Wood Vibes
Wooden flooring is a great way to make your space look warm and inviting. The more natural flooring is the solid wood flooring seen in old hill station homes. But solid wood
is extremely expensive. Another type of flooring is the Engineered wood which has a top layer made with real hard wood and the under surface is made with a soft wood like pine wood. The most used wood flooring is the manmade flooring known as laminates and are relatively inexpensive in comparison. Shagun Singh, Interior Designer & Founder, Homework, says, “even though you may have put in a wooden flooring, adding a carpet adds further warmth to the space. Invest in a good vacuum cleaner so that you can vacuum your carpets and wooden floors every 2-3 days. For your carpets you can also now add a Nano coating on the upper surface so that anything that falls on the carpet can be easily wiped out.”
Variants Galore
Broadloom is one segment that has been introduced in Indian market in late 2021. It is fresh and as a vertical it has immense potential. Some minor changes in its construction makes it a suitable choice for multiple communities. “Kaleen India is planning to revive a vintage category of rugs called Sikri a weaving technique from Agra that had lost it’s footing in the domestic as well as international market. Sikri is also catching up and is already a success in the Middle East,” says Vishwas Kohli, Vice President, Kaleen India. There are many possibilities, from vinyl and laminate to concrete and cork, with endless variants within each category, for wooden flooring, which has an aesthetic component. “We will be introducing a line of extra-large carpets or mats designed specifically for wooden flooring. The idea behind launching these mats is to not just amplify the beauty of the wooden floor but also protect it from any possible damage. Not only are these mats easy to clean but they are also unique since the designs are made in-house,” says Vansikha Nahata, CEO, The June Shop. Prime floors Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) comes at unbeatable low prices with no compromise at quality and durability. Design to mimic real wood, it comes with more “padded” feeling underfoot. With easy installation process Prime LVP is the most affordable, very low maintenance and durable optionsfor flooring. Arun Roongta, MD, HGH India, says, “if it comes to durability and purely waterproof avatar – Prime SPC Floors is an excellent choice for every home maker. This flooring is green and environmentally friendly, with zero
formaldehyde, which is installed with a click n Lock style system that is significantly faster to install than traditional tiles making it a DIY homeowner favourite.”
Choose right
The principal priority to be considered is to ensure the durability of the selected material and the functionality of the space in which the material is going to be applied. While hardwood floors should be implemented keeping in mind that the individual must be able to preserve their floor, free of stains. “In terms of carpet utilization in home decor, it should not be too small to fit in the standard furniture, as continual dragging and sliding may leave stains on new hardwood floors, eventually ruining the entire aesthetic. The idea is also to find a neutral colour that works for the entire house,” advices Vimesh P, Vice-President Marketing, CASAGRAND. Kavya Sethi – Co-founder, Walnut Studio adds, “before installing the flooring, one should make sure that the room should not have any dampness or moisture. If the room receives direct sunlight, use blinds or curtains to protect the wooden floor from discoloration caused by harsh sunlight. If using hardwood flooring, go for a particular layered product to reduce sound, protect from moisture and provide thermal insulation.” To purchase a new rug for an area with hardwood flooring, you must first pay attention to the tone of the hardwood flooring. “For darker hardwood flooring, the rug colours should be lighter, in a scale of pastels and creamy colours, to create a contrast against the dark floor. You should go with a deeper hue for lighter hardwood flooring, such as reds and blacks. If the hardwood floor colour is somewhere in between, you could decide to play with colour shades of blue, green, or orange,” says Nikhitha Geo, MD, Mashi Interiors Pvt. Ltd.
Designer speak
Wooden flooring goes very well with light earthy tones as well as with a nice, patterned rug. “We have been using wooden flooring in various spaces like bedrooms, bar areas, dressing areas, and offices for a while now and according to the Indian weather we have observed, that material like wood will expands and shrink according to the changing seasons of India, so it is very important while laying the flooring, proper expansion gap from the wall should be provided to avoid any inconvenience for the future,” says Anand Ojha Principal Designer, Anand Atelier Associates. Carpets of various types are available in various compositions, such as hand knotted rugs, hand tufted rugs, silk rugs, jute rugs and selection must be based on area of usage. “For instance, for a plush formal drawing area, one should use a hand knotted rug in wool or wool and silk. And for a rug under a dining table, one should use a hand tufted version with a certain percentage of polyester in it so that washing is easy as this area will be traffic prone and more usable,” says Paushika Gupta, Founder, Paushika Gupta, Architecture+Design.
Trend check
Naturally worn and torn wood aesthetics will be trendy this year. “Tone contrasts between warm and cool will be popular. The wooden flooring’s patterns give the room individuality. These days, we prefer herringbone or fishbone designs pattern to normal laying. In terms of aesthetics, wood flooring is unquestionably preferable. In cold weather, wood flooring will keep your feet warm and cold in hot weather,” says Rajiv Sethi, Founder, Woodcraft International. Dhruva Kalra, Principal Architect, I’m D’sign adds, “newer choices in wood such as those with wider planks simplifies maintenance with lesser grouts and boosts the ambience with an open, airy appeal. Smoked or rustic appeal in wood can also be invited
to influence the style statement of the home. Hand-knotted carpets, vintage weaves and neutral colour palettes can be fused into these, to make any space that speaks of the current trends.”
Maintenance matters
Suresh Kumar Mansukhani, Country Manager, India, Junckers says, “we need to understand that Solid Wood Flooring has to be within the usage of the climatic conditions prevailing in India. Therefore, only those hardwood floorings are required which have a moisture content of 8% to 12% only work in India. Due to its nonporous nature no virus can stick to the floor which always keeps the floor completely hygienic. It is recommended the wooden flooring be cleaned and polished with cleaning solution and polish available in the market to retain the sheen and aesthetic value of the product.”
Green fingers
With wood flooring, an important aspect is the source. If it is plantation forest (where the wood has been specifically planted to be harvested without harming the overall wood balance of the planet) or wood coming from licensed forest thinning (a practice which contributes to healthy forests), it is beneficial for the environment. “The benefit derives from the wood’s property of locking in carbon inside it. We all know that greenhouse gases are contributing to overall heating of the planet. CO2 is a major part of that. We also know that trees inhale and store this CO2. As one of the solutions, each time someone converts a correctly harvested tree into a product, they have locked that much amount of Carbon in it and taken it off from the atmosphere. And in its place a new tree will be planted which will be converted again into a product locking ever more carbon and so on creating a virtuous cycle,” explains Satinder Chawla, Managing Director, Span Floors.
