4 Common Flooring Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Are you shopping for new floors and worried you will make an expensive mistake? Many people feel this way, especially when it is something they have never done before. There are so many choices and information to absorb. Here are four common flooring mistakes to avoid:

1. Choosing a flooring product without considering your lifestyle and needs. There is no universal best type of flooring. Different types of floors will hold up differently depending on factors like traffic, pets, kids, etc. Knowing your family’s lifestyle and picking flooring that fits into that lifestyle is something that a lot of people don’t consider. For example, picking a high-gloss hardwood floor when you have young kids and pets is setting the floor up for failure.All floors have pros and cons. You need to take the time to determine what product will best meet your needs — lifestyle, budget, appearance, maintenance, etc. — while creating the fewest concerns. Spend time talking with flooring professionals, and be honest about what you do not like about your current floor. Then, listen to the recommendations and advice. Be open to products you have not considered or did not know existed.
2. Falling for advertising gimmicks. There are lots of claims that companies will make to get customers in the door: “buy one room, get two free” or “free installation.” As Clark Howard says, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Companies that advertise these things are not giving you anything for free. The cost to cover the “two free rooms” typically is hidden in the price of the one room or in the labor charges. Get more than one estimate, make sure you are comparing apples to apples and look at the bottom-line prices.
3. Selecting poor-quality products. Putting in new floors is an expensive project. It takes lots of planning and saving to make sure you are getting a high-quality product that will last for a long time. You don’t want to end up choosing a product that you’ll need to replace soon due to poor quality. Ultimately, it will cost you more money than you’ll save by choosing low-quality flooring.
4. Not understanding what you are buying. Picking a new floor can be a daunting task. There are hundreds of different products to choose from, and you want to make sure you are getting the best quality product for your budget. All carpet is not the same, just like all cars are not the same. For example, a 30-ounce polyester carpet is totally different and less costly than a 65-ounce nylon carpet. And a Kia is not at all like a Rolls Royce. The more you know about the flooring products available, the easier it will be to make the best choice for your home.

– Elisabeth Stubbs is one of the owners of Enhance Floors & More, one of Atlanta’s top-rated flooring dealers, located in Marietta.