Tetbury Terracotta Brick | Designer: JAAM Architects
The Perfect Flooring
‘A high-traffic area is one that is in in use day in and day out, and is one of the most active places within a space. So, in a home, this would normally tend to be the hall, kitchen, certain corridors, pathways, patios and possibly the utility depending how often it sees action. In commercial settings, this would often be receptions and halls.’ explains Chris Elliott, Project Consultant at Artisans of Devizes.
When it comes to choosing the perfect flooring for these areas, hardwearing stone is naturally the obvious choice, but Chris recommends seeking professional advice from specialists such as Artisans of Devizes when deciding on the type of stone to use ‘because we can advise around the specifications needed and give you the best considerations for the areas you wish to use it for. Stone is a wonderful and pliable material with a lot of applications, but the needs will depend on the circumstances, so you need to weigh up whether you require something with high abrasion or high-stain resistance, and what best marries up for the purpose.’
Generally speaking, in hallways, living areas, studies and utilities, limestone is a preferred choice, with sandstone being another popular option. Floors in kitchens can tend to be limestone, but may feature marble flooring, while marble is also a popular choice for hallways in certain locations.
Limestone is undoubtedly a popular material for use in high-traffic areas. ‘Normally limestones are moderately dense in scale,’ says Chris. ‘We usually find some of our favourites, like Buscot or Wychwood Limestone, are very commonplace if you want something of a biscuit-toned neutral nature. Kimmeridge is a nice stone if you want to go for darker, more robust grey tones. And on the rise in high-spec residential projects is Portland limestone, a UK stone, which comes in either a honed or distressed finish.’
Interior designer Siân Parry Jones is adept at designing spaces with high-traffic areas. She is a devotee of limestone for flooring, and chose ultra-hard Trusloe limestone when she designed the renowned Fletcher’s Cottage Spa, part of the Archerfield estate, in East Lothian, Scotland. ‘Trusloe is my go-to for a rustic flooring in a high-traffic area,’ she says. ‘As well as the spa, I’ve used it in several other projects. It’s very hardwearing and it always looks good. It maintains its classic look. I would use it in a kitchen and in corridors in a rustic country house as it’s not a smooth London stone. It’s good for high-traffic areas because it’s got a good thickness, doesn’t discolour easily and is easy to clean. It’s also a reasonable price when you’re covering large areas and it can be used indoors or outdoors.’
Another of Siân’s favourites is Vieux Bourgogne limestone in an antiqued finish. This limestone features an antiqued hand-worked finish that replicates a timeworn look and is virtually indistinguishable from reclaimed stone. ‘I’ve used Bourgogne throughout my barn home - in the kitchen, entrance hall, corridor and TV room, and I’ve installed it in the corridor and kitchen in a project in Warwickshire. I love it for its variation in colour, its different sizes and the fact it sometimes has little fossils in it.’
When it comes to a stone with a more elegant aesthetic, Siân recommends Wychwood and used the Tumbled and Etched finishes for the patio, pathways and steps in a prominent house project in Jersey. ‘The client wanted a classic, light appearance,’ she says.
Sandstone is another stone that is popular in high-traffic areas because it has a high abrasion resistance. It is used quite frequently in hallways - indoors it would have a seasoned, tumbled or worn patinated finish - as well as more usually outdoors. ‘It has an amazing abrasion resistance, however, it does have one of the highest porosity rates. While this can be mitigated to a degree with sealing, it’s one to avoid for areas with high volumes of spillages or staining, such as kitchens,’ explains Chris. ‘Our Lulworth sandstone has a seasoned finish. It’s a lighter floor tile and is really good if you have a narrow hallway with low ceilings that you want to open out. Another popular sandstone for indoor use is Old London sandstone, which is classic and very rustic.’
Marble is an elegant option for hallways. ‘The influence of the Art Deco movements means we see chequerboard floors with an intricate pattern across them. We can evoke a slightly more rustic take by applying a tumbled finish. Aliseo and Minton marbles are ideal to use together and we also see great results with Aliseo in a Honed finish with Avant-Garde marble. For those that want a little more warmth, Avant Garde marble ticks that box because it’s charcoal shade rather than inky black, and we normally pair up it up with something like Folio marble, which is a warmer, creamier marble that lifts the look.’
