Beautiful House

Flooring is the general term use to refer to  a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Floor covering is a term to describe any finish material applied over a floor structure used as a walking surface. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials.

Materials almost always classified as floor covering include carpet, area rugs, and resilient flooring such as linoleum or vinyl flooring. Materials commonly called flooring include wood flooring, ceramic tile, stone, terrazzo, and various seamless chemical floor coatings.

There are many types of floor covering, with new materials being introduced all the time. Changing an old carpet with a new laminate wood floor, or stripping old floorboards, can give a room a different and terrific atmosphere. Here is a summary of what is available in the market today. Chose from the selection an ideal floor covering in your Singapore property home.

Sanded and varnished floorboards

• Suitable finish for boards in excellent condition and without gaps.
• The floor is sanded with a heavy-duty sanding machine that can be hired for just a single  day or even on a weekend. economical , and fairly simple you can  do it yourself. Sanding a floor is noisy and dusty work, however.
• The finished surface is noisy underfoot. Can be draughty on a ground floor if boards are not tongued-and-grooved.
• Sweep or vacuum-clean frequently to remove grit, which can scratch the surface. Wipe up spills with a damp cloth. Polish regularly. Lightly sand worn areas and revarnish.

Vinyl tiles

• Vast range of colours, patterns and price. Available in imitation ceramic, wood or stone as well as cheaper smooth vinyl.
• Sanitize , easily cleaned. Resistant to spills. Recommended for kitchens and bathrooms.
• Smooth vinyl is slippery when wet. Cushion-backed types are warmer, safer and quieter underfoot.
• Clean as for sheet vinyl, but beware of using too much water in washing , water could get under the joins.

Ceramic tiles

• Range from traditional square or rectangular tiles to specialist, handmade tiles of various shapes. Ceramic tiles can be very slippery, but anti-slip tiles are available.
• Durable , easily cleaned and highly resistant to stains and spillages. Wide choice of patterns and colours.
• Unglazed ceramic tiles has a tendency to be porous, and are unsuitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
• Costly . Timber sub-floor requires strengthening before laying. Noisy underfoot. Cold if walked on in bare feet. Crockery breaks if dropped on it.

   

  Cast out surface grit by sweeping or vacuum cleaning, then wash with non-abrasive detergent in water. Keep water to a minimum to avoid seepage under tiles. Scrub stubborn marks and ingrained dirt round edges of tiles.

Terracotta and quarry tiles

Terracotta tiles and their budget-priced option , quarry tiles, are a more rustic alternative to ceramic tiles. Quarry tiles are less porous than terracotta tiles, but do not have the subtle shading of terracotta

• Terracotta is warmer underfoot compared from  other hard floor tiles. Both types are hard-wearing and can be cleaned easily. Good choice of brown and red shades.
• Noisy when walked on . Can break  crockery if dropped. Their thickness makes them difficult to cut. If laid on a timber floor, these tiles require a 13mm plywood underlay.
• Terracotta tiles need a primer or treatment applied before installation, plus wax or sealant every few months to maintain their surface finish.

Sheet vinyl

• Smooth vinyl is economical, cushioned vinyl is softer underfoot. Wide range of patterns and colours. Linoleum is a conventional floor covering that is recently regaining popularity.

  It can be more difficult to lay but is very resilient and more resistant to burns than vinyl. It comes in a wide range of colours and patterns.

• Hygienic, easily cleaned, resistant to spills. Inexpensive flooring for kitchens and bathrooms.
• Smooth vinyl is slippery when wet. Cushion-backed varieties are warmer, safer and quieter underfoot.
• Vacuum-clean or sweep to remove grit. Wash with detergent. Remove scuff marks by gently rubbing with fine steel wool lubricated with white spirit, taking care not to rub through top surface.

Carpet

• Wide range of colour and price. Available as fitted carpet, carpet squares or carpet tiles. Gives feeling of warmth and comfort. Graded according to use – from heavily used stairs to low-use spare bedrooms.
• Good-quality carpet is expensive . Spills acros the surface may cause permanent staining.
• Vacuum-clean frequently to remove grit which can harm fibres. Remove stains with proprietary cleaner. Rearrange carpet tiles to even out wear.
• Carpets are the least environmentally friendly floorcovering alternative . It generates pollution and they emit different levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Production methods are improving, however, you have to  check the manufacturer’s specifications for your concerns.

Wood

• Wood floors come as strips or mosaic panels. Some are nailed down, some are stuck down, and some simply interlock and ‘float’ on the floor below.Because solid timber is so costly , most wood floors are laminated floors, consisting of a thin top veneer layer fixed to a strong bottom layer of softwood or high-density fibreboard (HDF).
• Luxurious and long-lasting in your  living rooms, dining rooms and even  halls.
• Natural wood is expensive. Laminated wood strip is unexpensive , but the cheapest printed types do not wear well. Noisy underfoot.
• You can remove surface dirt with the use of  vacuum cleaner to minimise scratching. Varnished floors can be wiped down with a damp cloth.

Environmentally friendly options
There are a  wide range of natural, renewable flooring materials  that you can chose from . If you’re concerned about VOCs (volatile organic compounds) make sure the materials have not been treated with chemicals and avoid synthetic adhesives.

Bamboo
Floorboards made from this prolific type of grass are strong, durable and moisture-resistant. They don’t warp and are free of knots and other flaws found in woods. Verify that no formaldehyde glues or synthetic sealants have been applied.

Coir
A crude material obtained from the outer husk of the coconut, coir is very hard-wearing. It’s ideal for heavy traffic areas such as halls and living spaces.

Cork
Renewable and recyclable, the bark of the cork tree is harvested once every nine years, then regenerates. Cultivation requires no irrigation, fertilisers or pesticides. Cork flooring is soft, warm and resilient, a good heat and sound insulator and does not collect dust. Non-PVC-coated tiles are the greenest option.

Jute
The woven yarn made from fibres of the stalks of the Cochorus or jute plant provides a soft, absorbent material that is ideal for bedrooms but not suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, stairs or living areas.

Seagrass
Woven from the fibers of various species of seagrass, this material is tough, hard-wearing and naturally anti static and stain-resistant. Not suited to damp rooms, nor to high-traffic areas, as its waxy fibres can be slippery.

Sisal
The tightly woven yarn made from the fibres of the agave plant producessturdy flooring that is naturally antibacterial and antistatic – but it marks and stains easily.