5 Unusual DIY Flooring Ideas

Sun Floor – Photo Courtesy: Mike

Anyone who has ever watched an episode of Grand Designs or spent any time online searching for alternative DIY designs will be well aware that there are some incredibly eccentric people out there who love to see items of all types, shapes and sizes turned into something incredible for their homes. There are hundreds of bizarre examples to choose from, and some of the more eclectic choices have come in the flooring industry. It has become a modern craze to do something a little different with your floor space, and one of the greatest things about most of these weird and wonderful designs is that almost all of them are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional forms of flooring that find a use for materials that might have just been discarded otherwise.

1. Whiskey Barrel Flooring

The whiskey barrel has become a popular choice in bars, restaurants and homes that want an old school, authentic look of solid oak that is unfinished and lived in. The Glasgow based flooring company McKay Flooring came up with the idea to turn this age old barrels into flooring, and it looks pretty spectacular to the eye. If you wanted to install a bar or games room in your home, this is what you would want to use for your floors.

2. Glass Flooring

If you want to go a little further into making your home or business look ultra-modern and very cool, having glass flooring installed on your mezzanine level or stairs will give the area a very sleek design. These glass tiles are 6 inches thick and completely reflective, meaning that when coupled with LED lighting, they can be used to alter the mood of a room.

3. Leather Flooring

A growing trend for incorporating leather flooring into living areas has emerged out of the blue and the signs are good that they will become more popular, especially in homes that require a smart and sophisticated look. Chocolate brown is the most chosen color so far, and the durability of the leather design has been praised amongst the owners that have fitted leather flooring into their homes. In America, there is one particular store that has created floor tiles out of leather belts. They are pretty expensive to get fitted, and probably lead to a lot of men walking around with looser trousers.

4. Radiated Heat Flooring

A very eco-friendly alternative to regular flooring is to have radiated heat flooring installed. The majority of the energy used to heat a home is lost because it is lost immediately. What radiant floors achieve is transferring the warmth directly to you as you come in contact with the floor. Not only is this very cool, it’s also a great way to keep your heating bills down, which is great for your pocket and the environment.

5. Optical Illusion Tiles and Carpets

The optical illusion tiles and carpets serve no purpose other than to bring a huge smile to the face of whoever sees them and to make geeks say ‘That’s cool!’ really loudly. It can be very confusing, but it can also be used as a cool marketing tool. A video game store in Paris uses an optical illusion carpet to give customers the floor of the illusion of being in a ‘vortex’. It is actually designed by drawing bent lines in a particular order, but messes with your head either way!

This article was written by Daley on behalf of Ecotile, a company specialising in durable and environmentally friendly flooring solutions.