Selecting the Right Flooring - The Impact on You and Your Conservatory

Choosing the right flooring for your bespoke conservatory can be difficult, as there would appear to be many options available. It probably won’t come as a surprise to you to learn that the flooring you choose will make a real difference to the feel of your conservatory. Things that you should consider before making the decision include the size and shape of your conservatory as well as the type of furniture you intend to use. Of course you should also give serious thought to how you expect to use your conservatory.

There are five main types of flooring that you are likely to be offered for your conservatory. These are laminate flooring, vinyl, carpet, engineered wood and real wood. It really is a case of preference as any of these solutions will work well as long as there isn’t any damp in your conservatory.

Wooden floors have become increasingly popular, but as you might imagine laminate is a common way of achieving this due to cost savings. The wide range of styles and colours ensure that modern laminate flooring looks fantastic. Laminate is probably tougher than wood on balance, but where damage does occur it’s also really easy to replace a single piece. Due to its cost, flexibility and ease to fit, laminate flooring is now one of the most common conservatory flooring materials. When you have kids running around the conservatory spilling things and people come in and out of the garden it makes a very logical choice.

Real wood is the most expensive of the options as well as the hardest to fit, but you can’t deny it does bring a touch of class. In a way it is like comparing a ford to a porché. If you have the cash to buy better and you are going to look after it, then it is probably worthwhile. It is hard wearing and remains naturally warm in winter and cool in summer, perfect for creating a comfortable living space all year round.

A problem with real wood is swelling. This is caused by humidity or a difference in temperature between the flooring and what lies below it, which could be cold cement or some sort of basement area. Wood swells in damp weather and contracts in dry weather so any room susceptible to changing conditions will be at risk. Another great way to combat the problem is to use engineered wood, where real wood is put in a thinner layer on top of another material which isn’t susceptible to swelling.

It’s a shame really that vinyl isn’t used more often for conservatories; it is a great flooring material. It is easy to clean and fully waterproof so it your floor often gets wet or is often used as a walkway between the garden and indoors then it could be worth looking at. It is also very cheap.