Where Angels Love to Tread

A lick of paint and a chic piece of new or antique furniture may be all that’s required to create a new look in your living areas, but flooring should be less susceptible to the whims of fashion. What we decide to put under our feet – be it wood, carpet, tiles, linoleum or concrete – will usually be around for a while, so it is worth taking the time to make an informed choice.



A preference for one style over another is, of course, the best starting point when looking for  the best flooring options for your home. You might enjoy the contemporary feel of polished terrazzo concrete or the timeless look of antique rimu boards. Or maybe you prefer the luxury of woollen carpet underfoot.
Other deciding factors will be practicality (comfort, insulation, foot traffic, cleaning) and budget. It’s always wise to go for the best you can afford, as flooring is all about longevity.

Now that sustainability is a hot topic, it’s also easier to take environmental factors into consideration. These days there are many “greener” floor materials available. Partnered with underfloor insulation and/or an efficient heating system, environmentally friendly flooring products such as wood from sustainable forests, natural fibre carpets and concrete offer ways to keep it green.

The latest trends in interior design are all about mixing styles and materials. Try using different flooring materials to define distinct spaces in open-plan areas: kitchen tiles merge nicely with wooden floors in the dining space and in the living room concrete floors mix well with natural flooring such as sisal or coir. 
However, using one type of flooring throughout a home is still an effective way to keep your interior look consistent, especially in a smaller house or apartment. Create interest and break up the space with a few lovely rugs.

Linking the indoors with the outside is easily done with concrete floors and porcelain or terracotta tiles, all of which work equally well in both environments. Choosing a new floor or renovating an old one is a big investment but, as with a frame on a painting, the right choices will set off a house beautifully. 

Lino Rubber
Linoleum and rubber floors deserve more recognition then they receive. Both materials are hard-wearing, easy to clean and relatively inexpensive and, as Jacobsen Creative Surfaces sales staff point out, linoleum is an entirely natural product with the “green” seal of approval. Jacobsen stocks Tarkett linoleum, which is accredited with Environmental Choice NZ, an eco-label that traces a product’s impact on the environment over its lifespan.

Rubber floors are gaining recognition overseas as an alternative to vinyl in the home, even though they’re traditionally associated with gyms and malls. Recycled tyre rubber floors are just one exciting new development and the range of available colours and patterns is constantly expanding.

Tiles
From ancient Roman villas to contemporary architecture, tiles have long been valued for their decorative and practical qualities. Though they have traditionally been relegated to bathrooms, halls and kitchens, tiles are used just about anywhere these days, as the distinction between indoor and outdoor living is often blurred.

The range of floor tiles is extensive and includes marble, stone, ceramic, porcelain, terracotta and glass in just about every texture and colour. Though they’re labour-intensive and costly to lay, tiles offer an elegant, low-maintenance floor that will last. Flooring companies report a trend to larger tiles (450mm by 450mm and up to 600mm).

Though there is an enticing array of colours and patterns available, and the trend for bright colours has filtered through to flooring, many homeowners still tend to stick with neutrals. Tiles with a subtle stripe pattern, adding definition and texture, are also gaining in popularity. 

Wood Bamboo Cork
The clean simplicity of wooden floors continues to grow in popularity as we look to Scandinavia and other European countries for design inspiration. If you are fortunate enough to own an older home with original timber floors in rimu or kauri, they’ll look stunning after sanding and polishing. Underfloor insulation is a good idea to counter draughts caused by gaps in old boards.

For those who want that look, there is an extensive range of new wooden flooring available, from solid wood to wood veneer, which is usually pre-finished and can be easily laid and maintained. John Piper of the Wooden Floor Company says that two floorboard types in oak are proving popular: dark, almost black, timber and, at the other end of the spectrum, pale white-washed boards. Although DIY wooden flooring is
also readily available (using a lock system), it is best to have it professionally laid for a perfect finish.

Wooden floors blend with all interiors –
old and modern – but care should be taken in rooms where there is a lot of water, such as bathrooms and laundries. Cork tiles are a natural product, made from the Portuguese cork oak tree. They cope well in wet areas and the colour range has expanded well beyond the traditional honey colour. 

This range of colours allows you to mix, match and even create patterns. Cork Concepts has a good selection, including a metallic range and bold colours such as Cayenne Red and Jet Black.
Though it’s technically a grass rather than a wood, bamboo is one of the more environmentally friendly alternatives. Warwick Adams of Bamboo Flooring Systems recommends bamboo because it is farmed and regenerates quickly after cutting. It’s also hard-wearing: “It tends not to get those nicks and dents that softer woods get.” Bamboo comes in light and dark shades; the solid (compressed bamboo) planks are the most durable.

Concrete
Polished concrete floors are the new stars of flooring; easy to clean, warm underfoot and good looking, they are also eco-friendly. Far from grey and boring, concrete floors can be stained in many colours, patterned, inlaid with stones, made to look like tiles or flagstone, polished to a high shine or left matt. Peter Fell Ltd, specialising in coloured concrete, has a range of ninety colours and a wide range of suggestions for different finishes, including the popular terrazzo effect made by grinding the top layer and exposing the aggregates underneath. 

Natural flooring
Natural flooring – sisal, coir, jute and seagrass – has a chic yet relaxed appearance that works particularly well in modern settings. The natural look blends well with materials such as concrete and wood, softening hard lines and creating texture. Like carpet, natural flooring needs a good underlay and regular vacuuming to maintain its life.

Sisal with a heavy weave texture is the best seller at Artisan Floorwear. Sales staff report
a shift from the popular straw, gold and tan colours to darker tones – grey, taupe and even black. The company has also noted an increase in demand for sisal and coir rugs. 

Carpet
As people look for luxury and comfort in their homes, carpet is the obvious choice. Developments include carpets with an anti-allergenic yarn system (such as Norman Ellison’s 100 per cent wool carpets) and
better stain resistance. Cavalier Bremworth says it is actively promoting the use of wool carpet via its Greentuft range, “precycling” products for extra longevity and encouraging the reuse of wool carpets in order to provide viable flooring alternatives that minimise environmental impact.

Georgina Rosling of Norman Ellison reports that sumptuous cut-pile carpets are making a comeback. “We’re still favouring earthy and neutral colours,” says Georgina. But grey, charcoal and black are coming through “to add a touch of drama and contrast”.

Godfrey Hirst Carpets sales staff agree that people still want a neutral backdrop for their furnishings and the natural tones – latte, fudge, mocha – continue to dominate. Rochelle Flint of Feltex Carpets notes that, unsurprisingly, New Zealanders favour wool carpet over synthetic. It’s soft, durable and, as a natural product, a good choice environmentally. Like many companies, Feltex is concerned about environmental impact and Rochelle predicts a swing to residential extra heavy-duty carpets with a lifespan of ten to fifteen years.

A good underlay is essential with carpet, as is regular cleaning to maintain its life. Use a reputable flooring retailer who can explain such things as the Woolmark ratings, pile reversal, ppearance retention and fading – a major consideration in New Zealand with its high UV light levels.

Stockists
Artisan Floorwear 0508 278 472 www.floorwardthinking.co.nz
Bamboo Flooring Systems (09) 480 3139 www.bambooflooring.co.nz
Cavalier Bremworth 0800 808 303 www.cavbrem.co.nz
Cork Concepts 0800 332 675 www.corkconcepts.com
Feltex Carpets 0800 100 008 www.feltexcarperts.co.nz
Godfrey Hirst Carpets (09) 268 3300 www.godfreyhirst.co.nz
Jacobsen Creative Surfaces (09) 574 0640 www.jacobsens.co.nz
Middle Earth Tiles (09) 523 4080 www.middleearthtiles.co.nz
Norman Ellison 0800 222 473 www.normanellison.co.nz
Peter Fell Ltd (09) 828 6460 www.peterfell.co.nz
Wooden Floor Company (09) 630 3061 www.woodenfloors.co.nz