Floored by Choice

WORDS LEANNE RICH

Flooring spans the largest area in your home, so it’s a crucial focus, whether building new or renovating.

However, choosing between a wool carpet or a manmade fibre, knowing your cut pile from your loop, and understanding value are just some of the challenges in the selection process, and that’s just the carpet! Choosing hard flooring can be just as difficult. We asked Leanne Rich, owner of Gerrand Floorings, for some handy hints to help you make informed decisions.

YOU GET THE CARPET YOU PAY FOR

Carpet is manufactured in a variety of weights (generally referenced as old school ounces) and qualities. The type of backing on your carpet can vary too, all contributing to the end cost. If you’re deciding between the same fibre and, as is common with many brands, a variety of qualities (weights), then look at the life you want from your carpet. A little more investment today may give you extra years of performance, the additional spend also delivering a better appearance retention for you or for potential resale.

GETTING BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

To clarify, we are not talking the best lifetime value here, purely the upfront carpet cost. The first step on the price ladder, carpet from the manmade “poly” family, will give you a luxury look at a favourable cost. Important to note that this fibre is often referred to as fashion focused for those who are likely to update regularly so are not after a long lifetime option. Next up the ladder when looking for bang for your buck you’ll find another manmade fibre in solution dyed nylon. Several rungs further up, wool carpet increases in cost depending on weight and fibre and especially in the textured styles that involve more work to create.

WHAT IS THE BEST CARPET FIBRE?

Either a natural wool or a solution dyed nylon. Each have their own features and benefits and one is not better than the other. Discuss your household needs with your flooring specialist for advice on the best solution for your home and your lifestyle.

CARPET VERSUS HARD FLOORING

Looking at comparative levels of quality, carpet remains a more cost-effective floor covering option on a per square metre basis. However, most homes work best with a mix of the two. But if you are doing a reno to sell, the more floor area covered in carpet the better the return is likely to be. Timber flooring … to glue down or float? A floating install method may save a few dollars upfront but a direct stick glue down will allow you to sand the floor in the future. Floating floors are designed to move so resurfacing is a challenge. Direct sticking your timber also has benefits for large spaces in not needing expansion joints and giving a superior feel underfoot.

SHEET VINYL, DESIGN VINYL WOOD PLANK OR TILES?

Traditionally a sheet vinyl is perceived as the most cost-effective flooring option (after carpet). It is manufactured in a two, three, or four-metre-wide sheet, so if your space dimensions generate a lot of waste this may not be the best value. A design vinyl wood plank or tile is installed plank by plank or tile by tile so can be worthy of consideration, especially in a mix of small rooms.

PRICE COMPARISON PITFALLS

Rather than pricing just the flooring product, you are best to get a full-service price, so you can make informed decisions on the whole package. The cost of vinyls, corks and design vinyls are often one-third or less than the total package cost, due to the higher labour and preparation components.

DIY OR RENO AND FINDING OLD VINYL ON THE FLOOR

STOP – do not compromise, cut or uplift. For your safety and the safety of those in your home this needs a simple asbestos test by a qualified specialist. Most flooring specialists can help with this.

COST EFFECTIVE RUGS OR MATS

Flooring businesses often have a short end or offcut range of premium carpets at discounted prices. These make great choices for rugs or mats in hard floor areas or a layer of texture in a carpeted space. A simple overlocked edge is your cheapest finishing but, with the saving you made on discounted short ends, you may like to consider a more styled or custom finish like a concealed edge or canvas bind.

Gerrand Floorings 123 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui www.gerrand.co.nz