Playing host to everything from big, bustling family meals to intimate romantic dinners, your dining room is one space in your home guaranteed to bring you and your loved ones together.
Such a multi-functional room needs a similarly versatile floor to match. Today, we’re looking at the best options for dining room flooring, depending on your style, property, and budget.
Choosing the Best Dining Room Flooring
Before you choose flooring for your dining room, it’s a good idea to imagine how you want your dining area to feel. Do you want it to be a cosy, family-friendly space, perfect for busy get-togethers? Or do you want a clean, minimalist look?
Do you need your dining room floor to be low maintenance and durable, or do you want something very high-end – even if it requires a little more work and money?
Dining Room Flooring Considerations
You’ll also need to think about the size of your room, the colour and style of your existing decor, and the amount of traffic your dining room floor will be exposed to. Here are some important things to consider:
Property size and style
If you have a modern home with a huge dining room then, congratulations! The flooring world is pretty much your oyster. If you have space constraints though, or you live in a period property, you’ll have to be a little more considerate when making your choice. Go for flooring materials that fit in with your home as it is – otherwise, you could be facing a much bigger redecoration project.
High or low traffic
If you don’t use your dining room very often, you don’t have to worry so much about flooring properties like durability and scratch-resistance. If you use the space daily, these features are worth thinking about. Frequently-used dining room floors need to be able to withstand spills, dragging chairs, and heavy footfall.
Animals and children
Choosing your dining room floor is also very much about your family’s unique needs. If you have children, especially younger ones, you might want to consider slip-proof flooring for additional safety. If you have pets, you may want to stay away from flooring like loop pile carpet that can snag on claws.
Affordability and durability
Once you’ve got your priorities sorted out, you should be able to find a good compromise between affordability and durability. Thankfully, the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. There are plenty of dining room options out there that are hard-wearing and long-lasting but still won’t eat into your budget, such as LVT, which is designed to look identical to more expensive flooring types such as real wood or stone, but is far more durable, at a fraction of the price point.
Your Dining Room Flooring Choices
Wood
Traditional, stylish, and warm underfoot, there are many benefits to choosing wood flooring for your dining room.
Wood is the perfect blend of luxury and durability. While it can be more costly than other flooring options, it will last forever with a little maintenance. It’s incredibly versatile, with a boundless choice of colours and finishes, and it can help a smaller space look bigger and brighter.
It’s also the perfect partner for underfloor heating; ideal if you want to create a warm and welcoming dining space.
If you choose a sustainable manufacturer like Kersaint Cobb & Co or Tarkett Flooring, wood can even be a natural and environmentally-friendly way to floor your dining room.
Wood Laminate
Love the look of hardwood floors, but need something more low-maintenance or or budget-friendly? Why not consider laminate?
Laminate flooring can be a fantastic choice for your dining room because it’s much more hard-wearing than real wood. Scratch-resistant and waterproof, wood laminate dining room floors are protected against dropped drinks and heavy usage. It’s one of our top recommendations for family dining rooms because of its slip-resistance and affordability, and comes in a variety of colours, styles and finishes.
Carpets
There’s nothing quite like carpet for making a space feel homely and welcoming. It’s soft underfoot, warm, slip-resistant, and comes in an endless variety of textures, colours, and patterns.
Ranges like Victoria Carpets Splash or Victoria Twist are packed with different shades and designs that are perfect for injecting personality into a plain dining room.
Got a smaller space or a more neutral palette? The raw, natural materials used in Brockway carpets might be a better fit. Looking for a little luxury? Why not go for a Cormar 100% New Zealand wool carpet?
Got little ones who tend to spill? Kingsmead carpets come with a lifetime stain warranty. Whatever your needs and tastes, there’s a style of carpet to suit you and your dining room.
If you’re looking to update your dining room flooring, we’d love to help. Get in touch today for expert advice and tips or pop into our showroom to see our full range of flooring, from carpet and hardwood to laminate and LVT. We even offer a free measure and design service, delivered in the comfort of your home
Looking to upgrade your dining room floor?
As the heart of your home and the hub of memories and mealtimes, you’ll want your dining room flooring to be able to hold up under the demands of a busy household, and to be a place you actually enjoy spending time. If you already have a flooring type in mind, or you need a little help in choosing something suitable, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Donnelly Watson team to get your dining room makeover started.