This time, we’re going seriously upstyle, with lots of useful information about LVT. What is it, what’s it made of, and how could it be the best thing ever in your home?

Here at Forest Flooring, we’re big fans of LVT. It stands for Luxury Vinyl Tiling, and the clue’s in the word: luxury.  Most of us wouldn’t normally associate the idea of deluxe home style right next to the word “vinyl”, but trust us – LVT flooring is an exceptionally popular choice. And, in our business, many in the range are continuous best sellers. (Also, we have “ordinary” vinyl options that are equally impressive, so do get in touch if you fancy getting the vinyl bug.).

It’s fair to say that LVT is one of the fastest-growing products on the flooring market.

So, what exactly IS LVT?

Luxury Vinyl Tiling is made from several layers of PVC vinyl.

Without going into too much technical detail, the PVC is mixed with various compounds which affect its hardness. The result? Several sheets of PVC that the manufacturer compresses by a rolling process that’s suspended in a liquid. Then, everything is dried to produce several layers.  Out of interest, LVT floors are pretty thin, much thinner than standing vinyl flooring, in fact: between 2mm and 8mm thick.

LVT has a clear vinyl and urethane coating (a type of polymer) that’s applied at the end, for further protection, and comfort underfoot.

With top layers of no more than 6mm, their slenderness can deceive you. In truth, they’re wonderfully strong and durable. With a super-high density, LVT has a superhero force. The way they’re made – with several layers – means that they simply don’t need to be any thicker.

Sorry about the science lesson, hope that’s all clear. Basically, this is a technological miracle.

Actually – thinking about it, also like a superhero, LVT floors are here for the good of humankind.

Let us explain.

They’re Incredibly Realistic

By which we mean, when it comes to floors, they can be almost anything you want them to be.

In a nutshell, technicians can create LVT  to look exactly like every type of real wood. Or, real stone, or ceramic. Not only does it look astonishingly authentic, but it also has the subtle imperfections that we see all around us in nature. Think: whirls, swirls, patterns, and variations in shade and tone. They are perfect in their faults, you could say. On balance, so perfect that you would have to look extremely close to see that this isn’t the real deal. Amazing.

LVT is available in plank and tile formats, and in an incredible, almost dizzying array of colours and styles to suit every home. Your home, actually. And, Forest Flooring will fit and install everything for you.

Designed for Life. And, to Last

These are ultra-high-quality products to give you pleasure for several years. In fact, we can’t make any promises, but LVT flooring can last up to 25 years.

Another important point to make is that unlike hardwood flooring, with LVT there are no specific maintenance requirements to think about. The top layer of LVT acts as a protector, meaning that it’s resistant to spills. You can quickly remove any scuff marks with a damp cloth, and your floor will thank you for just a vacuum or a sweep when it needs it. In contrast to a wooden floor, there’s no re-sanding or sealing.  In fact, there’s no floor maintenance programme to worry about.

Likewise, this product is more stable. It won’t warp or expand, it just lays flat on the surface for an all-round practical solution.

The durability of LVT makes this type of product a sublime family-friendly choice in your bathroom (it’s resistant to moisture), or your kitchen (heat insulation properties). That is, places that are high-traffic, or in constant use with children running in and out. Alternatively, if you run a business, Luxury Vinyl Tiles will give your establishment an affordable touch of class and sophistication.

This type of flooring tends to be more stable. It just sits flat, refusing to warp or bend, minding its own business and not causing any fuss.

Keep the Sound Down

Talking of family life, did you know that LVT flooring is a brilliant choice for soundproofing? A handy side-effect if you’re at all concerned about disturbing the neighbours. Can you imagine the comings and goings on a wooden or stone floor, and the noise? Well, quite. With LVT, the surface simply absorbs sound. So, you’ll have better acoustics in your home, and a bit more peace and quiet.

Keep Warm(er)

An obvious point, perhaps, but natural materials, lovely though they are, can be rather cold underfoot. And hard. Especially stone. LVT combines that essential super-chic look with warmth. Consider this important fact: unlike a solid wooden floor, they’re totally fabulous with underfloor heating, too. No slippers required.

You lead a busy life. Everyday comings and goings are the hallmarks of family life. Do you really want to spend time putting right any visible damage to your floor any more often than you absolutely have to?

How would something that looks authentically like a wooden, stone or ceramic floor, but is SO much easier to live with work in your home?

Rather well, we think. Why not get in touch to find out more about the wonders of LVT? Or, if you live in East Sussex, we’re just in Forest Row and we’d be delighted to show you some examples of this fabulous range.

Here at Forest Flooring, we love a rug.

As, we’re sure, do you. you. Why? Because they can change a room instantly, with zero effort. In fact, they’re almost a design tool, and can be a complement to your other furniture. Equally, they’re fabulous standalone artwork pieces – inviting all sorts of compliments. And, all you have to do is buy one. No fitting required.

With a quick switch, you can take a room from traditional to contemporary, and back again. Or, conservative to cool. You can use a rug to unify a room through in effect bringing together the different pieces of furniture in a room – which looks great. Moreover, a rug can protect your investment in a carpet, through slowing down wear and tear.

We sell a selection of hand-picked rugs, ranging from designer, custom-made pieces to more affordable off-the peg products. Don’t forget: if you’ve been admiring one of our samples in our Forest Row shop, Forest Flooring can even make a rug out of it. A rug just for you, to suit your home. Check out our rugs page for more information.

Things to Know When Choosing a Rug

There are a few things to bear in mind before you buy your rug.

After all, although it’s infinitely portable and you can easily swap it for something else, you’ll want to invest in something that’s excellent quality. Modern life doesn’t have to mean throw away. So, do buy the best you can afford – and it will give you joy for years to come.

Your Lifestyle

Obviously, if you have lively pets, a new baby, or come to think of it children under 25 (we’re not completely kidding here) a designer, cream-coloured carpet may not be the best choice. That’s understandable. But, also think about regular wear and tear, if you’re planning to place it in a high traffic area. Flatweave rugs are a practical option, and they don’t have to be dull or dowdy. Also, they’re tolerant to shall we say, a few spills and accidents, and they’re a bit sturdier.

On the other hand, are you after a luxe feel? How about a higher-pile rug that’s lovely and soft. Inviting and warm, it will be a treat for the (bare) feet at a higher price. Or, just perfect if you like to sit on the floor, if you see what we mean. However, treat it with care.

Size

To develop the above idea, where is your rug headed once it arrives home? What room will it be in? When it comes to a living room rug, you’ll need balance. That is, ideally, it should be centralised. What we mean is, you’re looking at a space of about 10 to 20 inches of bare floor between the walls of the room and the edges of the rug. Also, it needs to sit in line your furniture, otherwise you’ll be constantly wondering what’s not working in your living room. Most likely, it’s your rug.

So then: size. A too-small rug is a common decorating mistake and will make the space look a little unfinished. Silly, even. A piece that’s big enough can almost take the place of a fitted carpet.

Nonetheless, you can also use a rug to define a different space in your room. Say, you have a couple of chairs and a coffee table in one corner? A smaller rectangle piece to place things on can look super chic.  This, combined with a contrasting rug in the main part of the room and you’ve got your very own Ideal Home exhibition.

Colour

As you’d expect, colour is so important. In fact, it’s one of the main things to think about. Why? Two reasons: colour impacts our mood, each and every day. And, when it comes to interiors, everything in your home, including the rugs, of course, needs to be “liveable”; you’ll be blue, if you go off its shade and hue (aha, we’re rhyming). Start with a colour you like and take it from there. The rule is always: lighter colours can make a space appear larger, whilst darker tend to minimise, setting the tone in a quaint and cosy environment.

In a previous blog, we mentioned a colour wheel. You can find these easily with just a few clicks; an affordable way to get it just right.

Do you want your rug to stand out, or blend in? Rooms with lots of colour and patterns tend to work best with a more neutral floor. Otherwise, it can look like a colour car-crash. How will it work with the tones of your walls, ceiling and your flooring? How practical is the colour?

Patterns

Not everyone loves rugs with patterns, but if you choose well they can be super-stars in the home decor department. Perhaps your room’s furniture is reasonably plain. Reserved, if you like. A patterned rug catches the eye, and can be delightful. The effect a pattern has on a room is closely tied to its colours, so consider how these two concepts will work together.

Shape

Rectangular, or circular?

If most of your furniture will be sitting on the rug, it’s sensible to choose a rectangular piece, ensuring that at least the front two legs of your sofas and armchairs sit on the rug. It stops the rug from moving and it makes it look much more in keeping with the decor. Thus, the rug needs to be longer than your sofa, otherwise it could look a little overwhelmed.

Time to get out the tape measure.

With circular rugs, your furniture will look best if you place it outside and around the rug. Putting a coffee table in the centre can help to bring everything together.

Budget

Buy the best quality products you can afford. A more affordable choice will of course save you money in the short term, but as with everything in life, if you buy cheap you will buy twice. Low-budget rugs bring down the rest of your living room. Rugs can take a bit of a battering – not literally, but they need to work as hard as you do. And, be easy to look after. Plus, they need to be practical, complementary and beautiful, of course.

What Do You Think?

There are so many benefits to a lovely living room rug. From injecting some much-needed colour and warmth, to adding instant pzazz and impact, you’re your own interior designer. Need some advice and inspiration? We hope you’ve found this blog useful, but do get in touch for more information about our wide range of rugs. We’re pretty sure that we have just what you need.

How to Remove Red Wine from a Carpet

• Just a quick repeat: vacuuming at least once a week is highly recommended to keep everything spick and span.
• Avoid direct sunlight as this can cause the beautiful colour of your carpet to fade; blinds and curtains can do a great job for you here.
• Try using furniture cups under the chair legs of your furniture to avoid indentations, and do move your pieces around for more even wear and tear.
• Think about putting doormats near your doors (the clue’s in the title!) as this helps in heavy traffic areas when people come in and out in dirty shoes.
• Don’t pull at loose bits on your carpet – you could end up with bald flooring.
• New carpets may deliver some loose fibres to the surface, so your handy hoover will deal with these.
• Consider investing in a domestic carpet cleaner. You will be amazed at how much dirt can come out, and the results will be impressive, to say the least.
• If all else fails, commercial carpet cleaning companies can work their professional best to restore your much-loved carpet back to its best.

If you’ve ever wondered how to choose your floor colour, wonder no more.

Whilst we can’t recommend one particular shade over another – it’s your home after all – here at Forest Flooring we understand how important floors are.  It goes without saying that flooring is our Thing. In fact, it lies at the very heart of our business, and even when we’re out and about, we can spot various brands and types at 50 paces. Whether it’s carpets or tiles, your investment with us could, and perhaps even should be what marketing people call a “considered purchase”.

That is, an outlay that you’ll only want to make once in a blue moon. Buy cheap, buy twice, as the saying goes.

So, you’ll want to get it right. Not sure where to start?

Interior decorators and architects take several years to study the art of colour, so don’t worry if you’re not an expert. Very few of us are – even if there is such a thing. There are a few things to consider, though. Before we start with advice on shades and hues, let’s start with some practicalities:

What Sort of Property Do You Have?

By which we mean, are there just the two of you in a small-ish apartment with high-value fixtures and fittings? Or, are you a part of a busy family with lots of high-traffic areas? Have you got pets? Possibly, lighter coloured laminates could work in your home and won’t show so many marks and scratches. However, darker-hued carpets are considered the better choice in houses with growing families – where drinks can be spilled!

And, what about the style of your home? You may favour modern, period, traditional, minimalist or – the latest trend: cottagecore. Your flooring should always complement your furniture and your tastes. However, it’s worth taking a view, as it were; you could be enjoying a whole new look and feel with a deep pile carpet in a rich shade, or breathe life back into a tired-looking living room with a contrasting style of flooring.

And what about how different your inside spaces will look throughout the day? Something under artificial light during the darker hours could almost look like a different floor with the sun shining on it.

Do you have a custom-made piece of furniture that you’d like to show off? Then using natural colours creates a canvas to allow your fabulous sofa, sideboard or coffee table to take centre stage for more than a few admiring glances.

A Question of Size

The general rule of thumb is that darker colours minimise space, and lighter shades tend to make interiors look larger. So, if you have a large room with lots of natural light coming in, warmer or darker tones can it feel cosy and comfortable, not least as the nights draw in. If you have plenty of space, consider adding a few brightly coloured rugs as a way to create a striking focal point. Right now, darker shades are in vogue, with rich purple grades adding a luxe touch; grey is fashionable, too, for chic living rooms.

For smaller rooms, of course, the opposite applies. Think about a lighter palette for a feeling of space – it really does work. For example, pale, pastel colours make for striking, contemporary dining rooms. Darker accessories (say cushions or throws) in rich shades add a homely ambience.

What Goes With What?

To help, try putting “colour wheel” into Google.

You can either buy them online, or just do some digging around to see what we mean. Here’s a small, interesting fact: did you know that the colour wheel was invented by Isaac Newton in 1666? Not content with highlighting the concept of gravity, he also mapped out the colour spectrum onto a circle. The basic premise is that a clever mix of art and science can show us which colours look good together, in effect revealing the relationship they have with one another.

The ones that look good together are called a “colour harmony”.

Generally, colours that are opposite in the colour wheel are good choices. Why? Because they’re pleasing to the human eye. And, they’ll work well in your home.

Colour, Mood and Atmosphere

Colour is everything when it comes to how you feel.

Think about yellow. No doubt a tough colour to have on your floor, but it seems to represent happiness, vibrancy and optimism, doesn’t it? A rich deep red speaks to us of opulence and luxury; purple is rather regal, while white and light beige can give the room a sense of openness and purity. Certain colours can fire us up – oranges and reds, whilst blues and greens calm us down.  Keen on black? It can be super-dramatic for a stylish twist.

If you’re not ready to embrace bright pink flooring, and let’s face it most of us aren’t keen to go there just yet, you could think about layering your favourite colours over neutral shades.

Colour Vs Neutral Tones

When it comes to interior design, here at Forest Flooring we’d always recommend durable, long-lasting and trend-free.  And, for you to buy the best you can afford. This way, you’re avoiding “buyer remorse” by swerving short-term trends.

Plus, you’re stocking up on comfort and wellbeing; and you can’t put a price on that. Safe doesn’t have to mean boring, however. There are so many different types of neutral, including grey, oatmeal, stone, off-white, taupes and so on. These more peaceful shades allow you to make more of an investment, with the understanding that you won’t need to start again next year.

Neutrals can be sublime, balancing your room’s interior and enabling you to make your mark with whatever else you fancy, including pictures, furniture, rugs, throws, cushions – the world is your oyster.

So, there you are. A quick guide to how to choose your floor colour. Do come to our showroom in Forest Row, and you could even bring some elements that represent your interior to make your decision-making easier. Or, get in touch with us if you’d like more information.

Here at Forest Flooring, we’re always looking for great ways to communicate with our customers. So, we have good news: we’ve joined the blogosphere!  Look out for regular monthly blogs from us, full of useful information, hints and tips about everything to do with flooring and carpets.

We know that flooring can be an investment, so you want to get it right.

From advice about which colours to choose when you’re thinking about a new carpet, some super-useful tips about wooden floors, through to how best to look after Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT), there’s everything you need in one place.

To be fair, we thought it was about time that we started putting all our years of experience to use for the people who matter to us the most: you – our customers.  Get in touch if you have any questions about our products, we’re happy to help.

A Message to Our Customers

At the time of writing, it looks like we’re slowly coming out of the worst of the pandemic.

We’re aware that new Covid cases are still high, but we’re pleased that the vaccine roll-out appears to be doing its job magnificently. Thankfully, hospital admissions are much lower than they were.

However, if you, or someone close to you has been affected by Covid-19, we’d like to pass our best wishes to you.  And, if you’ve lost a loved one, please accept our heartfelt condolences. Without a doubt, this has been a terrible time for so many of us.

How Has Covid Affected Forest Flooring?

A lot, but thankfully only for a short period of time – is the really honest answer.

When lockdown came, we closed.

In fact, we shut our doors for 3 long months. The whole supply chain closed down. During that time, we carried out 3 previously booked fittings which, happily for all concerned were in empty properties, and therefore relatively low risk.

We re-opened when we could, in the late spring/early summer with ultra-strict Covid precautions. Putting our customers at risk was of course a complete no-no (and that’s still the case), so we armed ourselves on every job with masks, sanitizers, and took care to follow the 2-metre social distancing rule.

(By the way, we still follow these rules and will continue to do so for the time being.)

The second major lockdown came as no surprise; fittings continued, and we carried on trading, although at a slightly lower level. Again, not so much of a surprise.

And now, in July 2021, business is brisk; just the way we like it.

Our business remains solid, and of course, we’re open from Monday to Friday 9.00am until 4.00pm and on Saturdays from 9.00am until 1pm for you to drop in to see us.

Your Home, Your Castle, Your Sanctuary

You may have been working from home for the last 16 months or so. Perhaps even furloughed. Sounds great, but were you a bit bored? In any case, we’ve all been spending more time behind closed doors, making the most of our forced domesticity.

Believe it or not, the pandemic has influenced interior design trends in 2021.

We’ve had to adapt and change the way we live and work; there’s been a knock-on effect that’s been shaping how we decorate our homes, too. Your house isn’t just where you live any more. It’s your office, your gym, where you home-school (well done on that one, if you were one of those stressed parents), where you care for your family and where, if you’re lucky, you can relax at the end of a busy day.

We need adaptable, flexible spaces. Not to mention our health, wellbeing and in particular, our mental health being at the top of our priority list.

Flooring for a New Look and Feel

Good, welcoming spaces can create good spaces in our heads.

So, you may want to think about a luxury new woollen carpet. Imagine padding around the house bare feet with a lovely, soft natural substance underfoot.  We want to say “squidgy” here. And, for your bathroom or kitchen why not have a look at our amazing LVT range.

Whilst you’ve not been out socialising, you may have accrued some extra funds in your bank account for just this purpose. Worth thinking about.

If you’ve decided that after a tough year, the kitchen deserves a spruce up with either solid or engineered wooden flooring, you will most definitely not regret your choice. Wood is incredibly beautiful. Stunning, in fact, its natural patterns adding to the charm of bringing the outside in. A new wooden floor could make an incredible difference to the heart of your home.

Think about having your first post-Covid dinner party and you could show off your amazing new floor. What a pleasure. We’re just leaving this one here, OK?

Advice You Can Trust

Here a Forest Flooring, we know a lot about, well – floors. What we’re saying is, do ask us for advice. This is a considered purchase, so you’ll want to get it right first time. Our MD, Darren Anderson used to be a carpet fitter and in fact, he still likes to be as hands-on as possible. Darren has a forensic knowledge about our range and can find the right product for you at the best price.

Look out for next month’s blog. We’re pleased to be nearly back to normal, and we’re here if you’d like to get in touch.