Flooring tips: How to get the luxury look for less

Does the price of luxury flooring send you into a cold sweat? Everyone wants nice-looking flooring but not for some of the prices on the market today.

A leading home interiors retailer has revealed three ways that homeowners can tap into some of the most popular home interiors trends but at a fraction of the cost.

Replicate real wood with laminate

Real wood offers a premium look – and to be fair, it looks fantastic as a kitchen floor. But at cost of up to £100 or more per square metre, it’s out of many budgets. Installation can take longer too as you need to make sure the sub-floor is properly prepared. For that, you’d have to hire a specialist fitter to help out. In addition, real wood flooring is prone to scratches, so if children and/or pets are haring around, it may be tricky to maintain.

For a much more cost-effective and practical option, you could try innovative laminate options – and the good news is there are loads available out there. One great offering is this Natural Oak Laminate which is only £13.99 per square metre – that’s a saving of around £80 per square metre.

Look for flooring with a combination of light brown tones, knots and grain textures to give a realistic wood effect design that can bring rustic warmth to any room. Laminate floor comes with bevelled planks that measure 12mm in thickness and is the ideal choice for areas with heavy foot traffic, as the hard-wearing materials and quality build are designed to handle the demands of a busy living space. It’s also super easy to install.

Try vinyl instead of tiles  

Whether you love the classic Victorian style or want to inject a Mediterranean feel to your home, tiles are extremely popular in rooms such as the hallway, kitchens and bathrooms.

But some brands charge anywhere from £40 per square metre to over £200 per square metre. Unless you’re particularly experienced in DIY, you’d probably also need to factor in the costs and time for a specialist installer to fit the tiles too.

For a quick and cheap way to update your home with all the style of real tiles, consider the more cost-effective option of patterned vinyl and save a fair amount per square metre.

Cheat the Herringbone style

Herringbone has risen to become one of the most sought-after flooring layouts thanks to its prominence on Instagram and Pinterest. To get the look with real wood planks or laminate options can be a time-consuming and costly home improvement, and it can result in a lot of materials being wasted due to the style of the pattern. However, vinyl alternatives are a great way to grab the trend without breaking the bank.

Boasting a thickness of around 3mm it has a good non-slip rating and is therefore a great choice for kitchens or bathrooms. Look for thermal backing for warmth underfoot.

Josh Barber, buyer at Flooring Superstore, said: “Some of the most popular flooring options such as real wood, herringbone, and tiles can be expensive due to the price of materials and installation. But there are some cost-effective ways to achieve these looks thanks to high quality alternative options such as laminate and vinyl. Not only do these cost less, but they’re much easier to install yourself, meaning you don’t need to find a specialist installer to fit them for you, giving you a cheaper, quicker and more practical way to update your home.”