How To Pick New Flooring
Picking New Floors Isn’t As Easy As It Seems, But With Our Help You Will Walk Away With The Perfect Floors For You!
The investment in new floors may add value, beauty, and added function to your home. The right floors can create a beautiful new space, one that offers a wide range of color and texture elements to your home. The key is choosing the best type of flooring for your home. Typically, that includes more than just choosing the material or color. Look deeper to get a better feel of what all of your options are. Consider these tips to get you started.
#1: Always Shop Local
It’s easy enough to find products available from a range of companies including big box stores. However, they offer a small fraction of the options available to you. Moreover, the options they have may be the most inferior products, even from some of the most recognized brands. Plus, you’re not getting any support in the process – no one to help you choose flooring based on the surface, humidity, and overall design of the space.
Shop locally to have a large selection in your budget with expert help. Local pros offer insight including telling you when your color scheme may not work or offering newer product options. These are professionals trained (and often certified) in providing you with more options, but also more experience in laying these products down. They can help you determine how to bring two areas of different flooring together seamlessly while also aiding in ensuring you get your money’s worth. It’s personalized support.
Read Our Guide On Where To Buy You Floors Here
#2: Consider the Function of the Space
The flooring that’s right for the bedrooms isn’t always the best for the entire home. High-traffic areas, such as the hallway leading into your home or the kitchen, need to have a different level of durability and wear-quality than other lesser-used areas. Some luxury vinyl, for example, is less likely to wear down than others. Some products, like carpeting, need a thicker pile to hold up to the overall traffic in certain areas.
Also, think about the amount of dirt tracked in through various areas. Right inside the doorways tends to be the highest risk for this. Carpet’s hard to keep clean, but using a tile or vinyl product here may make cleanup a bit easier overall. That makes it easier to live in your home without having to worry about a muddy day or the pets or kids tracking dirt into the home.
#3: Think Water and Moisture Control
Look at how the material stands up to moisture and water as well. Bathroom and kitchen areas typically need the highest level of water resistance. Don’t forget to consider moisture in the basement, too. Water can damage the subflooring as well as the products themselves, making it more difficult than you may expect to maintain products.
There are some products that are waterproof. These tend to offer the highest level of protection. Be sure to learn the difference between waterproof and water resistant. Both can be beneficial in some situations, but they are most certainly not the same thing.
#4: Know the Warranty and Why It Matters
ost of the best flooring products on the market come with warranties. These help to give you peace of mind when purchasing them. You know they are going to last. There are several things to consider about warranties:
- How long are they?
- What do they protect against (again, think about that water or dog nails scratching into the material)?
- Do you need to have a licensed professional install the flooring to get protection (most likely)?
- Does the warranty pass on to the next homeowner if you decide to sell?
- What are the restrictions on the warranty or what may void it?
There’s no doubt these are valuable, and they differ significantly from one company and product to the next. Get the insight you need before you decide.
#5: Know Your Style
It’s easy enough to follow the trends and choose flooring products based on what is new and interesting. However, go with what you love. Most high-quality flooring products last a decade or more. You have to love it in order for it to be something you don’t replace in the next few years. If you are unsure of what type of product you like, compare numerous options with various colors and styles. The more flexibility you have, the more likely you’ll be to find something that is really worth your money.
Read Our Guide: Light Floors Vs. Dark Floors
The good news is there are more flooring options than ever before. That means you have plenty of options to consider when it comes to finding something that’s right for your needs. Always focus on buying quality. Any inferior product is simply going to cost you money because you’ll have to replace it in no time. Buy from a company that can help you make this the best decision for your home.