Lots of choice nowadays! (Flooring in general)

Member Name: justathought

Product:	Flooring in general
Date:	24/08/09 (17 review reads)
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Okay, so here's the list of flooring that I've had experience with:

Carpets

This is what I've grown up with in my house since childhood. I have it in the bedrooms, the hall, and the living room. Carpets are good for having a warm feel in the house but are not so good for those with asthma as the dust can gather in the fibres, causing irritation. Carpets also have to be hoovered quite often, and can look dated if you pick something that's too trendy only at one time point. It's also important to find a balance between one that is hardwearing enough to last, doesn't cost too much, and feels nice when you walk barefoot. In the living room, I have carpet that is sort of waffle patterned and um ropey? Don't know if that's the best way to describe it but the fibres are quite short. Unfortunately though, it is a pale colour, which means that stains show up quite clearly, and it has indents, which means that it is quite difficult to clean spills up properly. In the bedrooms, I have a lovely soft, thick, cream coloured carpet. This looks and feels lovely, but as I have long hair, which ruins the look, it has to be hoovered a lot, and there are some make up spills which have left it slightly stained, but it does still look nice. On my stairs, the carpet fitter didn't bother putting underlay underneath, making the carpet feel less bouncy, and it is also quite noisy to walk up the stairs compared to walking around other parts of the house

Tiles

These are used in the bathrooms (I don't like the idea of carpet in the bathrooms as it seems unhygienic to me, and can get quite damp and smelly) and kitchen in my house. Tiles can look really nice and individual as you can choose borders etc which are to your taste. It is important though, to pick floor tiles that are quite thick so that they are less likely to crack if you drop something on them. The tiles in my kitchen are very thick, and none have ever cracked (it's been there for around 6 years) although I have dropped lots of glasses etc on it. The floor tiles need to be mopped often, and occasionally scrubbed clean. My last tiler said that if you clean the grouting really thoroughly a couple of times with blue bleach, then apply a special glaze, it will keep the grouting looking clean. I haven't tried this yet. It is important to clean the tiles near showers etc often, as soap scum andmildew can build up if you don't.

Lino

I used to have lino in the kitchen. As it was flatter (as it doesn't have grouting), it was more convenient to clean, but did seem to get dirty more quickly. Lino is also much cheaper than tiles, and can feel warmer than tiles if you walk on it barefoot.

Thanks for reading!

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