How do you know if you’re choosing the right flooring for your home and lifestyle? With so many options available, it can be difficult to narrow down the right fit. In this blog post, we’re providing the top 5 questions you need to ask before choosing the right flooring! So you can take the guesswork out of your decision and make sure you choose a floor you’ll still be happy with years down the road.
Also, if you’re looking for one-on-one assistance, our team at LCF Flooring can help! With years of experience and expert knowledge, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners find the right flooring. Contact us to book your free consultation!
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the questions you must ask yourself before choosing the right floor!
1. What’s your lifestyle like?
Making sure your new floor will match your lifestyle is probably one of the most important parts to choosing the right flooring.
Pets
Anyone with dogs or cats will know that even the best behaved pet can still make a mess of your floor. From muddy paws, to seasonal shedding, to accidents, pets and flooring don’t always mesh well together.
So let’s take a look at some of the worst flooring choices for homes with pets:
- Carpet: although it’s soft, cozy, and can add comfort to your bedroom or living room, it’s hard to maintain when you have pets. Imagine muddy paws all over your clean white carpet. Or imagine daily vacuuming when your cat is shedding.
- Natural Hardwood Flooring: while nothing can truly beat the natural beauty of authentic hardwood floors, it can scratch easier than its engineered or synthetic counterparts. So if you have large dogs with nails you don’t always keep trimmed, they can damage your hardwood floors.
What about the best flooring for homes with pets? We’ve provided a few of the ones we recommend!
- Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP): Durable, waterproof, and incredibly easy to clean and maintain, LVP flooring is one of the best choices for homes with pets. Our Edmonton vinyl flooring is almost indistinguishable from hardwood, and it can be installed in any room, including bathrooms, kitchens, and basements.
- Laminate: Similar to LVP, laminate is a manufactured product. However, it’s made of fiberboard material rather than polymers. It’s durable, easy to maintain, and looks like hardwood.
- Tile: Classic and elegant, tile not only adds a luxurious touch to any home, but it’s also durable and easy to clean. So it can handle muddy paws and the occasional accident.
Are you a pet parent? If so, following these recommendations can help you choose the right flooring for your home and lifestyle!
Children
From spills, accidents, and the occasional falls when the little ones are learning how to walk, choosing the right flooring for homes with children can be challenging. You want something that cushions them when they take a tumble. But you also want an option that’s easy to clean when they make a spill.
While tile is easy to maintain, it’s also one of the harder flooring types. And while carpet is soft, it requires a fair amount of cleaning and maintenance to remove stains. That being said, luxury vinyl flooring offers the best of both worlds. Softer than tile and far easier to clean than carpet, it’s one of the best flooring choices for homes with young children.
2. What’s your budget?
The next most important factor to consider when choosing the right flooring is your budget. How much do you want to spend on your new flooring (this price should also include installation costs)?
For those with a cost-conscious approach, let’s take a look at your best options:
- Vinyl flooring: With multiple different options to choose from, vinyl flooring offers a versatile approach. You can purchase vinyl plank flooring, which is manufactured to look like wood. But you have another option. Vinyl tile flooring is made to look almost identical to real tile. However, it’s far easier to install, and it’s much more affordable. The average cost of vinyl flooring is anywhere between $2.50 – $5.50 per square foot, depending on the quality. Learn more about our Edmonton vinyl flooring!
- Laminate Flooring: Another budget-friendly option, laminate flooring costs between $1.50 – $5 per square foot, depending on the quality and thickness. In addition, laminate flooring is also DIY friendly, meaning you can save a considerable amount of money on labor costs.
For those who have a larger budget to work with, here are some options for you:
- Hardwood or Engineered hardwood flooring: Natural and timeless, hardwood flooring has long since been a favorite amongst home and property owners. One of the main benefits of natural hardwood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished. Typically, hardwood flooring costs between $8 – $12 per square foot, depending on the type of wood being used. It’s recommended that hardwood flooring is installed by an experienced professional, so there will also be an added labor cost. Learn more about our Edmonton hardwood flooring!
- Natural Stone Flooring: Bring instant luxury to your home or property with natural stone flooring. Made from 100% real stone, this flooring type is durable, long lasting, and easy to maintain. On average, it costs around $15 per square foot, making it one of the more expensive options. However, you can’t beat the level of classic beauty it brings!
3. Which style do you prefer?
Your style preference should also be a deciding factor in choosing the right flooring for your home. After all, you don’t want to pick a flooring you don’t like. So take a few moments and consider what you like.
Do you like the look of wood flooring? Then perhaps you should consider hardwood, laminate, or luxury vinyl plank flooring.
Do you prefer a cozy living space, where your feet are always warm? Then perhaps you should opt for carpet.
Once you narrow down your preference, consider which color and style would look best in your home. If you’re remodeling, take into account the new design of your home and which flooring type will best compliment it.
4. Which room are you installing your new floor in?
Not all flooring types are versatile. For instance, you wouldn’t install carpet in a kitchen or bathroom. However, there are flooring options that can be installed in any room in your home.
Vinyl plank or tile flooring is durable, scratch resistant, and waterproof, meaning it can be installed in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. One of the main benefits of vinyl flooring is that you can have a fully consistent floor throughout your entire home. This is particularly beneficial for open-concept homes, where a sense of unity and cohesion can be achieved.
5. Do you want to install the flooring yourself?
There are plenty of DIY-friendly flooring options. There are so many in fact that we wrote an entire blog post on DIY flooring ideas for your next reno!
By installing the floor yourself, you can save money on installation costs. However, like any larger project, there is a time commitment. Depending on the amount of flooring you’re replacing, installing it could take anywhere from one day to one week.
The best DIY flooring is by far vinyl and laminate. Because they come in planks, it’s easy to lock them together. In addition, you can also install them as a floating flooring, meaning there’s less preparation needed.
Tile, hardwood, and carpet are the least DIY friendly options. Without the proper training and experience, you likely won’t achieve the level of quality you’re looking for and prefer.
So…how do you know you’re choosing the right flooring?
When you factor in all these questions, it’s easier to narrow down which flooring type is best for your lifestyle, budget, and space. If you’re still struggling with choosing the right flooring, contact us today, and speak to one of our Edmonton flooring experts. We’ll happily steer you in the right direction!
