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How to choose the right floor with Alisa & Lysandra

April 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

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You can update your home with paintย and you can change or add to your furnitureย as often as you please, but flooring is something that is unlikely to change in your home for years or decades to come, so making the right decision at the start of your renovation should be high on the agenda.ย In the hierarchy of questions around your interior flooring, you need to consider the following:

Alisa and Lysandra square
Alisa and Lysandra

How much can you spend?

In any build or renovation, budget is important, but investing a few extra dollars on the right flooring is worthwhile. Do your sums, and if dollars are tight, consider cutting costs from other areas of your renovation or build; you will not regret it.

Will it stay or will it go?

Are you likely to keep this property or sell it after a few years? If youโ€™re renovating for investment purposes you can afford to choose more mainstream and cost-effective flooring options. If youโ€™re likely to sell later on, we still recommend you invest in good flooring that will not age or feel the effects of use and foot traffic in the meantime.

What look and feel appeals to you?

This is the part where you need to make an emotional connection with your floor. Yes, you read that correctly. How do you want to feel when you wake up in the morning? Picture yourself walking barefoot and most importantly picture your home in winter. For instance, how will it feel walking on timber floorboards as opposed to tiles?ย Then consider your decor and architecture; make a choice of at least two types of flooring and create a mood board โ€“ it will instantly highlight which option compliments both your decor and layout.

Does your chosen look and feel meet the demands of your lifestyle?

Whilst the idea of carpeting your entire home feels warm and cosy, itโ€™s not likely to be the best option especially if you have children and pets. Consider how much foot traffic your home is likely to receive over the years and the activities that will take place in your space. Are you big on entertaining? Frequent dinner parties and get togethers can easily damage floors that are prone to scratching or breakage.ย If you are renovating for investment purposes, you will need to consider the exact same questions because chances are that at sale time your buyer will be too.

Image: Choices Flooring
Image: Choices Flooring

Will you love it in years to come?

Weโ€™ve transformed a number of homes where the owners were quick to point out that their flooring was impractical, the wrong colour and in may cases theyโ€™ve referred to it as cringe worthy!ย Remember that your floor will need to seamlessly accommodate your styling choices forย years to come. For this reason it is important to pay particular attention to the hues and colours available to you and make the right textural and colour choices from the start.

From our experience with home renovations, weโ€™ve come to love four types of flooring, and with the exception of bathrooms, there is no surprise that tiles did not make an appearance onย our list!

  1. Hardwoods

Still one of the most popular flooring options, hardwoods or solid timber floorboards will add warmth, softness and an ageless appeal to a home. If youโ€™re renovating an older home you may already have good quality timber floorboards laying dormant and covered under lino or carpet; and with a good sand and polish they can come up looking beautifully, saving you thousands of dollars. Solid timber floors are easy to maintain, they are generally sound proof and can be extremely durable if sealed well. If budget allows, consider Royal Oak for its gorgeous ash shades and soft contemporary feel.

  1. Polished concrete

The popular myth that polished concrete only suits modern homes is now long gone, and for good reason. Polished concrete is extremely durable, incredibly easy to maintain, and will survive through high traffic without looking worn. Sure, some may argue that it feels relatively cold, but this can be counteracted with the use of seasonal carpet or rugs.ย We love it because itโ€™s highly versatile and the colour options are endless!

  1. Stone

Natural stone flooring is a more eclectic style of flooring due to its high cost and lack of uniformity. It will not suit all homes or budgets, but it will make a statement in your home particularly if you want your floor to be the main feature. Even though itโ€™s not our most frequent choice we love that it is natural and no one piece is the same, giving you a one-of-a-kind look and feel.

  1. Carpet

Whilst we donโ€™t recommend carpeting the entire home, we do like the warmth of carpets in key areas such as bedrooms and sitting rooms. Wool carpet is strong, feels pleasant and is fairly resilient. We love natural fibres and for this reason we also recommend sisal and jute which will suit most contemporary-classic decors.

Image: Choices Flooring
Image: Choices Flooring

Your choice of floor has the capacity to make or break your renovation especially if youโ€™re considering a quick sale. Make sure you donโ€™t rush the process and remember to create and work with a mood board.

Read all the twinsโ€™ posts.

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Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial family category and they're a special gift. So ends three weeks with @danisteve81 who left her husband and son in the UK (I'm forever grateful they lent her to me!) to come and cheer me up and help me in the most practical ways after I spent Christmas and New Year in hospital. There were tears and I miss her so much already but how amazing to have had all that time together as adults. Such a rare treat and would never have happened without having been through something so challenging. Silver linings and all that. So many other friends have also been incredibly thoughtful and kind. There aren't many times I'd say this without cringing but I am 100% blessed!

I still cannot believe we have been friends since we were 12! 12! Are you still close with your childhood besties?
The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_ho The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_house is a work of art and while almost every surface was updated, the decision to keep the original slate floor was genius if you ask us. 

Owner @clarehillier__ says: "With its purple, pink, red and brown tones, the slate was the starting point for our interior palette."

Come and check out the before and afters via link in bio now and read the reno story. It's a real beauty.

And you can book it for your next holiday too!

Blair Smith Architecture @kateshanasy

#slatefloor #slatefloors #80shouse #80sbeauty #camillohouse #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #realreno #holidayhousesofinstagram #morningtonpeninsulahomes #morningtonpeninsula #morningtonpeninsulasmallbusiness #blairgowrie #blairgowriebeach #airbnbstyle
Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’— Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’—
Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for thr Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for three decades going out for a child-free dinner ๐Ÿ’“๐Ÿ˜
Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damia Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damianfrancis 

This doesn't happen often these days!
Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks since leaving hospital and I'm doing much better than I expected to be at this early stage. A long recovery road ahead but making progress in how much I can move my arm and although I drag myself through some days non-stop yawning, others I can go for a little walk or out for lunch before collapsing on the couch! I can now tie my own hair back and put on a real bra which is very exciting ๐Ÿคฃ Having my bestie here to help us with the boys, drive me places and just be brilliant positive company is the best thing I could have asked for not to mention the many Dinner Ladies vouchers from friends! Thanks for all your kind messages, cards, flowers, gifts and offers of help โค๏ธ
I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping to raise some awareness off the back of my misfortune (and also very lucky escape).

@newsouthwaleshealth have just put out this warning about a rise in serious bacterial infections. iGAS (invasive group A streptococcus) is what caused my necrotising fasciitis and sepsis.

Apparently there's similar happening in VIC too.

It's extremely rare but very serious nonetheless so please have a read and be aware of symptoms. I've linked to the article from a button via my link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #jenbishop #necrotisingfasciitis #groupastrep #groupastreptococcus #sepsis
While new technologies continue to shape the inter While new technologies continue to shape the interior design scene, one that has been getting a fair bit of traction of late isย marble-look porcelain. A cheaper alternative to natural stone, the latest printed porcelain tile technology makes it difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

Founded by husband and wife duo Anton and Rita Bourtsev, Sydneyโ€™s @kaolintiles has a unique offering in this space with over 100 different marble-look tile designs in small and large formats.

More via link in bio now.

#porcelain #porcelaintile #porcelaintiles #largeformattiles #largeformattile #marblelooktiles #bathroomtrends2023 #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #heartyourhome #realrenovations #goldsink #brasssink #jenbishop #kaolin #kaolintiles #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger
Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I'll post and I hope to be home and with my lippie back on by Monday. You know it's serious when I'm lipstick free, right?!

This was about a week ago in intensive care. And although my arm is still bloody sore I'm now on a normal ward and no longer attached to any drips, drains or a catheter. I've come a long way.

This has been the most physical and mental challenge of my life but I'm through the worst. I kept my arm. The doctors saved my life.

I cannot say it enough times. If you're worried about your health, don't hang around. Things can change so quickly. 

A huge thanks to my amazing husband @damianfrancis We've had the hardest year yet and our marriage has never been stronger, even if my rings did get cut off my finger in hospital ๐Ÿ˜œ

As great of a job as he is doing at home with the kids, I cannot wait to get home now. Countdown is on to a new year and a fresh start.

And I can't say enough just how overwhelmingly grateful I am to all the medical professionals involved in my care, from the @healthdirectaus nurse who sent me to Emergency to the exceptional surgeons, doctors, nurses and support staff.

Happy New Year, everyone. Remember you never know what's around the corner and this is not a dress rehearsal!

And huge thank you for all your kindness here. Has been amazing while stuck in bed.

Xxx

For those who missed it, I was unlucky enough to get necrotising fasciitis. You'll have to Google it.
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About Olivia Shead

When she's not writing for Interiors Addict, Olivia is now a TV and radio news producer. She's a journalism graduate of UTS Sydney.

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Comments

  1. AvatarSandra Ward says

    April 20, 2015 at 8:03 am

    Thanks for this post. I would like to ask a “my home” specific question and maybe you can help. We have a 20 year old home which is in much need of a makeover but we do not intend to stay “forever”. Because of cost we had a pine floor laid in the family areas. We find it really ugly. We were going to replace it by putting on a floating floor but have done this in our holiday home and didn’t realise it needs beading to cover gaps. We were disappointed with the look of this, particularly around the kitchen cabinets and island. We have a dog who has scratched the pine floor at our home.

    My question is – Is there anything that it can be coated with that make the ugly black/brown knots ‘disappear’? Is there a coating which will make the surface more durable?

    Thanks. Cheers.

    Reply
    • AvatarAlisa and Lysandra says

      April 25, 2015 at 7:59 am

      Hi, good question!

      To prevent having to use beading you can pull up your existing skirting boards and then put them back on once the floor boards are laid. Unfortunately beading will still need to be used for the island bench.
      Although pine floors can look pretty average, you could consider sanding them back and staining them with a darker colour. I did this in my previous house and considering it was pine, it looked quite nice.

      Pine is a soft timber and does scratch easily so if you do decide to sand them back and stain them make sure you apply 2 coats of solvent based polyurethane to get that more durable finish and please remember to follow the product instructions for best results.

      Alisa and Lysandra xx

      Reply
  2. AvatarKatherine says

    April 24, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    Hi – if you have polished concrete or pangea polished concrete veneer – do you think it is essential that you have underfloor heating? Thank you

    Reply
  3. AvatarJacqui says

    April 24, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    Great post. Just thinking about what to do with our floors so very timely. The Royal Oak you mention, is that the Quick Step Variano Royal Grey Oak oiled from Choices Flooring? I go into look but get so overwhelmes by choices!

    Reply
    • AvatarKatherine says

      April 26, 2015 at 10:48 am

      i know royal oak flooring is based in south yarra vic

      Reply
  4. AvatarDeanna R. Jones says

    April 25, 2015 at 4:19 am

    Thanks for the tips! My old hardwood floor is starting to look scratched up, so I want to replace it with new flooring. Knowing about all of the benefits that come with different types of flooring makes it easier to make a decision. I thought that you made a very interesting comment about polished concrete floors. I’ve also thought that it’s meant to make a house look more modern. That isn’t exactly the type of look that I’m going for, but it’s durability is exactly what I’m looking for. It’s good to know that it’s versatile enough that I can add a rug to customize the look in the rooms in my house.

    Reply

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