“So the conversation with the client, taking the time to understand their requirements and their expectations, is central to choosing the right floor. A bedroom will have a lot less wear than a hallway equally a bathroom will require a different specification to a livingroom. “At Canadia we start out by defining the scope of the ‘project’ (the room or area) for example, we believe the main living space benefits most from the ambience of real wood. “So there are a number of features and factors which impact on what we advise customers when choosing their floors – including moisture, heat and footfall. “We believe that floors are a focal point in the home and we combine this with our expertise so we can help customers perfectly match both the style and budget requirements of their project,” he says. Hamilton says that choosing the right floor is down to both personal preference and environmental factors. The Tallaght-based showroom has a collection of over 250 types of floors, of varying types of wood construction, including solid wood and engineered, along with laminate with herringbone, chevron and other decorative patterns, which customers can view. “Also natural oaks, with an almost unfinished appearance, despite being finished, are featuring more now because they are timeless -–while chevron and wide plank, 240mm and wider for bigger spaces, are popular at the moment.” Herringbone is also a strong performer as it offers a statement or feature floor in the home for a fraction more than a traditional plank floor. “In general life stages and budget tends to influence whether customers buy laminate or engineered/solid floors, but the quality and visual appearance of laminates have changed beyond recognition since the 1990s. And although greys and off-whites will always find favour with customers who prefer a neutral Scandi-type interior, we are finding warmer tones, mid-tones and traditional natural-coloured oaks are making a strong return in Irish homes. “We are seeing a slight move away from greys, which have dominated walls and floors over the last decade. “As we specialise in wood flooring this is where we see our expertise,” he says. I did a bit of shopping around and decided on a honey coloured oak laminate, which has totally transformed the room. “But when we took up the livingroom carpet, the floor underneath was concrete and as I decided that a new wooden floor would be nicer than any kind of carpet. “Changing the flooring wasn’t something I had originally planned to do,” she says. ![]() Marie Nolan is in the process of ‘doing up’ her new apartment and while her initial focus was on paint colours, curtains and bath ware, she decided to also change the floors in the livingroom, bathroom and kitchen and says it has made a world of difference. And now, while modern, funky and durable versions of both are still in demand, there is a wealth of choice available which not only looks good but has many other benefits – such as being cost effective, natural, sustainable, hard-wearing and insulating. In our grandparents’ time, lino was de rigueur as an easy fix to transform a floor space – the next generation seemed to favour carpets in every room of the house, even, in some cases, the bathroom. ![]() But the right floor covering could make the world of difference and could see homeowners shifting their gaze in a downward direction. For many people who are in the process of renovating or refreshing a room, the walls, décor and soft furnishings are often what they focus their attention on.
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