How to Select Flooring for an Existing Home Design Home Decoration Home Furniture Home Improvement by Emma Sturgis - December 18, 2014 Select Flooring – How to do so for an Existing Home Design Flooring can improve your property value, liven up a room, and increase the comfort of your home. Several considerations come into play when deciding on the materials for your existing home. The type of room, intended use, budget, and even lighting all play a role in the decision-making process. When it comes time to upgrade or replace your current floors, consider the impact the new flooring will have on your home, family, and overall living experience. The Design Style Consider the flooring in adjacent rooms. If you have a traditional flooring installation with each room keeping to its own distinctive look and feel, or a modern approach to flooring in which the same or similar flooring stretches between rooms. Choose flooring that matches your furnishings, and consider the effect of flooring on your health. Carpets may be less ideal for allergy sufferers, while wood flooring requires more upkeep to keep clean, but can result in less dust trapped in carpeting. Types of Wood Flooring If you decide to go with hardwood floors, you’ve got a few extra decisions to make. The most common options are solid wood and engineered wood. Solid wood consists of solid planks of wood and is your traditional hardwood flooring material. Engineered wood contains a layer of veneer that sits on top of a core of plywood. If you are in an environment with a lot of moisture, selecting engineered wood can help save you some hassle. However, it’s generally only recommended when you have a concrete subfloor. In fact, if you have a concrete subfloor, you’re pretty much limited to engineered wood. Image credit – www.crawfordtiles.com Types of Carpet Flooring Carpets typically come in cut pile tufts, loop pile tufts or a combination of both types. Cut pile carpets are commonly used for bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, dens, and other rooms where people congregate. A specialist from Babayan’s recommends cut pile flooring for those who want to avoid footprint and vacuum marks on their carpet. Loop pile carpets are more durable in general, but they show footprints and bear markings from anything set on them. Combination options give a mix of durability and style, and make a good option for rooms that get a lot of foot traffic as they hide dirt better. Costs Associated With Flooring Don’t get caught up in the cost associated with carpet in relationship to wood flooring. Carpets are generally cheaper, but need to be replaced more often. Wood floors are more expensive, but are less likely to need replacement. The lifetime costs of both types of flooring is minimal. If you prefer one style over the other, it’s best to get your preferred flooring from the start. Additional factors to consider when purchasing flooring is the comfort, warmth, softness, relative quietness, and safety of the floors. Carpets tend to have greater give than wood floors, are quieter, and more comfortable to sit on. When weighing your options, carefully consider your needs and choose the option that best reflects your lifestyle and needs.