Every year, standard full-length filmsapartments are becoming less and less popular, and are being replaced by studio apartments with a free layout. The main feature of this type of layout is that the living area is combined with the dining room and kitchen. The main question is how to separate one area from another. This can be done with a screen, curtains, a bar counter, a lighting system, etc. But one of the most successful and frequently used options is a combined floor.
Combined flooring is one of the ways to separate the kitchen and hallway.
Where are the combined floor coverings used?
Connecting different floor coverings on the floormost often found in medium and large sized rooms. In small rooms, combined floors will look out of place, as they will visually reduce the free space even more. Therefore, such designs are mainly used in large kitchens and hallways.
Ceramic tiles must be in working orderzone, near the stove, sink and refrigerator. In the kitchen, the dining area is decorated with laminate, and the cooking area is decorated with ceramic tiles. In this case, the tile covering should cover an area of at least 1 m in front of the stove, sink, refrigerator and work surface. This approach will protect the laminate from regular water and grease. The use of a combined coating is not only an unusual, but also a durable option. It also allows, depending on the color scheme, to divide the hallway and kitchen into several zones and make them more modern. In addition to the above-described rooms, combined floors are sometimes used to decorate other rooms: a hall, bedroom, veranda, living room. Return to contents</a>
Zoning space with a combined floor in the hallway
The requirements for the floor in the hallway are too highrequirements, because it is constantly tested. Hallway floors are the places that are most exposed to various types of mechanical damage and the effects of aggressive substances. This is due to the fact that the floor in the hallway has to be washed often, since people walk on it with street shoes, subjecting the surface to constant tests. When choosing a floor covering for the corridor, the following requirements for the facing material should be taken into account:
- increased resistance to mechanical stress, aggressive substances and high humidity;
- high resistance to abrasion and wear;
- Long service life;
- presence of anti-slip properties;
- aesthetics - the floor should fit harmoniously into the overall interior of the apartment;
- hygiene - the floor should be easy to clean from dust and dirt.
Therefore, for laying the floor in the hallway, most oftenfloor tiles and laminate are used, which fully satisfy the above requirements. For combined floors, the option is usually used when only the area near the entrance door is finished with tiles, and the rest of the space is decorated with laminate.
It is best to lay the tiles near the entrance door, and then lay the laminate. This method of combination is both practical and functional:
- The area near the entrance door is subjected to the strongest influences, and the laid tiles are perfectly opposite to them;
- tile is hygienic material, as it is easy to take care of, it is resistant to acids, alkalis and other aggressive substances;
- Such combination allows to efficiently zonate the space at which the corridor can be divided into the entrance hall and the small hall;
- The use of laminate for the rest of the space allows creating an atmosphere of warmth and coziness.
When selecting materials for a combined floorparquet or solid wood boards are used less often. Although wood has many advantages (strength, naturalness, beautiful appearance), it is not suitable for decorating hallways. This is mainly due to the fact that it is quite difficult to clean, it is unstable to increased mechanical loads, and is afraid of dampness and dirt. Linoleum can also be used instead of laminate with ceramic tiles. In this case, only semi-commercial or commercial types are suitable, which have increased resistance to external influences. But this type of flooring has its drawbacks: this material can only be installed by specialists, and high humidity and dirt quickly reduce its attractiveness. Return to contents</a>
Combined flooring in the kitchen
Semi-commercial linoleum has an increasedresistance to external influences. Combined tile-laminate flooring is an optimal solution from a functional and aesthetic point of view, with the help of which you can zone the kitchen space. So, in the work area, you can use a more durable material, and for the dining room and living room, you can choose laminated panels. At the same time, both materials should match not only in color, but also in texture. When combining different finishing materials, you should not expect them to be easy to install. The fact is that no matter how you select the facing materials, they will still have different thicknesses. Therefore, joining tiles and laminate will be quite problematic. Sometimes builders use an alternative solution and construct a flooring with different levels: they raise the work area onto a kind of podium, and lower the dining area down. Installation of a combined floor in the kitchen must be carried out with special care. The result should not only have a beautiful appearance, but also be reliable, since the kitchen is a fairly demanding room due to frequent changes in temperature and humidity, as well as the possibility of sharp and heavy objects falling on the floor. Return to contents</a>
Ways of joining materials in the construction of combined floors
When installing a combination coating, special attention should be paidattention should be paid to the place where the two materials are joined. The main condition is that such places should not interfere with walking and spoil the appearance of the floor.
Scheme of joining laminate and tiles.For single-level joints, plastic, aluminum or wooden thresholds are usually used. The threshold allows you to hide all the imperfections of the joint and make a neat transition from one finishing material to another. This method is the simplest, so you can do it yourself without much effort. Thresholds perform a very important function: they protect the edges of the finishing material and do not allow dust and dirt to penetrate into the gaps between the tiles and the laminate. Quite often, the butt-joint method is used, in which no other materials are used. Due to the lack of transition elements, this installation method requires special care when creating a transition from one surface to another. This method is used when the transition zone has a curvilinear shape, which cannot be finished with a threshold. In some cases, silicone sealant, construction foam or mastic are used to join 2 materials. This approach allows you to hide the gap between the laminate and tiles of any shape and size. If you are not sure that you will be able to correctly select and lay the combined coating with your own hands, then it is better to seek help from specialists. They will be able to correctly select the facing material and install it, as a result of which the floor will be harmonious and attractive.</ ul>
