In this part of our series on selecting finishes for your new home, we’re going to talk about flooring and a 3 basic things to consider. RJM offers a number of custom flooring options including hundreds of styles of floor tile, carpet and carpet padding, laminate flooring and more. As an RJM customer, you have a good amount of flexibility in selecting different types of flooring in different rooms within your new home. Here are 3 quick tips:

Kids and Pets = Avoid Carpeting

This one seems pretty obvious but we thought we’d mention it. Let’s face it, kids and pets are messy no matter ‘perfect’ their parents think they are! Cleaning-up spills and pet accidents is much easier when your flooring is not carpeting. All carpeting (and the padding which sits beneath it) absorbs just about everything. And all the steam-cleaning in the world won’t get rid of the typical pet smells that even small dogs and cats leave behind. We recommend going with tile or laminate flooring throughout your house if kids or pets are in the picture.

Keep Laminate Flooring out of Wet Areas

Laminate flooring is one of our favorite upgrades but we almost never recommend it in ‘wet’ areas of your home. For example, while laminate looks nice in most bathrooms, here’s the downside. When laminate gets saturated (say, the first time your toilet gets clogged causing an overflow), it tends to respond poorly. One small flood or big spill may cause enough damage that you’ll want to replace it. For these ‘wet’ areas, tile is recommend for it’s durable characteristics.

Seal Floor Tile

This last tip is another that is rarely-followed but almost always creeps up later. Over many years of foot traffic and kitchen spills, your floor tile and grout will become stained to some level. Since this happens over a long period of time, it’s usually not noticeable until it gets bad (see image on left). Take the preventative step of sealing tile and grout will keep your tile looking cleaner, longer and will help you avoid expensive cleaning services later on down the road.

We hope these quick tips are helpful. Contact us with any questions and thanks for reading!