Flooring doesn’t need to be boring. Here are 22 unique twists on your traditional tile, timber and carpet flooring options. What’s your favourite?
1. Wooden Puzzle Pieces Flooring
Fun for a kids room (or any room, for that matter), this example is cut from various types of plywood. A similar look could be achieved with vinyl. Getting the flooring laser cut and laid by a Service Central Floorer would save some frustrating hours on the jigsaw.
2. Stained Plywood Flooring
It’s probably no secret that I’m a huge fan of plywood. Here, a watery stain has been applied to bring out the plywood’s texture. Contrast a dark floor with a similarly textural light cabinet and you have a very chic, almost Scandinavian look.
3. Leather Flooring
Look closer. Notice the holes? This fine leather floor is made from up-cycled leather belts! Leather is actually a really great flooring material. Problem is, it’s often pretty pricey. That’s why we tend to cover our couches in it instead of our floors. But, if you can get a hold of enough second-hand leather belts, it could be an affordable and statement-making option.
4. Stenciled Timber Flooring
Love the warmth of timber flooring, but can’t resist the bold patterns that tiles afford? Well, perhaps a stenciled timber floor would be a good compromise? A good painter could help you out with the stenciling.
5. Ceiling on the Floor
Sometimes the best flooring material is actually ceiling material. I know, I know, this isn’t flooring. But it’s on the floor, so it counts. No, this would not be practical to cover the whole floor, but it’s certainly a fun twist on the traditional lamp base. Get a ceiling rose and an electrician could help you transform it into a lighting feature.
6. Tile and Brick Combination Flooring
This is a beautiful combination of ceramic tile and clay brick. It would look equally beautiful outside as it would in. Yes, you can use bricks as a floor surface. Just make sure you get a painter or flooring expert to seal it thoroughly after thebricklayer does their job so it isn’t porous.
7. Penny Flooring
You would probably be arrested if you tried to export this many pennies from the US. Five cent pieces come in at 5 times the price, but beleive it or not it’s not too expensive. So if you’d fancy a dappled silver sheen to your flooring? You better start collecting you pocket change.
8. Patchwork Flooring
If you’re handy on a sewing machine, you could whip yourself up one of these beautiful patchwork rugs. Or you could just by this one from Loom Rugs in Melbourne.
9. Platform Flooring
When thinking about flooring it pays to think outside the box. This crafty platform conceals storage, doubles as a sizable bedside table and, it appears, a neat little planter box.
10. Contrasting Flooring
This whitewashed timber combined with a dark stained contrasting timber creates a strong graphic pattern. A similar technique could be used in almost any room to create a dramatic effect.
11. Growth Circle Flooring
Using just a few decent sized pieces of timber, cut to reveal the growth circles this striking look can be achieved. The timber is likely to crack when cut this way, so ensure that you adequately seal it and continue to reseal it if it does crack.
12. Brick Flooring
Bricks are a material that really should be used more often as flooring. Seal it adequately and have a skilled bricklayer lay the bricks with a soft, lime mortar to allow for movement. This is a flooring that will last for centuries, literally. And it only gets better with age.
13. Recycled Flooring
If you’re ok with tripping hazards, this recycled palette flooring looks great. Actually, once layed and glued down, you could sand the top to a smooth, even finish. Coat with an epoxy resin and it would come up wonderfully. Once of Service Central’s talented tradies could help you with this one.
14. Bottle Cap Flooring
If you have a drinking problem, this could be an affordable flooring solution. Our recommendation? Stick with the one brand of beer for a consistent colour. Because, honestly, you would need beer goggles to appreciate this mismatch.
15. Tile & Timber Combination Flooring
We’ve featured this stunning and creative floor before. It’s a very clever way to mix two materials. Have the tiles laid first, and then have your builder cut the boards to fit for a neat finish. Also, make sure the tiles are laid at a height to match the timber. Better yet, show one of our tilers this photo and let them work it out.
16. Bright Floor
Neutral floor and bright walls? Been done to deal. Why not mix it up and go for a crazy colour on the floor. Mix that with natural materials and textures like they’ve done here and you’ll have yourdelf a look that’s this effortlessly stylish.
17. Map Flooring
Is you daughter failing geography? Cover her floor in a giant map of the world and see how long it takes for her grades to turn around. Honestly, I’ve got no idea how this was done. But, it looks incredible. Be sure to let us know if you’ve got any ideas about how to get a similarly intricate map on the floor.
18. Pebble Flooring
River pebbles are a nice touch in the bathroom. These days you can get tiles with the pebbles attached – modern technology, huh? The beauty of this style of flooring? You get a natural foot massage ever morning on the way to the shower!
19. Woven Timber Flooring
It’s amazing the tricks you can pull with a well laid timber floor. You’ll need the flooring pros to handle this one, but the patterns you can create are limited only by your imagination.
20.
Cork flooring is old news, right? Yes, but not flooring made from recycled wine corks! Unless you’re able to rope your friends/entire neighbourhood into collecting their corks for you, this could turn into an expensive (but fun) project.
21. Horseshoe Flooring
If you have a problem with your pony denting the floorboards all the time, then why not work with it, rather than against it. Cover over the horseshoe indentations with actual horseshoes — problem solved. And then discipline your pony.
22. Colourful Flooring
A light timber can be stained or painted in a myriad of colours. Come up with a striking combination and get busy laying those boards (or enlist the help of one of our pro floorers). So many things in life are boring. There’s no need for your flooring to be.
The Innovative Web 
