Choosing your new floor is an exciting experience. Flooring is one of your home’s most eye-catching features, but with so many options available, it can be difficult to decide which is best.
When deciding on the right floor for a particular space, here is a list of 9 things to think about before you buy.
Which Rooms Are You Considering?
Flooring options heavily depend on the room type and location. Room shape, design, size, and function all play important roles when choosing your flooring.
An obvious example is rarely seeing carpet installed in the kitchen or bathroom. The entrances of your home should be durable and strong enough to withstand high traffic impact from shoes and be easily cleanable. Wood flooring for example rarely gets installed in the basement due to the high moisture content below ground.
Family Lifestyle & Needs
Considering the type of people who live in your home can also impact your flooring choice. If you have children or pets, you may want to consider flooring with high impact resistance such as Luxury Vinyl Planks and Luxury Vinyl Tiles.
If you live with someone with a disability, you’ll want to identify any mobility issues with the flooring you are considering.
Allergies
Does anyone in your family suffer from allergies? If so, you’ll want to consider what type of flooring you install. Carpet more easily harbors allergens and is harder to remove than hard surfaces.
Some flooring contains VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that may cause issues with heightened sensitivities. Look for products with lower VOC levels.
Durability & Longevity
Before you decide on your flooring, you’ll want to be thinking about the future. If you don’t intend to stay for long, you may not want to invest in expensive flooring.
If you are planning long term, you’ll want to invest in a more durable and sturdy floor to avoid repair and replacement costs later on.
Care & Maintenance
You should determine in advance how much time you are willing to invest on your floor before you buy it. Resilient flooring like Luxury Vinyl Planks and Luxury Vinyl Tiles require little maintenance and are easy to clean.
Square Foot Budget
Flooring can be very expensive. Knowing your budget, total square meters, and price per square meter ahead of time will prevent wasted time and blowing out costs.
Flooring comes with a huge range of costs from under $20 per square meter for more budget-friendly Luxury Vinyl Planks and Luxury Vinyl Tiles, to over $200 per square meter for hardwoods.
Consider Fashion Trends
Like fashion and other industries, flooring is affected by what’s trending at any given moment. Environmentally friendly floors like recyclable and renewable floors are also gaining popularity, as is water-resistant flooring,
Get Flooring Samples
The last thing you want is to purchase and install your flooring only to discover it didn’t look the way you wanted. Gauging how your floor will look from photos or reading alone is a risky business.
Avoid disappointment by asking stores for samples you can take home to try it out for yourself. Many stores let you take home samples (that you don’t need to return) where you can look at them up close, see how it blends with the design and décor of your room, and test them stain and scratch resistance.
Find A Good Local Contractor
Installing flooring on your own may save a buck or two upfront, but even easier to install flooring is time-consuming and difficult to get right the first time.
Choosing a reputable and professional flooring installer will take the stress out of the process, and give you the peace of mind to know your floor will be installed right the first time.
Whether you know the flooring option you’re interested in or need help deciding, Specialty Interiors is here to help you get the flooring of your dreams. No matter what your budget or style, we have options to match your needs. Request a quote or call us at 204-783-1300.
