Ensure your hallway makes the best first impression

As the first room visitors to your home will see, it is important that your hallway is warm, welcoming and stylish. It is also the first room you will see when you get back from a long day at work and you want it to be a space in which you are happy to arrive. While lighting and decor can help to improve the ambiance of your hallway, the flooring in this room is perhaps one of the most important aspects.

Finding the ideal flooring for your hallway might be a little trickier than for other rooms in the home. Not only does it need to look good but also it needs to be able to withstand heavy foot traffic, dirty shoes, drops of water, and possibly muddy paws if you are a pet owner.

Laminate or carpet?

These are two extremely popular floor coverings for hallways and there are advantages to both. Laminate flooring looks sleek and stylish and is easy to keep clean and hygienic; in addition, it is very durable, especially if you select a brand intended for areas of high traffic. Many laminates are also water-resistant, meaning you don’t need to worry about those rainy days when wet shoes and umbrellas leave a trail of droplets all over your floor.

On the other hand, carpet looks warm and inviting and many people simply prefer it. It is not always the best choice for a busy hallway, as it can be hard to remove mud and other dirt; however, if you have a vestibule or porch area, you might find muddy boots tend to lose the bulk of their dirt before they reach your hall carpet.

If your home has stairs that run straight up from your hallway and you want to use the same flooring on the hall floor and stairs, this is far easier with carpet. Alternatively, you can use laminate on the hall floor and then switch to carpet on the stairs. This is a popular choice, as many people prefer laminate flooring but do not like the look of it on stairs – not to mention the fact that it is noisier than carpet.

Whatever flooring you choose, be sure to have a suitable doormat in place; ideally, this should be large, firm and non-slip. While many people think doormats are mainly to remove mud from footwear, they also catch any sharp pieces of gravel or stone that could damage the flooring in your home. Get into the habit of wiping – or, even better, removing – footwear whenever you enter your home.