Overwhelming Options!
Ok, so you want to change your floor, or better said at times, you need to change your flooring… so where do you begin. With the endless options of materials and colours available today, how do you decide which is the best product for your home?
A person could easily get lost in the decision making, when each product has their unique pro’s and con’s specific to where it is best utilized as well as what seems an unlimited choice of styles, colours, textures and sizes.
To name a few;
- Hardwood
- Tile – ceramic, porcelain, glass, mosaic, stone etc..
- Carpet – Shag, berber, pile
- Laminate or Vinyl
- Cork
So where do you begin?!
Location, Location, Location!
So it would be obvious that if your bathroom floor is in need of replacing, the obvious location here is the ‘Bathroom Flooring’, but let’s take this a step closer to understanding why location is so important.
It is extremely important to determine the location of your flooring when making choices because so many factors play a role in the end decision. You should ask yourself questions like;
- Is this a high traffic area?
- Will my flooring come into constant contact with water or moisture?
- Is my floor going to be subject to regular potential damage, from items dropping on it, or spills (wet or dry)?
- Is my location indoors or outdoors?
- What size is my space?
Narrowing Things Down
Strike Your Out!
Once you have figured out the location and you have asked yourself the all important questions I have outlined above, then you can begin the process of striking the obvious things off of your list. For example, if your floor is going to be in your bathroom, it would stand to reason that carpeting is a bad decision on so many levels. Just with the health implications alone, it should never be done! What health concerns? Consider mold and bacteria at the top of the list! So off the list it goes…
You may also want to remove hardwood from your list in this space since wood, as a general rule, does not fare well to regular contact with water and moisture. Although it is beautiful in almost any room of your house, I personally do not recommend hardwood in your bathroom. The care alone in a high moisture area would deter me, especially if I have a family and or pets. Off the list it goes…
Budget
Once you have considered what is not going in your space, now you can decide based on price. The square footage is a good starting point for obvious reasons. If your bathroom is quite large, the greater the square footage, and if you have a modest budget, you will have to make decisions based on what you can afford to spend on the materials. You may be forced to decide that marble floors are simply not feasible and so off the list it goes…
But, even on a modest budget, if you have a tiny bathroom, you may be able to treat yourself to that luxury marble floor. Square footage will help you to figure out what you can afford 🙂
Lifestyle
If this space is a family bathroom and there is a tub and/or shower, you may want to consider whether a shiny marble/granite floor is the best option. The shinier the surface, the more slippery it gets when water sits on the floor. This could be very dangerous if this is a high traffic bathroom and you have small children or elderly people sharing this space on a regular basis. For safety reasons, you may just have to say, off the list it goes…
However, if this is a powder room, a marble/granite floor may still be a viable option since the space is less likely to come into contact with ‘a lot’ of water and it is a usually a much smaller, therefore more manageable space.
Materials
For many people the materials that a floor is made of is of significant importance. For example; is the floor eco friendly and what is the longevity of the product. What is the warranty and how durable is it to withstand a lot of abuse from pets or children’s toys etc… Best advice is ‘do your research‘ on the materials so that you can make an informed decision as to if this product is suitable for your household and for your wants.
Check out this article from Better Homes and Gardens on cork floors for bathrooms.
Style and Colour
The final decision (and the most enjoyable part) is the selection of colour and style for you space. This is where the fun begins and the magical transformation unfolds.
I feel it is important to always consider ‘resale’ when making this decision. Why, because a ‘poorly chosen floor’, can really impact your potential buyer’s decision. Believe it or not, buyers will make quick decisions based on some of the simplest of things like paint colour or even an ugly sofa (crazy but very true!) as it leaves a bad lasting impression when they dislike something about your house. Something like flooring will read as ‘RENOVATION’ to your buyer and that leaves them negotiating price! You never know, when something can leave you no choice but to sell your house, so I always recommend considering ‘resale’.
When factoring in style, try to consider the style of your house. Is it modern, traditional, contemporary? I would recommend trying to stay in keeping with the design style of the rest of the house. If you have an ultra modern bathroom in a Rustic log home, it may seem like the ‘elephant in the room’ and be completely out of place for the style of your home.. This too can damage resale results.
With colour selection, you would first decide if the wall colour is staying or changing, or if you are matching the floor to something permanent like the vanity for example. If this is simply a flooring change, the other items are going to influence your floor colour, otherwise you have a clean slate, in which case, I would choose floor first then the other fixtures and paint colours you will use to compliment the floor.
Help at Your Fingertips!
With the power of the internet, you can source your options right in the convenience of your own home. This will save you so much time and money driving around, before, you are even ready to make a decision.
Go online and check out what is available in your city so that you can go directly to the showroom to see, feel and touch the products and potentially speak to the sales personnel for assistance. Otherwise, you may be looking at ordering your materials and having them shipped to you which is not very cost effective or in keeping with timelines.
If the entire process is too much for you to handle, there are a wealth of designer and contractors who can help you to achieve the results you are looking for. Just be careful to check out the reputability of the company or person you are hiring.
Cheers,
Cindy
I would love to hear from you! 613-286-7165
As always… helping you in caring for your Total Home!
Written and created by Cindy Charbonneau
Professional Property Stylist and owner of Total Home.
Transforming Interiors to a Space you will be Proud of!
totalhome@hotmail.ca