A friend of mine just bought a new home which is ripe for renovation. You know the type, a little old, a little unloved and a little daggy, but with all the right ingredients to make it a lovely family home. She was asking my advice and I immediately started to rattle off my suggestions for the first steps – paint the walls, pull up the carpets and put in new flooring. I explained that the bigger things could wait for a while but new flooring would make the world of difference instantly and didn’t have to cost as much as she thought. Then I surprised her by suggesting that laminate or luxury vinyl could be the way to go. Like so many people who have never built or renovated before she still thought of vinyl or laminate as the stuff your nanna had on her floor, so I pulled out the latest Choices Flooring Inspiring Choices magazine to prove how wrong she was!

These days there are so many options for installing new floors and you can get an amazing transformation without breaking the bank. The new luxury vinyl and laminate options are incredible and not only are they really hard wearing and cost effective, they can look as good as real timber – without the price tag.  For some inspiration on the options out there check out the Plantino Laminate range or the Genaro Luxury Vinyl Collection and I guarantee you’ll be surprised too.

However, if you’re longing for the click-clack sound of your heels walking on a hard timber floor then I hear you! There is nothing like the warmth and elegance of timber floors and Choices Flooring’s Plantino Engineered Oak Collection is what I chose when it came to our new home. From the warm oak shades for a Hamptons style, a cool white wash or light grey for a Scandi theme or a sophisticated charcoal for a Manhattan inspired look there is a colour shade and style to compliment every style you’re going for.

Finally, nothing can pick up the look of a bedroom like replacing old carpet and the options for new carpet are just as extensive and exciting as timber floors. This can be particularly easy to change and you can transform a tired room in one day by installing lush new carpet, so it’s not just for those who are renovating and building. So if you’re feeling like your home is a little tired, old and daggy it could be that simple to refresh the look with some new floors. Wouldn’t it be great if it was that simple to refresh ourselves?!