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How to hide ugly floors

Our floors are one of the most noticeable parts of our home, and when they’re newly installed and looking good, they can really make your rooms sing. But sometimes old and dated floors can be hard to take up and renew without lots of time and effort. So, what else can you do to stop them from bringing your interiors down? Well, thankfully, there are lots of options. Here’s how to cover up ugly floors.

Give your floors a paint job

When floors are looking drab or dated, paint is a surprisingly simple way to refresh them without needing to take anything up. But what floors can you paint, and how do you do it?

Tiled floors are one of the easiest to paint. It’s a good way to hide dated patterns, boring beige tones and dark tiling that clashes with your new décor. You’ll need to thoroughly clean and dry the tiles first before masking off the area. Then, you’ll need to use specialist tile paint to make sure your new surface is durable and washable. You’re best using a brush for edges and grouting and a roller for the rest. Depending on the paint and where you’re using it, you may also need to apply a sealant over the top. If you don’t fancy a plain floor, you can buy stencils to upgrade your tiles with a stylish pattern. 

Wooden floorboards can be painted in a similar way, using suitable paint. You can go for a single colour, such as white or black, or paint a checkerboard pattern to mimic tiles. But the most important thing to do is prep your boards first. If they’re rough or varnished, it’s likely you’ll need to sand them first, and it’s best to do any maintenance, such as fixing loose boards, before you start. 

Refurbish your flooring

There are plenty of floors that can be refurbished rather than ripped up, bringing them back to life. This works especially well for old floorboards and parquet floors that are looking a bit sad. 

Many wooden flooring types can look dated because they’re heavily varnished and end up looking slightly orange. So, stripping them back can reveal the natural wood tones underneath, and these can be subtly enhanced and protected with oil. 

Sanding wood floors also has the advantage of removing dents and scratches, so your floors should look as good as new. If you’ve got a large area of flooring to refurbish, you can hire a floor sanding machine, but it’s a messy job, so you may prefer to get in the professionals to do the hard work for you.

Cover over your floors

If painting and sanding your floors doesn’t appeal to you, there’s another option you could try – covering them over with a new floor.

LVT is a good option for hiding hard floors, including boards and tiles. Some types need more surface prep than others, such as laying a levelling compound or screed first. If you go for a product such as Karndean’s rigid core LVT with an integrated underlay, there’s less prep involved, making it one of the best options for covering floors. As it simply clicks in place without the need for adhesive, installing Karndean flooring couldn’t be easier. Again, you could choose to get this type of flooring installed professionally, which saves you even more effort. For quality brands such as Karndean, Amtico and COREtec, this can ensure you get the best results for your money. 

Hide your floor under a rug

There’s one last option for covering floors that pretty much works for any room and is really quick and easy to do. Laying down a rug is a quick and easy fix for hiding ugly floors. 

Large area rugs are great for hiding ugly floorboards, tiles and carpets. And they don’t need any special skills to lay them, so it’s almost effortless. Plus, rugs are easy to swap and switch around when you fancy updating your décor.  

Runners are a good option for updating your hallway and landing floors, but where you’ve got hard floors underneath, it’s a good idea to use a non-slip backing or anti-slip underlay. This will stop the rug from moving around or becoming a trip hazard. For kitchens, a washable rug is usually a wise move so you can easily keep your space hygienic.

So, there you have some clever ideas for hiding ugly floors in your home. 

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