Wood is a favourite element that many Singaporean homeowners add to their living space. There are numerous colours, textures and styles to choose among. In addition, the versatility’s boosted via the incredible range of interior design products crafted from wood or materials made to resemble the natural material.
Anyone seeking to add wooden elements to their home can choose among, hardwood parquet, veneer, laminate, vinyl or homogenous tiles that are incredibly realistic. Wooden panelling, furniture and décor elements are also readily available. Even if they’re not, the vision of a homeowner can easily be brought to reality via a custom solution.
How do these choices differ from each other?
Parquet is usually made from solid wood. It tends to be a more expensive solution but the appearance and the finish are very long-lived. In some instances, parquets are crafted from engineered wood (also known as wood veneer) – a solution that offers the best of both worlds (natural timber and synthetic materials). Engineered wood has a top layer of solid wood and a core of plywood or high-density fiberboard. Waxes and adhesives are used to hold these materials together, giving engineered wood water resistance. Hence, it looks like actual hardwood floors but it happens to be much less expensive.
Laminate is a very popular, budget-friendly choice. It is made of plastic that replicates the feel of a hardwood floor. Some people find laminate easier to maintain, which adds some perks on top of the affordable nature of the material. A man-made solution, laminate is often scratch and heat-resistant and it can feature an array of cool finishes not possible with natural wood.
The final choice we’d like to mention is vinyl wood flooring. Just like laminate, vinyl is manmade. It’s a petroleum product that’s very versatile and that can be printed to look like natural wood. Vinyl is affordable and very durable, plus it offers easy maintenance.
Choosing the right material for your project will depend on several considerations. First, you have to determine what you want the final look to be. Next, come up with a budget framework. Based on these two criteria, you can easily sort through the materials and choose the “type” of wood that makes the most sense.
If you don’t know how to make the choice, a home interior design company will help. Someone who has enough experience will guide you through the materials, the different shades (oak, walnut, ash, maple, etc.) and the different wooden grains.
Speaking of professional executions, we’d like to share a few examples of projects we carried out over the past years. All of these incorporate wood in beautiful and stylish ways, giving the homeowner the biggest benefits that the material has to bring.