Whenever it comes to renovating rooms one of the most popular and sensible ones people select is the kitchen. Alongside bathrooms they are the most effective for raising value to a property. Whether you are doing this for property development or it is just to improve your own home the decision to do it is a sound one. So choosing to do this is without question but what materials you select needs careful consideration to achieve the look and style you desire whilst protecting its longevity and being fit for purpose. Selecting the wrong materials could end up costing you in the long run. When it comes to flooring the most popular option is using concrete. But why is that?
Price
Of all the options available concrete is very economical and cost-effective. A kitchen conversion can end up costing a considerable amount if you need to replace a lot of things. Anywhere in which you can save money will be preferable and so concrete will help to keep your budget down. One of the reasons it is so cost effective is that in spite of its relatively low cost it does not come with limitations which can often be the case with cheaper options.
Stain Resistant
The kitchen is somewhere in which spillages and the like are inevitable. You will want a flooring material which is going to be able to tolerate day to day life without you worrying about ruining it. Concrete is well known for its resistance to staining and when spillages do occur they can be easily swept up or mopped when necessary. You need the flooring in a kitchen to be highly functional and so concrete will be a wise choice to go with.
Long- Lasting
Concrete will last you for years and years to come. As long as it is installed properly and adequately sealed it should last for at least ten years. It will be able to tolerate weight, high traffic and even impact damage so once put down you shouldn’t have to be worrying about doing anything to it for a long period of time.
Easily Changed
It is fair to say that some people will not want concrete flooring in their kitchen so if you are selling on your property it is best to choose a material which is easily altered. Where concrete differs to other types of material is that even if it is not the uppermost surface it usually forms the base for other materials. Therefore if someone wants to laminate a room this can be easily done over the top of a concrete floor without extensive work.
Variety of Styles
Concrete can be given a great number of finishes and styles so that even if used throughout multiple rooms it can look very different and entirely appropriate to the room in which it is installed. By selecting affordable concrete flooring you will have the options of giving it a polished finish, stamped with effects that make it look like an entirely different material, engraved or stained to create a marbling effect. You don’t need to have a boring, drab-grey finish just because you have chosen concrete and it can look very stylish and individual to your tastes.
It’s been said a million times that the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where we cook, often where we eat and one of the most social areas of the house. How a kitchen is used varies for many different people and the functionality and size of it, combined with personal habits will dictate this. For many of us it is where we spend the most of our time and so it is important that it is multifaceted and suitable to the ways we live rather than us living to fit our surroundings.
In fact a lot of us now like to install an open plan kitchen come living room area which reflects this change in lifestyles. Many people are embracing this by incorporating a television set into their kitchen when they are renovating it. But how do you go about doing this successfully?
Open Plan
If you are going to be having an open plan kitchen which combines with your living space then installing a TV is going to be quite likely. However the positioning of it will be key to the success of your space. You will need to position it so that it works well for all areas of the room and can be viewed well from all places. Try to think of which wall will be most suitable for this before you start renovating to make sure that everything is planned around this.
Visible or Hidden
Not everyone will want a TV set which is permanently out on show. It could be that you want to limit the viewing times such as no TV whilst eating together or just that you don’t think it will look aesthetically pleasing. Consider this whilst installing your cabinets so that if you want it to be hidden you incorporate it into the cabinets you purchase rather than it looking like an afterthought and as such being impractically positioned or ‘hidden’ in such a way that it actually sticks out like a sore thumb.
Height and Angle
If you are not using a wall mounted TV set you are going to have to carefully consider the height which it is mounted. Sometimes a TV built into a cabinet can end up being too high if you want to view it from an adjacent eating area. Alternatively you could have one which swings out from under a cabinet which will be too low if you want to view it from the other side of the kitchen. If needs be buy mounting brackets which allow you to adjust its display angle to help with viewing from different positions as well as help with any potential glare.
Pre-plan Electrical Fittings
Retro fitting the plug sockets and aerials can be slightly problematic so try to plan your TV location beforehand and get all the necessary fittings done as part of your kitchen renovation. Contact a company to sort your digital TV antenna installation at the same time as your kitchen designer so they can make sure that the two jobs will coexist well and can successfully be done at the same time. Sometimes positioning a TV next to a piece of equipment such as a fridge can cause reception problems so discuss this with your TV installer to avoid any disappointments.
