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Advice 1 min read

How to Choose the Right Floor for Your Home

Five questions, answered in order, and the choice narrows itself. A practical route through the decision rather than a catalogue.

Decide first
The room, not the look
Deciding factor
Underfloor heating
Then
Water and traffic
Last
Colour and finish
1/ 4
01

Answer these in order

Most people start with colour and work backwards, then discover halfway through that the floor they fell for cannot go in the room. Reversing the order removes almost all of the frustration.

The room sets the constraints. Within those constraints, taste decides. That is the whole method.

Good to know: Colour is the easiest thing to change your mind about and the last thing that should narrow the field.
02

The five questions

Each one removes options, and by the fifth you have a shortlist rather than a catalogue.

1
Is there underfloor heating?
If yes, solid wood is out. Engineered wood, LVT and tiles are all suitable. This single answer removes more options than any other.
2
How much water does the room see?
Bathrooms and wet rooms point to LVT or porcelain. Kitchens are fine with LVT or engineered wood if spills are wiped.
3
How hard is the traffic?
Hallways and family homes reward a matt textured finish and a busier grain, which disguise daily marks.
4
What is the subfloor?
Concrete favours engineered or LVT. Timber joists open the door to solid wood. It also decides your fitting method.
5
Now choose the look
Width, tone, grade and finish. By this point the constraints have done the hard work.
See also
03

What each construction is good at

A short summary to check your answer against.

Engineered wood
Real oak, stable, suitable for underfloor heating, repairable. The default choice in most modern homes.
Solid wood
The traditional floor for timber subfloors in period properties. Not suitable over underfloor heating.
LVT
Handles water, warm and quiet underfoot, suitable for underfloor heating. Kitchens, bathrooms and busy hallways.
Tiles
The most water resistant and the best heat conductor. Cold without underfloor heating.
Laminate
A printed surface. Does a real job on a tighter budget in a dry room.
See also
04

Then order samples

No screen shows you oak. Colour, sheen and texture all change with the light in your own room, and this is the step that prevents an expensive change of mind.

Shortlist about three
Enough to compare, few enough to decide between.
Look in daylight and lamplight
A tone that works at noon can be completely different at seven in the evening.
Put it against your skirting
And against the door frames and the kitchen units. Those are what it has to live with.
Leave it down for a week
Samples are 1.99 pounds each, up to 10 per order and 2 per product. The right one usually announces itself.
Narrowed it down to two or three?
That is exactly the point to order samples. Most people shortlist three and the right one announces itself within a week.
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