DIY Flooring: Choosing the Best Materials for Installations

DIY flooring can save money on installation costs. So with budgets tightening, many homeowners are choosing to install their flooring. While choosing to install your flooring yourself can save you money, it can be difficult. But, with the right flooring choice, it doesn’t have to be.

What Makes for an Easy-to-Install Flooring Material?

If you decide to DIY your flooring project, this immediately rules out flooring materials like hardwood and certain tiles. They require so much expertise to install, from adjusting hardwood to using bonding agents on tiles. To ensure these types of floorings are installed correctly, you should seek the help of experts.

But, not all flooring require these tools or experience. For easiest installation, a flooring must have a few characteristics:

• Be able to install without the heavy use of power tools
• Easy to transport and carry around a project site
• Simple installation (click together, stick, etc.)

The Easiest DIY Flooring Materials to Install

With that said, here are some of the easiest flooring materials to install yourself during a DIY project:

• Modular Carpet Tiles: Modular carpets come in simple tile shapes. So they can simply be stuck to the floor with attached glue. Just peel and stick! This is one of the simplest floorings to install and, when done right (with the right style) they can provide a room with some serious style and pop.
• Luxury Vinyl Planks: Vinyl planks are a very popular DIY flooring material because they’re beautiful, coming in multiple styles and colors. They are also low cost, durable, and they’re easy to install on your own. Vinyl planks are ‘click together’ floorings. Which means they attach to each other and don’t need to be bonded to the subfloor with glue or nails. Another vinyl option is peel & stick tiles which use glue to stick to the subfloor.
• Laminate Flooring: Similarly to vinyl, laminate comes as a click together flooring material that makes the install process simple. But, laminate is not an entirely tool-free venture. You’ll want access to some basic measuring tools and even a simple power saw. Additionally, laminate tiles require an acclimation period to their environment.

Want to get started on your flooring project? Even if you decide that DIY installation is or is not for you, there are dozens and dozens of great DIY flooring options to choose from to fit your style and needs.

To find the right materials for your DIY project, contact the Chicagoland flooring specialists at Scharm Floor Covering.