Introduction to Floor Covering: Aesthetics (part 2)

Selecting the correct floor covering for your installation needs to be done with a lot of thought and a little planning so that you will experience the satisfying performance and enjoyment that you deserve. As you may have experienced with a past purchase, a floor covering that is absolutely perfect for one residence or even a single room may be a disaster in another. With this in mind you should carefully decide whether you want the same product and color throughout or a different floor covering treatment in different rooms or areas of the installation. Unfortunately many buyers and sellers of floor products only look at the product with two elements in mind aesthetics and price.  Aesthetics includes such things as color, style, pattern, texture, luster, and feel.  Price is often based upon how cheaply can we buy it?Aesthetics and price while being two of the more important elements are but part of the selection process.  In addition to aesthetics a properly selected product will be chosen for its appearance retention characteristics which includes its ability to withstand wear and its soil-hiding ability. With a hard floor you will look at addition characteristics such as its resistance to moisture, scratches and gouges.  With a carpet you are interested in additional factors such as it resistance to matting and crushing.

To get the correct product you must understand the environment in which it is to be installed, the look you would like to achieve, how much you are willing to spend, the care it will receive and how long you expect it to last.  Not all floor covering products or carpet fibers and constructions have the same performance characteristics so you will need to understand these when making your selections for the various rooms in you’re home.

Another major problem many end-users face in the selection of floor covering is the tendency to be able to select it on an unemotional basis.  It is common for many consumers to select a product on emotion because it is fashionable, makes them feel good and they believe it to be at a price that will work within the budget.  “And besides, they saw it advertised on television and it looked like it never got dirty and it also has a ten year warranty”.