STEP INSIDE LIVING SPACES Taking th Leigh Price, Managing Director of Real Stone & Tile, provides adv


When purchasing new flooring, it is important to consider how much footfall a room will receive. Factors such as colour and texture can play a large part of a homeowner’s decision. Naturally, rooms such as hallways and dining rooms will be subject to more wear, meaning tougher, more durable floorings are better suited to these areas.


There are lots of options to consider when deciding on new flooring, including material, style, colour and size, which people try to match to the design of their homes. Considering how much traffic will be in the area can help you select the ideal flooring for your exact requirements. For example, in a busy area that may house muddy pets and spillages, a darker colour flooring would help to hide those unsightly stains.


I always explain to my customers that it’s good to complement fixtures like cupboard doors, appliances and fittings, to really maximise the appeal of your new flooring and enhance the overall look.


It’s also important to consider the theme of a home or room to ensure your customer creates a style unique to their taste. Specific tiles can improve the theme of a property, while being practical and appropriate for the use of the room. For example, a traditional wood-effect porcelain tile is perfect in a period-style cottage, and, with the right furnishings, can also work well in a modern newbuild home.


It’s imperative that any flooring subject to higher levels of strain has a higher degree of durability so that it maintains its appearance over time. Choosing a more durable tile doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on appearance, however, as there are a range of materials and designs that can complement many themes.


One concern that my customers tend to raise in regards to flooring is staining or damage. Tiles offer a robust, high-quality solution to this problem, and can open up a range of choices in terms of style, size and colour. If wood-style flooring is in keeping with the style of their room, I tend to advise people to opt for wood-effect tiles, which are far lower maintenance than the ‘real thing’. The colour of these tiles will not fade, and there’s no need to treat or varnish the product. You get the same beautiful wood finish with the added benefits of a tougher, durable tile, perfect for areas of the home that experience more wear and tear.


Hallways and porches are very busy and used regularly. From a style perspective, they’re the first thing you see when you enter a home, so selecting a tile that both looks great and lasts is very important. It is also worth remembering that entrance areas can sometimes be exposed to harsher weather, such as rain and snow, so opting for a tile with a matte or textured finish can offer more grip than a tile with a gloss finish.


The texture of a tile, can also impact how a homeowner maintains and cleans their flooring. Muddy footprints are a


22 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors


common occurrence, especially in hallways and porches, and tiles with smoother surfaces can be slightly easier to clean than those with a more rugged texture.


There may be large areas of a home that are more open and subject to high traffic, which will see a significant investment when installing new flooring, so it’s important that the tiles selected are high quality, stylish and able to endure over a long period of time. Depending on the specifications of the space, your customer may want a feature split floor to help divide the areas. They will then have to consider different colour schemes and styles, but an emphasis should always be on a tougher durable tile in areas subject to heavy footfall.


As far as general tiles go for high-traffic areas, natural stone tiles are robust and very easy to style with a wide range of properties. They wear really well too, so any real stone tiles that are installed in a high-traffic area will stand the test of time. There’s a reason that these tiles are so popular, and if you see them in a showroom environment then you will see what a fantastic impact they have. They offer an unrivalled amount of sturdiness and resilience, and are also surprisingly low maintenance. Some variations are slightly tougher than others, with limestone and granite being especially tough and durable. I’d certainly recommend these for any high-traffic rooms.


www.realstoneandtile.co.uk www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com


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