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Totally Floored

Interior design expert Jill Evans discusses how to choose flooring that will best suit your house.

You are absolutely right to devote time to sourcing flooring, as your choice will influence the whole style of the house and be a considerable part of your budget. Visit showrooms where floors are laid in reasonable sizes rather than just hung up as samples. Take samples of a few you like, with all details and prices and their guesstimate for laying costs. After some thought discard all the samples except your two favourites and then imagine yourself how each would look, feel and sound. Flooring affects absolutely everything but is often overlooked.

Natural stone flooring has always been found in the best homes. The individuality of each natural piece improves with age and although the cost of buying and laying is quite high, it should reflect on the overall value of the house. Specialist local suppliers are important and usually give excellent advice.

Make sure that whatever type of floor you choose, whoever is laying it has done it before - successfully and preferably several times. Devon Stone in Exmouth has a wonderful selection. With a stone floor full of character, simple decoration is all you need for a gorgeous home, whatever the size.

Underfloor heating gives that luxurious feeling of a warm stone floor beneath your feet. There is also the design bonus of avoiding the need for radiators, however some systems can take considerable time to change the temperature in a room and be tricky to repair, so it is worth discussing with your builders.

Tiles are another option and we have a well-known brand - Fired Earth - at Dart's Farm near Exeter. Their namesake terracotta fired earth tiles come in wonderfully warm colours and a variety of finishes, while their stunning porcelain Travertino tiles look exactly like travertine stone but at a better price.

Hardwood flooring (from sustainably managed forests) has been very popular in the last few years. Wooden flooring can have its problems with its various quirks and laying requirements, especially in our climate, so it is important you use very experienced suppliers and fitters who know the ropes.

Solid wood planks look the best, but looking pretty similar is well-priced engineered oak, which has a thick solid wood top layer on multi- layered laminate, making it more stable where this is an issue. Ask suppliers and fitters about aftercare of the flooring which will also depend on the finish you choose, for example waxed finish (clear or slight stain), matt lacquer or oiled.

Whether lovely wide elm or oak boards, or reclaimed parquet, reclaimed wooden flooring gives instant character and enormous appeal to any house.

Reclaimed stone is very desirable for those with patience and a big budget.

Painted floorboards are an inexpensive way to give a room a fresh look and are especially appropriate in a bedroom, with a rug or two. Remember that floorboards are noisier than carpet, especially for the rooms below.

Trendy painted concrete actually looks much better than it sounds, especially in the right place like a studio, conservatory or an action-packed kitchen. Farrow and Ball have special floor paint (and primers where necessary) for wooden and concrete floors.

Carpet has rather been pushed to one side lately by wood and stone, but it is making a comeback and so it should. It has many benefits. lt is quieter, warmer. Feels welcoming and is quick to lay Wool (either a l00% or an 80/20% blend) should keep its good looks for a long time and Feel wonderful, however, there are inexpensive synthetics nowadays that are most acceptable. Local stockists often have good offers so try local first.

Sisal, seagrass and coir create a much-lloved modern classic style with their natural textures and colours, but sometimes tend not to look good for long in areas which get much use.

There are too many different types of rugs to mention, except perhaps favourites such as rag rugs, kilims, modern abstract, hides, plain long pile and tribal. Stone floors, wooden floors and other hard floors certainly benefit from a tug or two, and they really help the acoustics in a room, soften the hardness and add a splash of- colour.

With faux effects and laminates there are enormous variations in cost and design. Try to see as large an area as you can before you buy.

For flooring on a tight budget, especially in a small area like a bathroom, vinyl can be surprisingly stylish especially if you choose something rather unobtrusive in a natural type of colour, such as sea- bleached planks.

With natural rubber flooring you can really enjoy colour and geometric pattern. For instance, a red dimpled- effect rubber floor looks very appealing. It's lovely and quiet too!

Try to have as few different types of flooring as possible and try to choose them roughly the same colour to create an impression of space and flow through the house, from a practical angle, a medium colour - not too light and not too dark - is preferable. However in a large house where space is not an issue, you might try a deeper floor colour for a study or intimate dining room, or very light flooring for an elegant drawing room. A slightly sunken mat-well just inside the front door so the mat is flush with the floor is vital for heavy-traffic homes, with preferably an outside doormat as well.

Whatever your budget, it is well worth spending both money and research time on getting flooring right.

Photographs: Fired Earth, Devon Stone, Farrow and Ball

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