When it comes to decorating your family home, there are lots of flooring options to consider. The trouble with having kids is, they usually make a mess, so my preference is anything that’s easy to clean! In my opinion, carpets seem to stain easily, and look old quickly when you’ve got young children (especially if you’re at the bright orange baby food stage). This is why I prefer an easy to clean option, like engineered wood flooring.
Is Engineered Wood Flooring a Fit For You?
It’s important to weigh up your needs when it comes to a big job such as a flooring overhaul. You need to make sure what you choose will fit in with your family’s needs as well as your budget.
What is engineered wood flooring?
Engineered wood flooring is constructed in a specific way. It’s made of layers of timber that are glued together and finished with hard wood as a top layer. This top layer can be re-finished a number of times for the desired effect.
Why use engineered wood?
It’s been designed with strength in mind and can weather conditions where the temperature is unstable, like conservatories and kitchens. The way it’s made also allowed for longer, wider planks, which means you’re likely to need fewer planks to cover your floors.
Pros for family homes
- Easy to clean, just vacuum and mop and it’s unlikely to stain like a carpet might. As I’ve already mentioned, this is a total winner if you’ve got a little stain-maker living with you!
- Looks smart and stylish.
- Cheaper than solid wood flooring to install, but still looks just as good (in fact, it’s hard to tell the difference in my opinion!)
- Can be used in every room – even kitchens and conservatories.
- Hard wearing and strong – which, let’s face it, is essential for a family home.
- Has a long life, so is likely to last longer than carpets.
- Can be install over concrete, underlay or underfloor heating systems – so it’s compatible with most homes.
- If maintained properly, looks new for longer.
Cons for family homes
- It can feel cool on bare feet, so you might want a rug or two for function and fashion.
- Won’t survive water damage like floods (but will anything?)
- Certain chemicals should be avoided when it comes to cleaning this type of flooring.
In my opinion, this type of flooring is great for the family home and is likely to last from when your children are tiny until they move out (if you look after it properly). Although vacuuming and mopping can seem like a chore, I’ve found living with stained carpets a much bigger source of anguish!
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*This is a collaborative post.