What Type Of Flooring Should I Choose?
There are so many types of flooring offered today, it is hard to know which one is right for your particular application. We all want something that will be durable and easy to care for, not to mention something that will look good with our decor for many years to come. Let's face it, flooring is a major investment for your home, one that you probably don't want to have to make very often. You have to find the balance between personal preference, practicality, and your budget. This guide will present the pro's & con's of each type of flooring available.
Here are some general tips on choosing & purchasing your flooring material:
Choose NEUTRAL! Sure, you love blue now, but can you guarantee you will love blue five years from now? Will you always want blue in that particular room? The answer to both of those questions is probably "no." You can't go wrong with choosing neutral colors such as cream, beige, brown, or gray. It is understandable that some folks find this a bit boring, but this is something that we want to last both in durability AND beauty. So, when orange becomes the rage again (perish the thought!), will it look great with that royal blue carpeting? I don't think so, and Martha Stewart would probably say "It's NOT a good thing!" This is especially true when you are sprucing up your home to sell. You wouldn't want somebody else to pick out their favorite color for your new home, would you? Plus, the same color throughout a home makes seem larger and makes it seem to "flow." Neutral colors just make more sense all the way around. But, if you are the adventurous type, go for it! It is YOUR home after all!
Why Real Wood Floors?
Real wood floors made of Maple, Oak, Hickory, Pine, Beech, Elm, and Pecan should be familiar to you as the countless city streets that are named after these trees. Their rich natural colors and handcrafted quality are what we have come to expect in American homes. Over the last few years wood flooring technology has improved to a place it has never gone before.
Some quick reasons why you should choose real wood:
Natural, warm, authentic color.
Simple, yet decorative for any room in the house.
Rugged, yet charming.
Durable, yet easy to care for.
Beauty that's hard to tire of.
Lifetime guarantee.
Adds real value to a home.
Wood vs. Carpet
Carpeting is more economical, right? Actually, carpeting lasts between seven and ten years under normal residential use. Hardwood floors can last a lifetime and are always in style.
Here's a 30-year comparison test you can use when trying to decide between carpeting or wood flooring. Say you installed a hardwood floor. It would typically last for 30 years. During that same period you probably would have to install new carpeting four or five times. At that rate, the hardwood flooring actually costs less than the cumulative cost of all the carpeting you would have to install.
Another thing you need to consider is the cleanliness of your home. A large American company that recycles old carpeting has stated that most used carpeting it receives for processing contains at least 35% of its weight in household dirt. The families who owned this old carpeting were actually walking, or crawling on dirt. Hardwood flooring is simply cleaner. If it is dirty, the dirt is plainly visible to the eye, not hidden within carpet fibers. Hardwood flooring my be your best buy and most solid investment.
