What Type of New Flooring do you Recommend?

Help, we hate our carpet and want to get rid of it! However, we are confused about what to put in its place, there are so many new choices in flooring.
What do you recommend?

Dear Frustrated. Good news! Because there are so many wonderful choices in flooring today, finding the perfect floor for your home can be an enjoyable process, your frustrations will soon be over! As with many things in life, there are more questions before there can be answers. I am going to give you some questions you can answer in advance, to ensure an enjoyable shopping experience.

In what rooms of the house do you wish to install new flooring?
What are the approximate sizes of each of those rooms?
Do you plan on selling the home in the near future?
Do you have any animals? What size, and how active are they?
How many people are in the home?
Do you entertain often?
In what order of importance would you put each of these features: comfort, ease of maintenance, appearance, durability, adding value to the home, price?
Have you seen a flooring product that interests you? What was the feature that especially appealed to you?
Do you want to install the material, or use a professional installer?

After you answer these questions, you are well on the way of finding a floor that will fit your desires. Each category of flooring product has distinct features and benefits, it is important to line up your desires with those features and benefits. When your desires are properly coordinated with right flooring product, it will insure many years of beauty and comfort. I am going to give you a brief list of features and benefits, of the more common flooring products, so you can begin determining what will best fit your desires. Then, finding a local expert in flooring will be your final step (be very cautious about purchasing on the internet, many flooring manufacturers do not honor their warranties when the purchase was transacted over the internet!)

Hardwood: wonderful for creating visual warmth and long-lasting beauty; usually on the upper scale in pricing per square foot; adds value to the home; very appealing to potential buyers; will scratch with certain animals; minor damage can be repaired; more care is needed in normal maintenance; can be susceptible to excessive moisture.

Tile (Porcelain or Ceramic): the most durable of all the flooring products; superior scratch and damage resistance; moisture resistant; beautiful and easy care; can be cold and hard underfoot; grout can stain; prone to cracking with subfloor movement, but can usually be repaired.

Laminate: the best choice if you want the warmth of wood, but desire greater scratch resistance; good for active families; easy to care for; susceptible to moisture damage; some styles have inferior design and can appear phony.

Cushioned Flooring: wonderful for comfort and ease of care; enhanced patterns replicate tile or wood; reduced seams; occasionally underlayment is needed before installation, which will add to your cost.

Vinyl Planking: has the beauty and visual warmth of wood or tile; easy maintenance; superior resistance to staining, scratching and wear; can be floated (in some cases) to reduce installation cost and needed preparation; seams may gap if not installed properly;

Be sure to store extra material that may be left over, for possible repairs in the future.

Soon you will be able to sign yourself—Floored with my new Flooring in Prescott!