Which Floor Is Best For Which Room?

Before choosing your new floor it's important to make sure it's suitable for use in the room you intend to install it. Not all floors are suitable for use in bathrooms, conservatories or with underfloor heating. Use the chart below to help you decide which flooring type would be most suitable for your needs.

  Solid Engineered Laminate Vinyl Carpet

Living Spaces

Kitchen

Bathroom

Conservatory

Basements

Stairs

Underfloor Heating


Key:

Good to go!

Not recommended.

Not recommended, with the exception of Junckers floors.

Lacquered floors offer more protection than oiled floors, but all spills should be dried as quick as possible.

Mop up spills quickly, or choose one of Quickstep's waterproof laminates

Only Coir and Sisal should be used on stairs, wheras Jute and Seagrass should be avoided.


Living Rooms

Generally speaking, living rooms have a stable temperature, low moisture levels and low footfall, all of which is great news for any floor. This means there's no restriction on which floors you can use. It's probably where you take guests, too, so be sure to use this room to make an impression.

Kitchens

Vinyl, laminate, and lacquered engineered floors are all designed to resist the hostility of a busy kitchen. They can handle moisture, splashes and scratches - though remember to mop up spillages as soon as possible. Solid wood, natural carpet and oiled engineered floors aren't as robust so we would recommend against them.

More information: Kitchen Flooring.

Bathrooms

Vinyl and laminate floors can resist the high levels of moisture found in bathrooms, so these are the floors we'd recommend. Changes in moisture can damage natural carpets and solid wood floors over time, and engineered floors aren't as good at resisting splashes. Whatever floor you use, be sure to dry up spillages as soon as possible.

More information: Bathroom Flooring.

Conservatories

Vinyl, laminate, engineered and natural carpet are all fine to use in a conservatory. The huge variation in temperature which means the moisture in solid wood floors will rise and fall. For this reason, solid wood floors are likely to shrink and expand in conservatories.

Underfloor Heating

Engineered, laminate and luxury vinyl tiles are all fine (although always check with the product manufacturer.) Due to their reaction to heat solid wood floors (with the exception of Junckers floors) are not suitable for underfloor heating. Unfortunately, our natural carpets are also not guaranteed against underfloor heating.

More information: Which floors can you use with underfloor heating.

Basements

Vinyl, laminate, engineered and natural carpet are all fine. Basements can vary hugely in temperature which means the moisture in solid wood floors will rise and fall. For this reason, solid wood floors could shrink and expand in basements.

Stairs

Laminate, engineered and solid wood can all be laid on stairs. They are all stable and grippy enough to avoid any potential accidents, unlike vinyl which should be avoided. Coir and Sisal carpets are safe to use, but we'd avoid Jute or Seagrass.