The Interior Design of Floors

Image Courtesy of Studio Santalla

Making the perfect floor decision can be a real dilemma. Other than ceilings, what's underfoot represents the largest expanse of a single color and texture in your home. Get it wrong and you’ll tear your hair out trying to cover it up or disguise it. From a functional angle, floors are born to be walked on, scratched by furniture, and bombed with dropped canned goods. So what is the best floor you could possibly chose for looks and durability? The first rule is, don’t under think it.

Image Courtesy of Nash Floors

Going the route of wood for the interior design of floors takes you into a dizzying array of species choices, plank widths, hardness factors, finishes, and wood construction methods. “Engineered” wood is made from a layer of plywood covered with a layer of hardwood on top. It’s less expensive than solid hardwood, expands and contracts less, and some types can be sanded and refinished.

Solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished but some species contract with changes in the home’s humidity which leave gaps in between the planks. The most popular choice in wood floors remains an old stand-by, oak. As seen above, oak and other mid range to dark hardwoods are usually associated with more traditional rooms. Contemporary spaces usually use lighter colored species like maple or ash.

Image Courtesy of Daltile

Tile made from porcelain, ceramic or stone is another popular choice. It lasts forever and comes in rainbows of colors, textures and sizes. Keep in mind that all natural stone, including marble, granite and limestone are porous and must be sealed to prevent staining. When using tile, you can make a small room look bigger but using larger size tiles. The finish on stone tiles can also be changed by “tumbling” which takes off some sheen, and “honing” which makes them smoother.

The rap against tile is that it can look a little "commercial" or cold - but it can also be warmed up with the right rugs. Use darker, more rustic finishes for traditional rooms, lighter for a more contemporary look. There are other exotic floor coverings that can be considered including self leveling concrete, rubber and decorative painting, as seen below. The interior design of floors is just one of the design elements that need to be taken into account.