Floor Coverings - Choosing The Right One

By Janet Dale

Deciding on floor coverings is not easy as you will see from Janet's experience.

We are in the process of building a home. We have never been involved with a building project before. I had no idea the number of decisions that have to be made when building a house. We do have a general contractor, but we are still responsible for picking out everything from appliances and painting supplies to light fixtures. The area where we spent the most time was by the floor coverings.

The other items have wide selections, but the floor coverings were something that would set the tone for the decorating through out the house. The decisions around the floor coverings became even more time consuming because my husband and I had different ideas on what we wanted. I wanted flooring that was very neutral and easy to clean. To accomplish this I thought we should have ceramic tile through out the kitchen, bathrooms and entrance areas. We could then use hardwood floors in the remainder of the house. This way we could have floor coverings that would wear well and we would be able to change the décor of the rooms by adding colors through area rugs and throw rugs.

My husband wanted to have carpeting in the bedroom areas because he thought that the hardwood floors would be cold. The contractor suggested going with in-floor heating through out the house. This will provide warmth for comfort in bare or stocking feet, and will also help keep our energy costs down. The heated coils are placed in the sub-floors and then floor coverings are placed over them. This was an option that we agreed would be energy efficient.

Once we decided on the ceramic tiles and hardwood options for the floor coverings our decision making was not over.

There are many varieties and colors of tiles to choose from. There are also various grouts that you have to pick out. We decided to go with larger tiles in the entry and kitchen areas and smaller tiles in the bathrooms. There must be a dozen different shades of off white. We did not want anything that would be trendy that we would grow tired of. We decided on a color called biscuit with warm flecks. The clerk at the floor coverings store said that the names changed more often than the actual color of the tiles. She reassured us that the tile was a classic and a timeless option to go with.

We had an easier time picking out the wood flooring. We now are waiting for everything to get installed so that we can start moving in. I know that the next major decision is going to be the colors for the area rugs that will finish off the floor coverings. We are finding through this building process that having too many choices is more frustrating and time consuming that having only a few things to pick from.

Here's More Information About Floor Coverings

Cleaning New Carpets
Here are 7 of the best methods for cleaning your new carpets.

Area Carpets

Interlocking Floor Mats
There are many uses for these veratile floor coverings. Here are just a few...

Accent Rugs
Accent rugs are an excellent and easy way to do some quick home decorating without breaking the bank. Here are some tips on how to choose the right rug for any room in your home... 

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