By Mari Sciarappa
According to Justin Barnard from Boutique Tiles, flooring is a key design element that influences a room’s overall character and can either make or break a room. To this end, people must be both painstaking and prudent when selecting their flooring solutions.
Kate Whitfield, of Revelstone, explains that since the flooring industry is moving in a more eco-friendly direction, more companies are taking on a simpler and cleaner approach to their products. She also believes people are learning to appreciate the “raw material” rather than the “glossy finish” in a simplistic, minimalist look that is very effective not only in terms of decor and design, but also in practical functionality.
Natural wood flooring
When it comes to wood, Muhammad Ebrahim from Mat Floors reveals that wooden floors are more hygienic compared to carpets and create a warmer, more elegant feel to the home.
In terms of style, Angela Chandler from Inside Living sees three “looks” that consumers are using nowadays, including the “used look” which sees the floor being made to look old, the “natural look” which has a brushed surface to highlight grain and a textured feel, and the “worn look” where floors are stained and painted. Theresa Venter from FloorworX has noticed that wood floor manufacturers are adding old-world elegance with a new twist – moving more towards distressed planks, wider widths and introducing exotic woods.
Timber
According to Alan Green, from Finfloor SA, timber floors are especially tough. He claims that accidental spills such as coffee, juice or wine can be wiped off whereas carpets with the above mentioned stains will never be the same again.
Oak
Owner of Suntups, Steven Suntup, believes that the trend is moving to a wider French oak board with an oiled finish, and this gives the floor a look that mimics raw timber with no sealer and “is the most natural look one can achieve with a wooden floor”. He notes that the maintenance is extremely easy and requires simply drizzling on and wiping off the maintenance oil.
Bamboo
“Bamboo flooring is extremely hard and durable,” explains Helen Marshall from Floors Direct. She adds that it’s lifespan is the equivalent of (or perhaps even better than) hardwood flooring, which makes it a great option for the environmentally-conscious home owner.
Other wood species
Bedson Timbers’ Oscar Bupo says that other species of wood that are popular for natural flooring include, but are not limited to, mahogany, Colorado, Brazilian walnut, ash, brown ebony, garapa, louro preto, meranti, South American rosewood, American beech, guajuvira, maple hardwood, Pau Marfim, pine, maple and cherry.
He maintains that hardwood flooring improves the structural integrity of a building by being “the best natural insulation material that helps conserve energy resources and reduces heating bills in winter”.
Will Howard, from Quantum Line adds that species such as balau, Rhodesian teak, pine and African hardwood are also good options to consider when looking for flooring products.
EagleWood Contracts’ Mark Norris states that floors manufactured from saligna, rosewood and masseranduba should also be looked at for that great wooden floor appeal.
Natural stone flooring
Natural stone is steadily growing in popularity when it comes to flooring. With options that range from marble, slate and granite to quartz, concrete, sandstone, travertine and limestone, the options are near-limitless and have many wonderful benefits – not the least of which is environmental-friendliness.
Lars Nielson from Natural Stone Warehouse maintains that, while sandstone and travertine remain firm favourites when it comes to natural stone flooring, certain materials such as quartzite and granite are fast gaining popularity. He also notes that limestone has a texture not quite as rough as sandstone but still provides slip-resistance. Kate Van Niekerk from Tile Africa comments that slate is an extremely versatile and a beautiful material with variable layers of colour and texture.
Quartz and quartzite
Experts from Union Tiles say that there is currently a great demand for quartzite stone. They also caution that sealing natural stone is essential to not only enhance the natural beauty, but also help preserve and protect the material from harsh elements and add to ease of maintenance on the whole. Natural Quartz Flooring, as the name suggests, is a company that uses natural quartz for its products. According to Bryn Evans-Richie, of the company, textured quartz is the new material for natural flooring. Bryn explains that a driving force behind this trend is that this type of quartz has the following benefits: non-slip, looks like carpet and shimmers in the sun for that dazzle effect, is stylish and timeless and has a low carbon footprint ensuring that it stays true to the green revolution.
Marble
Experts from The World of Marble and Granite have noted that the trend, as far as natural stone is concerned, is a move towards soft grey ranging from light to very dark, and every shade in between with white and stone undertones. This is one of the many things one can do with colour when it comes to stone products.
Maharani Tiles’ Aslam Mahomed deems natural stone to be the perfect product of nature since no two pieces are exactly alike. He advises that, for a more regal look, use marble on floors and walls. For a more rustic or modern feel, however, one should incorporate travertine or limestone.
Concrete
Another prominent trend, as outlined by Johan Coetzee of Stucco Italiano, is the incorporation of green principles when it comes to floors. Not only does concrete have a very long life span but it is also recyclable, has a very vivid natural shine when polished, is especially easy to clean, and interestingly enough, because the number of joints, it can be reduced to the point where it becomes almost seamless. Concrete also has a low level of vibration resulting in very low noise levels, making this material ideal for use on floors.
If you want to add colour to your concrete floors, for a more unique and distinctive appeal, then Tile and Floor Care’s Chantale Pretorius suggests using Coolcrete, which is a genuine penetrating stain for concrete surfaces. The liquid undergoes a chemical reaction when applied to raw concrete in order for it to develop its colour.
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