Nature has probably been a bad mother to us. It has provided thick skin and fur to most animals, or somehow enabled them to find comfort. We humans, however, were compelled to use our intelligence to compensate for what was denied by nature. So we designed the floor and the softer carpet.

The first flooring must have been made of soft clay, sand or leaves and twigs. The development of floor went hand in hand with architectural development. Climate consideration has weighed heavily with most designs. For example, in hotter climes cool stone flooring without any covering is used. In colder climes some form of covering, or carpeting is used to trap more heat. The purpose of a room as well as resources available might dictate the choice of flooring. Heavily used surfaces need to have durable and resistant flooring that may be easily cleaned. All floorings have to be water proof or water resistant.

Wood flooring has frequently been used around the world, but since the 19th century cheaper alternatives have been devised that give the appearance of wood and are resilient to wear and weather. Linoleum, for example, has been a very popular flooring. At times laminate flooring has been used, and in offices with a lot of wiring, raised flooring is a clever design tactic applied to accommodate concealed wiring. Carpets are used as part of flooring as well. While the wall to wall carpets cover all of the floor (except for those areas exposed to water), the more decorative carpets functions mainly as show pieces and are usually displayed prominently in the center of some room. At times they may be hanged on the wall as a hanging. Carpets have a glorious heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and Kashmir, where wool, horse or yak hair etc might be used as yarn for the intricate carpet designs.

Flooring and carpets can have, thus, various uses. They may be decorative, provide resistance against wear and tear and water, or they may provide an extra surface. It reduces damage to the actual floor and turns out to be a cheaper alternative in relation to renovating the whole floor. This section of the directory is a guide to all types of flooring available today. You can choose between hardwood floor, bamboo floor, laminates, ceramic tiles, carpets, rugs, mats or durries, and buy them all from the convenience of your home.

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