Good Foundations: Your Essential Flooring Guide
by Carlisle Homes
Choosing between types of flooring
Flooring significantly contributes to the overall look, feel and upkeep of your home, so it’s important to understand your options. This guide will help you select the perfect flooring for your décor and lifestyle. Flooring is a big decision that affects not only the aesthetic of your home, but how much cleaning and upkeep is required, along with the maintenance and wear and tear it will experience in high-traffic areas.
Your Carlisle Homes abode comes with stylish, durable and easy-care flooring as standard. But we understand there are times when you may want something a little more luxurious, which is why we offer a range of optional flooring options and upgrades for every room of your new home.
Featured here: Astoria Grand, Cloverton Estate in Kalkallo
In order to select the perfect types of quality flooring for your new home, it’s important to understand the different types of flooring available for your Carlisle home:
Ceramic tile flooring
Ceramic tiles are a smart and practical choice for floors; they are hard-wearing, easy to clean and come in a wide variety of fashionable colours, textures and finishes - making them versatile for different interior design styles. They are easy to clean and maintain, making them perfect for families with children or pets, as spills and messes can be quickly wiped away without any risk of damage.
Durable and stylish ceramic floor tiles (400 x 400mm) come as standard in your new Carlisle home. You can choose to upgrade your ceramic tile flooring to 600 x 600mm in size for your bathrooms, ensuite, laundry, powder room or water closet, including tiled skirtings if you like. If you’re looking for budget flooring options, you can’t go past ceramic tile flooring.
Featured here: Canterbury Grand Deluxe Atrium at Berwick Waters Estate in Clyde North
Porcelain tiles
For a more luxurious and hard-wearing flooring option, upgrade to porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles are tougher and more water resistant than ceramic tile floors, making them an appealing option for high traffic areas of your home like kitchens, bathrooms and entryways, as well as high moisture areas.
One of the biggest benefits of porcelain tiles is their versatility in design. Available in a wide variety of colours, textures and finishes, porcelain can mimic the look of natural stone, concrete or even warm timber hardwood floors. Porcelain can also be used in outdoor spaces too, allowing you to create visual connection between the interior and exterior of your home. If you're looking for a flooring material that combines luxury with durability, porcelain should be high on your list.
Tiles are versatile and hard-wearing making them suitable for multiple areas in your home including high traffic areas. High quality porcelain tiles are available in realistic finishes that mimic warm timber, natural stone and concrete, so you can create a unique look. Featured here: Sorrento Grand Deluxe Theatre Atrium, Bankside Estate, Rowville.
Carpet
If you love nothing more than sinking your toes into soft flooring, consider upgrading to a plush carpeted floor. For a soft underfoot feel, carpet remains a popular choice for areas that are all about relaxation and connection, such as the media room and bedrooms. When coupled with extremely durable laminate floors or engineered timber flooring in the living spaces and heavy foot traffic areas, carpet flooring adds a touch of luxury to your new home.
There are several different carpet types to choose from, including natural materials like wool or synthetic options such as polyester and nylon. If comfort is a priority, consider adding a quality underlay for extra softness. Carpet helps to reduce noise and adds warmth, making it ideal for homes with children.
Featured here: Astoria Grand Living at Alamora Estate in Tarneit
Here are the main carpet fibres you can choose for your new home:
Polypropylene
This entry-level, solution-dyed carpet offers great value for money. It’s tough and stain- and fade-resistant, but feels coarser underfoot than other fibre types. A smart choice for homes with pets.
Polyester
Expect to spend a little more for a solution-dyed polyester carpet. You’ll be rewarded with exceptional softness, great colour clarity and impressive stain resistance. A great option for theatre or living rooms.
Nylon
White nylon is a versatile and well-priced carpet fibre that won’t fade or stain easily. It comes in a wide range of colours and is tough enough to cope in busy homes.
Solution-dyed nylon
Next step up is a solution-dyed nylon carpet. Unlike regular nylon carpet, the colour goes right through to the core of the fibre, giving it exceptional longer-term vibrancy and colour retention. It’s soft, stain and fade-resistant and comes in multiple colours giving it a natural appearance in your new home.
Wool blend
A wool-blend carpet gives you the best of both worlds – the softness of pure wool and the durability and stain-resistance of a synthetic fibre. It costs more than a pure synthetic fibre, but you’ll be rewarded with a more natural look and sumptuous feel underfoot. A great choice for family homes where softness and natural beauty are equally important.
Pure wool
A pure wool carpet brings unparalleled luxury and softness to your home, and helps keep it naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter (which is good news for your power bills). As a natural material it is more expensive than a wool blend. A wool carpet can help muffle sound, is resistant to stains and is naturally fire-resistant. On the downside, wool is not as durable or stain-resistant as synthetic so it may be best suited to quieter spots with less footfall, such as the master bedroom.
Carpet is perfect for areas that are all about relaxation and connection, such as living areas, the media room and bedrooms. With a large selection to choose from, it’s the perfect upgrade for your home. Featured here: Canterbury Grand, Minta Estate, Berwick.
Underlay
A quality underlay is a worthwhile investment – it not only prolongs the life of your carpet, but makes it feel softer and more inviting. At Carlisle, you can take your pick from standard underlay, a thicker underlay for a more luxurious feel and acoustic-quality underlay, which can help reduce the noise levels inside your home.
Timber laminate flooring
Love the look of solid timber flooring but not the maintenance hassles? Good news – your Carlisle abode is available with the option of timber-look laminate flooring.
Designed to replicate the natural beauty of timber, laminate flooring offers a durable and practical solution for busy homes. With a wear layer that protects against scratches and general wear and tear, laminate flooring won’t fade or lose its colour - making it perfect for high traffic areas like living rooms and kitchens. Laminate flooring is also incredibly easy to clean and maintain, requiring only regular sweeping and occasional mopping to keep it looking fresh.
Timber laminate flooring comes in a wide variety of styles, grains and finishes, from light blondes to darker wood tones, allowing you to create anything from a sleek, contemporary look to a more rustic, natural aesthetic. This laminate flooring option provides the timeless charm of wood at a fraction of the cost.
Chevron patterned engineered wood / timber adds an extra layer of luxury to your home. Its warm natural touch will complement entry, living and dining spaces. Featured here at Astoria Grand, Cloverton Estate, Kalkallo.
Engineered timber
For a warmer and more natural look, upgrade to engineered timber flooring. Engineered flooring typically features a layer of hardwood veneer over a supporting board. It’s more affordable than solid timber floors and easier to install, while being nearly impossible to distinguish from its solid counterpart.
Add a sense of warmth and welcome to your entry, living, dining spaces and bedrooms with engineered flooring in pale, Nordic oak, bold near-black or an easy-to-love mid tone. Or make a statement with one of our five beautiful herringbone or chevron patterned engineered timber floors.
With so many appealing options, engineered timber floors are a fantastic option for new homeowners.
Discover all types of flooring choices at our Spectra Showroom and Spectra Online
When it comes to selecting the perfect flooring for your home, the Spectra Showroom and Spectra Online offer a convenient and comprehensive way to explore the type of flooring available. Whether you’re interested in porcelain tiles, hardwood flooring, engineered wood, laminate flooring or luxurious carpet, you’ll find a wide variety of flooring materials that cater to both style and functionality.
At our Spectra Showroom, you can see and feel different flooring choices in person, ensuring you make the right decision for your home's aesthetic, taking into account high traffic areas and the functionality of your home. Our Interior Design experts are available to help guide you through the selection process, offering advice on durability, maintenance and the best options for high-moisture areas. With the extensive selection available at Spectra, you can choose finishes that complement your interior design and create a cohesive, elegant look throughout your home.
For those who prefer shopping from home, Spectra Online provides unlimited digital access to explore all the best flooring options. This convenient platform allows you to browse flooring types, compare finishes and make selections at your own pace. Whether you're choosing timber laminate for your living room or vinyl flooring for your laundry, you can review your options and even visualise them within your floorplan with our online Visualiser.
Spectra makes it easy to upgrade from the standard flooring options and customise your new home to your liking. No matter your budget or style, you can create a space that balances luxury with practicality.
Learn more about the types of flooring available at our Carlisle Homes Spectra Online Showroom here. Or come and see these beautiful flooring looks on-site at one of our display homes across Melbourne and Geelong.
Types of flooring available - comparison chart.
Here’s a quick comparison of popular flooring options available through Carlisle Homes:
| Flooring Type |
Durability |
Maintenance | Best For | Price Range |
|
Ceramic Tile |
High |
Easy to clean and maintain |
High-traffic areas, bathrooms |
Affordable |
| Porcelain Tiles | Very High | Easy to clean, water-resistant | Kitchens, bathrooms, entryways | Mid to High |
| Carpet |
Medium to High |
Requires regular vacuuming | Bedrooms, media rooms | Low to High |
| Timber Laminate | High | Easy to clean, fade-resistant | High-traffic areas, living spaces | Affordable |
|
Engineered Wood Flooring |
High | Easy to clean, natural look | Living rooms, dining areas | Mid to High |
| Vinyl Flooring | High | Water-resistant, easy to maintain | Kitchens, bathrooms, high-traffic areas | Affordable |
Build with Carlisle and customise your home
When you build with Carlisle Homes, you have the unique opportunity to tailor every aspect of your new home to suit your family’s needs and preferences. From the layout of your floorplan to the materials used in construction, the ability to upgrade key features allows you to create a home that reflects your personal style and enhances your daily living experience.
Upgrading your home during the build process offers several advantages. Not only can you incorporate high-quality finishes and advanced technology, but you can also future-proof your home, ensuring it meets your long-term needs. Whether you’re adding more space, integrating energy-efficient solutions, or selecting premium fixtures and finishes, these upgrades can significantly enhance both the comfort and value of your home.
The beauty of building with Carlisle lies in the flexibility to customise your home from the very beginning. With our expert team guiding you through each decision, you can create a home that combines functionality, style, and innovation, all while staying within your budget.
Discover the full range of upgrades and customisation options available when you build with Carlisle Homes.