When you are remodeling a room or even an entire home, you will need to make all sorts of decisions. Starting from the ground upward is a good idea, and there are plenty of flooring choices that you could look into. Whether you are looking for carpets, tiles, or hardwood floors, you need to consider several factors that will all feed into your decision. Here is a discussion of a few of the main elements to bear in mind.
Space
To begin with, you need to make a plan based on how much space you have available to work with. This will inform your decision on the budget. If you only have a small room, you may be able to opt for more expensive flooring – if the amount of money you have to spend is more limited, for example. This will also help you decide how complicated a job you want to put into motion. If it is a smaller and unused room in the house, you can be looser with the timeframe of when you need to finish the work. However, if it is a high-traffic area, you will need to get it fixed up and ready to go again quickly.
Style
Once you have a good overview of the space available, it is time to think about the style. For many people, this is a toss-up between looking for a hardwood flooring company near me, checking out tiling options, or looking into a carpeting firm. However, you also need to make your choice based on whether you will redesign the entire room or are just changing the flooring. Your choice of flooring can make a big difference to the room’s overall style, and you shouldn’t forget it. Otherwise, you will likely be a lot more limited in your choice of design.
Practicality
You then need to consider the practicality of the flooring that you want to have. Hardwood flooring has the problem that it can get scratched up if you are not careful with it, but it is generally easier to keep clean. As for carpeting, you will have to think about vacuuming it regularly, as well as the deep cleans that are inevitably involved too, because it can easily get dirty and stain. If a room regularly encounters spillage such as the kitchen or bathroom, this is where tiling or vinyl comes into its own. However, if you have young kids, softer carpeting gives more security in terms of a soft landing if they fall down – which is inevitably going to happen more than a few times.
Style
Once you have considered the practicality issues, you will likely have settled on a specific type of flooring. Once this is done, you can then start going into more detail on the specific style. At this stage, it is a good idea to go through a wide range of options and get a clear overview of what you could go for. This is the stage when you are likely to ask for samples. Living with a specific type of carpet or tiling style will help you to settle on which one suits your need the most closely.
Budget
While everyone would like to think they have an unlimited budget to work with, this is simply not the case. Therefore, it is worth looking into your budget and deciding how much you will spend. Remember, everything tends to be priced up based on the square meterage, which goes back to taking accurate measurements and ensuring that you know the full picture of how much you are going to spend. There is no point in shelling out significant sums of cash before you have a better idea of what the overall cost is going to be. Not only do you have to factor in the raw materials, but you also need to get estimates from workers to determine how much they will charge unless you are planning on taking care of the job yourself.
Decide on pro installation or DIY
There are pros and cons involved in each approach. If you go down the path of pro installation, you know that a polished final job will be done – as long as you take the time to choose a reputable professional or company. However, it is going to stretch your budget much further than if you did it yourself. If you plan on the DIY approach, you must be comfortable doing it successfully. If you make a hash of the job, you could easily end up spending more having to redo it – or even calling in a professional to correct the work you have done.
Consider the maintenance
The final point to consider is how much maintenance will be required. If you want something low maintenance, it is likely that hardwood flooring will be your choice in the end. Ultimately, it comes down to how much time you have available and are willing to spend on keeping your floor looking at its very best at all times. You also need to think about the bigger maintenance tasks. For example, if you have a pet with long claws, it is much more likely that your hardwood floor will get scratched to pieces sooner rather than later.
Hopefully, the previous points should all filter into your final decision and will come together in making the right flooring choice. Remember, once you have it installed, it is more than likely going to stay there for a long time still to come. Therefore, it is worth taking your time over. There is no point in rushing in and finding that you are simply not happy with the finished product. Choosing a type of flooring based on your preferences is not all that you need to bear in mind. It would help if you also thought about how you will install the floor, whether you are up to the job of DIY, and any maintenance that will be involved in the future.
