Flooring - You Get What You Pay For Right?
Posted July 10, 2023
It seems like everything is only going up in price right? From groceries to petrol and utilities, nothing is immune to the endless price increases we’ve seen over the last couple of years. As a result of this, many consumers are looking to cut costs wherever possible and undoubtedly this includes floorcoverings. We’ve all heard the old adage of “you get what you pay for” but does this ring true for flooring? Let’s take a look.
Firstly, we need to understand the reason you are considering new floorcoverings.
1. I am doing up my house to sell and need to replace the tired old carpet and vinyl flooring.
Great. When prospective home buyers are looking through your home, will they be put off by cheap looking carpet that feels thin and cold underfoot? Remember the “no shoes” rule at open homes – this means prospects are in their socks and will soon detect a carpet that doesn’t meet their expectations. Or, will they sink into a warm luxurious feel of new carpet and a quality underlay that gives them a sense that the home owners have undertaken a quality renovation throughout.
Pleasant Point carpet by Godfrey Hirst and the Express Vinyl Plank range by Belgotex are both popular choices, offering incredible durability and appearance retention at an excellent price point.
2. We want to stay in this home for many years and we’re doing it up and changing the colour scheme.
Ok. Undertaking any Reno’ project is always a big upheaval, especially if you are doing so while living in the home. So, unless you want to be going through this again in a few years’ time, it really is important to stretch to the best possible floorcoverings you can buy. Think about your expectations here. Do you want the carpet to last for say 10 to 12 years and then you may consider putting the house on the market? At that time you may prefer not to go through another Reno’ and still want the carpet looking sharp to sell the house.
3. This is our first brand new home.
Exciting. If you are in this category, it’s likely that your budget has been stretched and you have spent just a little bit extra on the many components of your new build and there’s not a lot left in the budget for floorcoverings. You certainly aren’t alone here, but if you consider your future needs, perhaps children in the near future, not to mention Rover the dog. This means you will need a floorcovering selection that balances best value for money, with stain resistance and good durability.
4. This is our brand new “forever home”.
Fantastic, all that hard work has paid off and you are getting into your dream home. This one really is a no-brainer. Buy the very best that you can. You may consider looking at different flooring categories that have never suited your lifestyle before. For example, many discerning buyers building their forever home may consider beautiful luxurious 100% wool carpet and match that with elegant and warm timber flooring. The timber flooring may even extend to Living and Dining areas instead of the traditional hard flooring zones.
Many homeowners opt for luxurious 100% wool carpet and timber flooring in their dream home such as Samurai by Bremworth and Australian Native Blackbutt by Hurfords pictured above.
Secondly, ensure you get the best possible advice for you.
Whatever situation you are in, it is always best to start the flooring journey by getting the right advice. There are many stores that will present you with the cheapest option in order to close the sale but this may not prove to be the best outcome for your situation.
Our team of professionals at The Flooring Centre will always start the process by listening to your needs. We call this the Discovery process. Some of the things that we need to understand in order to guide you with the best selection for you, include:
- What is your project?
- What colour & styles do you like?
- Do you have a preference for natural wool fibre or a synthetic fibre?
- Do you understand the features and benefits of the different fibre types?
- What sort of use will the flooring get? (kids, pets etc.)
- What sort of budget do you have for floorcoverings?
Once our team have understood your exact needs and wants, we move on to the exciting phase. We call this the all-important Presentation piece. With the knowledge gained from above and finding out all about your project, our team will be able to show you floorcovering selections that not only meet your needs and wants, but will also represent the best value for money.
The final piece of the puzzle.
An often misconceived view about buying carpet is that the price on the ticket is per square metre. This is not the case. Carpet is manufactured in rolls that are usually 3.660 wide (12 feet wide) When you buy a metre of carpet, you are buying 1.0 metre x 3.660 metres. When you are often dealing with many other elements of the Building Trade, who all deal in square metres, this can be very confusing. For this reason , at The Flooring Centre, all of our pricing is displayed with a carpet metre price (say $155.00) then a square metre price ($42.38m2) and most important of all, we even display a price that is based on a house lot of 30.0 metres of carpet including underlay and installation etc. This ticket will say $7,775.00. Customers love the ease of this clear and transparent pricing that actually gives them a real price for their new floorcoverings, installed on their floor. When they understand this, they really can use all of the tips above and ensure that the selections they are making really do represent best value for their needs and fit within their budget.
Our pricing makes it simple and easy for you to understand the cost of your floor coverings, eliminating the guesswork!
So, do you really get what you pay for?
The answer is yes. Spend more and you’ll get flooring of superior quality which will have a longer life in terms of both durability and appearance retention. Spend less on flooring and you will get a lower quality that will likely not last the distance but it will also look unsightly after a relatively short timeframe. This is why we strongly encourage all of our customers to buy the best they can afford. Whatever your project, If you’re in the market for new floor coverings, we’d love to help! With the biggest selections of carpet, vinyl, laminate, hybrid, timber and tiles we have flooring covered. We have styles to suit every home and price points for all budgets. Pop in and see our friendly knowledgeable team or get in touch to start your flooring journey!