Guest Blogger: How to Choose and Measure Flooring for your Home

Guest Blog #161, Entry #636, August 31, 2011

Sure, you have selected the flooring you adore for your home, but how do you know how to measure it for your interior spaces? Measuring and calculating how much flooring you will need will be important for your budget, as well as getting enough materials.

How to measure your floor for the perfect product

My Guest Blogger today shows you how to measure and choose flooring for your home.

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A beautiful floor makes a wonderful statement about the condition of our home. A dirty chipped tile floor makes one feel that the home is unkept and disheveled but placing new flooring down can do quite the opposite.  Another consideration is the texture of the floor. While ceramic and marble floors are extremely beautiful, they present slip and fall hazards when wet.

Let’s discuss flooring options along with a few tips on installation and care.

There are many wonderful names in flooring. Even if you are convinced you want a particular brand of flooring you should visit other stores and sites, it does not hurt to gather information from more than one site before making your decision. Many sites offer free tips and tricks delivered to your email address and will give you a free online estimate for both a professional installation and a do it yourself one. There are hundreds of styles in hardwood, laminate, linoleum, luxury vinyl, vinyl sheet, and vinyl tile so do not decide until you check all of your options.
A floor this pretty makes one want to take their shoes off as it would be awful to scratch anything this beautiful. Leaving the shoes at the door makes good sense anyway, as about 70% of the dirt and grime that comes into our homes comes from the bottom of our shoes.

When measuring do not forget the doorways.

Measure all sections in rectangles such as shown below:

Use this diagram as a guide for squaring off corners when measuring for flooring

 What to consider when choosing flooring would be:

•    Allergies – for those with allergies an easy to maintain tile, linoleum, or hardwood floor may be preferable as allergens can hide in carpeting.
•    Cost –  prices vary considerably, but a more expensive flooring could possibly outlast a less expensive one and pay for itself in the long run.
•    Texture of the flooring – those who are concerned about stability underfoot due to health or age related issues may not want marble or smooth ceramic as the surface can be extremely slippery when wet.
•    Maintenance– Carpet, for example may require constant vacuuming and shampooing. If purchasing it is recommended to get the carpet treated for stain resistance. Some flooring will require waxing and buffing while others will have a “no-wax” shine.
•    Traffic – In areas where there is heavy traffic one may want to consider a flooring that is more durable and able to withstand more wear and tear.
•    Placement – Some rooms of the home will do better with other types of flooring than others would. For example if you own a home where there is a laundry room that is constantly sustaining flooding you would not want to put down carpeting as it may become moldy.  The dining room of a home with small children may not be a good place for carpeting either. Tile, linoleum or hardwood will be much quicker and easier to clean up after spills.
•    Color – Think long and hard before installing light colored carpeting in the kitchen, entryway, or dining room. Do you really have the time needed to scrub out the messes daily? A neutral color in the living room and dining room gives you the option to change window treatments or furniture without concern of the colors clashing. Even if red is your favorite color, will it always be? Some colors are very had to match as there are so many shades in the color spectrum.

Flooring should transition from one room to another and from wall to floor.

Look how this flooring blends with the background and brings unity and harmony to the room. Flooring has come a long way from when our grandparents installed theirs. They now have choices which:

Transition between different flooring materials and styles

•    Require very little maintenance
•    Some that have cushioning underneath (even in vinyl floors)
•    Have built in stain resistance
•    Have a 3D appearance creating the illusion of stone, wood or other patterns
•    Stronger durability to help the floor last and last.
•    Many come with peel and stick backing which is easily installed. Even carpeting can be put down in tiles and you would never know where one starts and the next one stops.

Before you purchase your flooring, do your homework.

Be sure the floor you install or have installed is the one you will love for many years to come. You will be richly rewarded by the beauty and durability of a well-chosen floor and if putting down tiles, be sure to purchase a few extra just in case one gets damaged so it can be easily replaced. Do not let one missing, torn, or stained tile ruin the look of your floor.

Marina Chernyak is a freelance writer and co-owner of floor mirrors website – FloorMirrorsBoutique.com

For more flooring options on Stagetecture, click here.