A house with kids is not always easy to maintain. You want to make the most of your time with your kids, but on the other hand, a house will start looking much more tired with greater footfall from little ones running around. One of the elements that end up the most worn in a family home is the floor. For this reason, it is very important that you carefully choose the most suitable for your house. Not only are the looks important, but it needs to be practical and budget-friendly too. So, if you are wondering which floors are suitable when you have kids at home, here Luxury Flooring & Furnishings list the best ones.
Solid wood is a 100% natural product. It is the most traditional flooring, and for this reason is highly popular. It is incredibly durable and lasts more than a lifetime, so even though it can be quite expensive, it is a floor that needs to be seen as a worthwhile long-term investment. Real wood also attracts less dust and mould, which makes it really hygienic – something very important when you have kids. As for styles, the most common one is highly durable oak flooring, but other woods such as walnut, acacia and bamboo are popular too. However, real wood is not always suitable for your home. Because it is a natural material, it can’t withstand moisture, humidity, or temperature fluctuations, so solid wood flooring can’t be installed where there is underfloor heating or too much moisture. This would cause the wood to expand and contract and damage the boards.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered is seen as the alternative to solid wood. At first glance, you would think an engineered floor is actually solid wood, but in fact, only the surface is made of wood. The rest of the floor is made of plywood layers, which makes the floor synthetic. This means that while you have a stunning and authentic wood looking floor, you also have greater resistance to temperature fluctuations, humidity and moisture. So, even if you have underfloor heating, for example, you can still enjoy a wood floor but with much more practicality. Engineered wood flooring also comes in a wide range of wood species such as oak or acacia, but just like its hardwood counterpart, if you are on a tight budget, engineered flooring can be quite pricey.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate is the perfect alternative to engineered if you are on a tight budget. Like engineered, it looks like wood but it is totally artificial – it can even imitate stone or tiles. Laminate has lots of interesting features such as being water-resistant, so if one of your little ones causes a spillage, don’t worry, as you can you remove it straight away without staining or visible damage. The synthetic layers that compose the floor also make it very resistant to heavy footfall so scratches are not an issue with laminate. You may be wondering how well it imitates wood – well, as the floor has a printed photographic image layer, it can be indistinguishable from the real thing. With laminate, you can find a wide range of wood species, colours and shades for any home.
As you can see, having a family doesn’t have to limit you in your choices – you can always find a great floor for your dream look!
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Clare
Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.
