Welcome back to the Daily Grind, your monthly “one stop shop” for flooring inspiration, advice and updates from some of the top experts on the web.

Each month we pick our favourite posts about everything from the latest flooring trends, to practical advice, then share them with you in our bumper Daily Grind update. Designed for both DIYers and home design professionals, there’s a little dose of inspiration for everyone to be found below.

This month: Learn how to design a home from the flooring up, discuss today’s lack of privacy in the workplace and find out whether hardwood poses a danger to children and pets.

Designing Homes from the Floor Up

It’s not always easy to know where to start when it comes to totally redesigning a home. A few revamps and tweaks are relatively straightforward, but when it’s time to put together an entirely new look, finding a starting point and ensuring you design a cohesive style which all fits together is a tricky business.

But don’t panic! This thoughtful blog from Reform Flooring has some helpful pointers which could make your redesign much more straightforward. As you might expect, Reform Flooring recommend starting with your floor style, then building your entire home design from there. They may have a vested interest in flooring, but their advice is solid and the blog offers some great ideas about how to build a seamless new style. Well worth a read!

Should You Design More Privacy into Your Office?

Flooring is just as important in the workplace as it is in the home and for those involved in workplace design, the Milliken Flooring Blog is chock-full of smart ideas and think pieces all about influencing office lifestyles with smart design.

This particular piece explores how we can incorporate more privacy into today’s conventional open office spaces. Most of us now work in shared, open plan offices. It may offer communicative and collaborative benefits, but a lack of privacy can occasionally affect workers performing particular tasks. Milliken’s blog explores the issue and offers some solution.

How to Pick Safe Hardwood Flooring for Youngsters & Pets

For many homeowners the toss up between real wood and laminate is a tricky one. While real wood offers natural beauty, long lasting style and a solid investment (especially if you’re likely to sell up and move in future), laminate is cheaper, quicker, easier and – in some cases safer.

Many parents and/or pet owners have concerns about the safety of hardwood flooring. From bumps on the head to nasty nails and splinters, real wood flooring is not always the safest choice. To help you unpick the issues, risks and benefits, Ogden’s Flooring have put together this informative blog.

Do you think workplaces could be improved with just a little more privacy? Do you have children, pets AND a hardwood floor? Share your experiences and opinions with other readers below.

Some Useful Links:

• Floor Sanding Services
• School Floor Sanding
• Wood Floor Restorations
• Wood Floor Repairs
• Wood Floor Polishing

More from our Blog:

Daily Grind – November: Black Floors & Reclaimed Wood Revolutionize Your Space: The Impact of Contrasting Interiors Navigating the Recession: Impacts and Strategies for the Wood Flooring Industry Wood Floor Warning: The Importance of Monitoring Moisture Levels