Reputable Sources for Flooring Information
Buying new flooring is big deal. After all, it changes the look and feel of your home. It’s like getting into a brand new car. It just feels good.
But there is some prep work to do before taking the plunge. Selecting the type and style of flooring is just the beginning. For some, flooring is part of the building process. This is nice because other than a completely new home, the flooring is installed without having to consider moving furniture and cleaning out rooms. But most people are replacing their existing flooring. While it’s an excellent time to purge and re-organize, there’s a lot of time and energy involved. You want to know – really know – you’ve made the right flooring decision for your home.
Which leads us to this: Not everything you read on the internet or even hear from the Big Boxes is true.
Shocker.
The best way to cut through the information clutter is to go directly to reputable sources. Here’s a great list. While it’s not all-inclusive, it’s a great place to start. You’ll be educated, confident, and most likely to make an excellent flooring choice for your home.
- World Floorcovering Association
http://Wfca.org
This consumer friendly website is a non-biased source for all flooring categories.
- Carpet and Rug Institute
- http://Carpet-rug.org
There is likely more misinformation about carpet than any other flooring category due to the bad reputation it received back in the 70’s. Times have changed as has this entire industry – and for the better. This organization exists to educate the public on all aspects of carpets and rugs
- National Wood Floors Association
- http://woodfloors.org/
Like its counterpart in soft surfaces, the NWFA seeks to educate the public on all things hardwood
- The largest flooring manufacturers (manufacturing almost 100% of their flooring in the USA!)
- These companies have to know EVERYTHING about the products they sell. Both have excellent, consumer friendly websites and manufacture carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, tile and more.
There are other wonderful manufacturers who focus solely on one or two types of flooring like vinyl or tile, etc. however these two sites can help you focus on the product(s) you’re most interested in purchasing for your home.
- Your local independently owned flooring retailer
Most independent flooring retailers have been around for decades. They know your community, have excellent relationships with manufacturer’s representatives, and well-trained on product. Furthermore, these same people can help you with flooring claims, cleaning, and more should you ever have an issue with your flooring. They are wonderful advocates as well as educators. It’s also important to note these stores have a better selection of product and feature more unique and stylish offerings than you’d find in a Big Box store or online.