Flooring comes in many shapes and forms. Discover how to find the best flooring for your home in three steps.
If you're looking for a change in your home, but don't necessarily want to tear down walls or go through a major renovation, new flooring is the perfect solution!
Since flooring is everywhere, it can make a significant impact on the look, feel, and functionality of a space. You want the best flooring to set the right tone for your home.
Because it can make such a difference, choosing new flooring can be an overwhelming task. With unlimited options, where do you even start?
Here are the three necessary steps you need to take to find your new home flooring.
1. Set a Budget
It's no secret; installing new flooring in your home is an investment. But the good news is that 'investment' does not necessarily mean you will have to save for years. There are flooring options within every budget.
The success of your project depends on setting a budget first before moving forward to any decision making. When you know your price range, and what you can afford, the search is narrowed and you can be more confident in your choices.
Setting a budget for flooring is a little bit different then it would be for other home renovation projects because of the way flooring is priced. Typical home flooring options fall in a range between $3-$18 per square foot for the materials.
It may be common sense, but just to make sure everyone understands, paying per square foot means that you are paying a different price depending on how much material you need. So the first step in setting a budget is to figure out the square footage of your space. Once you know that number you can calculate possible prices and see where you may be comfortable.
It is important to remember to factor in installation cost as well. Once you have defined your price range and budget, now you can move forward in finding the best flooring for you.
2. Define Needs
The options for flooring are pretty much endless and that may be the most overwhelming part of the whole process. How do you choose just one?
Some of the options include: carpet, hardwood, luxury vinyl or laminate. Each of these offer a different feel to your space and have a variety of features. With all of these options, an easy way to narrow down your search is to define what the space needs to function properly.
Some questions that might be helpful to consider are:
- Is this a high traffic area?
- Are spills and messes a common occurrence in this area?
- Do you have pets in this space?
- Is there potential for a lot of moisture?
- Do you need a soft or hard surface?
- Do you need the floor to hide crumbs and other messes?
- How often do you planning on cleaning this floor?
- How long do you want this floor to last?
While this list is not all-inclusive, it does give an idea of things to consider when choosing home flooring.
Often when people are looking at flooring it can be tempting to base the decision off of looks alone. That can lead to problems after installation if you choose a flooring that doesn't actually meet your needs.
Take a few moments to define exactly what you're looking for and what in an ideal world you would have. This will save you a lot of hassle in the future.
3. Find Best Flooring
Once you have set a budget and figured out exactly what you need in the flooring, now is the time to find the best flooring for you. This is the fun part!
Using the information that you've gathered, you can move forward with a narrowed search to find the right look for your space. Many experts share a lot of flooring tips but the most important one is to check the flooring in your space before you buy.
The lighting in your home may adjust how the coloring of the floor looks in your space. So it is super important to try it in the actual space in order to decide if its right.
The feel of the flooring is also important. A flooring sample allows you to feel the softness of carpet or how sturdy a particular line of hardwood is. All important information to know before purchasing.
Work with your flooring retailer to trial samples, these will give you a general idea of how the material will look in your home.
A virtual tour of your space is another great way to see a flooring sample in your space. Upload photos of your space and see the chosen flooring in your room. Being able to see the larger-scale view of the space with that flooring can help solidify decisions.
This service is a great asset in conjunction with a real sample to get the full picture.
Let the Experts Help
The flooring industry is continually growing with more and more options available. This is good news on one hand because there are a ton of home flooring types to choose from and certainly something to fit your needs and budget.
But, on the other hand, it can be daunting to think of finding just the right one in that large selection.
That's where an expert comes in!
A flooring expert has spent time with each type of flooring, as well as specific brands. So they know the pros and cons of each. They can recommend a smaller selection of choices to make your job much easier.
Contact our flooring experts today to find the best flooring!
