Residents' Criteria of Selecting Interior Floor Finishes in Housing Estates: Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia

The selection of appropriate interior floor finishes is an important consideration in residential environments, as flooring materials influence aesthetic quality, hygiene, durability, safety, comfort, functionality, maintenance, and the long-term use of housing interiors. In Malaysia, residents’ preferences for interior floor finishes may vary according to the characteristics and functions of different residential spaces and housing contexts. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the criteria and preferences of residents in selecting interior floor finishes in housing estates within the Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia, and to identify implications for user-centred, sustainable, and market-responsive flooring decisions. A quantitative research approach was employed, using a questionnaire survey to collect data from 314 residents across 11 housing estates. Respondents were selected using a stratified random sampling method. The collected data were analysed using SPSS Version 24, incorporating descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis test to examine differences in residents’ preferences across housing estates and interior spaces. The findings indicate that residents’ flooring preferences vary according to both interior space and housing estate. Among the flooring materials examined, marble was the most preferred material (33.1%), followed by tiles (22.9%) and timber flooring (19.7%). The findings further indicate that hygiene, durability, safety, functionality, comfort, and maintenance are important considerations in the selection of interior floor finishes. These findings provide practical evidence for interior designers, architects, developers, suppliers, and flooring manufacturers to better align product specification, material selection, and product development with residents’ needs. From a sustainability perspective, understanding residents’ preferences can also support consideration of durable, hygienic, maintainable, and environmentally responsible flooring options, thereby reducing premature replacement, material waste, and unnecessary resource use. The study therefore contributes empirical evidence from Malaysian housing estates that can support more user-centred residential design and more responsive flooring and building-material practices. Although previous studies have examined flooring materials mainly from aesthetic, technical, or performance perspectives, limited empirical research has investigated how residents in Malaysian housing estates select interior floor finishes based on multiple criteria across different interior spaces and housing estates in the Kinta District, Perak.

Criteria, interior spaces, interior floor finishes

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