flooring material, engineered timber may be your best option.
Don’t compromise on quality
Getting this one right is important. It’s your floor, and you’re going to be looking at it for a long time, so go for the best quality timber you can afford.
The timber flooring industry has some great options available today, but not all of them are created equal. When it comes to quality, we generally recommend choosing a product that an established manufacturer has produced with a good reputation in the marketplace. This will ensure that you get a timber floor that will last for years and retain its beauty well into the future. The investment in buying high-quality timber flooring is not just about your immediate satisfaction—it’s also about investing in value that will increase over time.
Bamboo floors are a good eco-friendly option
Bamboo floors are a good eco-friendly option that’s moisture and stain-resistant, but they can warp, fade or scratch. Bamboo flooring is one of the few eco-friendly wood products available. Bamboo is actually grass, not wood. It grows quickly and reaches maturity in just five years, making it an extremely renewable resource. The bamboo stems are cut into thin strips and then dried before being bound together with resins to make floorboards. Once installed, the floor is quite durable, but it should be noted that bamboo floors are susceptible to water damage, so they are not ideal for bathrooms or other areas where moisture can be present.
Since bamboo was designed as a hardwood alternative, the cost of installing bamboo floors is going to be comparable to other materials such as engineered wood or laminate. The beauty of any real wood flooring option is that you have tons of choices when it comes to colour, stain and width options; you can even create a unique look by mixing different types of bamboo boards together!
Consider the look and feel of the floor in your apartment, both inside and out
- Think about how you want it to look, sound and feel when you walk on it.
- If your apartment is carpeted, consider lifting some of the carpets to see if there are floorboards underneath. This will save you money by not having to remove what’s already there, but don’t forget that even if you can reuse existing boards, they may need sanding back for a perfect finish. And remember that if you do this, you can only use wooden floors throughout because once the carpet has been pulled up, it becomes almost impossible to replace it with a new carpet.
- Think about how easy or difficult it will be to clean your floor — especially if you have young children or dogs running around!
- Don’t forget about safety factors such as making sure a surface is slip-resistant in wet areas like bathrooms or near pools and spas where people might have wet feet or spill water from time to time.
Choose the best for your apartment!
