Top 6 Mistakes People Make When Selecting New Flooring

Choosing new flooring can be an exciting experience that helps rejuvenate your home. However, it’s important to know what to ask, what to look for and what to avoid before you begin the floor shopping process. One mistake could end up costing you hundreds of dollars in the end. That’s why the professionals at CMA Flooring in Carrollton, TX have made this list of the top 6 things that you don’t want to do when purchasing new flooring.

1. Forget to Remember the Gap

With many styles of wood flooring, especially the thicker hardwoods, you need to leave a recommended 3/4″ gap between the wall and the flooring so that the wood can expand and contract when it gets too hot or too cold. Anything less and the wood may press backwards and start to lift up. When thick hardwood expands due to humidity, if there is not enough of a gap, it can actually knock the home off its foundation when the foundation is raised! So always remember the gap.

2. Under-support the Sub-floor

When purchasing tile flooring, thick granite, or marble for first floor installation, the foundation underneath the tile needs to be strong enough to support the flooring that you are adding. Sometimes homeowners forget this and the floor begins to sag after installation. Consider having professional floor installers add extra support beams to prevent this costly oversight.

3. Buy Different Lots

When purchasing tile or wood flooring, it is a good idea to buy it all at once so that you can ensure that the color and finish match each other as closely as possible. This will cut down on the amount of pieces you cannot use due to slight color differences.

4. Do not Plan for 10 Percent Waste

One common ‘uh-oh’ moment for homeowners is when they do not factor in pieces that are broken, mismatched or crooked when they estimate how much flooring to purchase. They should probably choose about 10 percent as a good estimate of how much of your wood flooring will need to be set aside.

5. Misjudge the Color

Samples are always available for homeowners to try out on their floor at home so that they can make a better idea of their likes and dislikes. What can happen is that the floor color or choice looks good until it is being installed on the floor, at which point the owners realize that there has been a mistake in color choice. One way to avoid this is to use computer models at the flooring design store to help visualize the color scheme on a grander scale in advance.

While these tips and tricks are helpful, you can’t beat getting the one-on-one professional guidance offered at CMA Flooring. Our experts can help guide you to the flooring that will not only make your family happy, but it will fit within your budget and we guarantee that it will be installed correctly the very first time.

For more information on our services, call 888.262.6552. You can also stop by our Carrollton, TX showroom at 2305 E. Belt Line Rd Suite #120. We look forward to helping you.