Flooring Guide

Need a Step-By-Step Guide to Choosing Flooring?

Connect with a flooring pro in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, FL area

Finding the best-looking product is only one small part of the flooring selection process. Other elements including your environment's humidity, durability, pricing, and others also have a big impact on choices. To make the flooring option that is best for you and your home, follow these five steps.

1

Will Your Floor Be Installed in a High-Humidity/Moisture Area?

If yes, you should consider flooring made of materials like concrete, ceramic or porcelain tile, vinyl tile, or other materials that can withstand high or moderate moisture levels.

2

Do You Need/Want Your Floor to be Pet-Friendly?

Then a floor with exceptional wear resistance is required. There are some flooring that seems to be impervious to wear, but is frequently not. Site-finished solid hardwood, for instance, is prone to scratching (although scratches can be removed). Choose more resilient flooring instead, such as: laminate, vinyl planks, ceramic or porcelain tile.

3

What's Your Estimated Square Footage Budget?

Depending on where your budget lies, you may need to consider different flooring material. For example, laminate and tile are usually the most affordable flooring material, while imported hardwoods can lean on the more expensive side. Labor is also a factor that plays a role in deciding; tile may be more affordable, but it can be quite labor-extensive to install.

4

Do You Want to Install Your Flooring by Yourself?

Flooring can be a tricky thing, and thus requires a lot of planning and labor. This is why we highly suggest contacting professionals like us to install your flooring in order to avoid any mistakes that can end up being costly. The easiest floor coverings for homeowners to self-install are often laminate flooring and plank vinyl flooring, and both are widely accessible. Both are floating floors, thus each board is joined to a neighboring board (not to the subfloor). Installation of ceramic or porcelain tiles is not as "easy" as that of laminate or vinyl. If you do decide to install your own flooring, we suggest practicing on a remote space first, like a restroom in the basement.

5

Do You Need Low-Maintenance Flooring?

If you do, then the ideal flooring is any type of resilient (vinyl), whether it be tile, sheet, or plank. The only reason laminate flooring isn't first is that it requires particular cleaning procedures, as wet mops has the potential to ruin or wear down the flooring.

Before You Buy, Consider This:

  • Think carefully about where you want your new floor to go. Is it on, above, or below grade? Because basements are prone to ground dampness, you might choose a different type of flooring than you would for a bedroom on the second or third story.
  • Additionally, remember that bathroom and kitchen floors can get wet from humidity, this is something you should consider while making your choice.
  • Consider whether radiant heat is present (or will be present) in the space where the flooring will be installed. When buying, keep in mind that some flooring materials won't work with radiant heat.
  • Make careful to keep an eye on the area where you want your flooring. Is there a lot of direct sunlight here? You may want to consider UV-resistant goods because certain floors might fade or get darker under UV rays.
  • Take precise measurements, and try to design the floor layout, taking into account doorways, fireplaces, built-ins, and other features that alter the flow of the space, preferably to scale. 
  • The square footage of your room can be calculated by multiplying length by width. If your room is oddly shaped, break it into smaller squares and rectangles, figure out how many square feet each one is, and then add the total square footage of all the areas to find the size of the room.
  • Use caution when relying solely on your square-footage calculation. Always purchase 10% extra flooring than you anticipate needing. This allows for errors and subpar work. Also, keeping some extra flooring on hand is beneficial for potential repairs. Many boxes of your goods should be stored in an area where the heat and moisture won't harm the flooring, such as under the bed or on top of a closet. By doing this, the product is kept ready and accessible in case you need it.


 

Please note that these are tips to help you; we can and will guide you throughout the whole process to create a seamless, easy experience for you.