Choosing a flooring

The choice of flooring is one of the most important tasks in repair work. The modern market of building materials has a huge amount of them, which can confuse almost any buyer, especially an unprepared person. Some types of coatings are perfect for bathtubs and kitchens, others for bedrooms and halls. Some fit easily and without outside help, while others require the involvement of specialists. How to deal with all the diversity and choose exactly the option for the kitchen, bath, living room, hallway?

Linoleum

Let's start with the most popular option, which is found, if not in all modern apartments, then most certainly. This is due to its low price and acceptable appearance. Linoleum is diverse in colors, and the most expensive options not bad imitate parquet, stone, etc., but in general it will not be difficult to choose the right color and pattern in a labor store, rather, on the contrary, your eyes can run away from the choice.

Laying linoleum is also not difficult: even a layman can do this, however, an even foundation is required. Linoleum is easy to clean, because it is easy to wash, it is waterproof, does not make noise while walking, is not cold, does not rot and is quite durable.

As for some of the shortcomings, perhaps many of them are explained by the price: it is not as environmentally friendly and aesthetic as wood, but wood is not suitable everywhere. Linoleum does not tolerate very high and very low temperatures and can crack. Well, many are familiar with dents from heavy furniture or just objects with a small base area. And with these dents it’s already difficult to do something.

Where to use? All of these properties make linoleum an almost universal material. Therefore, it can be laid in the kitchen, hallway, living room, nursery, in offices. By the way, linoleum is divided into types: commercial, semi-commercial and household. The first one is better suited for places with high traffic, but for a house it is better to choose a semi-commercial one - it is a bit more expensive than a household one, but it will be more reliable in operation.

PVC flooring

A rather interesting coating, which is a kind of hybrid of linoleum and laminate. The fact is that this is a soft relief material, which is available in the form of tiles. Such a coating is quite durable, not very expensive, suitable for rooms with any load, as well as with high humidity. The strength of PVC floors is incredible, especially when you consider their small thickness of 3-7 mm, which is much less than linoleum or other coatings.

Such a floor covering is quite easy to transport, easy to install, it is warm, allows you to isolate the sound. In addition, a huge selection of colors and textures will realize all your ideas.

But, unfortunately, a huge assortment will be only in large cities, in small ones you will have to be content with only a few types. Laying such a floor is not very easy - the process requires certain skills, so it is better to call specialists. And so that during operation no defects are detected, such as drying of joints, etc., you need to pay attention to storage conditions and properly lay the coating.

Where to use? This coating is one of the few that can be attributed to universal.Due to its properties, it is equally well used in the kitchen and in the living room, in the hallway and in the bath. True, it is better to use more traditional coatings such as tiles for the bathroom, but this option also has a place to be.

Parquet flooring

Parquet board - This is a natural, very beautiful and not the cheapest coating. Natural, natural wood brings a special atmosphere to the room, giving it warmth and coziness. And this is not just a feeling, because a tree, indeed, has low thermal conductivity, it is environmentally friendly and breathes.

From parquet boards, you can lay out whole patterns or simply arrange their styling in some unusual way. The tree is reliable, and with proper installation and proper care, it can last a long time. But still, it is subject to moisture, and because of the ability to breathe, the tree dries out in the winter and expands in the summer, and a heated floor with such a coating cannot be equipped. And the cost can scare away many from using such wonderful material.

It is worth noting that today not only parquet boards are called parquet, but also a massive board and piece elements. Massive is understood as a grooved board, which is slightly wider than a parquet. Due to this, it is more prone to deformations, but in order to prevent them from being so noticeable, there is a microfascure on the edges of the board, which hides the visual cracks that may appear. Otherwise, all the advantages and disadvantages remain the same.

Where to use? In residential premises, where there is no influence of adverse factors: living room, bedroom, children's room. Unfortunately, when moisture gets in, the parquet swells and nothing can be done about it.

Laminate

Laminate is becoming more and more popular, as it is not very expensive, and its performance is quite good, and it looks very natural. It is made of fiberboard, several layers of paper on which a specific pattern is applied, a layer of melamine or acrylate resin and a protective film. All this is pressed and as a result, a coating that can transmit the texture of any wood is resistant to mechanical damage, abrasion, sunlight. That is why laminate flooring is often used as an alternative to parquet or board.

In addition, the laminate fits relatively quickly, there are no dents on it even from heavy pieces of furniture, when it looks almost like parquet, it does not require such careful maintenance. It is fire resistant, durable, and although not the most natural and environmentally friendly, it still does not emit a huge amount of harmful substances, therefore it does not harm health.

Before laying laminate it is necessary to lay a special substrate, and the list of surface requirements is wider than for some other coatings. If the base is not sufficiently aligned, then in the end you can get creaks when walking. It is also necessary to strictly observe all the nuances of the technology, otherwise over time blistering and bubbling cannot be avoided. Unfortunately, the laminate, like wood, is afraid of moisture, so you need to use special protective solutions, that is why the use, for example, in the kitchen is undesirable, in extreme cases, it is better to choose an adhesive laminate.

In addition, you need to choose the type of load that is defined by the classes. For residential premises 21, 22 and 23 classes are suitable: the higher the figure, the higher the load the laminate can withstand, last longer and cost more.

Where to use? For all the above properties, the conclusion suggests itself that the ideal place for a laminate is a living room, a bedroom and a nursery. With a special desire, of course, you can use it in the kitchen, but this will lead to unnecessary problems and troubles.

Cork

Cork coating is made from shavings of bark of a cork tree impregnated with organic resins, which is why it is natural, environmentally friendly, has properties such as sound absorption and thermal insulation.It can be produced in the form of plates or rolls, which is not very difficult to use and is perfect where warm floors, environmental friendliness and silence are appreciated.

In addition, cork floors are quite resistant to deformation, even from heavy furniture there are no traces. It’s quite easy to care for the coating, as it is resistant to aggressive media (with the exception of alkalis), so many detergents are suitable. The surface itself comes out non-slip, which is also appreciated in certain types of rooms, as well as resistant to many types of pests.

However, under the influence of moisture, such a floor can begin to swell, and it can easily be scratched by the heels or claws of pets, since the tensile strength is not very high. And low thermal conductivity does not make it possible to organize a warm floor in the room, although with such a coating it is not needed. And the price is not the lowest: if you take into account all the necessary materials, it will come out almost the same as parquet.

Where to use? Great for bedrooms, nurseries, living rooms. Use for hallways and kitchens is problematic, and for bathrooms and bathrooms is unacceptable.

Floor board

Undoubtedly, an environmentally friendly, natural material that, with proper care, will last more than a dozen years. The boards have low thermal conductivity, and the floor in the room will not cool too much.

In principle, since this is a natural tree, all the disadvantages and advantages have already been described. It is worth emphasizing once again that the board is also afraid of moisture, so protection measures will need to be taken.

Where to use? The floor board is now widely used for cottages, country houses, verandas, as well as residential premises, including bedrooms and living rooms especially if specific interior style selected.

Ceramic tile

It is ceramic tile that is indispensable where moisture resistance, strength, durability, resistance to dirt, grease, resistance to loads, sunlight, temperature extremes, etc. are required from the floor covering. In addition, with a modern variety of possible tile options, the eyes will run even for experienced designers, because it can be different in size, with a different pattern - from plain to imitate even wood, shiny or matte, different in degree of slip. All this allows you to originally design the interior, creating various drawings, laying out in an interesting manner. It is easy to look after a tile, just to wash, practically any detergents can be used.

The thermal conductivity of the tile is quite high, and this is both a plus and a minus: walking barefoot will be unpleasant, since the coating is cold, but warm floors are just the way, as heat will pass well. Although the tile and a sufficiently durable material, this does not remove fragility from it, so it is better to use the services of professionals when laying it. When heavy objects fall on the floor, cracks can form, which is also related to the disadvantages of the coating.

Where to use? Ceramic tiles are good where there is high humidity or people passing: bath, kitchen, toilet, hallway, corridor, offices, shops, etc. But in bedrooms and children’s rooms, such a coating is rare, it doesn’t have a place here, although it is acceptable if there are underfloor heating.

Stone floor

This is a rather expensive coating that does not have such popularity as some of the materials described above. Mostly natural stone is used, most often granite and marble, which makes the floor uniquely expensive and chic in appearance, but quite cold, however, the system of warm floors will save in this case too.

But stone floors very durable, resistant to falling objects, and to heavy furniture, and to heels, and to moisture, and to the sun. It is easy to care for him, especially since many detergents are not able to affect him negatively.

By the way, an artificial stone is also used, which practically does not differ in properties from a natural analogue.

Where to use? This cover is for elegant hallways, kitchens and bathrooms. By the way, in countries with a hot climate, such floors are in demand for other rooms, because they have an important feature for them - they cool the room. We are trying to heat the floor, so the use of a stone floor has not gained wide popularity.

Self-leveling floors

Bulk, or polymeric, floors - one of the newest materials in the market of a floor covering. There are several types of bulk floor depending on the composition, but still it is based on polymers. So, the prepared base is poured with a semi-liquid mixture, leveled and left to solidify. The result is a perfectly smooth and seamless, as if rubberized, surface. The process requires some skill, and time for preparation and solidification.

The benefits of a new type of coating can be described for a long time. But, in short, it is durability, water resistance, resistance to microorganisms and chemicals, resistance to a wide range of temperatures, ease of care, fire resistance. Separately, it is worth noting aesthetics, since you can choose any color, make a floor of several colors, or even organize a picture: 3D floors are popular.

If you look for flaws, you can find fault with the high price, the complexity of the work on the device, as well as the property to fade under the influence of sunlight.

Where to use? The bulk floor has great opportunities for use: kitchens, bathtubs, children's rooms, trading floors, etc.

Carpet covering

What no matter how warm soft carpetcan make a room cozy? It is pleasant to the touch, always warm, varied in color, length of the pile, type of material used. In addition, the carpet provides good heat and noise insulation. It can be produced both as whole sheets or as separate tiles, which are then easily removed from the base.

Carpet is now characterized by a fairly low price, a variety of colors, but now, like all carpets, it collects dust, so it requires frequent cleaning. It is also very sensitive to moisture and sunlight, which can burn out.

Where to use? Great for living room, bedroom and nursery.