The plinth plays not only a functional, but also an aesthetic role. With its help, the gap between the wall and the floor is closed, and the room itself takes on a finished look. If you choose the wrong baseboard, then all impressions of the renovation can be completely ruined. To emphasize the merits of the room design, you should take the issue of choosing a plinth responsibly.
Comparing dark and light flooring
A floor that is too light, as well as a very dark one, should not be used in rooms with high traffic, as all dirt and defects will be visible on it.
Just like a dark wooden floor, light shades of flooring can be associated with respectability and solidity.
However, the light color of the floor makes the room more versatile, simpler and weightless, which contradicts the principles of a luxurious interior.
A light laminate in a room may appear similar to PVC tiles or linoleum. Therefore, when purchasing, you should give preference to a floor covering with a 'semi-matte' or matte surface rather than a gloss-treated one.
The shade of a light floor in the interior depends on lighting, furniture, wall coloring and textiles. For example, the owners expected to get a snow-white floor, but the parquet looks yellowish or beige. To correct this, you should buy halogen or fluorescent lamps for artificial light sources.
In addition, it is worth choosing a floor not of a warm, creamy tone, but of a cold, grayish tone.
The baseboard should be in harmony with the walls and floor, both in color and material. If home renovations are thought out and implemented in a design project, you won't have to struggle with the choice. But if the renovation is done on your own or in one single room, then there are some tips on how to choose the right baseboard.
Select by color
It is better to think about the color of the molding at the stage of choosing wallpaper and laminate. The size of the room plays a significant role. The material is selected depending on what needs to be emphasized in the room, the floor or the walls.
Conventionally, designs can be divided into dark and light.
When choosing a plinth, keep in mind that light colors visually enlarge the room, while dark colors conceal it.
Some rules for choosing colors:
For a small room, the baseboard should match the laminate.
For a room with low ceilings, match the walls to visually raise the ceiling.
The color combination of baseboards and door frames is considered to be in good taste.
If you don't have the time or desire to match the color of the decorative strip to the other components of the room, then a win-win option is to buy laminate and baseboards in one place of the same color. To obtain a non-standard color there are strips for painting.
Light elements get dirty easily, and on too dark ones every speck of dust is visible.
Selection by material
Constructions made of wood, solid or veneered, plastic or MDF are suitable for laminate.
Tree. Wooden structures are durable, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Of the minuses, it bends relatively poorly. Therefore, if the room contains curved decorative elements, wood will have to be abandoned. This also includes the high price for natural material and the need for additional processing.
MDF. The plank is covered with a special film. The advantages include low cost, moisture resistance and a variety of colors. The disadvantages are fragility, high possibility of damage during transportation and installation.
By color
If you are afraid of making a bad choice, then select the baseboard according to the color of the laminate. But to create a unique design, it is better to use tones that are slightly darker or lighter than the floor covering. The baseboard, which matches the tone of the floor, blends in with it and does not visually attract attention. The color of the plinth can be matched to the tone of the walls.
If wooden doors are installed, then the baseboard can be matched to the trim. For such a solution to look harmonious, the trim and baseboard must be the same thickness and size.
Recently, designers have begun to use white skirting boards. It can look beautiful if you consider many factors such as the color combination of the walls, floors and furniture. Perhaps, before choosing a plinth for laminate flooring, it is better to sketch the interior in a special architectural program and experiment with colors. This is due to the fact that the contrast in the colors of the laminate and baseboard is a rather bold decision. How successful it will be depends on the thoughtfulness of all the details of the repair.
To size
In order for the renovation in the room to look harmonious, you should decide on the size of the baseboard. It depends on the color of the floor, walls and ceiling height. In large and high rooms it is unacceptable to use small-sized plinths. This will visually change the space not for the better. In this case, it is more appropriate to install a wide plinth of a contrasting color, which is attached to the wall.
In order to visually increase or at least not reduce the height of low walls, you should choose a thin plinth, preferably matching the tone of the walls.