Renovating
Underrated, Alternative and Affordable Flooring to Consider
Looking to go beyond traditional expensive flooring? These alternatives might be for you
Looking for low-cost but big-impact flooring that will transform your space? Look no further! These underrated materials are stylish, affordable, hardwearing, easy to find and can add character to any space. See for yourself…
Painted concrete floors work in every room and are cool to walk on.
Key flooring terms you need to know
Key flooring terms you need to know
Stencilling a concrete floor is ideal for small areas such as a foyer, powder room, study or dining nook. It replaces the need for a rug and conceals dirt in high-traffic or stain-prone areas.
Find a renovation professional
Find a renovation professional
Slate
Slate is a hard durable flooring surface, perfect for high-traffic areas such as kitchens, living rooms and entrances. Slate also ages beautifully. The only upkeep is to reseal it every two or three years for maximum protection. Paired with timber, it gives depth, warmth and a timeless elegance to any dwelling.
Slate is a hard durable flooring surface, perfect for high-traffic areas such as kitchens, living rooms and entrances. Slate also ages beautifully. The only upkeep is to reseal it every two or three years for maximum protection. Paired with timber, it gives depth, warmth and a timeless elegance to any dwelling.
Slate is a very versatile product, when it comes to style. It works as well in a rustic home as in a much more contemporary setting. Slate’s non-slippery, natural cleft texture is ideal for bathrooms.
Cork
Soft and warm underfoot, and easy to lay and maintain, cork floors were big in the ‘70s for all the right reasons. Today’s cork floors are even better: they are more hardwearing and come in a variety of tile sizes and colours. Their noise-reduction property makes them ideal for apartment living.
Soft and warm underfoot, and easy to lay and maintain, cork floors were big in the ‘70s for all the right reasons. Today’s cork floors are even better: they are more hardwearing and come in a variety of tile sizes and colours. Their noise-reduction property makes them ideal for apartment living.
Cork is a safe material. It is anti-allergenic and resistant to insects – perfect for homes with pets and babies. It is a sustainable material with a natural look that will please the environmentally conscious homeowner.
Vinyl
Vinyl floors have come a long way since the old days. The variety and the quality of finishes available today make them suitable for a very wide range of applications and homes (and commercial dwellings, too!). Unlike laminate – vinyl’s biggest competitor on the market – vinyl flooring is moisture resistant and is a great option to consider for kitchens, laundries and bathrooms. And if you don’t like the clickety sound of heels on laminate floors, rejoice, vinyl is virtually noise-free.
Vinyl floors have come a long way since the old days. The variety and the quality of finishes available today make them suitable for a very wide range of applications and homes (and commercial dwellings, too!). Unlike laminate – vinyl’s biggest competitor on the market – vinyl flooring is moisture resistant and is a great option to consider for kitchens, laundries and bathrooms. And if you don’t like the clickety sound of heels on laminate floors, rejoice, vinyl is virtually noise-free.
Today, quality vinyl flooring is made of planks imitating a variety of timbers, and it comes in different colours and widths. You are guaranteed to find one that will suit your design. They even have a textured surface that looks so much like “the real thing” you can hardly tell that what you are walking on is man-made.
Just like laminate floors, vinyl planks can be assembled by clicking the panels together. Some, though, need to be glued to floor. They are super easy to cut: no special saw needed, and they are dust-free. Being such a light and easy-to-work-with material, you can experiment a bit: try having your planks laid diagonally, like in this room.
10 reasons you should consider vinyl flooring
10 reasons you should consider vinyl flooring
Plywood
Plywood is a material of choice in industrial-style homes and in modernist design. It is not a common material to use as flooring, though. The quality and durability (and, as a result, the cost, too) of plywood depend very much on the type of timber used for the veneer. The cheaper ones will tend to be too soft to handle much foot traffic. Higher quality plywood would be perfect in the bedrooms and study, and could also be considered for living areas. Plywood comes as large sheets that will have to be firmly attached to the slab underneath. The sheets can be cut into any size and shape you want for a custom-made floor.
Plywood is a material of choice in industrial-style homes and in modernist design. It is not a common material to use as flooring, though. The quality and durability (and, as a result, the cost, too) of plywood depend very much on the type of timber used for the veneer. The cheaper ones will tend to be too soft to handle much foot traffic. Higher quality plywood would be perfect in the bedrooms and study, and could also be considered for living areas. Plywood comes as large sheets that will have to be firmly attached to the slab underneath. The sheets can be cut into any size and shape you want for a custom-made floor.
Plywood can be clear sealed for a ‘raw’ unfinished look. But it can also be stained or whitewashed in order to enhance the unique irregularities of its veneer. It is an easy material to work with, perfect for the homeowner-on-a-budget who wants to add character to his or her house, as well as maximum flexibility in terms of colour and size.
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Which of these would you use in your home? Share with us in the Comments below.
TELL US
Which of these would you use in your home? Share with us in the Comments below.
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Painted concrete floors are a great low-cost option. Painting will protect the concrete slab from moisture while giving it a seamless, clean look. Easy to clean, allergy-free and super hardwearing, the occasional chip can be fixed with a couple of brush strokes. And when you feel like a change of scenery, just repaint the floor in a different shade!