Wood is really good!

Get flooredWooden flooring ends homes an aesthetic appeal no other material can. 

Vathsala V P gives a low-down on the various options available.

 

If there’s one aspect of home decor that we all give a lot of importance to, it is flooring. And the options available are aplenty. 

 

From granite and marble to tiles and wood, homeowners have a lot to choose from.

However, out of all the options available, if there’s one that takes the most number of votes, then it is wood. 

 

Yes, the role of wooden floors in enhancing the appeal of a house is simply undisputed. Wooden flooring lends an elegant appeal to homes like no other material can. 

Believe it or not, one misconception we all have pertains to the fact that wood for flooring is expensive, and hence meant only for homes of the well-heeled. 

 

Fortunately for us, wood is good, and definitely not as expensive as we all believe it to be. 

 

In fact, wood is becoming increasingly popular as the favoured choice for floors.
 

The very fact that wooden floorings have been around since time immemorial adds to their popularity. 

 

They are increasingly being explored by homeowners keen on creating personal spaces that speak of their good taste. 

Wooden flooring is highly suitable for most parts of the home — from the entryway and living room to the staircase and bedroom. 

Especially so when there are small children at home.
 

While dressing up the floors with wood, it pays to spare a thought to the wide range of styles they come in — strip, plank or parquet. 

 

While the wooden strip flooring comprises narrow individual segments, plank floors are slightly wider strips and parquet floors are individual squares laid down in geometric patterns of one’s choice. 

 

Whatever style of wooden flooring you opt for, the overall effect is nothing but dramatic.

Spoilt for choice

Just as there are different varieties of granite, so is wood. You could choose any wood — walnut, oak, cherry and so on.

 

However, while you are choosing wood for the flooring, keep the rest of the furniture at home in mind so that the overall effect is either of contrast or in the same colour scheme. 

One major advantage of sporting a wooden floor at home is that you can change the look of the flooring as and when you desire — all that you need to do is to stain it in the wood polish of your choice. 

 

It’s as simple as that. 

When wooden flooring is opted for, it has to be borne in mind that wood has the tendency to either shrink or expand, depending on the temperature and humidity of surroundings. 

Hence, during installation, care has to be taken to ensure that there’s enough space allowed for its expansion and contraction.

Once these minor nitty-gritties are taken care of, then there’s no way of stopping your wooden flooring from turning your floor into a thing of beauty.

 

If you are the creative type, then there are even more reasons to go in for wooden flooring, for, wooden flooring offers immense scope for your creativity to run wild. 

 

You can, in fact, make a striking style statement with your wooden flooring by going in for inlays, insets and medallions. 

Artistic use of colours for inlays and insets and the right choice of medallions can work wonders to the floor, supplementing its beauty.

Easy maintenance

Another great advantage of wooden floors is the ease of maintenance. In our fast paced lives, all that we look for is convenience that any home decor item offers in terms of maintenance, and flooring is no exception. 

 

Wooden floors are very easy to clean as they require only periodic sweeping or vacuuming.

To top it all, wooden flooring suits every season. 

 

It’s very friendly. While they allow our feet to breathe in summer, they keep us comfortably warm in winter and monsoon. 

Well, aren’t these reasons enough to go in for one? The wooden flooring, that is.