Cork flooring tiles are warn underfoot, but need treating with a sealant to protect them.
Cork flooring tiles are warn underfoot, but need treating with a sealant to protect them.
Cork flooring tiles are warn underfoot, but need treating with a sealant to protect them. Popular with the Asian immigrant community who grew up with it, Fabric Tatami flooring is one of the most traditional and environmentally sustainable products available.
It's made from a reed that's dried and spun together.
Reg Hellesoe, EcoFloorsBamboo is becoming a popular choice as a flooring material (above); Tiles are ideal for places with heavy traffic (right).The options for home flooring are virtually limitless. Some people want the latest technologically-advanced materials; others are choosing products that remind them of their childhood.
Cork flooring, a big fashion item in the 70s, has made a comeback, with people wanting the look and feel of the homes they grew up in.
Reg Hellesoe, general manager of EcoFloors, has seen an increased demand for cork, which is quite a practical material.
"Cork offers fantastic thermal qualities. Even in the coldest climate, you can walk in with bare feet.
"It's a warm floor as opposed to ceramic tiles or vinyl. It's a great floor, plus it's quiet," Hellesoe says.
If you drop glass on a cork floor it tends not to break as easily. The sheer weight of a floating cork floor means that it won't move within 5mm in either direction.
The acoustics of cork are almost as insulating as carpet. Hellesoe says it's not any more expensive than other flooring options and it lasts three to five times as long.
However, cork does not come in sheets and has to be laid as tiles. It also needs a polyurethane sealant treatment once every 10 years or so.
Tiles are ideal for places with heavy traffic.
Other natural flooring options are timber and bamboo. Oak and ash flooring remain popular.
"The oak colours are great. There are very light.
"We still have more of a European feel with warm light colours being popular," Hellesoe says.
The darker colour woods associated with rainforests are not popular at the moment. Sheet vinyl can also be made to look like wood flooring, is less expensive and requires less maintenance.
Today's eco-minded consumers are also going with bamboo flooring. It's much harder, but is colder than cork or carpet. Ceramic tiles are a durable flooring option that's widely used but they can crack as a house settles.
Another type of flooring that Hellesoe is starting to get a lot of enquiries about is fabric. It's a lightweight material that's durable and creates a warm rug effect. It can be made in any size which means it can go wall-to-wall seamlessly.
Fabric Tatami flooring is used in feature areas and is popular with the Asian immigrant community who grew up with it.
"It's really one of the most traditional and environmentally sustainable products available. It's made from a reed that's dried and spun together," he says.
Another flooring option making a comeback is rubber. It's particularly popular in kitchens and bathrooms. Studded rubber flooring absorbs sound and is anti-slip which is handy for those with pets.
"When dogs and cats move in a built environment, particularly around corners, they don't have any idea of speed.
Bamboo is becoming a popular choice as a flooring material.
"There is a potential for them to slip and damage or even break their hips," Hellesloe says.
Most rubber flooring is made from recycled tyres and other petroleum products.
With traditional carpet flooring, people are looking for texture. There is a trend to go with three-dimensional carpeting.
"You can make interesting design shapes and movement in a carpet tile using a really clever design pattern," he says.
FreeForm carpet tiles can be used to create modular geometric shapes, with some tiles being slightly higher or lower than the others.
Hellesoe says the main thing customers need to understand is the pros and cons of the product they are interested in. "We are seeing that the majority of needs and desires from clients is that they want to have an aesthetically pleasing floor, a comfortable floor, a very quiet floor, quite a durable floor and an acoustically pleasing floor."
