The Very Best Flooring for Each Room in Your Home

When it comes to home flooring, one size does not fit all. The flooring you choose for your kitchen could differ from what you install in your bedroom. The ultimate goal should be floors that are tailored for both practicality and design.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best flooring options for every room based on these factors, offering you a better understanding of how to pick floors with both purpose and personality for your kitchen, living spaces, bedrooms, hallways, and beyond.

What to Consider First

Choosing the right flooring for a room is key to pulling together a cohesive home. As experts in flooring, we hope our pointers can help you to make the right choice. So, when evaluating flooring options, feel free to use our advice as a guide, but remember there are several important factors to consider that are unique to you and your space, including:

• Purpose & Traffic: Consider the main functions of the room and how much foot traffic it will receive. For high-traffic areas like kitchens and hallways, prioritise durability and easy maintenance. Bedrooms can focus more on comfort and noise reduction.
• Style: Make sure the flooring fits the overall aesthetic you want for the room. Light, natural wood can give living spaces an airy, contemporary vibe, whereas bold patterns like herringbone parquet make more of a modern, artistic statement.
• Practicality: Factor in elements like the need for water resistance in kitchens and bathrooms, or noise insulation in bedrooms. Where engineered wood offers stability, materials like cork can provide a more cushioned surface.
• Budget: Cheaper options like laminate are generally better for high-traffic areas and rooms where furniture covers most of the floor space. Save your splurges for areas in your home where the flooring has more of a chance to shine.

Once you have your own personal priorities and needs in mind, you can zero in on the best types of flooring for your project.

Flooring for Entryways

Entryways see a lot of foot traffic, so durability is critical here. 

Laminate flooring is an excellent choice for entryways, as it stands up well to high traffic and dirt tracked in from outside. The ultra-durable melamine coating found in our laminates makes them exceptionally easy to clean, with a damp cloth usually enough to mop up any spills or debris. 

Additionally, with laminate’s scratch resistance, you’ll never have to worry about keys or bags scuffing your entryway floors. 

Go for neutral laminate colours like light oak or grey, to really tie in the culmination of your home’s decor, and opt for shades and textures that will mask the appearance of dust and surface-level mess.

Flooring for Hallways

Like entryways, your hallways experience their fair share of footfall, but unlike your entrances, they will rarely need to withstand the grind of outdoor dirt or footwear. 

For your hallways, we recommend engineered wood floors. They are still durable, with a thick top layer of real wood that provides a classic look and dampens noise between rooms but can be refinished over time in high-traffic zones where years of constant movement down corridors or over stair landings has worn away the original finish. 

Like your entryways, opt for stylish and neutral wood or grey-toned engineered woods to complement your existing decor.

Flooring for Living Rooms

For living rooms, comfort and aesthetics are the most important considerations. This is where you and your family will be spending the most time, watching television, hosting gatherings, and more. 

Parquet flooring provides an engaging and inviting look with more durability than most other options. The traditional edge of herringbone parquet, for example, makes a refined statement with its rich timber patterning.

Another great option for living rooms is cork flooring. Naturally soft underfoot, cork absorbs sound and provides insulation at the same time. Style-wise, cork ranges from organic textured looks to convincing wood prints, and like laminate, stands up well to pets and children.

Flooring for Kitchens

Your kitchen demands floors that are durable, water-resistant, and easy to clean. 

Engineered wood flooring is a top choice for all of the above. Its layered construction makes it more moisture-resistant than solid hardwoods alone, and its natural hues will easily match any contemporary kitchen interior. 

The pure oak found in our range is a great choice for kitchens, as its tannins make it naturally antiseptic. Just be sure to wipe up spills promptly to maintain the hardwood surface over time, and only wet clean once a week using a pH-neutral cleaner to keep the wood in great condition. 

Oiled wood floors are a great choice for kitchens, as they can be regularly re-oiled to keep the surface fresh and enable them to stand up to the rigours of a busy kitchen

Laminate flooring is another great option, with its durable melamine coating resisting scratches, stains, and moisture. We recommend opting for laminates with water-resistant locking systems like Natureffect Aqualock for an added level of protection. 

Light oak laminates keep an airy, modern vibe. Or pick classic stony wood looks for a more traditional kitchen.

Flooring for Bedrooms

When styling a bedroom with new flooring, warmth, comfort, and noise reduction are go-tos. 

Cork flooring excels in all these areas, making it an ideal flooring for your bedrooms. Cork has a softly cushioned feel underfoot, providing comfort whether you’re walking barefoot or jumping out of bed in the morning.

Aside from no cold feet in the morning, cork flooring also offers natural insulation for your home and absorbs noise between floors, helping you to maintain an optimal calmness level at home. 

Flooring for Bathrooms

It is no surprise that bathroom floors need to stand up to water and humidity. 

For this reason, cork flooring is a great choice, with its durable PVC-free coating and tight 2G locking system that keeps out unwanted moisture. Just be sure never to leave water to stand on the floor for too long, as this can depreciate the finish over time and increase its susceptibility to moisture penetration.

See How Your Chosen Flooring Fits

With our online visualiser tool, you can preview exactly how your new floors will look in each room of your home before you buy. Simply upload photos of your actual rooms and then virtually swap out the existing floors for any of our signature ranges.

TRY IT FOR YOURSELF