Home renovations don’t come cheap, but there are ways and methods that you can cut the costs. When it comes to flooring you may feel that there’s no way of escaping expenses, but that’s where you’re wrong! There are cheaper alternatives out there, and just because they’re cheaper in value it doesn’t mean that they’re lacking in any sort of quality. Here’s our favourite budget-friendly floors.
Engineered Wood
We know that solid wood floors are beautiful, but they’re also pretty pricey too! Never fear, their cheaper alternative is just as stunning but it comes in at a much lower price. Allow us to introduce you to engineered wood flooring, the faux wood of the flooring world. This type of floor is often confused with laminate, but it is very different. Mainly because engineered wood is actually a type of hardwood flooring, just it’s not made fully out of real wood. It is in fact composed of multiple layers of man-made ply and other materials, these are then bonded together and topped with a hardwood lamella (layer of solid wood).
Despite being incredibly similar to solid wood flooring, it is in fact more durable in the sense that it can withstand higher levels of moisture, as well as more fluctuating temperatures. For this reason, engineered wood can be comfortably installed in places like the kitchen, although it is not recommended to install it in bathroom/wet room areas.
Installation of engineered wood floor is also said to be easier than that of its solid counterpart, and there are actually several ways of doing it. The most popular methods tend to be nailing, gluing or installing it as a floating floor. One of the key things to remember with wood flooring is that it must be acclimatised to the room that it is being installed in, this can be for anything between 3 to 5 days.
Laminate
Laminate flooring has been popular in homes across the world for many years, and it’s no surprise to see why. The great thing about laminate is that it is able to imitate pretty much any surface, so while it may give the appearance of a real wood floor, the cost is much cheaper. Once upon a time laminate floors were seen as being quite flimsy, but modern era laminate offers a much higher quality for a reasonable price. These days there are many designs and colour options available that laminate is seen as a perfect opportunity for interior lovers everywhere!
Not only is laminate a budget-friendly choice, it’s also incredibly durable and when looked after properly it can have a lifespan of unto 20 years. Not bad for a cheap floor! It’s also really versatile and can be placed in pretty much any room of the house. Aside of this, it’s also really easy to install and can be done by even the most amateur of DIY fans!
Vinyl
Over the years vinyl has been known as the ‘go-to’ cheaper option when it comes to flooring, it’s also held a pretty bad reputation for looking cheap too. But those days are done, vinyl has seen a revamp in the last ten years and it is now a popular choice for many homes.
Due to the way that vinyl is manufactured, it either comes in sheet or tile form, this makes it easy to install and cut to the shape of your room to avoid any wasted material – and money! It doesn’t require much skill, or many tools, to install so this can also help cut the costs too. Not only is vinyl one of the cheapest options, it also has an impressive lifespan of 15-20 years, not too shabby for a ‘cheap’ floor eh? So if you’re interested in this option it will help save you money in the long run.
So there you have it, a few of our favourite budget-friendly floors for you to consider!
