Some myths about flooring

• Lavish floors make for poor interiors
• Expensive flooring gives a richer look
• Cheaper flooring can never give a rich look

Facts

• Over design can kill the overall beauty of the floor
• It is skill and visualization that gives inexpensive material a unique look in combination with other aspects like walls, lighting, colour scheme and furniture

The floor is the base for a beautiful home and should be chosen after much deliberation on functionality and aesthetics.

Flooring is a background to your furniture - it can make or break your décor. So, next time when you decide to rework your house, consider the kind of flooring to use. The most expensive flooring may not give you a value satisfaction if the job is not done right. So, before you plunge into the wide variety of flooring material available in the market, be sure you know your exact requirement.

These are some points that need to be considered before you choose your flooring material:

• The flooring material should give the effect of beauty, spaciousness, cleanliness and should reflect light. Light floors give a feeling of large space whereas dark floors make the room look small
• Flooring should reflect light. The effect of natural light and artificial light and shadow should be considered.
• Even expensive floorings start to look dull over a period of time, so the flooring material should be easy to clean, low on maintenance, should not be stained easily and should be washable whenever needed.
• Flooring material should not require frequent polishing, painting or bleaching.
• It should be durable and long lasting. It should not chip and flake easily.
• It should be accident proof.
• Flooring material should not be too bright, heat conserving or noise reverberating.
• It should be chosen taking into consideration the space available, the density of traffic and the actual user. For example, in a child's bedroom, one should not go for delicate or expensive flooring as they are susceptible to wear and tear.

The selection of flooring material should never be done in isolation without considering the theme or style to be incorporated. Flooring materials are more varied than ever before, offering a combination of fashion and function. But all those attractive new options might leave you feeling a little confused about what best suits your needs.

So weigh your options well, work out the economics and go ahead.