Choosing a floor covering, or how to choose the right one

Today we can find a plethora of flooring types on the market, not to mention their patterns. We could find hundreds, if not thousands of them. When choosing, we need to take into account, first of all, where the covering will be used, each room in the house or apartment has different technical requirements. It also very much depends on whether you are renovating, building a new building or just want to change the type of floor covering. For some types of flooring, it is not enough to lay only the top layer, but structural modifications are also necessary, e.g. levelling with a self-levelling squeegee.

Vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring has been one of the most popular floors in the last few years. It can be used in all rooms. Vinyl rolls and parts are available on the market. However, the absolute smoothness of the surface on which the vinyl flooring is to come is a must. The installation options are as follows:

  • without gluing – up to 20 m2
  • full glued – over 20 m2
  • floating

For floating, it is a HDF board with an adhesive surface layer, which is made of vinyl. This is laid in a similar way to laminate.

Flooring

Tiled flooring is especially suitable for bathrooms, hallways or kitchens. However, in many houses you would find it in every room. It’s easy to maintain and is great in combination with underfloor heating. There’s nothing better than coming into the house in the winter and warming your frozen feet on the floor. There is a wide range of designs and decors on the market.

Laminate flooring

Laminate or floating flooring is one of the most popular types of flooring. It is easy to install and there are many types to choose from. Another advantage is affordability, but often at the expense of quality. Over time, the boards can start to delaminate and form unsightly joints. Some may not be very resistant to abrasion. Sound insulation is also a disadvantage. If you live in an apartment building, the neighbor below you will hear almost every step you take.  

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Linoleum and marmoleum

Do you know the difference between them? Linoleum or PVC is a 100% man-made material. Marmoleum, on the other hand, is a purely natural product that is made up of jute fabric, cork crumb, natural linseed oil resin and colour pigments. They are comparable in quality, but the difference will be mainly in the price, where you will pay considerably more for marmoleum, but you can feel warm that you have made a little bit of a difference to the planet. With PVC, you will also find a much wider choice of decors.

Wood flooring

In the past, wooden floors were among the most commonly used. Wood was readily available and easy to work with. The advantages include, above all, durability and longevity. Should the flooring become worn over the years, it can then be repaired again – sanded and refinished. It does not require excessive care and is also environmentally friendly. The downside is the higher price, but on the other hand it will last you a lifetime. It is also important to install it correctly so that over time, due to humidity and temperature, unsightly gaps do not appear.

Carpet

The carpet is especially suitable for children’s rooms, in the period when small children spend most of their time on the floor. However, it’s not very good for maintenance there, as it holds dust and mites, despite being vacuumed daily, unless you have an extra powerful vacuum cleaner. Other rooms are more suited to smaller piece rugs, to complement and brighten up the interior.