Deciding to replace your flooring is a big decision, and not one that should be taken lightly. After all, it is going to be a long while before you look to change them again!
To ensure you make the best decisions for your house, here are three questions to ask yourself before committing to using a particular type of flooring in your home.
1. Are you sufficiently impressed with the contractor?
There is nothing more important than ensuring you are choosing the right contractor to get the job done. Generally, it is recommended that homeowners get around three estimates to obtain a variety of perspectives and to have a deeper understanding of price structures.
After receiving the quotes, homeowners then have the opportunity to decide who is going to get the job. That being said, it is best to continue your search until you find the right contractor for you, rather than rushing into the project with someone you are unsure about.
Before you sign the papers with a contractor, make sure that they are licensed and insured, which confirms they will be covered in case something unexpectedly goes wrong.
Additionally, ask them to explain to you what could potentially go wrong, what might prompt the cost to increase, how long it should take, and how they will manage dust and clean up after the job is completed. It is best to get these answers in writing so that you can refer to them in case of a dispute.
2. Does the chosen flooring go with the overall vibe of the room and home?
With so many flooring options on the market, it is no stretch to say that choosing one is an overwhelming process for most homeowners.
When selecting your flooring, you need to consider:
- Where the floor is being installed and, most importantly, whether or not it is a high moisture area
- Whether you need flooring that has superior wear resistance due to the presence of children or pets
- If you would prefer flooring that requires very little maintenance (such as tile, sheet, or plank flooring) or if you are more concerned about beauty (solid hardwood or decorative concrete floors)
It is crucial that you seriously examine how your new chosen flooring will complement the overall style and coloring scheme of your home. In some cases, combining elements and producing eye-catching transition areas with designs or materials can be stunning. It just depends on your style.
3. Is there enough flooring?
When it comes to budgeting for flooring, there are a few different cost planning aspects that you must factor in when estimating the total project costs. Things such as destruction and disposal of your previous flooring, the formation of your subflooring, labor costs and finishing costs all have to be paid for!
And then, of course, there is the actual flooring itself.
First of all, you want to focus on determining your square footage budget as the majority of flooring materials are sold by the square foot. This means that you must specify the size of the room by multiplying the area’s width by its length (which gives you the square footage). If your room isn’t a perfect square or rectangle, then you will need to square off that particular area in order to make more precise calculations.
However, you always want to purchase more flooring than you need, to ensure you have some extra on hand in case some of it becomes damaged or cannot be used. You don’t want to get halfway through the project and find out that you have exhausted your concrete floor coatings or other materials!
So, before you commit, make sure there is enough of the flooring in stock to have your project finished on time.
Are you considering upgrading your floors this year? What challenges are you facing? If you have recently had your floors done, do you have any tips and tricks to share? Let us know in the comments below!
AUTHOR BIO
Ralph El Eid is the Business Development Manager at COLORTEK – Wall & Floor Fashion. EQUIPAINT is the franchise owner of COLORTEK in Dubai (U.A.E.) and Doha (Qatar); an international paints manufacturer specializing in the widest range of decorative paints and seamless concrete & resin flooring, with a unique showroom concept, and thus an ideal destination for homeowners, consultants, architects, interior designers and paint applicators.
