Combining new technology and reclaimed materials for floors
Check out some of the newest technologies and reclaimed materials that are becoming the hottest products in flooring.
The economy may be keeping a lid on spending, but when it comes to flooring, it’s driving trends. That’s because today’s cost-conscious consumer is more demanding of value than ever.
Vinyl in demand
Choices for resilient vinyl flooring include a spectrum of styles, colours, textures and patterns. Add in vinyl’s easy-to-clean characteristics, comfort under foot and family-friendly stain-resistance, and the result is increasing popularity with value-hungry shoppers.
The demand continues for luxury vinyl - top-quality resilient flooring with lookalike qualities that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from stone, wood plank and ceramic tile. The ability of these products to mimic traditional high-end materials, such as tumbled marble and exotic hardwoods, puts extraordinary good looks at the feet of ordinary homeowners at a fraction of the cost.
Carpeting the way
The variety of carpets these days is nothing short of amazing. Pattern, design, colours, interesting cuts, the whole feel of the material. There’re more wow-factor choices than ever.
Greener options
Non-toxic cork is taken from bark of the cork oak
tree. Cork is a sustainable material, meaning the bark grows back and can be harvested repeatedly. Cork is an especially popular option for flooring in bathroom, kitchens and high-traffic areas, as it is water and mould resistant.
Bamboo has been used in home design in Eastern Cultures for centuries, but in recent years its popularity has grown exponentially due to its popularity in Western cultures. This is due to bamboo’s hard wearing, low maintenance and aesthetically beautiful properties, and it’s an eco-friendly and value for money material too. Strand Woven bamboo flooring is created by compressing the bamboo fibres under enormous pressure and reconstituting with a special resin glue.
The resulting
material is twice as hard as solid bamboo, and is exceptionally impact and wear resistant. Because of the way that it is
made, the strand-woven flooring does not have the typical bamboo grain patterns, but has an
appearance more like conventional timber.
Glistening glass mosaic tiles shimmer like mother-of-pearl, offering a moisture-proof, high-end look that particularly suites bathroom installations. Many glass tiles are now created from recycled glass for an environmentally-friendly installation. The translucent nature of glass creates amazing 3-D imagery, while the square edged, refined finish, gives off a sophisticated look and glass tiles compliment and bring to life any setting into which they are placed.
Glass tiles give an unmatched depth of colour and almost seem to bring the surface to life when light is shone upon it. With glass tiles, paint is baked onto the back. This means that once installed, the life of a glass tile is usually longer than that of a ceramic tile, as the paint is protected. Glass tiles are (SABS) rated 3 times stronger and are more durable than similar thickness ceramic tiles.
Ceramic tiles are the most common, but there are a variety of other materials used for tiling.
Natural stone tiles, such as; marble, granite and sandstone can be expensive, but are durable and years later if you’re renovating and need to move plumbing for example, you can buy more, as the slightly different tones in the tiles add character.
Tiles of man-made materials, such as glass and ceramics are much more affordable, but the ranges are available indefinitely, so be sure to have extras set aside for later down the line.
Tiles have been around for centuries and are today still one of the most popular forms of wall and floor covering. Tiles have a neat and slick appearance that will definitely not be going out of fashion soon – and best of all is that DIY enthusiasts and homeowners with a limited budget can install and thus revamp their homes themselves without too much trouble.
The variety of tiles out there is mind-boggling and it’s easy to be overwhelmed when selecting the correct options that will suite your home and your style. Tiles are easy to clean and are waterproof, therefore providing an excellent choice for wall and floor coverings in your high traffic areas like, bathrooms, kitchens and living areas.