Flooring

Floors are the foundation of your interior decorating. You can change the paint on walls relatively easily, but flooring is a more difficult project. It has a large impact on the overall look and feel of a room, so carefully consider your options. What room needs flooring? How will this room be used? Is it a high traffic area? Is there access to outside? You are basically in continual contact with your floors, so make a decision you can live with for the long-term.

Carpet absorbs sounds, insulates, and adds comfort to a room. The hottest carpeting trend today is frieze, or shag, but not your 70s shag. One local carpet expert says it can be curly, short or long, noting it is dense, hard-wearing, and luxurious. Traditional berbers and wool carpeting have decreased in popularity while patterned and sculptured carpets have gained. Cut-loop pile carpets appeal to people because of their more informal look.

Depending on the room’s purpose, you may want to use natural colors. Soft beiges, greens, taupes and browns bring serenity to any room. If you want your carpet to be more of a focal point, use color boldly. Pick a color from your furniture or draperies, keeping in mind that light colors make a room seem more spacious while dark colors make a room feel cozy; warm colors arouse emotion while cool colors are calming.

Wood never goes out of style. One local expert says oak has been Wisconsin’s traditional favorite, but maple and birch are gaining ground because of their subtle graining. Many manufacturers now offer exotic woods from all over the world in addition to traditional favorites. Today’s consumers want wood floors in their kitchens to flow smoothly between living spaces. The durability of today’s finishes allows wood to withstand a kitchen’s water hazards.

The most affordable flooring on the market remains vinyl. Today’s vinyl has improved tremendously, coming in a variety of finishes, colors and textures for everything from a funky 50s to a traditional ceramic tile look. Luxury vinyl flooring looks just like ceramic, marble, slate or wood, and it’s very family-friendly. Spills and scuffs clean up easily, there’s very little maintenance, and it’s easy to install and replace.

Last but not least comes concrete flooring. Concrete comes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and textures. Concrete specialists paint, stain, tint, and dye concrete to achieve the look you want, whether you’re imitating marble, stone, slate, or want other specialty designs. You can also stamp or apply saw-cuts for a truly unique look.

Download our Flooring Comparison Chart.

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