When you’re ready to install a new floor in your home, it can be exciting thinking about the potential. Maybe you’re replacing old carpeting with a new color. Maybe you’re installing natural stone tile throughout. Maybe you’re finally installing the hardwoods you’ve dreamed about for years. In any case, the change will be warm and welcome.
Yet one trip to the flooring center can leave you overwhelmed. With thousands of choices, where do you start? Even if you have a pretty good idea of what you want – hardwoods for instance – the selection process can still be a daunting task as you scan the aisles of different manufacturers, different types of woods, different color choices, even different styles and sizes.
How do you take all of those concepts and visualize them in your home, on your floors?
The best place to start is by taking flooring samples home to see how they look in your home. Yet that can still be a difficult task. If you will be adding 1,000 square feet of hardwood to your main floor living area, how do you tell if you have made the right choice from a two foot sample?
Know Your Tastes
There are many ways to get a feel for styles and color choice before you start the floor buying process. Visit model homes, look through remodeling and décor magazines, even consider the homes of friends and family as you are narrowing your choices. If you consistently lean towards one color or style, use that as a guide as you finalize your choices. Yet leave wiggle room for options. Maybe you’ve had your mind set on a light colored hardwood, only to find the bamboo suits your needs and your tastes better.
Don’t Overwhelm With Possibilities
We’ve run across the homeowner who takes a half dozen samples home, only to return them and choose a half dozen more. With hundreds of possibilities, they can quickly begin running together. Trust your instincts in the store, and choose three or four top favorites. Once you’ve narrowed it down to these select few, focus in on finding the best from these possibilities.
Live With Your Choices
Once you have your samples at home, live with them for a few days. Place them side by side; put them in different spots in the room. View them in the day. View them at night. As you eliminate one possibility, remove it and focus in on the remaining.
Select With Confidence
Trust your instincts. When you eliminate a choice, you do so for a reason. Don’t go back and second guess. Once you make your final selection, select with confidence. If you’ve spent the time evaluating your needs and how the sample fits within those guidelines, you’ve made the right choice. As you are waiting for installation, focus in on décor and other remodeling tasks that will help you complete your project, and allow you to begin enjoying your new environment right away.