6 Flooring Mistakes You Should Avoid Making, Straight From the Pros

If you’re looking to update the flooring in your home—whether with a simple area rug or a full swath of hardwood or ceramic tile—don’t do so without first reviewing the potential missteps that may seem minor but can set back a flooring project or even larger home improvement goals if overlooked.

We spoke with a few design experts to find out what you need to know and consider before you start your project, so you can avoid any flooring mistakes.

Be True to Your Lifestyle

“The number one mistake homeowners make is buying flooring based on the life they want to live instead of the life they actually live,” Lee Crowder, the national director of design and Mmodel experience at Taylor Morrison, says.

Crowder explains how homeowners will often opt for flooring options that don’t live up to the life that’s happening back at home. For example, homeowners with large dogs will eventually end up with scratched floors if they choose a smooth-finished wood.

In such situations, the owners may want to consider a laminate or luxury vinyl plank that simulates wood looks. Fortunately, in the current market, there are some incredibly realistic wood-look LVPs as well as realistic wood-simulating porcelain planks.

Make the Transition

If you’re thinking about laying down different types of flooring in each room, you should also be thinking about how to properly transition between them. If the floor shifts from carpet in one space to wood, tile, or stone in the next space, you may need an end cap or threshold between them to provide a clean transition. This will help cover any gaps between the types of flooring or act as a visual buffer if the flooring products are vastly different in style and color.

End caps can also help protect the edges of each flooring material from wear and tear as well as ease the transition between different heights created by the different materials.

Also be aware that in some cases, it may be best to choose uniform flooring throughout—or at least materials that don’t shift height in any way—to do away with thresholds or caps altogether. This is especially recommended if you or other home occupants are of an older generation or you foresee mobility problems due to injury or disability.

Natalie Biles, co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio, suggests incorporating zero-threshold showers in bathrooms to ensure seamless transitions between different flooring materials and levels.

Check Your Numbers

One of the most common mistakes made in flooring selection is mismeasurement. This can even apply to when you’re simply buying an area rug to drop into a room corner. You might have underestimated the spacing between furniture pieces that will sit on the rug, for example, leading to an unleveled side table due to one or two legs ending up on the bare floor.

Mismeasuring poses a bigger problem in installed flooring projects you’re trying to DIY: you can end up wasting money due to over-ordering product you might not be able to return or end up wasting time due to under-ordering, bringing the project to a standstill while you await a second shipment.

So, do your due diligence and double-or even triple-check your measurements if you don’t plan to hire a professional. You might also want to have a friend or family member take their own measurements to compare alongside your results.

Get to Know the Material

It can be easy to overlook proper maintenance once the more difficult processes of selecting and installing flooring are complete. But complacency can undo investment put into the floor in the first place, even if you frequently clean the floor.

Stacey Breezeel, also co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio, points out that you need to be sure you’re using the right cleaning products and treatments for the specific material.

For instance, cleaning tile, luxury vinyl, and stone are normally straightforward, but specific natural stones such as marble and travertine may need regular sealing to prevent brittleness, chipping, and degradation. Failure to do so can allow water seepage, potentially damaging both the flooring and underlying substrate, Breezeel says.

She recounts that in one project, a cleaning crew mistakenly applied a heavy wax product to brand-new engineered wood floors, resulting in a hazy film. Remedying this required weeks of intensive work, delaying the move-in schedule of the client, and risking the warranty of the floor in the process.

She recommends that homeowners create a comprehensive binder documenting care and maintenance procedures from the moment of installation and setting reminders.

Don’t Give the Slip

Homeowners often choose flooring primarily for aesthetics and durability, but there’s much more they need to consider.

Jack Ovadia, founder and principal designer of Ovadia Design Group, urges prioritizing slip resistance for safety. This is especially important on steps and within areas prone to moisture such as in a bath or poolside. He cites an incident when a selected porcelain tile was too slippery for use in a pool area.

“Textured surfaces or coatings can help without sacrificing style or durability,” Ovadia says. “It’s about balancing aesthetics and safety, especially in family homes, and taking the time to select the right floor.”

Meanwhile, on steps, you might consider a stair runner such as carpet planks.

Put Things in Order

One misstep that can truly ruin a larger home improvement project is doing things in the wrong order. If you’re planning to lay down new flooring in a space where you also intend to install permanent wall elements that touch the floor—such as kitchen cabinetry or baseboard and shoe molding—make sure you install the flooring first.

And make decisions on the wall components before choosing the flooring product to begin with. The colors and materials of those components will likely affect the tones and materials you go with on the floors. The last thing you want is to order flooring of a certain palette only to realize it clashes with the cabinets you have planned.