Choosing Flooring with Confidence

This post sponsored by STAINMASTER®. All opinions are my own. 

Has this happened to you? You finally get the beautiful opportunity to choose brand new flooring. You start daydreaming about how amazing that will be…to be the very FIRST person to walk across that new floor? To start from scratch with a look YOU CHOSE YOURSELF? Oh how wonderful!

But wait.

You walk into the flooring showroom and BAM. So. Many. Choices. Whatever happened to the dream of simply picking out a new floor and enjoying it? This feels like work. I’ve soooo been there (and this is my JOB!).

(At this stage of our renovation, we had a million decisions ahead of us! Below:)

I’ve got your back, friend. I find it helpful to follow these 3 guidelines before walking into that flooring showroom.

1. Do your research before you go.

Ever try going out to dinner with a group of people and no one will say what they really want to eat? So you’re forced to start with “Ok, what do you NOT WANT?”

Here’s what I mean.  Giving yourself some parameters to work within is helpful! Consider how you use the room. Is it a room where water is a factor (laundry room, kitchen, bathroom)? Do you have pets? Do you entertain a lot? Have you seen some flooring (on tv, social media, Pinterest) that you just love? Start looking at inspiration pictures before you shop, to help narrow your search.

Another HUGE part of the research phase is thinking through your space. Will the new flooring meet up with any existing flooring? Or any other types of flooring in the house? Chances are, this is something you’ll need to consider. During our renovation I was totally stumped on our laundry room. The trouble was, the laundry flooring would meet up with the hallway hardwood flooring, and I REEEEEALLY wanted luxury vinyl in the laundry room (since it’s waterproof and would stand up to our puppies). Silly me, I thought luxury vinyl only came in a wood look (which wouldn’t work next to real hardwoods)! I was over the moon when we came across this option from STAINMASTER® that resembles concrete! (below)

And look! It transitioned nicely from the hardwood. (Find our luxury vinyl flooring here!)

2. Know your style.

THIS IS HUGE. Your home is a reflection of YOU. You can look at inspiration pics all day long, but when decision time comes, be true to yourself. What makes YOU happy? What will make your home feel like “HOME” to YOU?

During our reno, one day I mentioned on our social media that we were going to put carpet in our bedrooms and on our stairs. We got plenty of messages from people saying “WHAT???? NO!!! You should put hardwoods everywhere!”

But we knew. We knew the cozy feel we wanted in our bedrooms. The sense of quiet that carpet would bring to our echo-y stairwell. The beautiful carpet that we had seen that would not cause one bit of sacrifice in the “pretty” department! To each their own, my friends!

We loved the way this pretty  STAINMASTER® carpet looked next to the wood-look STAINMASTER® luxury vinyl we chose for our kid’s bath upstairs (below). 

Find the STAINMASTER® carpet here (color: “cast”), and the STAINMASTER® luxury vinyl here.

3. Set your budget.

As a designer I’m always surprised that most clients don’t have a budget in mind when we start a project. The budget is the most important parameter. Why? Because it gives you a starting point! There are beautiful options in every price-point. If you go in with no limits, you’ll be sifting through a million options, and you may end up spending a whole lot more than you wanted. That said, flooring is not a place to skimp. Once your new flooring is installed, you won’t want the hassle of replacing it any time soon! 🙂

4. Ok I know I said there were 3 tips, but this one’s for free. EAT A SNACK before you go shopping for flooring. For reals. You’ll want your brain to be firing on all cylinders as you make these important decisions, and hey…who doesn’t love snack time? 😉

Did that help? Are you ready to tackle the flooring showroom? YOU’VE GOT THIS!

Click here to see a fun video I got to create with STAINMASTER® on this exact topic!