Within any home there are rooms that are just meant for showing off – the areas you spend lots of time in and where you welcome in guests. It might be the cosy living room or the jaw-dropping kitchen-diner you worked so hard to design – even the carefully-curated downstairs loo you felt you could go to town with. In all honesty though, it is your entrance hall design that should be the priority.
Yet, all too often, the reality is that this is the one space that gets totally overlooked. My own hallway is the least appealing place in the whole house. During our renovation, it was the room where all the leftovers got used up – our hallway flooring was chosen on the basis that we had some slate tiles going spare, the wall colour because we had a half a tin of paint knocking about, and the furniture is just stuff we didn't want anywhere else.
It is the flooring that really lets my hallway down though – it is too dark for the space, bitterly cold underfoot and shows up all manner of dirt. According to the experts, I am not the only one who is guilty of making hallway flooring mistakes though – these are the top six clangers they say to avoid at all costs.
1. Skipping the preparation stage
Before stepping anywhere near the subject of choosing the right types of flooring for your hallway we need to talk about the importance of proper sub-floor preparation – glamorous? No. Necessary? Absolutely.
Skip this stage and the finished result is likely to be a disaster, as Graeme Shelley, managing director at Factory Direct Flooring, explains. "Rushing the prep is a common installation mistake. Before anything goes down, check the subfloor for damage or unevenness, and use a moisture meter to make sure it's dry (aim for a reading below 75%). Scrape off any old paint or glue, then sweep and vacuum thoroughly. If your subfloor has a few minor dips and dents, an underlay can help give it a more stable finish, and one with a moisture barrier is ideal for protecting against damp coming up from below. You should also allow your flooring to acclimatise in the hallway for at least 24 hours before installing it."
Ian Tomlinson, MD at Chaunceys Timber Flooring, goes on to highlight the importance of good prep when installing engineered timber flooring in a hallway.
"Even the best quality timber flooring can develop problems if the subfloor hasn't been prepared properly before installation. It needs to be clean, dry, level and structurally sound, as any unevenness or moisture issues can affect the performance of the finished floor.
"Moisture testing is particularly important because excess moisture can cause timber to move, cup or develop gaps between the boards. Also, as timber is a natural material, it responds to changes in temperature and humidity, which is why the flooring needs to be stored in the correct conditions and allowed to acclimatise in line with the manufacturer's instructions before it is fitted."
Graeme Shelley is Managing Director of Factory Direct Flooring, with 20 years’ experience helping customers with their projects, from product sourcing to buying. He leads a team of flooring specialists covering wood, vinyl, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), SPC and laminate. Graeme shares practical advice on choosing and caring for flooring, helping homeowners balance style, durability and budget to find the right solution for their space.
Chaunceys Timber Flooring is a family-run company based in Bristol with Ian becoming the Managing Director in 2012. They have been supplying sustainable, high-quality timber flooring to homeowners, award-winning architects, design and build companies, and renowned interior designers since 1988.
2. Choosing flooring purely because it looks good
While there is nothing wrong with choosing your hallway flooring because you love the way it looks, basing your decision on appearance alone is a huge mistake if you want this to be a space that functions well day-to-day.
Graeme Shelley explains why placing the emphasis on practicality is so important, just as when choosing boot room flooring. "It's tempting to pick a floor based on looks alone and forget about how hardworking it needs to be. The hallway is often the first place where things like muddy boots, soggy paws and pushchairs come through. This is why scratch resistance, moisture resistance, and how easy it is to keep clean should be at the top of the list."
If you are considering tiling your hallway, Richard Skeoch, company director at Hyperion Tiles, also points out the importance of it's slip resistance. "Choosing a tile with the right surface finish is important. Highly polished tiles can become slippery when wet so matt or lightly textured porcelain tiles are often a better choice for entrances, offering a good balance between appearance and everyday practicality. Always check the manufacturer's slip resistance information and consider how the space will be used before making your final choice."
With more than three decades of experience in the tile and flooring industry, Richard has developed an expert eye for how tiles can transform a space. As Director, he personally curates distinctive brands and collections to bring to the company's portfolio. Richard is also on hand to offer his expertise to homeowners, interior designers and house builders, whether they need help selecting colour and pattern or guidance on material, scale and practical considerations.
3. Failing to consider the spaces beyond the hallway
Designing a home on a room-by-room basis is never the best approach. While each space will have its own specific requirements, thinking more holistically will ensure a good sense of flow and cohesion.
Graeme Shelley reveals that choosing hallway flooring without considering the rest of your home is an error he frequently sees. "Don't think about the hallway in isolation. If you're only replacing your hallway floor, think about how your new floor will sit next to your other rooms' floors. Don't try for an exact match (unless you can get the exact same line of flooring), and avoid near-matches too, because they'll always look a little 'off'.
"Instead, think about something that complements the other floors where the thresholds meet," he suggests. "For example, if your kitchen has a limestone floor, an engineered wood flooring in the hallway with a grain that echoes the darker flecks in the stone will tie the two spaces together beautifully."
Adam Robertson, managing director at Urbane Living, agrees that cohesion should be at the forefront of your mind when selecting the flooring to suit your hallway ideas, particularly in the case of timber.
"It's easy to concentrate on the entrance itself without considering how it will look alongside the adjoining rooms. If the hallway leads straight into a living or dining space, continuing the same timber flooring through both areas can help them feel connected, particularly in open-plan homes.
Alternatively, parquet flooring can introduce a little more pattern and character to the entrance without making it feel too separate from the rest of the house," he notes. "It's worth looking at the flooring as part of the wider scheme, rather than treating the hallway as an entirely separate space."
Shop for hallway flooring
An easy to lay engineered wood flooring made from oak with a strong lacquer finish for a long-lasting covering
This pretty-patterned porcelain floor tile comes in a range of colours and is deemed suitable for use in hallways
Adam Robertson is the co-founder and Managing Director of Urbane Living, a specialist flooring company recognised for its expertise in parquet, bespoke carpets and runners. With a background in design and a strong eye for detail, Adam is passionate about all things related to quality timber, from floorboards to wall panels.
4. Selecting patterns and colours that jar with the hallway's proportions
While those beautifully imperfect Zellige tiles may well have caught your fancy, or you just can't get enough of classic chequerboard, choosing patterned flooring without thinking about the space's proportions or natural light levels is a big mistake, as Graeme Shelley explains.
"Patterns like chequerboard and herringbone work brilliantly in hallways, but you need to get the scale right. As a rule of thumb, the larger your hallway, the larger your pattern should be. A small checkerboard that repeats too often will look overwhelming in a grand entrance hall, while a large-scale pattern won't repeat enough in a compact hallway. If you're going with herringbone, the direction matters – the arrows should run down the length of your hallway to draw the eye through the space, rather than across it widthways.
"Colour can also change how a hallway looks and feels," adds Graeme. "If you are hoping to make a small hallway feel bigger, a lighter floor paired with light walls will make your hallway feel more expansive."
Lorna Williams, head of product design and visual creation at Amtico Flooring, has some more pointers on getting scale spot on, particularly in narrow hallways.
"It’s also important not to overlook the proportions of the hallway. Because these spaces are often long and narrow, the size and direction of the flooring can have a real impact on how the room feels. Running planks along the length can draw the eye through the space, while parquet or a geometric pattern can make the floor more of a feature. In a smaller hallway, I’d always look at how much of the floor will actually remain visible once furniture and storage are in place before choosing the scale of the pattern."
Lorna heads up the design studio at Amtico Flooring and leads the design and development of new products. She is also responsible for the creation, maintenance and evolution of Amtico International’s brands, including digital developments.
5. Thinking short-term rather than focusing on longevity
Even if you think you have chosen a flooring that looks beautiful and offers all the practicality you need, don't forget that it also needs to be super hardwearing – this is a high-traffic space that will really put your flooring through its paces.
The good news is that there are lots of flooring materials that offer brilliant wear-resistance. Richard Skeoch reveals his favourites. "Porcelain is a particularly good option because it is hardwearing, has a low water absorption rate and is easy to keep clean, making it well suited to busy family homes. Natural stone flooring can also work beautifully in a hallway, although it will need the right sealing and ongoing care to protect it from marks and staining. It's also important to check that the tile is suitable for floor use, rather than assuming that every decorative tile can be used underfoot."
If it's wooden flooring you have your eye on, Ian Tomlinson has a few pointers worth bearing in mind. "Engineered wood is often a practical choice for hallways because its layered construction makes it more stable than solid wood when temperatures and humidity levels fluctuate. However, quality can vary considerably between products, so pay attention to the thickness of the real wood top layer, also known as the 'wear layer'.
"Cheaper engineered boards often have a much thinner layer of hardwood, which limits how many times they can be sanded and refinished," he expands. "Investing in a board with a more substantial top layer will give you a floor that can be enjoyed and maintained for much longer. The finish is another consideration, as brushed or textured surfaces can be more forgiving when it comes to everyday marks and wear than a very smooth, highly polished floor."
Graeme Shelley says there are few often-overlooked flooring options to consider too. "Waterproof laminate now uses new technology that prevents water from seeping through the joins between planks. LVT (luxury vinyl tile) and SPC (stone plastic composite, which is a type of LVT) are also perfect for a hallway – they're both water and scratch-resistant and very easy to keep clean."
6. Underestimating maintenance requirements
The final of the flooring mistakes to avoid in a hallways concerns the need for good maintenance – failing to look after your new floor is a fast-track to it quickly looking scruffy or suffering from damage.
"Hallway floors can take a lot of punishment, particularly during the wetter months when mud, grit and moisture are regularly brought in from outside, so keeping on top of cleaning is important if you want the flooring to stay looking good," picks up Adam Robertson. "A good quality doormat at the entrance will catch much of the dirt before it reaches the floor, while regular sweeping or vacuuming will remove grit that could otherwise scratch the surface.
"Different flooring materials and finishes also have different cleaning requirements, so avoid using a general household cleaner without checking that it's suitable for the floor," adds Adam. "For timber, using the recommended cleaning products and following the manufacturer's maintenance advice will help protect the finish and keep it looking good over the years."
Richard Skeotch also points out the importance of those smaller elements that make up a floor that can contribute to it's maintenance requirements. "Grout is a detail that is often overlooked, but in a busy hallway it can make a real difference to how easy the floor is to maintain.
"When grouting floor tiles, choose a colour that works with the tile, rather than a very pale shade that will quickly show dirt, can help keep the floor looking good between cleans," he suggests. "Using the correct grout and sealing products for the particular tile will also help protect the finished floor over time."
Shop hallway floor care essentials
Protect your hallway floor from muddy footwear with this stylish jute doormat. It comes in a good range of sizes and in three colour options – plus it has a non-slip backing to keep it in place.
While we recommended checking the flooring manufacturer's cleaning methods, this a really gentle formula that promises to be suitable for wood, vinyl, sealed laminated floors, tiles, linoleum and more.
Pop this in your hallway cupboard and it will be easy to give your floors a daily clean to keep them in tip-top condition. It detects the type of floor it is being used on and adjusts accordingly.
FAQs
Which flooring materials are a bad idea in the hallway?
While there is a really wide range of materials that work brilliantly in a hallway, it is worth noting which types of flooring are best avoided before beginning your search.
"Carpet is one I'd steer away from," warns Graeme Shelley. "When we swabbed floors around the home, we found mould on every type of carpet we tested, even when it wasn't visible to the naked eye, and the hallway carpet was worst for it. This is understandable, given how much traffic it can get in a single day.
"Standard laminate flooring and solid wood aren't completely off the table for hallways, but there are more sensible choices for hallways that regularly see dripping umbrellas and wet boots," adds Graeme. "That's because too much moisture can cause these floor types to swell and warp."
Time for a kitchen refresh too? Make sure you check out the worst types of flooring for kitchens before you invest in something that won't do your new space justice.
