What kind of material to choose for the floors of your house or apartment is a crucial question. Here we take you through what you need to keep in mind before making a decision.

Mosaic

Most old houses in Pakistan have mosaic flooring. This is a cemented floor with marble chips used to bind the cement as well as give a beautiful look. Earlier, mosaic floors were made by dividing the floor into squares or any other shape portions with strips of glass between which the cement and marble chips were poured and allowed to set. The size of the marble chips or their colour depended on our choice. The cement usually used is white cement in which colour can also be added. Later, the floor is polished to give it a finishing shine.

Now you also get readymade mosaic tiles to set on the floor. Some of these are as small as the marble chips previously used in this kind of flooring. And you can join them to create brilliant designs.

A variety of flooring to choose from according to your taste and weather conditions

Mosaic floors are cool to the touch for an ideal choice for homes in warm areas or for verandas. When wet, this particular type of floor can be slippery so be careful then as well as when wearing new shoes. Also care should be taken not to drop anything heavy on your mosaic floor. It is after all cement and glass which can crack.

Marble or granite

Marble is available in many sizes. It comes in huge squares and small tiles as well which can be cemented on an even ground and polished. In Pakistan we are lucky to have a variety of marble. There is black, grey, green, pinkish and reddish marble from which these tiles are be made.

Granite flooring is also stone flooring just like marble and available in various colours and shades.

Like with mosaic, care should also be taken to not place heavy furniture or drop heavy objects on your marble or granite floor as it too can crack. In areas prone to seepage, waterproofing may be required as marble can then become pitted and deformed.

Wood

It may creak a bit, but handsome and resilient wood is an excellent flooring material. It is available either solid or laminated, in strips, planks or tiles. Wood flooring is generally cut from hard wood and glued to a smooth surface. You have a choice of wood colours like dark mahogany, dark brown, maple, oak, etc.

But care should be taken when selecting your wood flooring. Some woods, such as Burma Teak, can withstand humid weather as can Rosewood. But if your contactor cheats you by taking money from you for Teak and uses chipboard-like Diyar instead, not only will it swell in humid weather you will also be facing a termite infestation. Buying treated wood to avoid such issues is always better than calling the exterminators again and again.

Laminated

This is a synthetic vinyl flooring laid out in sheets or tiles. There is an astonishing array of colours, patterns and finishes, and, as already mentioned, is available in many sizes, shapes and materials such as glazed or unglazed ceramic, parquet, cork and even slate or flagstone.

Carpeted

Besides being decorative, carpets insulate against the cold, help absorb sound while also cushioning the floor. Several types of fibres are used in making carpets, such as wool, nylon, polyester, etc. All carpets, except for the cushion-backed carpets, should be laid over padding. This helps increase the life of a carpet while also preventing it from slipping.

As they insulate well, carpets are better for houses in cold climate areas. Also carpets need more maintenance than the other floors mentioned already. Woollen carpets can attract moths so they need to be chemically treated beforehand. Then for cleaning, if you have spent money on a carpet, you should also spend a little extra and buy a good vacuum cleaner. The broom or brush simply isn’t good enough as the dust cleaned out from the carpet by these would soon resettle on the same surface. Dust isn’t just dirt, there are microscopic allergens including organisms living within the dust particles and their stools are what cause allergies in people. People suffering from dust allergies and asthma should not have carpets anyway but if they do, then vacuuming everyday as well as shampooing your carpet or having it steam cleaned occasionally is advised.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 17th, 2015

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