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Choosing Floor Coverings

In principle it is possible to lay any floor covering in any room of a house, but custom and the practicalities of life
generally tend to divide up the homeinto 3 broad areas of landing and stairs need a floor covering. Access areas such as the hallway, that is able to cope with heavy 'traffic' and muddy shoes. Ideal choices for ahallway are materials with a water-repellent and easy-to-clean surface - for example, sheet vinyl, vinyl tiles, awood-strip or wood-block floor, sandedand sealed floorboards, or glazedceramic or quarry tiles. For stairs, wheresafety is paramount, the best material tochoose is a heavy-duty carpet with ashort pile, which can also be used onthe landing.

Work areas such as rho kitchen andbathroom also need durable floorcoverings that are easy to clean and,especially in the case of the bathroom,water-resistant as well. Sheet vinyl is apopular choice for boas rooms, but tilesof various types can also provide anexcellent surface - sealed cork, with itswarm feel underfoot, is particularlysuitable for a bathroom. However, ifyou prefer carper for these rooms, thereare extremely hardwearing kitchencarpets available, with a speciallytreated short nylon pile that is easy tokeep clean, and also water-resistantbathroom carpets that give a touch ofluxury underfoot without turning into aswamp or bathtime.

Leisure areas - the living room,dining room and bedrooms - arccommonly carpeted wall-to-wall. Donot be tempted to skimp on quality inthe living room, which gets the mostwear and tends to develop distinct'traffic' routes. It is reasonable,however, to choose light-duty typesfor carpeting bedrooms.

Alternatives to carpets depend simply on taste in home decor. Optionsinclude sanded and sealed floorboardsreamed with scatter rugs, or a parquet perimeter to a fine specimen carpet.Sheet vinyl or cork tiles may also heworth considering for children's rooms.

Carpets

Carpets consist of fibre tufts or loopswoven or stuck to a durable backing.Woven carpets are generally the mostexpensive. Tufted carpets are made bystitching tufts of fibre into a wovenbacking, where they are secured byattaching a second hacking under thefirst with adhesive. Some of the less-expensive types have a foam underlaybonded directly to the hacking; othersrequire a separate underlay.

A wide range of fibre types is used incarper construction today, includingwool, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene andviscose rayon. Fibre blends can improvecarpet performance; a mixture of 80 percent wool and 20 per cent nylon isparticularly popular for providing acombination of warmth, resilience,wear, low flammability and resistanceto soil ing.

Pile length and density affect acarpet's performance as well as its looks,and most are classified to indicate thesort of wear they can he expected towithstand.. lie pile can be cur, often todifferent lengths, giving a sculpturedeffect; looped (shag), that is, uncut andleft long; corded, which means uncutand pulled tight to the hacking; ortwisted, which gives a nifty effect. Adense pile wears better than a looselywoven one that can he parted to revealthe hacking. Carpet widths aredescribed as broadloom, when morethan 1.8 m/6 ft wide; or body (staircarpet), which is usually up to 90 cm/3 fi wide.

Carpet tiles are small squares ofcarpet of various types, designed to heloose-laid. Cheaper tiles resemble cordand felt carpets, while more expensiveones may have a short- or long-cut pile.The most common sizes are 30, 45, 50and 60 cm/12, 18, 20 and 24 in square.

Sheet-vinyl flooring

This is a relatively thin material whichprovides a smooth, hygienic and easy-to-clean floor covering that is widelyused in rooms such as kitchens,bathrooms and hallways. It is madefrom layers of plastic resins, with a clearwear layer protecting the printed designand frequently with art air cushion layerbetween this and the backing for extracomfort and warmth underfoot. It isfairly flexible and easy to cut for anexact fit; it is generally loose-laid, withdouble-sided adhesive tape used only atseams and edges.

Vinyl flooring is available in a widerange of designs, including realisticimitations of ceramic tiles, wood, corkand stone. It is sold by the linear metre(or yard) front rolls 2, 3 or 4 in/6 ft 6 in, 10 ft or 13 ft wide.

Wood floor coverings

These conic in two main forms: assquare wood-block panels made up ofindividual fingers of wood stuck to acloth or felt backing for ease ofhandling and laying; or as wood-stripflooring interlocking planks, often ofveneer on a plywood backing. They arelaid over the existing floor surface.Most types are tongued-and-grooved,so only occasional nailing or clipping is required to hold them in place.Wood-block panels are usually 30 or a parquet perimeter to a fine specimen carpet.Sheet vinyl or cork tiles may also heworth considering for children's rooms.

Carpets

Carpets consist of fibre tufts or loopswoven or stuck to a durable backing.Woven carpets are generally the mostexpensive. Tufted carpets are made bystitching tufts of fibre into a wovenbacking, where they are secured byattaching a second hacking under thefirst with adhesive. Some of the less-expensive types have a foam underlaybonded directly to the hacking; othersrequire a separate underlay.

A wide range of fibre types is used incarper construction today, includingwool, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene andviscose rayon. Fibre blends can improvecarpet performance; a mixture of 80 percent wool and 20 per cent nylon isparticularly popular for providing acombination of warmth, resilience,wear, low flammability and resistanceto soil ing.

Pile length and density affect acarpet's performance as well as its looks,and most are classified to indicate thesort of wear they can he expected towithstand.. lie pile can be cur, often todifferent lengths, giving a sculpturedeffect; looped (shag), that is, uncut andleft long; corded, which means uncutand pulled tight to the hacking; ortwisted, which gives a nifty effect. Adense pile wears better than a looselywoven one that can he parted to revealthe hacking. Carpet widths aredescribed as broadloom, when morethan 1.8 m/6 ft wide; or body (staircarpet), which is usually up to 90 cm/ 3 fi wide.

Carpet tiles are small squares ofcarpet of various types, designed to heloose-laid. Cheaper tiles resemble cordand felt carpets, while more expensiveones may have a short- or long-cut pile.The most common sizes are 30, 45, 50and 60 cm/12, 18, 20 and 24 in square.

Sheet-vinyl flooring

This is a relatively thin material whichprovides a smooth, hygienic and easy-to-clean floor covering that is widelyused in rooms such as kitchens,bathrooms and hallways. It is madefrom layers of plastic resins, with a clearwear layer protecting the printed designand frequently with art air cushion layerbetween this and the backing for extracomfort and warmth underfoot. It isfairly flexible and easy to cut for anexact fit; it is generally loose-laid, withdouble-sided adhesive tape used only atseams and edges.

Vinyl flooring is available in a widerange of designs, including realisticimitations of ceramic tiles, wood, corkand stone. It is sold by the linear metre(or yard) front rolls 2, 3 or 4 in/6 ft 6 in, 10 ft or 13 ft wide.

Wood floor coverings

These conic in two main forms: assquare wood-block panels made up ofindividual fingers of wood stuck to acloth or felt backing for ease ofhandling and laying; or as wood-stripflooring interlocking planks, often ofveneer on a plywood backing. They arelaid over the existing floor surface.Most types are tongued-and-grooved,so only occasional nailing or clipping is required to hold them in place.Wood-block panels are usually 30 or 45 cm/12 or 18 in square, while planksare generally 7.5 or 10 cm/3 or 4 inwide and come in a range of lengths toallow the end joins to be staggered from one row to the next.

Modern sheet linoleum has taken on anew lease of life, offering a range of sophisticatedcolourways teamed with stylish borders that areperfect for kitchens, utility rooms and hallways.

Low Sanded floorboards can be furtherenhanced with a delicate stencilled border design.Always seal floorboards with several coats ofgood-quality varnish for a hardwearing finish.

Modern sheet linoleum has taken on anew lease of life, offering a range of sophisticatedcolourways teamed with stylish borders that areperfect for kitchens, utility rooms and hallways.

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