4 Important Considerations When Changing Flooring Materials

Are you planning to change the flooring in your home or work premises? Read on and discover some of the considerations which will help you to avoid making a costly mistake during that process.

The Thickness

You need to measure the thickness of the current flooring before you select the flooring to replace it with. Installing flooring which differs in thickness from what you currently have can create several problems. For example, thicker flooring may cause the doors to scrape against that floor each time the doors are opened or closed. This can compel you to have the doors removed and cut so that they suit the thickness of the flooring. Appliances may also be higher than the desired level if you select thicker flooring.

The Finish

You should also think about how the different sections of the property are used before you decide which floor finish to select. For example, it may be unwise to select a polished finish for places which see a lot of traffic. Such a finish can show signs of wear quickly when compared to a matte finish. Similarly, a glossy finish would not be a good choice if you have pets which like playing and scratching different surfaces. Select a surface finish which is best suited to the usage patterns of your property.

Subfloor Preparation

Each manufacturer normally gives specific information about how a subfloor should be prepared before the flooring is installed. Make sure that your budget is flexible enough to address any issues which may be uncovered once the old flooring is removed. For example, you may incur a cost to level the subfloor to the specifications given by the flooring manufacturer. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you only need the funds indicated in the estimate, since it is not easy to predict all the costs which may result from subfloor preparation until the old flooring is removed.

Floor Maintenance

Never select flooring until you are certain about the maintenance requirements of that flooring. Do you hate waxing a floor? Do you have sufficient time to devote to polishing a floor on a monthly basis? Can you afford to buy the different specialty cleaning products for a given flooring material? Research all these things and select flooring once you are comfortable with what it will take to maintain it.

Involve a flooring expert during each step of your decision-making process. That professional will give you detailed information so that you can make the right decisions.