As more people spend time at home, the UK has seen a marked growth in the sale of DIY products and building materials. Many families have spent both time and money making their homes more comfortable or adding additional spaces for home learning and remote working. There are a range of items to fix and repair, ranging from exterior patio areas to new feature walls and front door colors. The often neglected area of the house that takes a beating is arguably the ultimate DIY project for summer 2021; your floors.
Floors are top of the list for DIY in 2021, but you must be aware that floors are not for the faint of heart. Redoing your floors requires a lot of calculations and some detailed research to get the right materials at the right prices. So, if you’re new to DIY and this was to be your first big job, read on by all means, but perhaps then get a team of professionals to help you with the flooring. But if you are an accomplished DIY’er, then get your tools together and give it a go this summer. As the kids and pets are able to spend more time outside, it’s a great time to spend redoing your floors. Be it one room at a time or the entire house, plan it, prepare it, and then plow on.
Floor Choices are Changing
Floors set the tone and can make the room look lighter and more spacious or darker and more mature. What you choose to have as a primary floor covering also determines to a great extent how you live in the space. If it’s too cold, then you’re likely to have additional floor coverings or require indoor footwear. Or if your flooring has been well planned and is comfortable underfoot, shoeless indoor living with less clutter and more freedom may be possible for you and your family.
A neutral carpet throughout has been the go-to solution for far too long and used to cover up many a beautiful aged wooden floor. The warmth that carpets provide has made it a favored product, but as times change and developments in underfloor heating, the warmth of your floors becomes a non-issue. Convenience now rules, and wood is back. It’s easy to clean and can last a lifetime. You do need to do your homework and ensure that you use the right wood in the right room.
Wood is a great choice for most if not all rooms, and it too can change over the years; what starts out as dark mahogany can be lightened with some sanding and a coat of clear varnish or bright paint. You can have the same wood throughout an entire floor of the home or change color and material in each room, do what suits your taste, and interior design palette. Or keep the same color and simply change the layout of the wood, from herringbone to solid wood and parquet floors the choices are endless.
For a statement, you could also go with a professional bespoke wood flooring company where you can purchase the floors and still do the installation yourself with some guidance. Or get them to install in your front rooms while you do patios and hallways. The pattern and color could then be unique to your home and definitely a conversation starter.
Once you’ve chosen the product for your floors, you need to ensure that you have the right tools for the job at hand. Removing old flooring, carpet and underlay can be dirty, dusty work, and without the right tools, you will be there for longer than you need to. Safety glasses or goggles are also a must for a flooring job, as are gloves and a good quality vacuum cleaner. The mess that the floors will make can easily be cleaned up, but injury or an accident may be longer-lasting, so focus on safety and have the right protection.
Prepare well, and you will be able to achieve a great transformation of your internal spaces and then take these spaces outside onto patios and decking. Floors are in for 2021; get yours done and prepare to be pleased.
These are the reasons floors are the DIY choice for 2021. It will take some preliminary planning, good research, and a fair amount of elbow grease, but once done you will have many years of comfort and beauty ahead of you. Do just one room, or test your skills with some decking or in the conservatory; either way, summertime 2021 will be a great time to look at the flooring.
