The complete flooring guide for UK homes.

The single biggest decision isn't brand — it's matching the material to the room. Get that right and everything else (colour, pile, plank width) falls into place.

Bedrooms, stairs, lounges

Choose carpet. Warmth, sound absorption and softness underfoot matter more than water resistance. Wool or wool-rich twist piles from Cormar, Westex and Axminster give the longest life.

Kitchens, hallways, utility, bathrooms

Choose LVT (Karndean or Amtico). Fully waterproof, warm to the touch, easy to clean and quieter than tile. Works beautifully with underfloor heating.

Dining rooms, open-plan living, period cottages

Choose engineered wood or parquet. Real oak or walnut surface on a stable ply core — the look of solid wood without the movement issues over UFH.

A carpet is defined by three things: its fibre, its construction and its underlay. Brand matters, but only within those.

Fibres

• Pure wool (80/20 or 100%) — naturally soil- and flame-resistant, best appearance retention, warmest feel. The premium choice. Westex and Axminster are the UK benchmarks.
• Polypropylene — fully bleach-cleanable, brilliant for family homes with kids or pets. Cormar's Primo and Inglewood ranges lead this category.
• Polyamide (nylon) — extremely hard-wearing, common in stain-resist "SDN" carpets.
• Triexta / SmartStrand — soft like wool, stain-resist like nylon; a strong middle ground.

Constructions

• Twist pile — the workhorse. Yarns twisted and heat-set, resistant to flattening. Best all-rounder for stairs and landings.
• Loop / Berber — hard-wearing, textured, contemporary. Avoid where cats can catch claws.
• Saxony / velvet — luxurious deep pile for bedrooms and formal rooms.
• Woven Axminster & Wilton — the traditional British constructions used in Axminster and Ulster ranges; unmatched longevity.

Brands we specify

Cormar for value and family-proof polypropylene. Westex for pure-wool luxury with unrivalled 60-colour ranges (Ultima Twist, Pure Luxury). Axminster for woven British wool with heritage patterns and plain twists.

Luxury vinyl tile is now the fastest-growing floor type in UK homes, and for good reason: warm underfoot, silent, waterproof, dent- and scratch-resistant, and available in astonishingly realistic wood and stone effects.

Gluedown vs click

Gluedown LVT (both brands' flagship ranges) demands a perfectly flat subfloor but gives the thinnest, most stable, most premium result — and is the only way to achieve intricate laying patterns. Click / rigid-core LVT floats over a slightly less-than-perfect subfloor and can be fitted faster, but you sacrifice some design range.

Got pets? Both Karndean and Amtico are waterproof, scratch-resistant and easy to clean — making them the best choice for homes with dogs and cats. Read our LVT flooring for pets guide for the full breakdown.

Real wood adds warmth and value that no imitation quite matches. In a modern British home — especially with underfloor heating or over concrete — engineered wood is almost always the correct specification.

• Engineered oak — a genuine oak wear layer (typically 3–6mm) bonded to a stable ply core. Stays flat, works with UFH, can be sanded and re-finished once or twice.
• Solid oak — best for well-ventilated period rooms with timber subfloors. Not recommended over UFH.
• Herringbone & chevron parquet — engineered blocks in classic laying patterns. Transformative in hallways and dining rooms.

Cheap underlay wastes an expensive carpet. Under wool twist we specify at least 10mm PU foam (Cloud 9 Cumulus, Tredaire Colours) — the pile springs back for years longer. Under LVT and wood, subfloor flatness matters more than any underlay: we self-level to SR1 tolerance before a plank is laid.

1. 1. Free home measure. We visit, measure, and bring samples in your own light.
2. 2. Written itemised quote. Supply, underlay, fitting, trims and disposal — no surprises.
3. 3. Order & delivery. Typically 5–10 working days for stocked ranges, 2–4 weeks for cut orders.
4. 4. Subfloor prep. Lifting old flooring, screwing squeaky boards, ply-boarding or self-levelling as needed.
5. 5. Fit day. Furniture moved, doors trimmed, threshold bars fitted, offcuts removed and floors vacuumed.

Vacuum carpet weekly (twice weekly in the first month to shed loose fibres — this is normal). For LVT and wood, sweep or vacuum on hard-floor setting, damp mop with a pH-neutral cleaner — never wet-mop wood. For a detailed walkthrough on caring for one of the UK's most popular family carpet brands, read our guide to cleaning Cormar carpets. Karndean, Amtico, Westex and Cormar all carry lengthy residential guarantees when professionally fitted.

More questions? See our full FAQs, browse the installation gallery, or read about flooring in Cranleigh, Guildford, Godalming, Horsham and Billingshurst.