Ready for a change but love the furniture you have? Changing your flooring can change your whole room. It can be as simple as buying a new area rug or replacing the entire floor. The choice is up to you, but before you get started, here are 3 things to consider.
Look
What look do you want? Are you looking for a light beach look or something a little more classic? Do you want hardwood, laminate, or tile floors? What about rugs?
If you are going for a coastal beach look like in the photo above then you will want to look at light wood flooring such as this natural pearl oak from Lifestyle Flooring
If you are looking for something a little more rugged that stands up great to kids and pets and takes little more then a sweep and a quick mop to keep clean then you can get the same look with Lifestyle Flooring laminate flooring or vinyl tile. You could opt for the wood look of this Karndean Van Gogh White Washed Oak vinyl tile.
Not sure what look you want? Create a Pinterest board and start pinning photos of decor you like for a few weeks. After a while, your style will let itself be known. Take a look at my Home Decor Board and you can see that I like a very eclectic decor mixing old with new and lots of colors. Go ahead and pin this image to your board as a reference.
Price
What is your budget? How much do you want to spend on flooring? Is this a quick fix or an investment?
Do you rent or own your home? If you rent, you may want to opt for rugs or a floating laminate floor so that you can remove it when you move. Another alternative is to talk with your landlord about new flooring, maybe she will take off the cost out of your rent.
If you own, you will want to consider if you are looking to sell your home in the future, if so, then make sure you get flooring that adds value to your home.
Also when considering price, you will want to know the square footage of the room you are redecorating.
Once you know your square footage and what type of flooring you want, you can go and price the different options. Visit some local stores, check the internet, and even call some flooring companies and see what their prices are. Just like when you are painting you need to request samples and live with them a few days. Lay them on your floor and look at them in a different light – morning light, sunlight, lamplight, etc. step on them, walk your dog over them, spill on them and see what happens.
Work
Are you going to DIY? Do you have the skills and know how? What about the tools? Do you have the time needed?
If you go the DIY route you will need to make sure you have all the tools you need ahead of time. Also, just in case you don’t already know, you have to set the flooring in the room you will install it in for 3 to 5 days so it can acclimate before you try to install it.
Does this all seem like too much work for you? You can check out Amazon Home Services to find someone in your area that can install your flooring or you may be able to have the place you purchased the flooring at install it for an additional fee.
Are you restoring an old house? Make sure your flooring matches the existing flooring or the time period of the house. Also, instead of installing a new floor you can restore the hardwood floors yourself or hire a company.
When it comes to decorating, think outside the box. Flooring is not just for floors. You can use wood flooring on your walls or your ceiling for a unique handcrafted look. How about floor tile as a backsplash in the kitchen? The possibilities are endless.
How will you change your look with flooring?
