Your conservatory represents the limbo between your house and your garden, allowing you to enjoy nature without having to deal with the elements – the best of both worlds!
In order for your conservatory to be truly enjoyable, it’s important to pick the right style of flooring. While the architectural style of your home will be a factor in determining the right flooring, you should always choose flooring based on the activities you do inside your conservatory. For instance, a children’s play area will have different flooring requirements compared to a conservatory used as a home office!
Engineered wood
Since conservatories experience a wide variance of temperatures throughout the year, wood is typically not thought to be a good option for conservatory flooring because of its tendency to warp and distort. However, in recent times engineered wood has become a popular option for conservatory flooring. This is because it looks exactly like traditional hardwood (it is also available in a variety of styles and shades), but is extremely durable and won’t distort as a result of temperature or humidity changes. While engineered wood looks stunning, particularly as a compliment to traditional architecture, it does need regular maintenance in order to preserve its integrity.
Ceramic tiles
There are a variety of different ceramic tile styles, each with their own advantages and drawbacks. Glazed ceramic tiles are particularly popular because of their durability and water resistance, while terracotta tiles are not as durable but are renowned for their heat retention, which makes them perfect if you also have underfloor heating. Porcelain tiles are also popular for their extreme durability and they can be made to replicate a variety of natural stone styles.
Stone floors
There’s no better way to provide your conservatory with some rustic ambience than by installing stone flooring. Marble flooring looks truly wonderful, but does require regular maintenance and it can accumulate stains, and therefore may not be a wise choice if you’re thinking of hosting dinner and drinks parties in your conservatory. Granite is one of the most expensive options for conservatory flooring, but if you like the resilience and distinct, traditional look that granite provides, nothing else comes close.
Laminate flooring
In the past, laminate flooring was considered to be a budget option, but this is no longer the case. With advances in manufacturing, high end laminate flooring is now incredibly popular because it’s still cheap compared to other options (such as stone and ceramic tile), but is waterproof, easy to clean and can excellently replicate a range of styles from the natural world. If your conservatory is likely to be a high traffic area or the flooring is going to endure a lot of wear and tear, laminate flooring might be a wise option.
Carpet
While a soft, intricately woven carpet is always going to be associated with any cosy environment, carpet is often not a good choice for conservatory flooring. A conservatory typically accumulates moisture faster than a standard room, and this can lead to a damp carpet, which can lead to mould and water damage – which you definitely want to avoid! Furthermore, if you constantly have people dragging dirt from outside onto the carpet, it will quickly accumulate unwanted germs. This is both unsightly and unhealthy (especially for hayfever sufferers).