XXIX. The Floor and Its Treatment

It is difficult to over-estimate the importance of the floor in the house, and its successful treatment goes further to secure a satisfactory room than anything which may be done to walls and ceiling. And this importance of the floor increases in direct ratio with the size of the room, for while in a normal attitude we may not be conscious of the floor immediatly beneath our feet, its distant portions come more fully into the picture. In a level landscape all that the eye can see up to the point where the sky begins may be considered as floor, but where a wall of trees encompasses the observer, the nearer it is the less important become the floor and the more insistent the wall, so that the relative value of wall and floor vary in direct ratio to the size of the room. But the floor has an additional claim in that, unlike the wall or ceiling, it is constantly subjected to the sensation of touch as well as sight. In considering the internal treatment of the house, it is suggested that the claims of the structure should be first recognised, and should only be set aside in favour of superficial decoration when such a treatment more than compensates for the loss of that sensation of reality and sincerity which the actual building alone can convey.

If we decide to obscure or partially obscure the structure by superficial treatment, it may be helpful to turn to Nature for inspiration, and to think of the best natural floors we know, and thus, for instance, one may evolve a conventional equivalent of a green meadow studded with flowers. But in the floor treatment there is a special reason for not too lightly setting aside the claims of the structure. It is the floor more than any other part of the house which is subjected to a constant wear and tear, and it is here that dirt and dust accumulate. It seems reasonable then that it should present a durable surface, and that it should be capable of being easily cleaned. All this points to the exclusion of carpets in favour of floors composed of stone, tile or timber. There is a special charm in the floor composed of large stone flags, not too regular in shape or too closely jointed. It conveys an impression of permanence and breadth combined with homely serviceableness, which it is difficult to gain in any other way, and with a few rugs giving warm notes of colour on its expanse of varied grey, it is not so cold in appearance as might be supposed. Red tiles or bricks also have, in a less degree, much the same qualities if they are not too highly finished and possess a characteristic surface and texture. Tiles used in patterns are less desirable unless designed with great skill, and mosaics of marble or glass, such as were so successfully used in Roman or Byzantine buildings, are hardly within the means of the average house-builder, and their beauty is hardly homely enough in its character for the modern English house. The uses of the room will to a large extent determine the treatment of its floor, and, while those apartments constantly used by the members of the family may have floors of timber with a few rugs, those only occasionally occupied may be carpeted, while the stone or tile floor is peculiarly adapted for bathrooms, lavatories and kitchen offices.

In the sitting-rooms of the average house there is one apparent extravagance which may prove wise, and that is the use of oak or some hard wood for the floor. It is lasting and durable, and will outlive a succession of carpets, and it meets both practical and aesthetic requirements. It need not be in narrow boards, and, if properly prepared in the first instance, it need not be polished. It is cleanly and labour-saving, for, of all the trappings with which we surround ourselves, the carpet will be found to be the most tyrannical, and, however we multiply door-mats and scrapers, muddy boots on a clean carpet will be a constant source of anxiety to a careful housewife.