DIY Flooring Tips and Advice

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DIY flooring is readily available and easy to put in your home. There are many choices of DIY flooring sold in DIY stores and DIY shops. Different types are more suitable than others for different areas in the house. For an overview of the different types of flooring available, see below:

Varnished hardboard

Tan colored flooring obtained by laying hardboard with the smooth side up and coating it with varnish designed for flooring. It does not look as good as wood but is cheap which is good for budget DIY . It needs to be swept or vacuumed regularly to remove dust and should be washed with a damp cloth or mop with soapy water to remove dirt. Eventually it will require re-varnishing.

Exposed floor boards

Wooden floors are very fashionable at the moment and it is believed that exposed wooden floorboards will help sell a house. Wooden floors give a homely feel to the house. If the boards are in good condition, hire a large sander for the day and sand them down and select a finish such as oil or varnish to protect and enhance the wood. This is a cheap option for DIY flooring and can look stunning. Some old houses have parquet flooring in them which are bricks of wood laid out in a pattern. An alternative is laminate wood-effect flooring which can be bought ready to lay. This can look just as good and look more even than natural wood floors. The laminate wood strips just slot together to make them easy to install.

Vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring is cheap, easy to install and easy to maintain. This is a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms as it is easy to clean and water-resistant. Vinyl flooring is available in sheets or as tiles. Use a Stanley knife to get sheet vinyl flooring to fit in corners and round furniture such as bathroom suites. Vinyl tiles can be cut with scissors and just stick onto the existing surface. However you must be careful not to get this type of DIY flooring too wet as it will just unstick. The surface the tiles are stuck down onto to must be non-porous.

Ceramic or stone tiles

DIY flooring with regard to tiling is a similar process to tiling walls. Ceramic or stone tiles provide a hard-wearing, beautiful, durable surface which works really well in kitchens, bathrooms or external areas. Stone tiles can be used for DIY patios . Quarry tiles are usually red or brown and square-shaped. Ceramic tiles are available in different colors and shapes. Stone tiles, such as slate, or granite, look beautiful but are very expensive and hard to cut. Tiles are cold underfoot, slippery and so hard that if you drop a plate on a tile floor, it will break. They are easy to clean though and resistant to stains and spillages.

Carpet

The other option is carpet. This provides a soft covering which keeps the heat in but it is hard to clean, and unhygienic for use in kitchens and bathrooms. It is unsuitable for use in an environment where it would get damp, such as a bathroom, as it takes a while to dry.

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