Chances are, your Beaumont home has an attic and other small spaces. It can be tricky deciding on which type of flooring is best for each. Here’s your guide to help you make the best selection.
Best Floors For Small Spaces in Beaumont
Many homes have at least a couple of small spaces, whether that’s a guest room, parlor, tiny hallway or mudroom. Even bedrooms can be tiny depending on the type of house you have in Beaumont, located on the Neches River in southeast Texas just 85 miles from Houston.
If you’re thinking of switching out the flooring during a renovation, you may want to consider materials that open up the small space and make it look more inviting. Creating the illusion of a larger room is often done with the right flooring.
If you’re not sure where to start, read this blog and then get in touch with our professional flooring installation team in San Antonio. Here are some tips to giving your small space a much-needed facelift.
Stay Away From Dark Colors
Darker flooring works very well in many areas of your home, but small spaces aren’t one of them. You don’t want to make it look like the room has shrunk, which is what will happen if you pair dark flooring with dark walls and dark furniture. Quarters that are already tight will feel even smaller, which can lead to that claustrophobic feeling.
For a more open, airy look that optimizes the room’s size, incorporate lighter colors throughout the room, from the furnishings to the floors. Use accents such as throw rugs and decorative pillows to add pops of colors and bring the whole look together. Cohesiveness is key here.
Make Sure Everything Flows
Creating continuity in your home means you have to make a conscious effort to ensure everything flows together seamlessly. Achieve this by using the same light color throughout all rooms for consistency’s sake. This applies to everything: the walls, floors, patterns and colors.
When you stick with a consistent focal point or color while nixing busy patterns, you can better amplify the space. Ensuring good flow between the interiors and exteriors means you should select a flooring type that matches both.
Let’s say you have a deck that has a light stain. You will want to incorporate a similar flooring color and type right inside the door to the home. If you have glass sliding doors, the eye will be drawn to the room beyond, creating the illusion of one large seamless room.
Carpets and Rugs
- Colors – When choosing carpet, always consider color. Lighter colors will make rooms feel larger because they reflect light. This is why you may want to go with stark white, taupe, and sandstone colors. You could also try to use colors that contrast and compliment for a unique look.
- Patterns – Large patterns can make small rooms look busy. If you absolutely must have a patterned rug in a small room, go with muted shades such as stripes of similarly-shaded colors.
Wood Floors
- Width and Color – Try wide planked floors for small rooms. When it comes to color, stick with lighter boards rather than dark boards, which leads to a sense of openness as noted above.
- Plank Placement – The placement of your planks will impact the feeling of the room and how big it seems. If you’re looking to make a narrow space appear longer, place the planks at a right angle from the longest side. For small rooms, place the planks away from the door, which gives the illusion of more depth as you look inside the space from the doorway.
Stones and Tiles
- Size and Shape – Tile flooring is a clean, streamlined option for any home. Great for homes with pets or children, tiles are available in many shapes and sizes, with larger tiles having an impact on the room’s space.
- Color and Orientation – The less busy you can make your floors look, the larger the appearance of the room. Cut down on grout lines through the use of large and light tiles. Your small room will feel more open when you match the grout color to the tile color. When incorporating light tiles or stones, these will tend to reflect more light while at the same time enhancing the size of the room. Place large tiles diagonally to have the most impact in a small space.
Best Flooring For Your Attic
If you have an attic in your home and are looking for more usable living space, this is the perfect area to renovate. It’s a big job to convert your attic into an extra room, whether you need a loft for your office, an extra bedroom, an in-law apartment or just a reading or game room. But this project is well worth it because it allows you to expand your usable living area without having to add on a whole new addition.
One of the first considerations when converting your attic is to choose the best flooring type. Here are some things to think about.
Make Sure the Attic is Up to Code
Before you do anything, ask Beaumont town hall or your homeowners association (HOA) if you’re even allowed to convert this space. Usually there are no restrictions or regulations against renovating an attic, provided you are using it for additional storage. You may run into some roadblocks if you’re planning to use it as additional living space, though.
If you do get permission to move ahead with the attic remodeling plans, just know your attic may be subject to inspections in the future.
Flooring Considerations
Attic floors are usually built with dead loads in mind, and these are things that do not move, such as boxes, suitcases and trunks. Live loads, on the other hand, include people and animals, or by extension, things that are used by people, points out The Spruce.
Sometimes in new construction homes, the attic is built unfinished but with the proper flooring in place should the homeowner wish to finish the space at a later date. But in most cases, attics are built in such a way that the joists can’t support live loads. Heck, they’re usually not even covered with boards.
If you are going to use the attic for additional storage space, you can simply go with plywood for your new flooring. It should be at least ¾-inch thick to support whatever you put up there. You can also use plywood as a subfloor if you want to turn the attic into a living space.
For a finished appearance, most experts recommend going with luxury vinyl, laminate, or carpet for their durability, affordability, lightweight qualities and sound dampening effects. Hardwood is a good choice if your space will serve a more high-end purpose such as an office, and if you have the proper supports in place for the added weight.
Attic Joists and Weight Limits
You will have to determine how large the attic joists are, the purpose of which is to carry the weight of the ceiling and utilities (fans and ACs) from the rooms below the attic. Some older homes feature small joists between 2×6 and 2×8. If this describes your home, the joists won’t provide enough support for the additional weight necessary for a livable space.
Insulation and Ventilation
Because heat rises, your renovated attic space may get really hot really quick. This is where proper insulation and ventilation come in. Make sure your contractor addresses these needs so you can ensure your comfort all year long.
Contact Designer Wood Flooring
Interested in a free quote and consultation for attic flooring or flooring for your other small spaces in Beaumont? Just call our designers and contractors today.
