So you've decided that you're going to finally pull the trigger. You want to replace your flooring. You decided to scrap the old carpet with the heavy traffic stained and the old tile with the dirt encrusted grout and trade it in for a sleek new plank type floor. That's great! But... Where do you start? Most of the time when someone is shopping for new flooring they go to sites like Pinterest or turn to their friends for advice on which color or type to go with. But the reality is that every scenario is different. There are a variety of things to consider when picking out your new plank flooring. Here is a list I have compiled of the top things to consider to ensure you decide on which flooring is best for you.
1. Do you have pets or kids?
This is something that is very important to consider when deciding on your floor for a couple of reasons. The first being the overall durability of the flooring, which I will go into further detail on later. The second thing would be the waterproofing of the plank floor. We all know that accidents happen. And they are much more likely to happen with pets or small children. If you have pets or children it is almost inevitable that liquids of all sorts are going to end up all over your plank floor to some degree or another and having a plank flooring that is capable of preventing the water from penetrating the floors surface and into the base of the plank is something that is often overlooked. There are varying degrees of waterproofing/water resistance with flooring and its pretty safe to say that any level of water resistance is better than none. Most water resistant floors will repel water for up to 24 hours to allow for the homeowner to tend to the spill before it has the opportunity to soak into the planks. When you go to choose your flooring, consider the potential for spills and other liquids that may be resting on your flooring.
2. Natural Light
Another thing that is often overlooked in the flooring type/color picking process is the presence or absence of natural light in the location you plan to install the flooring. This is important because floors tend to look significantly darker in areas with less natural light. And depending on the layout and feel of your home, this could make the overall feel of the space feel very gloomy and dark. On the flip side, if you go to light with the flooring, you could have planks that contrast poorly with other surfaces, especially if there is a lot of natural light. The lighting in the home could make or break any type of flooring. When looking at photos online at types and colors of plank flooring, remember that most photos are shot and edited in a way to specifically make that flooring look good and most of the plank flooring you will find online is installed intentionally in certain areas to make it appear to be lighter or darker to appeal to certain applications. That is why we recommend you go to your local flooring supplier and recommend samples of flooring that you like to be able to bring home and put in your space to see what it would look like in your home rather than relying on professionally shot and edited photos of the flooring online.
3. Plank Widths and Patterns
Most flooring that you will find on any flooring suppliers showroom is about 6-7 inches wide with a fair variety of patterns to ensure there are no repeating pieces of flooring in space. However, there are wider planks and narrower planks that can help make a space seem larger in their respective ways. Cleaner even by not having a ton of flooring plank seams spread over a large area. There are also flooring manufactures that make planks in different lengths to give the appearance of a more random type floor rather than repeating patterns of any kind. Again, look online for some inspiration but put your hands on some samples at your flooring supplier to get a real world idea of what the planks look like before committing to a particular size.
4. Cost and Availability
This one is always a tough one. Cost of course will always play a huge roll in the flooring decision because flooring can range anywhere from $1.80/sqft for a lower grade affordable option, all the way up to $9-10/sqft for a higher end flooring that is made of real wood and is super durable and willing to withstand most scenarios of wear and tear. Of course there are other flooring choices that can be significantly more expensive or inexpensive but generally speaking with the ranges provided you will find most flooring suppliers providing flooring anywhere between $2-$8/sqft that is more often readily available to be ordered and delivered quickly. Now, at the time of writing this, there have been huge shortages in flooring types, brands, colors, sizes, etc. So before giving the 100% "OK" on a particular choice, make sure that it isn't back order or delayed in any way. Here at Paramount Craftsman Services in Reno, NV, we very recently had a flooring installation where the flooring that our client had picked was back order over 6 MONTHS! The customer picked their flooring, ordered it and were told that it was back ordered with no indication of when it might be arriving. Finally after about 5 months of waiting, the client got a call stating their flooring was finally on the way and would be arriving in 3-4 weeks. The clients plans were to have it installed much sooner and there was a big wrench thrown in their home remodeling plans all because the flooring wasn't available when needed. Typically, the flooring that lies more in the middle of the pricing spectrum is more readily available that flooring that is more expensive or inexpensive. Always check the estimated flooring availability dates before committing to a particular flooring choice.
Of course, there are other things to consider because every persons situation is different than the next. These are just the 4 most common items that we run into when we help our clients choose their flooring for their new flooring installation project. Always consult with your flooring contractor or your flooring supplier before making any decisions.
If you have any questions about your flooring or remodeling projects and are located in the Reno/Sparks Nevada area (or the greater Northern Nevada area), please do not hesitate to contact us here at Paramount Craftsman Services to learn more about what flooring is available and what brands we recommend for each situation. Call us at 775-238-3332 or email us at info@pcsreno.com.