Visitors can be impressed by a high-quality, well-maintained floor!
Can’t decide which kind of flooring to put in your living room?
Not sure what factors to account for when choosing drawing room floor materials?
Want to have the best flooring possible in your drawing room but not sure how to proceed?
Then this is the blog post you should read!
Not only have we gone ahead and listed out the 8 best flooring materials for your living room,
But also clearly explained what different requirements a good flooring should meet so you can make up your own mind.
So you can take an independent, well-chosen decision for your drawing room floor design.
The best materials for the living room floor
In our experience as Bangladeshi interior designers, carpet has always been a popular flooring option.
However, in recent times, more hard surfaces like laminate and wood are also becoming popular.
They’re easier to maintain, more stain-resistant and available in a range of designs.
- Carpet flooring
- Wood flooring
- Natural materials
- Vinyl flooring
- Laminate flooring
- Tile flooring
- Concrete flooring
- Stone flooring
Features of a good flooring material in the living room
Before we take a look at individual floor materials, we are going to list out the most important features of a good flooring material for the drawing room.
Basically, these are the specifications that a material must have to be suitable in living room floor design.
Appearance
Yes, looking beautiful and presentable is the most important quality of a floor.
While most materials are available in different colours and even styles, each material has an inherent aesthetic that may not be comparable with others.
Durability
A good floor should be strong enough to resist weathering over time, heavy loads and so on.
Wear and tear such as by movement of furniture over it, or dents should not occur.
It should have an expected life the same as that of the other materials in the room.
Smoothness
The surface of your living room floor should be smooth.
A rough upper surface is bad in appearance and makes walking on the floor uncomfortable.
On the other hand, the floor should NOT be slippery either.
Maintenance
You should be able to clean and maintain your floor without any major efforts.
It should absorb as little of things like oil and grease and should be stain-resistant.
Some maintenance from a professional may be mandatory but that should be once a year at most. Repairs should be easy and low-cost.
Carpet flooring
If having a soft and comfortable surface to touch under the foot is your top criteria, your living room floor choice is obvious – carpets.
While carpets are by their very nature soft, you can select appropriate fabrics to get a hard wearing carpet.
For example a wool-artificial fibre combination will give you a carpet that’s strong enough to resist regular foot traffic through the drawing room, while looking good.
Plain carpets are available in a huge range of colours.
On the other hand if you’re going for the glamourous look you can consider patterned carpets. Stripes, geometric shapes and even natural floral looks are contemporary favourites.
Pro tip: If you have children in the home, look for materials that are stain resistant.
Looking for other design services? Check out our living room design page.
Wood flooring
Wood floors are a great choice for a drawing room. They’re comfortable to walk on which is a plus point.
You can opt for either solid wood or engineered wood.
Solid wood has a natural and organic element that is difficult to replicate. It comes in a variety of tones and patterns which you can make as subtle or non-subtle as you want to.
Engineered wood on the other hand is known for resisting damage due to humidity. If you go for engineered wood, try to go for flooring that has a top layer which can be separately refinished in case of damage.
Wood floors can be sanded and refinished if damaged and can last years.
In short, wood flooring is uniquely stylish. It brings a natural warmth to your drawing room and has a timeless appeal.
Natural materials
Flooring made of natural materials has that organic aesthetic that many people like.
Their biggest plus point is, of course, that they are eco-friendly, non-toxic and some of them are quite affordable.
Plus, it can be surprisingly durable and hard-wearing and add a subtlety to the overall living room design that other materials could not create.
For example sisal is hard-wearing and comes in intricate patterns such as herringbone.
Seagrass and coir are some other examples of natural materials that you can use for your drawing room floor.
In short, if you’re going for an earthy appeal in your living room while also planning eco-friendly interior design, natural flooring materials are the way to go.
Vinyl flooring
Vinyl is not something that you may have considered as a good candidate for your living room floor.
However, you need to think about it because it’s an affordable way to get the look of more expensive materials like wood and stone.
It’s extremely durable – water & scratch resistant and feels comfortable under the feet.
Cleaning and maintenance are relatively easy as is installation. In fact, if you have some DIY experience you can install vinyl flooring yourself.
In short, if you’re budget-conscious but want the look of more premium materials like wood and stone, luxury vinyl planks are a flooring you should definitely consider for your drawing room.
Laminate flooring
If you’re specifically aiming at a wood-life finish for your living room floor but you’re working with a smaller budget, a good laminate is the material you should consider.
Good quality laminates last for a long time, and can resist damage from traffic (moving people, furniture and so on).
It has a top layer that is very durable and protects the surface against scratching and fading, which increases its life span.
Today’s laminate is very well-created and has come a long way towards resembling actual wood. It is also simple to install.
In short, if you want a wood floor alternative that’s budget-friendly, easy to install and low-maintenance, consider laminate flooring.
Tile flooring
When thinking about tile flooring, the first things that come to mind are kitchen and bathroom. Isn’t it?
In other words, tile flooring is most associated with kitchen and bathroom flooring.
However, it is a fact that tile flooring is a great fit for your drawing room as well.
Both porcelain and ceramic tiles can work well in the high-traffic living room. Tile is also easy to maintain.
Concerned about the floor feeling hard underfoot? Just use some area rugs!
In short, if you’re looking for flooring that’s good looking, easy to clean and load-resistant go for tiles. Use rugs to reduce the hard feeling underfoot.
If you’re wondering, here are some living room rug design ideas.
Concrete flooring
Want an unambiguously modern look for your living room?
Then I think you already know that concrete flooring is the way to go.
Concrete is an increasingly popular surface material in modern homes.
You can ask for options on colours and finishes when planning the design.
Concrete flooring can be of two types – concrete tiles and poured concrete.
The tiles are a little more budget-friendly than poured concrete; however they’re both easy to clean and maintain.
In short, if you’re aiming at a contemporary look for your home, go for concrete flooring. Concrete tiles are more affordable than poured concrete; but both are equally durable and easy to clean.
Stone flooring
Natural stone has a luxury factor that is not achievable from most other flooring materials.
It can make your flooring unique as no two pieces of stone are the same.
For living room areas, granite, limestone and marble are the best choices.
Some stone types are less slip-resistant. This is something you should discuss with the supplier when making your purchase.
Pro tip: Good sealing is necessary during installation so make sure you’re working with a professional contractor.
Selecting materials for your drawing room floor
Those are our 8 favourite materials for a living room floor.
Which one did you like the best?
Is this post proving useful in making your choice?
Let us know in a comment below!
