says clean and fresh like brand new carpeting, new linoleum, or skid-resistant
tiles. Your choice of flooring will be influenced by your own personal
preferences, but don’t forget to consider health,
safety and comfort.
I am willing to bet that you
haven’t even thought about how allergies, falls, noise levels and degree of
comfort are influenced by the floor coverings that you select.
Rosemary Bakker in her book
“Revitalizing Your Home,” points out that homes that use universal design
features use floor covering materials that are easy to walk and wheel on. This
means you will be looking at flooring that has a matte, unpolished finish;
contributes to good air quality; and is level throughout the house. She discusses the advantages of wall-to-wall
carpeting, wood flooring, ceramic tile, and sheet flooring, as they are all eco-friendly and have built in
safety features.
Wall-to-Wall Carpeting: Carpeting
has long been a favorite and contributes to a warm homey feeling. Carpeting has come along way since the ugly
green shag of yesteryear. If air
quality is super important to you because of allergies, you will want to look
at carpeting that hasn’t been treated with chemicals, such as permanent stain resistance, mothproofing,
anti-microbial agents (fungicides).
Dense, low-pile carpeting with a tight weave is a good choice because it is easy to walk or wheel
over. It also absorbs sound, reduces
heat loss, and cushions a fall. Choose
thin, non-plush padding because it will provide a stable floor surface. No, your feet won’t sink luxuriously into it
but it will provide a stable walking surface.
Light colors will make your room look larger and if you pick something
with a small pin dot pattern it will hide dirt marks.
Wood Floors: Some of us love hard woods floor because they
are easy to maintain. Wood floors can be
finished with a matte finish that will make them less slippery and reflect less
glare. Area rugs are attractive on a hardwood floor but use them
cautiously because they can cause falls.
They will be safer if securely fastened to the floor with two-sided tape
or have a nonslip liner underneath.
Ceramic Tiles: Ceramic tiles are popular floor
coverings in foyers, kitchens and bathroom.
You will be pleased to note that you can find slip resistant tiles. When
you start looking around you will find that tiles have something called a
“coefficient of friction” rating (COF).
A high COF, of 0.6 or higher indicates that the tiles are generally safe
and slip resistant. If you love the look
of ceramic tiles but hate the cold; consider installing radiant heat.
Sheet Flooring: Sheet flooring, especially
linoleum is an old time favorite. Linoleum is a wise choice, can be found in a
multitude of attractive designs, is easily cleaned, and softer underfoot than
ceramic. It is available in a wide array
of colors and patterns and is very durable.
Universal design flooring is a good idea for those who walk slowly or have
difficulty getting around safely. Keep
in mind that moving from one type of floor surface to another may contribute to
falls. Consider using one type of flooring material for all
of the rooms in your house (other than bathroom and kitchen). Look for something that is slip-resistant and resilient. You also want something that easy to
maintain, eco-friendly and easy on your knees.
Leave a Reply