Resilient flooring is an incredibly versatile type of flooring for use in your home or business. While the applications are near endless, so too are the potential mistakes you can make when selecting—and especially while installing—your resilient flooring. Here are some common resilient flooring mistakes to avoid when selecting an installer.
1. The Wrong Flooring for the Job
Resilient flooring can work in a lot of locations, but there are some places and uses where it isn’t the right fit. Rubber flooring has great give and can withstand a lot of abuse, but it’s not great in main areas of the home. Despite best efforts, many types of rubber flooring often have an odor that takes a long time to dissipate fully. While this isn’t as noticeable or bothersome in a garage or commercial kitchen, it can be overwhelming in a living space.
Cork flooring is another soft, resilient option, but it doesn’t work everywhere. Humidity and moisture can cause issues for cork floors, even if they’re fully sealed. Places that are prone to high humidity like bathrooms or rooms at risk of flood like basements are not places where cork should be installed. Flooring in Nashville can really take a beating from the humidity changes as seasons go, so keep this in mind. Cork is also very prone to discoloration if exposed to direct sunlight for any duration, so note your window placement and how much sunlight enters the room before considering cork.
2. Only Measuring Once
When installing resilient flooring yourself, whether you’re a pro or an amateur DIYer, measuring your space before buying supplies is critical. If you end up buying more than you need, you run the risk of losing money and having excess materials after the installation. Buying too little means you run out mid-project, stalling momentum until you can go buy more. And in some scenarios, you might find the flooring materials you need have gone out of stock in the meantime. Hunting around or waiting for them to be restocked can leave you with an incomplete floor and a whole bunch of wasted space and time.
3. Budgetary Bungles
When looking for resilient flooring, you need to keep cost in mind. In Nashville, hardwood flooring is a common staple for homes and businesses, but it isn’t cheap. Resilient flooring of many types can be just as durable as hardwood but at a fraction of the cost. That’s not to say resilient flooring like vinyl or linoleum is cheap, however. You can find the right resilient flooring to match your aesthetic and still get a high level of quality and durability.
Which resilient flooring is the most durable? It’s a matter of shopping around and finding a company that is reliable and reputable for its flooring. Working with a flooring installer like Ozburn-Hessey removes a lot of the unknowns with budget and quality because we offer free consultations and estimates with transparent pricing. As installers of resilient flooring, we have unique experience in what works and what doesn’t, and you can count on us to give you the information you need to make a great choice.
4. Installing It Yourself
Speaking of Ozburn-Hessey and installation, the greatest mistake you may make when installing resilient flooring is doing it yourself. That’s not to say you cannot do flooring yourself—it’s absolutely possible, and with patience and care, they can turn out great. But inexperience can easily lead to issues like poor adhesion, sloppy edges, cracks, warping and other pitfalls common to resilient flooring. Having your floor installed by the experts ensures the best aesthetics and the longest lifespan for your floors, and you don’t have to get your hands dirty.
Let’s face it—you’re probably no expert at selecting and installing floors, so don’t make your flooring installation frustrating by doing it yourself if you aren’t fully confident you can. Avoid common flooring mistakes by trusting the experts at Ozburn-Hessey. Give us a call today for a free consultation and estimate for your resilient flooring installation.
