Pro Tips for a Coastal Retreat with Emma-Rose Design

The aesthetic is playful and unpretentious yet allows for practicality now and as her children grow. She describes it as a blend of styles to suit their personalities, the location and the architecture. It’s a bit “Palm Springs meets surfy and coastal… if that’s a thing! It’s a bit of a happy mix.” In particular, the children’s rooms are a bright spark. Colourful bunting, twin beds and contrasting linen make for a joyful space.

Flooring Xtra flooring is throughout, with functionality and beauty at the forefront of Emma Rose’s mind when she was making selections. “We chose vinyl and carpet from the Flooring Xtra core range. Native Blackbutt vinyl and Ophelia carpet in colour Osric 1250 on 10mm underlay.” There were certain elements that she was drawn to that made the decision-making process easier. “The vinyl was colour first, secondly, the installation process and the fact the product is hard-wearing and easy to keep clean. With the carpet, we wanted something with a few different colours in it to hide future possible spills and marks. We wanted something to last the test of time.”

Emma Rose and her little family are incredibly happy with the result. “We love the vinyl planks! They make the high-traffic areas easy to clean, especially with two children under 2 & a half who are always on the ground. The colour we selected matches the timber on our furniture perfectly. I really love our carpet choice also; it not only looks great it also feels fabulous under foot.” Given the success of the project and the renovation before it, we were keen to hear if she had any tips to share. “For us, the biggest money-saving tip is to do as much yourself as possible. We’ve learnt new skills along the way, we’ve done lots of gardening and all the painting ourselves. We also removed the old carpet and fence. Always remember, have fun doing it! It’s so much more rewarding to know once it’s done that you’ve done it yourself.”

Living by the beach is a consideration if you’re choosing new flooring for your home. The location will likely mean you’re outdoors more (lucky you!) and joying where you live. Here are the Flooring Xtra tips for coastal flooring.

• Be aware of moisture and bring water inside from the beach. Some hard flooring styles are water-resistant, so this is always a good place to start! Talk to your closest Flooring Xtra if you are interested in exploring these ranges, including vinyl flooring.
• Try to minimise sand coming inside the house. While this is tricky, it means less damage can be caused to the floor. Shake off towels, wash your feet and take your sandy shoes off!
• Sweep or vacuum regularly to help reduce scratches.
• Be mindful of the sun on your flooring and close blinds on particularly hot, sunny days to minimise any fading.
• Carpets like SDN fibres and hard flooring styles like vinyl and laminate are great for low-maintenance homes. This is particularly pertinent at holiday homes where easy-to-care-for is key!
• Lovely natural fibres are great additions to coastal home interiors and rugs can play a part here. Try jute rugs, sisal and other natural materials to layer warmth and texture.

As long as you follow our tips for preventative care and maintenance, your flooring should continue to look fabulous and should extend the life of your floor and wear well for many years to come.

Initial Care

Do not wash your new floor for at least 24 hours after installation, to allow the floor to dry and settle thoroughly.

How to clean vinyl floors

• Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth or dry paper towel. For sticky substances, moisten the cloth slightly.
• Like any other hard flooring, keeping dirt at bay through regular vacuuming or sweeping is ideal.

Preventative Care

• The best hint to maintaining a newer floor for longer is to not wear shoes inside. This eliminates the possibility that dirt and stones are going to be walked through your house and potentially scratch the floor.
• The floor must be regularly vacuumed (bristles down) or swept with an electrostatic mop as often as necessary, to remove loose dirt or grit to prevent scratching of the floor.
• Use only quality floor mops and thoroughly wash new mops to remove any lint from the manufacturing process.
• Never use steam mops on your floor. Never wax or polish your floor.
• Use a damp mop only – avoid excessive amounts of water.
• A floor cleaner made specifically for bamboo floors should be used.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners, steel wool or scouring powder on your floor. Never use oil soaps, wax, soap-based detergents or other household products to clean the floors.
• Where spillages occur immediate clean-up is necessary to avoid damage.
• We highly recommend the use of door mats at all external entrances, to prevent the possibility of damage from abrasive particles that are walked onto the floor. Do not use rubber-based mats as the rubber may leach into the bamboo.
• Moving furniture across your floor can lead to damaging the surface. Never slide or roll heavy furniture.
• Use felt floor protector pads under any heavy and movable furniture, so that they can be moved easily without the risk of spoiling the floor. Do not use rubber as it may leach into the bamboo.
• Install protective mats under office chairs or castor wheels.
• In high-traffic areas, use rugs or runners.
• Keep animal nails trimmed.
• Keep your internal environment ventilated, and protected from extreme sunlight and humidity to avoid distortion of flooring or fading.

Where is there a rug store near me?

The Flooring Xtra rug store means you can choose a rug online and have it sent directly to you! With so many options to select from and free delivery, it’s a great way to shop.

Can I install carpet myself?

Flooring Xtra stores have dedicated professional installation teams who are passionate about their job! It’s advised to use professional installers to ensure the correct laying of the carpet but also any pre-installation preparation work that might be needed. Relax and let them do the hard work!

What type of flooring is easiest to maintain?

All flooring requires some level of maintenance to ensure it will look good for a long time. All carpet and hard flooring should be swept or vacuumed regularly to remove grit and dirt from the surface (which can lead to scratches and marks). Laminate and vinyl floors are excellent low-maintenance hard flooring options while solution dyed nylon and polypropylene carpet are also resilient.

What is LVP?

LVP in the flooring world means Luxury Vinyl Plank. LVP is a cost-effective flooring solution that is practical and durable.

In some states of Australia, the building regulations for Vinyl Planks, Vinyl Tiles and Hybrid flooring varies. Meaning they may not be suitable for areas requiring water resistance, such as bathrooms and toilets. We advise to always ask your local Flooring Xtra store for the correct advice regarding the local regulations. We also advise to follow the manufacturer’s recommended installation instructions and guidelines, not following the instructions could make the product not fit for purpose, for the area it’s being installed into and void your product warranty. To ensure you get the appropriate product for those areas, please contact your local Flooring Xtra store.