Flooring

Flooring

Flooring is a vital aspect to consider when decorating a home, a rental property or an office. When it comes to decide on the best materials to use based on their properties and intended applications. Very important to be properly guided when looking for quality floor covering products to avoid potential hustle, disappointment and waste of money and time caused by 2nd and liquidation grade materials. “You get what you pay for” is true in flooring as in anything else, if you expect your floors to last for more than just a few years.

We are talking about most needs which is the suitable flooring to get each room properly decorated, while maintaining its structural integrity and intended usage. There are several options to choose from. You have to make proper inquiries before taking any serious decision and are several considerations you have to make. Given below are vital tips to help you out:

Flooring Rooms Recommend Steps

Consider the room you wish to cover

Consider the kind of room or section you wish to decorate when searching for suitable flooring. There are different kinds of floor covering meant for living rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms. There are also suitable solutions for kitchens, bathrooms, verandas, stairs and hallways. You have to spend time to make a good choice.

Consider the level of foot traffic

The level of foot traffic that comes into the rooms or sections matters a lot when choosing floor covering. For instance, the foyers, living rooms, stairs and hallways attract higher level of foot traffic. It’s recommended to use hard materials like tile, wood or laminate in such areas. If you have dogs  that weigh over 75 pounds- consider laminate as it is much denser than wood and can tolerate high heals and dog claws with ease. Kitchens attract dirt, stains, water and food spillage. You should consider using ceramic or porcelain tile or linoleum. Porcelain tile is very much stronger than ceramic or natural stone- it will resist cracking much better. Linoleum is a healthier alternative to synthetic Vinyl (PVC), according to some independent researchers. Bedrooms attract low foot traffic. You can consider using a rug or carpet there. Natural carpets and rugs made of wool, sisal, hemp or other renewable resource leave a much smaller footprint if any, and contain no synthetic ingredients that are harmful to living cells. Bathrooms and laundry rooms require tile or linoleum since they are prone to water spillage and stains on regular basis. Cleaning and Sealing the Grout lines annually prevents cracking of grout and a loss of water resistance.

Consider your location

Some wood species like Brazilian Cherry, Teak, Bamboo and other “exotics” come from very humid places and therefore should never be installed in dry climate areas like Nevada, Arizona, Utah, etc., unless there is a humidifier available to keep the relative humidity at 40-70% throughout the lifetime of those materials.

Other Engineered Hardwoods are made using a “pine-planking” core that will expand and shrink drastically in dry or very humid climates, when “cold-pressed plywood” core will perform with no issues and visible changes.

Consider construction of materials

Think about on how and what the proposed materials are made from. Bamboo is Grass, therefore it requires massive amounts of petroleum-based glues and epoxies to make it harder and to hold it together. Engineered Hardwood requires 3-5 times less that of the expensive and hard to grow/get wood species, and is also based on pine or birch plywood, mostly made of sustainable harvested and re-planted, fast growing timber.

Remember Vinyl (PVC) and Carpets are made of petroleum by-products thus containing hundreds if not thousands of harmful chemicals that  should never be put in contact with people, animals and especially new-borns. They utilize enormous amounts of energy and water in their production and take hundreds if not thousands of years to decompose.

Consider the location of the room

The location of the room matters a lot. Inner rooms don’t attract much stains and foot traffic. They may not require heavy covering materials. Rooms that are close to the kitchen, hallways and stairs may require heavy coverings since they will be attracting much stains and foot traffic.

Consider the home décor

Also, remember to consider choosing flooring before the rest of the decor such as color of the curtains, blinds, furniture and other decorative items in a home because quality floors are designed to last for over 25 years and they will cover an entire house- you may change the decor several times before you need to re-do your floors, so they might as well be chosen first, then bringing  the rest of the house to them as your mood strikes you.

Consider the people in the home

If some people have allergies, you have to take that into consideration before choosing any kind of surface. Such individuals may get sick when they stay in rooms covered with synthetic carpets and rugs. They will continue to suffer allergies that will emanate from the dust, dirt, cleaning products and traces of other chemicals brought in on shoes and pets. You can consider using tile, wood or laminate for the room since they are often very easy to clean and trap no dirt and dust.

Take proper measurement

Before you think of buying any flooring product, you need to have the full measurement of the rooms and other areas you wish to cover. You can also take pictures of the rooms and may be asked to provide such details when you meet with the right dealer.

In all, you have to purchase the best flooring from a reliable supplier. Look for a dealer that markets quality products. You can be sure of changing the appearance of your home when you use the right materials.

If all the above are too much for you then just consider hiring a Pro

Hiring a professional installer should be considered if your skills are that of a beginner, as some forms of flooring require special skills and tools. If you are confident in your ability to handle the task, ask for tips from the supplier of your choice, as they should know their product and its uniqueness and should be happy to share tricks and tips to make your job easier, faster and safer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *