Many homeowners feel like choosing carpet is one of the most challenging parts of their remodeling project. After all, you have to select the right style, fiber, and pattern. Then, there's the almost endless array of colors!
While we do love carpet, when it comes to choosing the color, vinyl flooring just might be a little more fun.
Don't let your new flooring project overwhelm you or cause you to lose sleep. Rest easy with our guide on how to choose vinyl flooring. We'll show you how to select the perfect color for your home.
Know the Size of Your Room
Color always creates a significant impact in a room. It doesn't matter whether you're selecting flooring for a tiny powder room or an expansive family room.
Choosing the right color can transform a small space and make it look bigger. At the same time, you can warm up a large room and make it feel cozier.
Light opens up a small room as nothing else can. If you choose vinyl flooring in light-oak, it will brighten up the room. A luxury vinyl plank in beige also makes a room appear brighter and airier.
People sometimes make mistakes when choosing vinyl flooring. One is to shy away from dark colors when there's limited space. In reality, when you use deep browns and rich grays on the floor in a small room paired with a light-colored ceiling, the room feels more spacious.
Let There Be Light
Choosing flooring color without considering the lighting in the room could mean the floor distracts from the space's overall beauty. Your goal should be to complement the natural patterns of light.
Before you make your final vinyl flooring selection, observe your space. Walk around in the room at different times throughout the day. Notice how natural light filters in and what visual effects it creates.
When evening comes, you won't rely on natural light. Instead, you depend on the visual impact of artificial lighting.
You'll notice how different a room looks depending on the time of day and the type of light. It's vital to do your lighting research before you purchase and start installing the new floor.
The Psychology of Color
Even though there isn't much research-based evidence on color psychology, you likely use it, at least in part, when you choose clothing, paint, cars, and, yes, flooring.
You can evoke a wide range of emotions with the colors you select in your home. As it pertains to the color of vinyl flooring, first, you'll want to decide what atmosphere you want to create.
A light, neutral color can make a room feel breezy and tranquil. As mentioned above, light flooring colors create a sense of openness in a room—a plus if you're working with a small space.
Perhaps you're hoping for a peaceful atmosphere, but you prefer a cooler look. Gray flooring will do the trick.
What about luxury? If you're the classy linen and pearls type, then you'll love those deep browns and blacks. Luxury vinyl planks in dark shades make a dramatic impact!
You don't need to consult with a psychologist to utilize some of the concepts of color psychology. Just know that color can influence our feelings, but cultural and personal factors also come into play. If pairing a light oak floor with creamy blue walls in a considerable room makes you feel content, go for it!
Bring All Your Design Elements Together
Another mistake people often make when selecting flooring colors is to fall in love with a color and pattern in the store. Flooring stores set up professional displays, complete with lighting. Unless they create an atmosphere identical to the one in your home, the flooring isn't likely to look the same once you install it.
The key to selecting the perfect color vinyl flooring is to bring the design elements from the room where you plan to install the floor together to create the big picture. How do you accomplish that?
Of course, you can't bring an entire wall, the furniture, and the accents along to the flooring showroom. You can, however, bring a couch cushion, curtain panel, small area rug, a painting, and a sample of the wall color.
Now, you can put it all together and evaluate how well the flooring you've fallen in love with goes with the other design elements in the room.
Follow the Trends
One reason you're installing new flooring is so that you keep your home up-to-date. In addition to the ideas we've already mentioned, you can follow current trends in flooring.
The vinyl flooring on the market today is nothing like what your mother or grandmother had in their kitchen or foyer. Instead of the groovy mix of crazy patterns and wild color themes popular back in the 70s, you can choose from cool tones, light colors, whitewash, and high variation vinyl planks.
You'll still find geometric patterns, but today, they're more subtle. Don't forget the vinyl flooring created to mimic hardwood, natural stone, and ceramic tile.
Ready to Choose the Ideal Color Vinyl Flooring?
We know, we've made the whole thing sound easy. The truth is, matching the color for your new vinyl floor to the room colors where you'll install it doesn't come easily to the average DIYer.
You can pull everything together—size, lighting, wall color, and decor—and still feel uncertain you've chosen the ideal color vinyl flooring.
That's why we're here to help! Contact the team at National Floors Direct today. One of our flooring experts will reach out to you as soon as possible to help you get your flooring project going in the right direction.
