When thinking about floors for a bustling family home, one of the most important things to consider is their durability. Nowadays there is a huge range of durable floor coverings for every area of the home. Wayne from Distinctive Floor Coverings recommends using nylon carpet in children’s rooms. Nylon can be cleaned easily – if it is treated with stain-resistant protection, as most nylon carpets are nowadays.

Polypropylene carpets have become popular in recent times, but while these are extremely resistant to staining – which is important if the carpet is used in children’s rooms – they are not quite as durable as nylon carpets.

The ideal, if you have the funds, is to install wool carpet, as it looks beautiful and gives a cosy, warm feel to the home. Areas used for entertaining guests look classy when carpeted in wool and wool carpet is the most durable type there is, though it is not as easy to clean as nylon carpet.

A carpet’s durability is often dependent on the way it is constructed. Cut-pile carpets (looped yarns with the top cut off), for example, look great but can create shadows and show footprints easily. Loop-pile carpets are extremely durable and are easy to clean, as the dirt tends to stay near the surface. They are a good choice for high-traffic areas like entrance halls and hallways.

Other benefits of carpet include its insulating qualities, and the fact that it reduces the noise level in the home, which is good news for the frazzled parents of boisterous kids.

There are, of course, other options besides carpet. In high-traffic areas like entrance halls, bathrooms and kitchens, Wayne has had success with non-slip vinyl, which is safe and extremely durable. "Vinyls will outlast any other product," he says.

While timber flooring looks stunning, Wayne doesn’t recommend it for family homes. "Timbers don’t tend to last the distance," he says. Tiles can be similarly troublesome in family homes, with terracotta tiles known to be absorbent of spills, and other glazed tiles often slippery and unforgiving when toddlers inevitably take a tumble.

Talking with a specialist in floor coverings for your home can help you choose with surface will stand the test of time: