laminate floor – The Interiors Addict

3 ways to take your reno from ordinary to extra special

As someone currently renovating a very dated sixties house which was lacking in any architectural features or pretty character, I’ve been learning a few lessons about how to add these things and what makes the biggest difference. I wanted to share my top tips and products for adding some extra va-va-voom to your reno. It’s all about the details!

Architectural mouldings

I’m talking skirting, cornice, paneling and architraves. These are things you may not have given a second thought if you’ve never renovated yourself or have always lived in a new build. It is absolutely amazing how much difference putting a little thought and budget into these finishing touches can make. The addition (or replacement) of these trims can add some serious wow factor!

Paneling in particular is definitely having a moment. Indeed I have used VJ paneling extensively in my recent kitchen and dining reno and I love it. I now want it everywhere. How much is too much?!

I used painted MDF VJ paneling to create wainscoting and add visual interest in my dining area

Intrim Mouldings have some amazing products available and I seriously recommend a visit to their website for inspiration. Recently used by Three Birds Renovations in ‘Bonnie’s Dream Home,’ they certainly have the seal of approval of Australia’s most stylish female renovating trio!

Hamptons style skirting from Intrim packs a punch in Bonnie’s dream home

Shadowline skirting is a great choice for modern or Art Deco homes

We recently did a Facebook Live with Intrim, where they answered a lot of your questions on how and when to use mouldings. You can watch it here if you missed it. And if you’re not one of those visual people, check out their online room styler tool.

Flooring

While our kitchen re-do is probably my favourite thing about our part-renovated home, it’s the flooring that has made the biggest difference and I still can’t get over how much it modernised, brightened and added consistency and flow to our home. We also get a crazy amount of comments and questions about it! Months later, I still have all the heart eyes for our Impressive Ultra laminate from Quick-Step. I haven’t spotted a single scratch or dent and believe me, it’s seen a lot of kids running (and riding trikes) around, furniture being moved and tradie boots. It’s a dream to clean and I know I’ll never tire of it.

You may remember that our old floors were a patchwork quilt of cork, dark parquetry and pine boards. Never did a house feel so chopped up!

I really believe you should put a lot of thought into your flooring and buy the best you can afford. Buy well and buy once, as they say. Real timber is beautiful but it isn’t the most practical choice for every home. Do your homework, save up, and your new floor can really transform your home. Read more about why I chose the floor I did.

Doors

Doors (and their hardware) can really date a home. Replacing them can make a huge difference and doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We recently replaced all our internal doors and our front door with beautiful panelled ones from Corinthian’s MODA range (photoshoot coming soon).

The barn door our carpenter created for our laundry is again one of the most commented-on features of our home, and our recent wardrobe door upgrades by Sydney Doors were the icing on the cake of our bedrooms, really finishing them off.

Our carpenter created this barn door from the kitchen to the laundry

Don’t forget doors and windows! Our windows aren’t the prettiest but you’d never know because the plantation shutters we have throughout do a great job of disguising them!

I hope this article has given you some reno inspo. What would be your top tips for adding some wow factor to your reno?

Our Reno Addict section

How to: choose the perfect flooring for every room

Sponsored by Quick-Step

Although my recent re-flooring project at home was aimed at creating consistency and flow throughout rooms, that’s not the case for everyone, as some homes require different flooring solutions for different areas.

So, here are a few things to consider when picking flooring for each room of your home.

Bathroom

Renovating your bathroom is a big, messy and expensive job and it’s almost guaranteed you will need (and of course want) to replace your floor. In the past, the choice was obvious: tiles. But these days, there are other options which suit this high-traffic and wet area while giving a very different look and feel. If I’ve seen one bathroom trend continue to rise, it’s the idea of this room as a sanctuary where we can enjoy a spa-like recharge at the end of the day. So we’ve become more interested in the look and feel of the bathroom as well as the many practicalities (you can’t get around the fact that not all materials mix well with water, especially when you want them to last a decade!).

So, what does a bathroom floor need to be? Waterproof, easy maintenance (hygiene is important!), good-looking, nice-feeling under bare feet and non-slip within reason. While tiles look beautiful, they are cold underfoot, so I love that there are other options out there now to avoid this on winter mornings.

Quick-Step’s best bathroom floor options: luxury click vinyl for a warm feel underfoot, and Impressive Ultra laminate (which I have in my home) with its water-repellent HydroSeal technology. When I finally renovate our bathrooms I’ll definitely have the latter at the top of my list.

Living room

Let’s face it, the living room is probably the room most visitors see in your house, so you want to make a good impression. We all tend to put a lot of effort into the look of this room and floors are a huge part of that. You also want it to feel warm and cosy (it’s amazing how much time we spend sitting on the floor despite being surrounded by comfy sofas and chairs!). It’s another high traffic area so durability is important too.

Because of the above, you may want to spend a little bit more money in here too. Timber floors are beautiful, but make sure to have one with a high quality lacquered finish (unlike many of the cheap Chinese products on the market today). The ideal is the look of an oiled floor (the softest, most natural look and feel) but with the protection of the most advanced lacquer that doesn’t compromise that.

If you have space in this often larger room, extra large boards are a great option too, like the Quick-Step Majestic Laminate.

Top tip: Did you know flooring is graded in classes? So a class 33 like Impressive Ultra is so strong it can even be used for commercial applications. A class 32 is more than enough for residential use, but do not go lower!

Quick-Step’s best living room floor options: everything from real timber to laminate and vinyl, depending on the look you’re going for. They all come with the peace of mind of at least 20-year warranties.

Nursery

As a mum, I know little kids make mess. We’re talking sticky fingers, spills, “energetic” nappy changes and spilt milk! As soon as Sebastian started to crawl I became obsessed with hygiene and what he might put in his mouth! And there’s also the concerns about dust, pet hair and other allergens which can get stuck in carpets. A hardwearing, easy-to-clean (with non-toxic products) floor with a closed surface is a winner. Little ones spend a lot of time on the floor so it’s nice if it can feel warm, even though it’s not soft carpet. And I’ll say it again: easy to clean!

Quick-Step’s best nursery floor options: Luxury click vinyl, Eligna or Impressive Ultra laminates.

Kitchen

Kitchen floors get some serious wear and tear; back and forth from that sink to fridge to oven! A tired floor can really date and let down your kitchen, so replacing it can give this room a much-needed lift as well as taking advantage of today’s more advanced floor technology. Real timber will damage if things are dropped on it, whereas alternatives like laminate will not. They’ll also resist stains, from soy sauce and ketchup to kids’ drawing on the floor, much better.

Things get spilled and dropped and loads of feet do a lot of walking across these square metres! And if hygiene was important in the nursery, it’s really important here! And because most kitchens these days have a dishwasher, the last thing you want is a leak which sends your floor buckling out of shape and needing to be replaced. Non-water-resistant solutions like timber and cheap laminate might swell and stain. So, waterproof it is!

Impressive Ultra in classic oak beige in my own kitchen

The best thing about having a timber-look floor suitable for your kitchen is that you can have the same floor in your dining or living, creating a seamless flow in today’s increasingly open-plan homes.

Quick-Step’s best kitchen floor options: Majestic, Colonial Plus and Impressive Ultra laminate floors.

Find out more about all the Quick-Step flooring options and your local stockist.

Read why I chose Quick-Step’s Impressive Ultra for my own home.