We speak to Steve White at Bath Carpets and Flooring about the main considerations when choosing the best flooring options for a family home
Steve White knows a thing or two about making sure that you choose the right flooring for your family home. He’s the owner of Bath Carpets and Flooring who have been providing domestic and professional flooring for 20 years, and before that he was the sale representative for one of the country’s biggest carpet manufacturers.
As such, Steve is regularly talking with mums, dads and carers about the most common questions that they have when choosing the best options for their family home.
What are the main considerations when thinking about flooring for a family home?
Budget is a big consideration. Once fitted, flooring will be used and walked on daily, and there are so many different fibres and qualities that will perform in different ways.
Accessories are as important as the flooring being installed and can be a large part of the final costs. If a floor is uneven, latex or plywood can smooth out and extend the life of your new floor. Similarly, a quality underlay will add insulation, soundproofing and ultimately keep your new carpet looking better for longer.
All of this needs to be factored into budgets. To help, we carry out free site surveys which allows us to advise on the best materials within your budgets.
Is it a good idea to consider different types of flooring for different rooms – for example, a family kitchen, living room and bedrooms?
Yes absolutely. Bedrooms don’t get the same wear as living rooms or stairs, so lighter quality underlays can save expense.
For living rooms and stairs, we offer a vast range of heavy domestic carpets in polypropylene (easy clean), wool mix twist and woollen loop carpets, all of which are tested and graded by the manufacturers.
For wet areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms, we would recommend vinyl floors, which are available in sheet format or Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT). Wood and tile designs are available.
Our showrooms, which runs over two floors deal, has a host of leading manufacturers including Cormar, Brockway, and Karndean.
What types of flooring are the easiest to keep clean?
Man-made fibres are classed as easy clean carpets, as well as being stain resistant and pet and family-friendly. Our easy clean carpet ranges are perfect for all around the home and most come with a stain and wear warranty.
Mostly made from polypropylene, this is a very hard wearing fibre with the colour locked inside the fibre, which means that spillages are not absorbed, making them easier to gently wipe away.
What are the most common mistakes that families make when considering flooring?
You get what you pay for. If one product is £10sq.mtr and another £30sq.mtr, there is a reason for the difference. The yarns used, tightness of pile, quality of the yarn and design all have an influence over the final price. We always welcome families to call into the showroom and discuss your budget, and then we can present the best options to give you the best possible flooring within your budget.