Replacing the flooring in your home is an exciting and sometimes challenging project. You can change the entire look of the room (or rooms) with new flooring, but the end result is heavily reliant on the design process.
This project involves making decisions - and plenty of them. You will need to decide which type of flooring, what grade, the color, pattern and style of the floor as well as the padding and possibly the installation process. Add a sizable budget to all of those considerations.
For more comfortable, affordable and durable flooring take these quick design tips in account.
Tip - Know What You Need
Although you're more prone to choose what you want, think first and foremost about what type of flooring you need. Consider the traffic, your cleaning habits and schedule, what type of wear and tear the pets and kids will throw at the flooring and how much of the floor really needs to be replaced.
Tip - Know Your Time Limits
Are you going to want to change this carpet or flooring in a few years? Are you planning on moving? Redecorating or embarking on mass renovations? Go for a lower grade of flooring if you will want to replace it in five to seven years. But invest in something of a higher quality if you will be walking on this surface for a decade or more.
Tip - Invest What You Can
Flooring is not easy to replace or repair. Buy the best quality you can afford the first time and you will never regret it. If, on the other hand, you opt for something cheaper (despite those needs you thought of), you will be walking on that mistake for years. By all means shop around and compare prices, but stick with the best quality within your budget.
Tip - Don't Forget to Be Green
Green flooring is a big industry, but it isn't merely a fad. Typical flooring like carpeting and glued laminates can emit harmful, toxic VOCs into the air of your home. Many traditional types of flooring produce mass amounts of waste when replaced and are made from products that are grown and harvested in an unsustainable manner.
Use your eco-conscience and choose from the myriad of green flooring choices. Whether you opt for natural low VOC carpets like wool or highly sustainable flooring like cork or bamboo, keep the effects of our earth in mind.
Tip - Imagine Yourself in Bare Feet
Always install flooring that will provide comfort, not just look good. You are walking on this surface after all, spending hours living and traveling across it over and over. Pets have four paws on the floor and need to be assured of a comfortable, safe surface. Take your shoes off and walk across samples in your bare feet if possible, to get a genuine feel for the comfort level. Be sure the color and style are appealing, but always opt for a soothing, cozy feel as well.
When you design your flooring project thoughtfully and with these essentials in mind, you're bound to end up with a home that's comfortable, beautifully and welcoming to all.
Posted by: dianaSuggested Reading For You
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