Have you been watching some home renovation shows lately and getting some lofty ideas about redoing your floors to give your house a fresh, new look? What a fabulous idea! Or are you the DIY or die type who wants to install flooring that’s both durable yet beautiful and can hold up against the constant foot traffic of your kids and pets? Well, we have some ideas to help!
So, you’re thinking about redoing your floors to finally achieve your dream home without the hassle of dealing with contractors coming in and out all day. You can do this! We’re going to help you by laying out some of your best options for picking your flooring and what to avoid when you get to the installation process.
Simply steer clear of these classic amateur mistakes, and you can lay your floors like a pro while keeping your wallet full and happy!
Picking Your Flooring
The flooring world is your oyster! You have a ton of choices when it comes to flooring options, so make sure to explore them all. Besides all of the species of hardwood, you can also choose vinyl, laminate, tile, or carpet. It can be challenging to make a decision with all the different variations available, so we’re going to briefly explain each type of flooring and what aspects of it you’ll want to consider.
• Laminate flooring is comprised of lots of layers of synthetic flooring product. The top is made to appear like real hardwood, but the layer under that is mostly created with a mixture of melamine resin and fiberboard. Laminate flooring often shows a created wood grain texture that has the look of real, solid wood. In general, laminate flooring patterns start again every five or six boards.
• Carpet is a soft and fluffy choice that comes in a wide variety of colors, styles, and designs. It’s cushioned and muffles steps. It’s a snugly alternative to harder floors that won’t show every speck of dirt. Depending on your home’s humidity, carpet may be preferable to wood because the moisture won’t damage it as much.
• Solid hardwood is made of planks milled from single cuts of wood from trees. These vary in color and durability based on the species, but no two planks will look alike because the color and wood grain will differ.
• Engineered hardwood is actual wood that has been laid on a plywood or ply base. You might also see high-density fiberboard as a base as well. That base stabilizes the wood and keeps it from growing or buckling over the years.
• One reason so many do-it-yourself people embrace engineered hardwood is that you can buy planks that have adhesive on the back. That way, you can create the floor of your dreams without having to hire a professional contractor or have a lot of woodworking know-how. They have the same ease of installation that you would find with laminated flooring. That means you can glue or nail the boards down, or you can float them over most subfloors.
• Vinyl is designed to look like hardwood, but it is 100% water-resistant. Hooray! It can be installed directly over your subfloor and is much cheaper than solid wood options.
• Tile is a ceramic flooring that’s easy to clean and maintain. It’s a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms because water and moisture don’t affect it at all. Don’t feel constrained to simple, square tiles, either. There are lots of tiles in funky shapes, patterns, and colors that can spruce up a remodel.
As you can see, there are plenty of comfortability and functionality factors to take into account when perusing the many flooring options for your home. So, take your time, explore your options, examine your space, and decide what you think works best in each room or throughout your entire home. You have complete creative flooring freedom here!
Mistakes To Avoid
So, now you’ve chosen your flooring, and you’re feeling very enterprising. You’d also like to spare your bank account the cost of hiring professional contractors to lay your flooring for you. You’re armed and ready with your extensive ideas about how you want your dream floors to look, and you’re going to make it happen. But don’t be too quick to jump on it, though! Remember, the more planning and preparations that you can do before the project, the smoother and faster it will go once you start.
You’re going to do it yourself, but there are a few tips to keep in mind so you don’t end up wasting resources, time, and money. Here are eight simple (and quite common) mistakes to avoid when planning your project. If you keep these in mind, you can install like a professional and love your results.
• Not purchasing enough flooring: Always measure and then measure again. It’s crucial to make sure you measure the room area a few times and then buy some extra flooring for insurance, just in case of accidents or mishaps. The industry standard is 10% extra.
• Not letting your wood flooring adjust to the humidity: If you use solid wood planks, they will need to acclimate to your home’s climate for two or three weeks. For engineered hardwood, it can be a few days. This process will help prevent any warping and cracking with the natural moisture in the air. Just avoid storing your planks in your basement, where they might absorb extra moisture.
• Your floor isn’t level: You always have to start on a level playing field. You can use a sander to smooth the surface so that nowhere changes more than 3/16th of an inch. It is crucial that the slab is flat under your flooring.
• Overestimating your skills: It’s easy to assume that you can handle any tasks thrown your way and whatever challenges that might crop up during installation, but a less than adequate job can lead to a lot of problems later on down the line. If you don’t have a lot of experience, consider a professional consultation.
• Buying cheap flooring because you want the best deal: Everyone wants to save money, but keep your common sense in mind. If you’re not paying very much, the product may not be very well made and may cause issues in the future. Like most other things in life, you usually get what you pay for when it comes to flooring. It helps, and will also save time, to shop from quality retailers you trust. That way if you buy their discounted flooring you at least get their guarantee or warrenties.
• Not doing your research: Always know your stuff before you start! You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a project and then realize that you don’t know what you were doing or how to proceed. This will cost you time, money, and headaches!
• Not allowing enough time for installation. Especially if DIY is new for you, you should always double the projected timeline given for a project. For someone with experience, 4-5 days might be enough, depending on the size of the area(s) you’re laying the flooring in. Plus, after they’ve been laid, you’ll want to give your floors a few more days to finish setting before moving the furniture in and allowing foot traffic. Be generous with your timeline, and don’t rush.
• Choosing the wrong grouting: If you’re going for a tile floor, the grout shouldn’t be an afterthought. It is crucial, especially if the tiles have a thicker gap between them. You can choose to have the grout match the tiles’ color, contrast with the tile, or be a neutral color like gray, beige, or brown.
• Matching is generally recommended for pricey tile.
• Contrasting works best with patterned or geometric tile.
• A dark color won’t show dirt as much.
• Neutral is classic, and you can’t go wrong with it.
It’s that simple! Laying your own flooring can be an incredibly challenging but rewarding experience. So, simply keep these key factors in mind to avoid, and your project should be smooth sailing. In the end, you’ll have beautiful new floors that you can admire and enjoy with the family for years to come!
Sources
https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/materials/how-is-ceramic-tile-made.htm
https://www.redfin.com/blog/budget-diy-flooring-ideas-mistakes/
https://www.homify.com/ideabooks/2245602/home-decor-the-10-most-common-flooring-mistakes-to-avoid
