Chic Home Life

Erin Doman

How To Choose The Best Flooring Company

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Deciding to re-floor your home raises a lot of questions: Hardwood or cheaper laminate? Stone tiles or stained concrete? Heated floors or not?

A reputable flooring company will not only help with the installation process but will also help guide you to making the best design choices for your home and budget. Don’t be caught with a floor that won’t stand up to your foot traffic – here are a couple of tips that can help guide you to picking the best flooring company for your needs.

1. Know Your Flooring Options

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There are seemingly endless options for flooring materials. However, your lifestyle may warrant certain materials over others. If you have children or pets, you may want to go for the more durable options such as cement or tile, which can stand up to heavy wear and tear and also offer water resistance.

If you are looking for design-forward options, but your budget won’t necessarily allow for hand-scraped hardwood, you may want to consider bamboo or cork flooring. A skilled flooring contractor can help you determine the right flooring options for your family and budget.

2. Know Your Aesthetic

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Picture your dream home. Is it bright and artistic? Is it clean, streamlined, and monochrome? Does it draw more on natural elements and finishes? Being able to picture your desired final product can help you more decisively determine what type of flooring to go with. In a lot of ways, your flooring is the foundation to a beautifully cohesive design, so you shouldn’t take the decision lightly.

Still having trouble determining what style you want in your home? You may benefit from hiring an interior designer to help you create the house of your dreams.

3. Pick Your Specialist

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Once you know what you want, it’s time to figure out how to accomplish your goal. You wouldn’t hire a laminate specialist to install your bamboo flooring, now would you? Be sure to look for a flooring company that has years of experience installing custom floors of the material that you are looking for.

That’s not the only battle. Hopefully you live in an area with access to more than a couple of home flooring installation specialists. The more, the better. While this means more initial research work for you, it also means that you are more likely to find the best flooring company in town. Be sure to conduct interviews with as many companies as you can and request written quotes for materials and labor costs before you sign any contracts. You can use these quotes to negotiate expenses with whichever company you end up going with.

Be sure to ask as many questions as you can when interviewing each company, and don’t forget to look up these businesses on the Better Business Bureau website, where you can find information about how long the company has been in business, customer reviews and complaints, and average reviews.

4. Be sure to ask the following questions:

• What is the total cost of labor and materials?
• Do you always stick to budget?
• How long will this project take?
• Do you always stick to timeframes?
• Can you refer me to previous customers?
• What is your guarantee?
• How long is your guarantee?

Ask anything and everything you can think of. When it comes to expensive projects like a flooring renovation, you can never be too careful, and you’re sure to thank yourself later.

5. Designing Your Home from the Ground Up

Your floors are the basis of the entire design of your home – don’t skimp and choose the cheapest installation company you can find. Even the cheaper flooring options can last you years to come if they are installed correctly, which is why your flooring company matters.

What to Consider When Remodeling Your Bathroom

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The bathroom is one of the more challenging rooms to remodel in your home. From hardware to plumbing, there are a lot of elements to keep in mind. Make sure you do your research and spend plenty of time planning before you begin the remodel, because you might end up with some expensive mistakes to correct if you cut corners.

Below we will outline the different elements of a bathroom remodel that you should keep in mind over the course of the project, as well as a basic outline of what you can expect in terms of the process. If you have never experienced a home remodel before, it can be intimidating, but with a little know-how you can dive into your renovation with confidence.

Know the Price of Your Aesthetic

Know your desired aesthetic before you break ground or make any purchases. A hired designer can help you stay on track not only with style choices, but with your budget as well. There are a lot of ways you can express your style, but it can burst your budget rather quickly if you aren’t careful!

The materials you choose for your bathroom remodel serve both form and function, so you need to be mindful of what you pick. While it may seem tempting to choose the cheaper options for your bathroom hardware and faucets to save money that could be spent on installation costs, this is not necessarily a good idea. Cheaper hardware will rust or break much more quickly in this humid room of your home, so it is best to spend a little more on nicer finishes. The best materials for bathroom hardware and faucets are bronze, brushed nickel, chrome, and similar finishes. Don’t be afraid to mix and match your bathroom hardware if that is the aesthetic that appeals to you.

Apart from hardware, you might also be installing new flooring or tiling in your shower. This can be costly, but there are many budget-friendly options available that don’t sacrifice style. Look for stone, ceramic, or a high-quality vinyl options for a cheap alternative to expensive flooring.

If you’ve ever been through a kitchen remodel, you know that cabinetry and storage can also be expensive, but if you are smart about it you can save serious cash. You’ll probably need less storage in your bathroom than you would need in your kitchen, so it can be cheaper in this regard as well. You can expect to spend between $2,000 and $5,000 on your bathroom cabinetry.

Though it really depends on the size of your bathroom, whether you are redoing your plumbing, and what kind of materials you are using, you can expect your bathroom remodel to cost anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000.

Plan the Layout

Take special care to thoughtfully plan the layout of your bathroom. Unless you confidently know what you are doing, use a professional to help you plan this part of your project.

If you are taking out a wall or are relocating your shower, tub, sinks, or toilet, it’s going to take some extra work and the expertise of a professional to pull off. This is because you will likely be reconfiguring your plumbing system, which can be quite expensive as well as time consuming. Keep in mind that any plumbing work will likely add a significant amount of time to your desired remodel timeline.

The Process

Once you have made a decision on the materials, style, and layout of your bathroom remodel, you can officially break ground on the project. There is a process you can expect for the project, which we will outline below.

1. Hire a designer, contractor, plumber, etc.:

Hiring the appropriate professionals to help you realize your dream bathroom remodel isn’t something you should skip. Even if you are confident in your skills, a professional contractor or a licensed designer can ensure that your project goes off without a hitch.

2. Define your budget and timeline:

Before you begin, make sure you, your designer, and your contractors are clear on what your budget is and have at least some idea of what you want your final remodel to look like. You should also develop a realistic timeline for your project, but remain flexible because it’ll probably change at some point, especially if you are taking on a major renovation.

3. Go shopping:

When you begin the shopping phase of your renovation, make sure you stick to a very rigid budget. Keep in mind that features like new flooring not only require the cost of the materials, but also the cost of labor.

Your designer can shop with you and help you stay on track and buy items that match your style. While hiring a designer is not absolutely necessary, it can make a big difference in your final product, especially if you are feeling a little lost in the process.

4. Begin the demolition process:

You’ll probably use a professional team to demolish your bathroom. The experts will know how to safely and quickly remove flooring, large amenities, counters, cabinets, and even walls. Don’t try to do this on your own!

If you have an older home, the demolition process can be even more of a challenge. Old techniques to install flooring included using a metal mesh which makes demolition a bit more complicated. You might also come across outdated plumbing, asbestos, or electrical wiring that is not up to code, so it is always advised that you have a professional on the scene to spot these potential problems.

5. Install flooring and major appliances:

Tile your bathroom before you install your major appliances. This will make the process easier and ensure a more seamless placement of the tiles.

Your major appliances should go in before you paint or install your hardware. You will likely need a professional team to bring in your tub, toilet, and sinks and properly hook them up to plumbing.

6. Install the finishing touches:

The last step is to paint and decorate your newly remodeled bathroom! This is when your hardware, such as your sink faucets, shower head, towel racks, and mirrors get installed. Installing bathroom hardware isn’t difficult, and there are many helpful guides online that can make it easier for you.

Be sure to cover your new flooring, cabinets, tub, and toilet while you paint to avoid damaging your renovation. If you are looking to cut costs, painting your walls on your own is a good place to do so. If you have room in the budget, call in a team of expert painters to get the job done faster!

Once the paint cans are sealed, you’re ready to enjoy your brand new elegant bathroom!