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Flooring Installation

Improve your rooms from the ground up

Flooring is the single most important foundation element in every room in your home. You can change paint, add mouldings, install a range of lighting options, often for a fairly modest outlay. Flooring on the other hand is often a significant expense running thousands of dollars for a whole house.

Some types of flooring are relatively easy for the motivated homeowner to install themselves. They usually include carpet tile, vinyl tile, and some floating laminate options. Other flooring such as sheet vinyl, glued laminates, linoleum, and unfinished hardwoods are best installed by seasoned professionals especially if your home has odd-shaped rooms with unusual shapes nooks or crannies.

Many flooring pros can supply the flooring material and have a showroom where you can inspect samples. As with paint samples, don't hesitate to ask for a large sample that you can take home and evaluate.

To save money, an option you might consider is shopping flooring sales looking in particular for ends of rolls, especially for small rooms such as laundry areas and bathrooms. If you do a cash and carry arrangement the only part you need to work out is finding a qualified flooring installer. Bear in mind, however, that many installers will not warranty material they don't supply, so make sure you find out in advance what type of assurances, if any, the installer offers. This approach can work out well with higher-end materials and a talented independent installer, but backfire with low-quality flooring and a fly-by-night installer.

Make sure the installer is reputable, can provide good references, and carries all appropriate insurance coverages, especially Workers' Comp if he has a crew that works with him on projects. Call the Better Business Bureau to find out if there are any outstanding complaints.

If you have concerns about indoor air quality, work with your flooring expert to select a sustainable product that can be installed without producing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other contaminates.

Verify contractor licensing in your city.