IDS Product Director Gail Alcock talks all things flooring

How have flooring trends changed in the last couple of years?

Flooring trends have changed as consumers do not choose flooring on aesthetics alone; they are now more interested in the features and benefits of their flooring choice, such as water resistance, how hard wearing it is and the design flexibility offered by longer or wider planks. Consumers are also becoming more open to experimenting with textures as well as colour in their flooring, with a growing trend towards distressed, scraped or smoked wood effects and matt finishes.

Is it important that flooring today is compatible with underfloor heating?

As homeowners strive to create open plan living spaces with fresh, clean wall space, it’s becoming more common for them to remove radiators and opt for underfloor heating instead. The practical benefits of easy installation, economical running and low maintenance, as well as high aesthetical value, are not lost on consumers or developers either. Underfloor heating is commonly installed in new homes and I myself, after renovating a home, installed underfloor heating through the downstairs areas, even though it is an older property. This is now a question estate agents often ask as it is a good selling point for homeowners looking to buy or sell a property.

Do you need a certain sub floor in order to be able to fit a certain type of floor covering?

Subfloors are extremely important, as they need to be level (or within manufacturer's tolerance) and free of damp or moisture. These points are essential in preparation for laying any types of floor to prevent any claims further down the line. A floor needing to be uplifted is one of the most inconvenient processes to have in any home.

LVT has pretty much taken the flooring world by storm over the past few years. What new inventions do you foresee changing the flooring industry in the future?

LVT has and is still very popular in both domestic and commercial environments. Over the years these have adapted and improved with Click, loose lay installation methods, registered and embossed textures, longer and wider dimensions, all to improve the aesthetics and stability of the product. However, I believe that in the months and years to come we will see the market moving more into a rigid core which gives more stability to the product and improves the ease of installation.

Please highlight your latest product which you are currently promoting within the UK housebuilding industry

At IDS we have a number of products suitable for both commercial and domestic applications. Not only do we stock the right product for the right customer off the shelf and offer a 24-48 hour delivery, but we also source for larger projects making sure we cover all the needs of the contractor within the specification detail. The ranges we offer are from the leading brand manufacturers of laminate, wood, PVC and vinyl flooring which we source from across Europe and the rest of the world. This gives any architect, designer or contractor a vast flooring choice for all areas of any project.

This year has been as busy as last year. After we launched our Tuscan wood flooring collection in 2016 we are continuing to grow this brand with additional chevron designs being added later this year. LVT is also an ever-growing market and IDS will certainly be focusing in this area for 2018 to service our customers with innovations and market design trends in this category.