Flooring

Okay, so hopefully the painting task we discussed last week was a huge success and you now have a fresh, new canvas to work with.  Time for the next step.

Let’s talk flooring.    Rugs are a great way to change the look of a room, especially if you are fortunate enough to have wonderful, real wood floors. All too often in the Caribbean the trend is to cover the wood with carpet but natural flooring is ideal for our warm climes. If the colour of your wood has become indeterminate due to years of wax and polish, it is relatively inexpensive to hire an industrial sander, and gently take the surface back to the original finish.  Then, a couple of coats of good, clear polyurethane varnish and the floor will look like new.  Trust me - the effort is well worth it.

Chosen carefully, a rug can immediately change the look of a room – you can add a large block of colour and pattern in one fell swoop!  When choosing a rug, you may want to consider how much use it will get, for example

      ·                      If  placed in the centre of a seating arrangement it needs to be hardwearing.   

·                       If you have children that love to sprawl on the floor you might consider a wool/nylon mix which gives you softness but also strength.

·                      Cotton dhurries are ever popular and come in amazing shades but are best left to areas of little traffic as they  are not particularly robust and you may find them curling at the edges which could be hazardous.

If your main items of furniture have fairly neutral tones you can choose a rug with all the colours you wish to incorporate in the room; it will anchor the whole scheme together.   Conversely, bright, patterned furniture calls for more subdued tones on the floor, to avoid colour clash.  Always keep in mind that the finished result must be co-ordinated and welcoming, and too many opposing colours will not achieve this.

If your preferred option is carpeting  the same rules apply; always bear in mind the other components of the room and choose your colour accordingly.

Next week we will look at window treatments,  a very important element in creating that complete, cosy, “I can’t wait to get home” look.

Happy sanding.

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