Flooring

A flooring guide

Flooring, on average, is the third most expensive purchase that a person ever makes in their life.  They buy a house, a car, and then flooring.  Of course, in some cases, flooring is more expensive than a car, but that’s another story.  Although it’s one of the largest purchases anyone makes, not that many people know anything about it.  People continually walk into a flooring store completely blind to what is about to take place.  Let’s look at some of the basics.  When you decide to buy flooring, you’ll have the upper hand.

Deciding which type of floor can be difficult because there are thousands of choices.  Once you decide which type of floor, there are literally hundreds of choices to pick from after that.  Then you have to decide the color.  If you have an idea ahead of time what you want, many hours can be saved.

The most popular flooring choice in the world is carpet.  It’s come a long way since that thick shag in your parent’s house.  Carpet provides a level of comfort underfoot that can’t be matched with any other type of flooring.  If you like a soft, warm feeling; carpet is for you.  Carpet and carpet padding also provide an effective sound barrier.  If you have kids, you’ll definitely want to put carpet in the playroom.  It can absorb the sound so your migraine doesn’t have to.  It is durable and pretty easy to clean.  It’s recommended to vacuum at least once every two weeks.  Any spills should be taken care of immediately.  The main disadvantage with carpets is that you can’t put them in wet areas.  Please don’t put carpet outside of the shower.  You don’t want mold growing underneath it. 

Vinyl is a resilient floor that is growing in popularity.  It is less expensive than hard surface flooring, but can provide a similar look.  It doesn’t cost nearly as much to get installed either.  This is a good choice for any wet areas inside your house.

Hardwood and laminate give a unique look to your house.  The rustic feeling that you want can be achieved with this flooring.  It is very durable, but it usually isn’t the best choice for a continually wet area, such as the bathroom.  Water can warp the boards and cause many problems. 

A very elegant flooring choice is that of tile.  Whether it’s ceramic, granite, or marble, it gives your house a high-class look.  These are usually great for wet areas such as; the bathroom, kitchen, or entry.  One downside is when the grout in between the tile gets stained.  However, this can be fixed by sealing the grout or by using epoxy grout. 

Once you decide on a floor, make sure the color fits your overall scheme.  Be sure that you can live with the color several years from now.  Whatever flooring you get, make certain that it’s the right one for you, before you buy.