Over the years, your flooring will experience normal wear and tear. While there are measures you can take to protect it, such as not wearing shoes in the house or adding fabric pads beneath furniture, your floors may still eventually show some age or have a dated look. Updating your flooring can make your home feel brand new again. You may choose to change the flooring in one or two rooms, or throughout the entire house. Although kicking off Austin home renovations may seem daunting, they can provide a great return on investment. Let’s examine what considerations your flooring project will entail.
What will your home flooring contractor do?
A flooring contractor is a specialist in material selection and design, as well as the removal and installation of flooring. When speaking with your contractor, they will assess the labor costs based on the complexity of your Austin home renovations. Because most contractors base their rates on an hourly or daily basis, you may see a variation. Higher rates come out of projects that have no immediate parking, limits on working hours, and necessary daily clean-up.
What should you keep in mind with Austin home renovations?
Don’t be nervous about whether your flooring project will come out well! By working with reliable professionals, you will be able to avoid the most common flooring mistakes during your renovation. They will set you on the right track with regard to budgeting your time and money. While you shouldn’t struggle to pay for expensive flooring materials, you also shouldn’t simply go with the cheapest option. When you start cutting corners, it will show.
How much does re-flooring an Austin area home cost?
Are you doing a simple refinishing job? Maybe you’ve decided to install all new flooring? Is the material you chose considered a luxury? These questions all matter when it comes to how much your Austin home renovation is going to cost. Where low-budget laminate options might be $1 per square foot, reclaimed hardwoods could be $12. When it comes to resilient floorings, such as vinyl or linoleum, the price may range from $3 to $25 per square foot. Be mindful of room measurements so you know how much flooring is necessary to order.
Which type of flooring is the best?
When you are tackling an Austin home renovation, the goal is to make your house look better than it did before. This means that knowing which rooms need which flooring is so important. Here are some options that you may want to consider.
Hardwood
As one of the most popular flooring materials, by far, hardwood is a timeless beauty that can be refinished multiple times. The best spaces for hardwood are your living room and the stairs. While this option is easy to walk on and clean, it can develop unappealing scratches over time due to constant use. You will also need to be mindful about tracking water into the house because hardwood isn’t built for moisture.
Ceramic or Porcelain
Fit for high-traffic areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms, ceramic or porcelain tiles are a must. They are the top chosen flooring materials for radiant heating, and they have non-porous surfaces to make them waterproof. Know that the grout lines do require constant maintenance. These tiles are also an expensive option because of their long-term durability.
Carpet
Complete your Austin home renovation with carpeted flooring. Much like hardwood floors, carpet goes well in your living room and on the stairs, but it is also perfect for bedrooms and home offices. Carpet is the softest flooring option available, and it is good for soundproofing rooms. Issues arise when smells are absorbed into the material, making it a necessity to professionally clean it at least once a year.
Laminate
Laminate is another great choice for home offices. Able to be installed over some existing floorings, the tough plastic wear layer of laminate is resistant to scratches. It is a widely used, very affordable synthetic material that can simulate stone or wood. A couple of things to recognize are that laminate cannot be refinished and it is not biodegradable, meaning once it’s ruined, the disposal is the end of the road.
Natural Stone
There is no stronger material than natural stone. Some choices include marble, granite, and sandstone. Natural stone tiles are an excellent fit for matching the styling of an older home, on top of that it is attractive. That being said, because they are one of the most expensive flooring materials, the repairs for them are also expensive.
Your renovation process will ultimately depend on your budget and what requirements you have for your home. Because flooring sets the tone for an entire room, due to it being the most exposed part of the interior, you need to design and spend wisely. Austin home renovations are made easy with Bat City Builders, a design-build company committed to your individual needs. Give us a call if you would like to discuss getting started with our services.
Photos, in order of appearance, by:
- Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash
- Max Vakhtbovych on Pexels
- DokaRyan on Pixabay