What do we talk of when we talk of hard or non-resilient flooring? Is it the sturdiness that they provide? or is it the pattern? Most people do not know things when it comes to hard flooring. So we spoke to some famous interior designers in India about it. We spoke to them about what is the psychology through which people look at hard flooring. Read below and see more about the forbidden wisdom they reveal.

Choosing hardwood flooring is not just about cost, it is about purpose, requirements, maintenance, types, availability, etc.

Famous Interior Designers discuss Hard Flooring!

When we first asked them about why hard flooring gets considered the most in India, they revealed to us the luxury factor. Radvi spoke, “Because it costs more and offers a sheen of luxury, people go for it.”

But then, it is not always about hard flooring. People often embellish their luxury homes with a combination of both resilient and non-resilient flooring. So, how do you decide if to go for hard flooring or not? Radvi, one of the most famous interior designers in India spoke to us that “choice is a consequence, there are causes that lead to it. And these causes are what we call factors to decide upon before choosing.”

So, here are all the different factors it spoke to us about things to consider beforehand!

Things to consider before choosing flooring type!

Flooring is something that is often permanent unless it is a resilient flooring that has less life. This means that proper consideration must be given before choosing the flooring type. So, what all are the factors that decide?

• The durability factor – If you are choosing the flooring for an area that has high traffic, it is thoughtful to go for hard floorings. They are more durable and will be able to handle much more.
• The cost factor – Now, one must also take care of finance, because it is the most important part. How much of an initial cost can the owner handle and how much of the maintenance? Hard floors have high initial cost and lower maintenance costs. Most hard materials, like tiles, stones, etc. are valued at per square foot cost and are comparatively costlier. On the other hand, vinyl sheets are often valued at per square yard.
• Aesthetic Feel – If you want to have a specific architectural design, it will have an impact on what floor you choose.
• The acoustic feel – Hard floors reflect sounds much and thus cause more echo. On the other hand, soft floors absorb the sound and thus provide a quiet comfort.
• The weather factor – If you live in a cold climate, choosing hard stone floors won’t be recommended. These floors absorb the cold and thus feel colder.
• The laws – Certain structures require certain types of flooring by law, and these requirements must be met. For example, wood flooring is not allowed in factories and some condos.

Once you go through all these factors, you get to see more about what you need. Sometimes hard flooring does the work, and sometimes it is the softer one. But then, it all comes down to the cost, the

Guidelines on how to choose hard and soft floor materials!

When it comes to interior design, the floor plays a vital part. It supports our very home. And although it might seem like an inferior thing, it is the first thing that people notice. You show a glimpse of ignorance to it, and it will show you a thousand more glimpses of ignorance back. So, how do you decide about what material to choose for flooring? Almost all famous interior designers in India think of it to be a set of several factors that one must think about and then decide. We are going to discuss those factors here.

Beauty

A floor must stand out on its own. Even when there are no furnishings in the room, the floor must not make one feel lonely. It must set an appeal to the overall room.

Harmony

Now, when we talk of harmony, we talk of flooring being a backdrop to the furnishings. You might not change your floor often, but you’ll change your furnishings a lot. This means that you must go for a neutralized color that has the ability to harmonize with almost any furnishing. Try to avoid any specific and definite pattern.

The aging factor!

One must look for a material that ages gracefully and provides a mellow touch to its surroundings. Quality hard floorings often go easily for around 20 years and more. When we look at the vintage architecture, hard floorings have stood for over a century.

Life-cycle cost

When we talk of life-cycle cost, we talk of the total cost incurred by the floor in its lifetime. It will be a total initial cost plus maintenance cost plus removal cost. Generally, hard floors have a higher initial cost but a much lower lifetime cost. They also stand the test of time for longer. But then, some people generally prefer luxury over cost. The usual idea is to go for a combination of both hard and soft flooring.

Upkeeping

This means maintaining the floor. And maintaining involves everything from cleaning to repairing. Hard floors are easy to clean and maintain. For example, granite is non-porous in nature and works best for the kitchen and bathroom. Non-porous means that it does not have micro holes or pores that absorb the spillages and leave marks. Natural materials work best at camouflaging the trapped dirt and spills. Get the help of some interior designers in India to discuss this area and see more things getting revealed.

For most stones, tiles, and marbles, mopping and brush vacuum works very fine. Limestone requires lukewarm water mop. Flagstone on the other hand requires a little more upkeep as compared to marble or granite.

Whereas, a wood floor will first require wax finishing to provide protection from moisture. Then it will need a little upkeep. Furthermore, you’ll need to go for rewaxing after some time.

Safety factor!

You also want to take care of the safety factor when deciding about what floor type to choose. If you have kids with you, the general idea is to go for soft flooring in their room. If they have the ability to run around and play and spill things, use hard flooring where they play. It will be easy to clean things off. Do not go for smooth flooring with kids as it is more prone to slips. Avoid having 3-dimensional patterns to avoid accidents.

The thing is to know what one needs. And even then, it is truly hard to decide the overall picture. You might decide about the floor, but then it needs to harmonize with the furniture and walls. And then those walls need to harmonize with the lightning, furnishing, pools, and people. It is a collective expertise that gets put into interior designing. The famous interior designers in India think of it to be the soul of a house. You can have a body, but the soul alone enlivens the entire home. See more about how you can add grace to your home.