Good Foundations: Your Essential Flooring Guide

by Carlisle Homes

Flooring significantly contributes to the overall look, feel and upkeep of your home, so it’s important to understand your options. This guide will help you select the perfect flooring for your décor and lifestyle.

Flooring is a big decision. Not only does it affect the look and feel of your home, but how much cleaning and upkeep you’ll be required to do too.

Your Carlisle Homes abode comes with stylish, durable and easy-care flooring as standard. But we understand there are times when you may want something a little more luxurious, which is why we offer a range of optional flooring upgrades for every room of your new home.

To help you select the perfect flooring for your decor and lifestyle, here’s a guide to your main options.

Ceramic tiles

Durable and stylish ceramic floor tiles (400x400mm in size) come as standard in your Carlisle Homes property. You can upgrade your ceramic tiles to 600x600 millimetres in size for your bathrooms, ensuite, laundry, powder room or water closet, including tiled skirtings if you like.

Ceramic tiles are a smart and practical choice for floors; they’re hard-wearing, easy to clean and come in a variety of fashionable colours and finishes.

Porcelain tiles

For a more luxurious and hard-wearing finish, upgrade to porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles are tougher and more water-resistant than ceramic, making them an appealing option for the busy parts of your home.

They come in a vast range of finishes, including ones that mimic warm timber, natural stone and concrete, so you can create a unique look. Porcelain can also be used outdoors too, allowing you to create visual connection between the interior and exterior of your home.

Carpet

If you love nothing more than sinking your toes into soft flooring, consider upgrading to a plush carpeted floor – perfect for areas that are all about relaxation and connection, such as the media room and bedrooms.

There are several different carpet types, fibres and colours to choose from and the look and feel of your carpet can be enhanced by your choice of underlay.

Here are the main carpet fibres you can choose for your new home:

Polypropylene

This entry-level, solution-dyed carpet offers great value for money. It’s tough and stain- and fade-resistant, but feels coarser underfoot than other fibre types. A smart choice for homes with pets.

Polyester

Expect to spend a little more for a solution-dyed polyester carpet. You’ll be rewarded with exceptional softness, great colour clarity and impressive stain resistance.

Nylon

White nylon is a versatile and well-priced carpet fibre that won’t fade or stain easily. It comes in a wide range of colours and is tough enough to cope in busy homes.

Solution-dyed nylon

Next step up is a solution-dyed nylon carpet. Unlike regular nylon carpet, the colour goes right through to the core of the fibre, giving it exceptional longer-term vibrancy and colour retention. It’s soft, stain- and fade-resistant and comes in multiple colours.

Wool blend

A wool-blend carpet gives you the best of both worlds – the softness of pure wool and the durability and stain-resistance of a synthetic fibre. It costs more than a pure synthetic fibre, but you’ll be rewarded with a more natural look and sumptuous feel underfoot. A great choice for family homes where softness and natural appeal are equally important.

Pure wool

A pure wool carpet brings unparalleled luxury and softness to your home, and helps keep it naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter (which is good news for your power bills). A wool carpet can help muffle sound, is resistant to stains and is naturally fire-resistant. On the downside, wool is not as durable or stain-resistant as synthetic so it may be best suited to quieter spots with less footfall, such as the master bedroom.

Underlay

A quality underlay is a worthwhile investment – it not only prolongs the life of your carpet, but makes it feel softer and more inviting. At Carlisle, you can take your pick from standard underlay, a thicker underlay for a more luxurious feel and acoustic-quality underlay, which can help reduce the noise levels inside your home.

Timber laminate

Love the look of real timber but not the maintenance hassles? Good news – your Carlisle Homes abode is available with the option of timber-look laminate.

Laminate won’t fade or lose its colour, and it’s incredibly easy to clean and maintain. It comes in a wide range of grains and finishes, including blonde timber, weathered grey and rich dark timber looks, so you can create everything from a soft Scandi aesthetic in your home to something darker and more dramatic.

Engineered timber

For a warmer and more natural look, upgrade to an engineered timber floor. Engineered timber typically features a layer of hardwood veneer over a supporting board. It’s more affordable than solid timber and easier to install, while being nearly impossible to distinguish from its solid counterpart.

Add a sense of warmth and welcome to your entry, living, dining spaces and bedrooms with an engineered timber floor in pale, Nordic oak, bold near-black or an easy-to-love mid tone. Or make a statement with one of our five beautiful herringbone-patterned engineered timber floors.

With so many appealing options, what’s underfoot never looked so good!