Vinyl flooring is a credible alternative to hardwood

Vinyl flooring in North Wales homes is now considered a credible alternative to hardwood.

In the years after World War II, vinyl flooring was popular for its durability, ease of cleaning, and affordability, though it was often considered to look cheap compared to hardwood flooring, and certainty was not regarded as a luxury product.

While vinyl was once regarded as a cheap and inferior type of flooring, times have changed. Nowadays, according to House Beautiful's associate shopping editor, Jessica Cherner, luxury vinyl plank flooring is a great alternative to natural wood flooring. She writes,

"Luxury vinyl plank flooring does, indeed, exist, and there's a way to make it both look and feel expensive."

Luxury vinyl plank flooring looks remarkably similar to natural wood, but at a far lower cost. Additionally, vinyl is water-resistant, making it suitable for bathrooms as well as living rooms. Luxury vinyl is made from many layers, which is why it is very strong. In addition to styles that resemble real wood, vinyl comes in many colours and patterns to match the room décor. Luxury vinyl is heat and water-resistant and very hard wearing. As vinyl flooring is resistant to water, it can easily be cleaned with a wet mop.

It is worth noting that installing vinyl is more complex than some floor coverings, so it is best left to expert vinyl installers.

Another alternative to wood is laminate flooring. This is less expensive than luxury vinyl, but is not as good quality.

Carpet colours to avoid

Carpets are a popular choice for homes in Chester and North Wales. This is because they add warmth and comfort to a room. With an abundance of colour choices available, design experts recommend avoiding certain colours.

While grey has been a popular colour for contemporary-style rooms, designer Becca Casey prefers beige, a natural shade that complements modern designs.

White carpets may look stylish, but they are not practical for busy households with young children. Interior designer Rachel Chudley recommends avoiding white floors as they require more maintenance and rooms need more colour.

Karen Hailer, the author of The Little Book of Color, advises against using too much red in a room, as it can be stressful. Earth tones like chocolate browns and taupe can add impact in more relaxing ways.

Some people choose black carpets because they think it hides dirt, but it is healthier to regularly clean carpets to prevent the accumulation of debris. If you like black, designer Shea McGee suggests choosing a black and white striped carpet instead of all black.

Purple is a bold colour choice, but Lucy Searle, editor-in-chief of Homes & Gardens, warns that there are limited colours that go well with purple. She recommends using a colour that is closer to beige or dark blue for a more dramatic style.

Ultimately, the choice of carpet colour is up to individual preference, as there are no fixed rules about which colour is best. As a general rule, avoid colours that dominate or overpower a room.

AI monitors laminate flooring quality

A leading laminate flooring manufacturer is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor quality control during laminate flooring production.

Laminate flooring is manufactured at a rapid production line speed of one hundred meters per second. However, it relies on experienced operators to spot manufacturing defects. This is a highly skilled job, and there is a shortage of experienced personnel trained to detect flaws accurately and quickly.

The Unilin Group, which produces QuickStep flooring, approached computer vision technology company Robovision to develop AI technology capable of detecting defects in laminate flooring. The challenge was to create an automated system that could distinguish between a natural-looking wood grain pattern on laminate and a flaw, even on differently coloured flooring. Robovision successfully created an AI system that spots flaws and instantly alerts operators, who can quickly remove the defective plank. This significantly increases production output.

AI-powered inspection systems are expected to be the future of visual inspection in manufacturing. They use cameras and image analysis AI to accurately detect defects. The system developed by Robovision for Unilin can even detect minute flaws in laminate planks moving past cameras at high speeds. Dries Van Poucke, the Unilin Group Production Engineer said:

“Thanks to Robovision AI, monitoring defects of every single laminate plate is now feasible in such a complex and fast-moving production process.”

Due to AI, customers purchasing Quickstep laminate flooring for their homes or commercial premises in Chester and North Wales can be assured that their new floors will look immaculate.

How eco-friendly is LTV flooring?

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring is a very common choice for the home and for businesses these days. It has been embraced in both settings because it provides a step up in terms of aesthetics and durability on standard vinyl flooring. LVT is thicker and harder wearing, but that is not its only advantage.

Because it is laid as individual tiles rather than as a single sheet, it is able to reproduce the look of wooden planks or stone or porcelain tiling much more accurately. That means it can provide a lower cost way of creating the look of those surfaces.

One aspect of LVT flooring that is not often considered is its environmental impact though. So is LVT an eco-friendly choice?

Vinyl flooring and the environment

Vinyl floors are now frequently regarded as being among the better options when it comes to eco-friendliness. That is because they are usually manufactured in a way that is sustainable and that makes extensive use of materials that have been recycled. Furthermore, many of those materials can be recycled again when the floor is taken up.

It is important to note that this refers more to standard vinyl sheets than luxury vinyl tiling though. The latter is made in an entirely different way and involves the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is not great for the environment. It often gives off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is both non-biodegradable and impossible to recycle. It is not as simple as saying that LVT floors are bad for the environment though as there are a number of factors that determine eco-friendliness which must be considered.

What are the main factors that determine the eco-friendliness of a floor?

Choosing the floors for your home or business is part of the overall design process. If you want the floors to be good for the environment, there are multiple issues that you must consider before purchase and installation. We will look at each of them now and how LVT floors match up to them.

Recyclability

The first of them is how possible it will be to recycle the materials used in the creation of the floor when it is no longer fit for purpose. As noted above, LVT flooring does not score very highly in this respect and floor choices like solid wood or tiles made of ceramic or porcelain will be a better choice from the point of view of recycling.

Of course, wood in particular will also be a considerably more costly choice, so that is something that will need to be weighed up when deciding what floor to go with. Another option could be standard vinyl flooring as this makes use of recycled – and recyclable – materials in its manufacture.

Durability

The second key factor in determining eco-friendliness is durability. Durable floors lead to less waste. When it comes to that, luxury vinyl tiling scores very highly indeed, as it is a floor surface that will last for a long time if it is installed properly. That is due to the fact that the manufacturing process renders it much more able to withstand footfall than standard vinyl and also creates a thicker floor that is less likely to wear away over time.

VOCs

Those volatile organic compounds are a third factor that determines the impact of a floor choice on the environment. They are chemicals that are created during the manufacturing of products and LVT floor manufacture does lead to the production of VOCs. However, it should be noted that it is possible to get vinyl floors that are low in VOCs so that is something you should enquire about if you are keen on the idea of LVT flooring.

Floors that are made of natural materials such as solid wood or bamboo tend to produce lower VOC levels than ones that are made of synthetic materials.

How can I make more eco-conscious design choices?

Environmental consciousness when choosing interior designs is about looking at the different factors and finding options that meet as many of them as possible. That is true for the floors and all other aspects of this process.

LVT floors will provide a long-lasting choice and the importance of durability in terms of environmental impact should not be underestimated. The longer a floor surface lasts without needing to be replaced, the more any environmental issues during the manufacturing process can be kept to a minimum. Some of those issues, such as VOCs, can be further mitigated by asking questions before deciding on a particular LVT floor.

Of course, floors and other furnishings that are made out of natural materials are likely to be the most sustainable and easiest to recycle. Alongside its aesthetic appeal, that is another reason why solid wood floors are popular.

LVT floors are eco-friendly in some respects and not in others. Ask professionals before making your final floor choice.

Wool paths are ‘carpets’ for walkers

Welsh wool has long been used to make luxury carpets that are popular in North Wales homes. Welsh farmers have also been using wool to repair footpaths.

Walking paths are covered with wool fleeces before stones and aggregate are spread over them. The wool replaces the synthetic membrane that is normally put under the stone and aggregates. The manager of the Made With Wool project, Elen Parry, has said:

“Our aim is to develop sustainable uses for wool which will guarantee a fairer price for farmers. This particular project does this – as well as improving our lived environment and minimising our impact on our surroundings.”

The wool creates a floating carpet path that allows water to drain away naturally.

Using wool on paths is not a new technique. The Romans used wool on waterlogged paths a long time ago. Wool has also been used in railway construction in Ireland a hundred years ago.

The Welsh farmers are paid a fair price for the wool, and local volunteers help renovate the paths. After the summer, the paths will be checked and any sections that have settled a lot will be topped up.

Wool is also being used to conserve paths in the Lake District and the Isle of Skye. There should still be plenty of wool left to make carpets, so no shortages are expected. However, if your carpets are looking worn, it’s a good time to visit your local carpet retailer to see their range of premium quality wool carpets.