Plan the Right Flooring for Your Special-Purpose Dream Project
Published: August 25, 2021
If you’ve always dreamt of a home with spaces designed just for the expression of your creativity, now may be the time to make those plans a reality. Whether you want to remodel your current home or build a new residence that includes a special-purpose room, pay special attention to the flooring you choose. Today, an increasing number of homes feature a home gym, family music room, bedroom recording studio or painting studio – and each of these spaces requires special considerations to ensure that it offers you the best functionality as well as a welcoming destination for you to express your creativity.
Work it out
You can use just about any kind of flooring in a home gym, but to keep this space comfortable underfoot while you’re pumping iron, consider vinyl, carpet and hardwoods.
Vinyl can resist considerable abuse as well as moisture, which can make it ideal for a space like this, whether you plan to locate your home gym in the basement or above ground level. It can be durable, easy to clean and truly affordable. However, vinyl can fall prey to punctures from sharp objects, and it doesn’t offer the amount of shock absorption that you may want underfoot.
You’ll actually find carpet in many commercial workout spaces – but if you decide to carpet your workout room, be sure to choose a low-height pile to keep yourself stable while you’re lifting or doing aerobics. You’ll also want to clean your carpet regularly to avoid any buildup of bacteria or odors.
Play beautiful music
For acoustic isolation, you may want to consider an interior room with no windows. This can keep your private concertizing from disturbing your family as well as the neighborhood. You can use just about any kind of flooring you want in the music room, so long as you make the right adjustments to allow for proper sound absorption and minimize interference from reflected sound.
Hardwoods and laminates represent reflective surfaces, but you can dampen these reflections with area rugs to create a space that’s as attractive as it is functional. Especially if your music room features an acoustic piano, remember to verify that your instrument uses the types of barrel-shaped casters that roll safely across these types of flooring and do not void their manufacturers’ warranties. If you decide to incorporate an area rug under a full-sized piano, be sure to move the instrument periodically to avoid making it difficult to remove the dents that all that weight can cause.
Make a masterpiece
Ready to set up your easel and open a box of pastels or break out the paint palette? A home art room can make a great addition to activities for the entire family. Even if you’re not an action painter who works on large canvases, you’ll want flooring that’s easy to clean, especially if you plan to share your studio with children.
Art materials often include liquid or semi-liquid media that can cause lasting stains. To preserve your floor and its substructures from any liquids involved in your creativity, luxury vinyl and resilient waterproof composite make great choices for an art room because of their easy-cleaning properties and waterproof performance.
Record a hit
Recording studios can involve specialized construction to create floating floors for acoustic isolation and soundproofing. Even if you’re not planning to build or remodel a space that will rival the high-end commercial studios in New York, Los Angeles or Nashville, you can still create a functional, attractive space that’s an ideal showcase for your musical creativity.
Recording studios work to deal with three types of acoustic properties. Reflected sound bounces off hard surfaces. Soft surfaces absorb sound. How you deal with transmission and isolation determine whether your midnight music sessions wake anybody up. Although hardwood floors are among the most reflective of surfaces, nonetheless you’ll see them in many high-end studios. As in a music room, strategically placed area rugs can handle many aspects of sound absorption.
Express yourself
Give your talents an ideal showcase in which to explore your creativity. Remember that flooring plays an important role in making these dream spaces fulfill your expectations. Get in touch with a Kermans consultant today for a personal consultation to talk about your special-purpose room and find the right flooring to make it a reality.