Our luxury vinyl is all about customizing a floor to make it your own so that it complements your space and your style. A few ways you can do so involve using our design/feature strips to create a keyline or tramline border, decorative borders, or you can use full-size planks to create a border.
Keyline Border: Uses a single strip for a clean, streamlined look.
Tramline Border: Uses a combination of strips for added emphasis.
Full Plank Border: Uses the same or a contrasting color as a border.
Decorative Border: Wider, intricate patterned borders.
While most people think that adding a border is for decoration, which don’t get us wrong, it can be; however, in many instances borders serve a functional purpose as well. Not only can borders create a high-end, unique look that can increase the value of your home, but it can be the touch that ties the floor together with the other elements in the room.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but you should actually begin to think about using a border early in the building or renovation process, even before you choose a floor. Why? Borders allow you to “zone” or section off spaces. Consider a few scenarios:
If you only have the budget to renovate one room which connects to an adjoining room, a border allows you to section off the space so that there’s a definitive transition from the “new” room to the adjoining room.
If you have a front door that leads directly into a room, you can use a border to section off a space and create an entryway inside the door, using the same idea as our showroom floor panel shown below. If you’ve chosen a wood look, you could also use a contrasting plank color to create a section as well.
In an open floor plan, you can create different areas based on how you use the space (e.g. family room, kitchen, or walkway) or to frame a focal area, like a kitchen island.
Perhaps you’re working with a small space - can you still use a border? The simple answer is yes, but you don’t want to overwhelm a small space with a wide border. You could use design strips to create a keyline or tramline border so that it’s more proportionate to the size of the space. Another option is to use borders to create an “area rug.” The border would create the outline of an inlaid rug, and you could use a different color to fill it in. Not only does this create a clean look, but it also eliminates a tripping hazard! These two ideas would also apply if you’re thinking of including a border in a space where you currently have an area rug.
Now that you know how borders can shape a space, you can explore the Karndean color palette with layout possibilities in mind! If you have any other questions, your Karndean Designflooring retailer can certainly help you create a design that fits your style and your space!
