Flooring can completely change a room. The children's room with the expired carpet becomes a cosy home cinema, modern home office or inviting guest room with a parquet floor or laminate flooring. Depending on the covering, a new floor is due after 10 to 50 years:
You can buy floor coverings made of a wide range of materials in many variations in DIY or hobby markets. If you are handy and have time, you can actually lay any floor covering yourself. At least at first glance, this is cheaper than hiring a professional. However, if you don't have time or the floor plan is more demanding than a simple rectangle, you should hire a professional floor layer. The cost will depend on the flooring, the layout of the rooms and the amount of work involved (including travel time). With these guide prices you can roughly estimate the costs:
* These are approximate values. Contact certified floor layers and parquet layers from our network and receive up to 3 offers for a cost comparison.
Different coverings require different skills. Laminate, for example, is laid without adhesive, while parquet needs to be glued down. In addition, any damage to the subfloor may have to be repaired before the new floor is laid. And it often makes sense to lay an insulating mat under the new flooring. Without specialist knowledge and the right tools, this is more difficult than some people might think. That's why it pays to leave the work to professionals. In the Houzy network, you will find certified floorers from your region who will give you competent advice and lay the floor professionally for you. If you are looking for ceramic tiles, artificial stone or natural stone, you will also find the right tiler.
{{floorer}}
Cork is a natural and renewable raw material. One cubic centimetre of cork contains 30 to 42 million cork cells and consists of nine tenths air. That is why cork is very elastic, compresses when the pressure increases and expands again as soon as the pressure decreases. Furthermore, thanks to its honeycomb structure, cork is an excellent insulator of footfall sound and heat. Cork is laid as a swinging cork parquet or glued down as cork boards over the entire surface and is suitable for bedrooms and living rooms because cork flooring is warm underfoot, easy on the joints and easy to clean.
Laminate is built up layer by layer from wood fibre boards, paper as well as melamine adhesive and is very popular thanks to its good price-performance ratio. Laminate floors are hygienic, easy to clean and hard-wearing. Thanks to their low installation height, they are well suited for renovations and can be easily laid on almost any subfloor, but should not be glued over large areas. Laminate flooring is mainly used in hallways, bedrooms or living rooms. For the bathroom or kitchen, the moisture-sensitive floor covering must be specially sealed.
Linoleum is produced from 80 % renewable raw materials such as linseed oil, cork flour or jute and is biodegradable. The natural material is antistatic, antibacterial, hygienic, easy to clean and hard-wearing. Linoleum flooring is installed as tiles that are joined together and laid as a floating floor or fully glued down as yard goods. Each joint must then be sealed to prevent moisture from penetrating. Linoleum is particularly suitable for bathrooms or kitchens because it is very easy to clean, but it is also increasingly being laid in living rooms.
Parquet is a natural product and is produced from wood. That is why visible colour differences are normal and contribute to the lively character of the floors. Basically, there are three types of parquet:
Parquet is available in many variants. The types of wood differ in appearance, hardness and moisture absorption. Their colour nuances are natural and visible quality features.
If you want to protect your parquet floor effectively and safely, you should keep the humidity between 40 and 60 %. The easiest way to do this is with a permanently installed humidifier. Read our article «Too dry and too warm: heating until the parquet bends».
There are hardly any differences between PVC and vinyl flooring. That is why the terms are used synonymously. Most people talk about PVC floors for the sake of simplicity. PVC or polyvinyl chloride is produced from vinyl and enriched with elastic binders to make the floors resilient and soft. PVC is available by the metre or as carpeting with or without a backing or as tiles. PVC floors are mainly installed in bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms because they are hygienic, easy to clean, hard-wearing, resistant to water stains and UV light. They can be laid loosely or glued down, most easily on flat floors.
PVC floors are better than their reputation. The basic material vinyl does not contain any heavy metals, solvent-based printing inks, carcinogenic substances, formaldehyde or pentachlorophenols as it used to. PVC is 100 percent recycled, and floors are produced again from the waste.
The carpet selection is almost inexhaustible. Basically, a distinction is made between tufted and woven carpets. Many carpets are tufted, i.e. their wear and backing layer is linked with sewing or pile yarn. Experts speak of loop pile when the yarn loops remain closed, cut pile when the loops are cut open, or cut loop when loop pile and cut pile are combined. Higher quality and more durable, but more expensive, are woven carpets. All carpets insulate well and absorb sound. They are mainly installed in living areas because they are warm and soft underfoot, but not in kitchens or bathrooms because they are sensitive to stains. They can be laid loosely or glued or fixed over the entire surface.
Floor coverings are installed in three ways:
With underfloor heating, you have to glue the covering. But gluing has other advantages as well: The covering does not develop bumps, gaps or waves, is more resilient, lasts longer and does not slip. However, gluing requires experience, know-how and special tools.
All prices are indicative only (as of 2023) so you can estimate the cost. If you want an exact offer, ask our certified floorers from your region.
