Are you installing new flooring in your home? A good flooring job does a huge service to a home design. The flooring impacts the first impression and the feeling of the entire house. The quality of the flooring is a big piece of the value of the house. The flooring can even be a great selling point. In fact, studies show that hardwood flooring is one of the most common factors that perspective home buyers look for in their future home. A good flooring project is one of the best home remodeling investments you can make as a homeowner.
However, if done poorly, you can live to regret your new floors. Before beginning your project, make sure you avoid these common pitfalls:
- Letting cost be your greatest decision-driver.
Good flooring is worth every penny it costs. It costs more than faux-wood laminate flooring, but nice quality hardwood floors almost never need to be replaced. In fact, homes that were built centuries ago often still have the same hardwood floors today.
On the other hand, cheap flooring is definitely a “you get what you pay for” situation. Yes, you might find carpeting that costs one-tenth of the price tag of the nice stuff, however it lasts one-tenth of the lifespan of the quality carpeting as well. In fact, cheap quality carpeting often screams “EW!” from day one.We’re not saying you should get yourself in unreasonable debt to pay for your new floors, but if you just look for the dirt-cheapest option, you will almost always live to regret it.
- Buying just enough material.
In almost every home update, unexpected issues arise along the way. Some of your tiles break. You measured incorrectly. Some of the flooring was installed poorly, and has to be replaced. Those are just a few of the one hundred million issues that could come and slap you in the face during your project. If you have a few extra pieces, it’s no big deal.
If you got just enough material, it is considerably more inconvenient. If you have a hard time getting your hands on the correct flooring again, this is literally a nightmare. You’ll either have to redo the flooring completely, or live with one area that doesn’t match the rest. Most flooring experts recommend purchasing about 15% more material than you need, to cover your… floor… if need it. Ideally, the supplier you source the materials from will accept returns if you have material leftover afterwards. However, it’s not a bad idea to hold onto it; it’s almost impossible to find an exact match to your flooring decades later if repairs become necessary. - Going too bold.
Remember the mustard-colored shag carpet of the 70s? People loved that stuff. Now? Not so much. You might think paisley-patterned linoleum is super hot today, but spending thousands of dollars to lay it throughout your home is a bad idea. Like super bad. When you go with a bold concept for your flooring, it will inevitably go out of style. When it does, it will be loathed as much as it is loved today.
Instead, consider using neutral or classic concepts. Wood flooring was stylish a hundred years ago. It was stylish 20 years ago. It will still be stylish 20 and a hundred years from now.
If you can’t afford hardwood flooring, or maybe you have an extremely unfortunate allergy to wood, or maybe you live in a literal fiery inferno and wood floors would just be kindling, go for a neutral color tile or carpet. Neutral tones can easily compliment any style or design. It is better to have floors that don’t stand out than flooring that stands out for the wrong reasons. - Skimping on installation.
If your floors are installed improperly, at best, their lifespan will be substantially reduced. At worst, it can cause structural damage that will destroy your entire home. Let’s say you have a crack in your foundation. This is an easy fix if handled properly. However, if you don’t repair it before covering it with flooring, moisture will seep in and the foundation will grow mold or rot. Do it right the first time, and save yourself a nightmare.
Do you have any other tips for laying flooring? Please share in the comment section below.