Inspiration Center

Everything You’d Ever Need to Know About Flooring

There are nearly limitless amounts of home improvement projects you can use to help make your home match your personal style and practical needs. But of those myriad options, perhaps no single upgrade can have as large and lasting an effect as having new flooring installed. New floors can completely alter the character and feel of any room, significantly impacting how the space looks, sounds, and even how it smells. Plus, while design choices like wall colors, light fixtures, and accent pieces can be changed easily and often, your new floors will likely last you decades. So, it’s extra important that you choose them wisely. Our flooring inspiration articles will help you approach the selection with confidence. 

And while aesthetics are, of course, important, there are also a whole slew of practical considerations to weigh while on the hunt for flooring ideas. You’ll want to consider aspects like whether a particular room needs durable, water-resistant flooring or what type of carpet fibers will be best for the areas of the home where pets hang out. Do you know that there’s a wood floor that can help reduce noise in your bedroom, or carpet that can neutralize odors in the kids’ playroom? With so many details to consider, finding flooring inspiration demands more than just perusing pics of pretty hardwood, tile, or carpets.  

From Home Design Inspiration to Floor Care Tips

Most of the technical questions surrounding your flooring ideas can be answered somewhat concretely. No, it’s not a good idea to have real hardwood flooring installed in a bathroom. Yes, plush carpet floors in the family room will feel much more comfortable to walk on than a ceramic tile floor. But in the world of home design, there will also be plenty of questions with no right answer—especially regarding matters of style. And even if there is a professional consensus, your personal answer might conflict with the design pros. If one of your flooring ideas is based around patterned commercial carpet that’s straight out of a vintage movie theater, and you’re certain you’ll love that style for years to come, then it doesn’t matter what any of the experts say. And that’s the beauty of home design: you can find flooring inspiration just about anywhere. 

But with so many options to consider, and for how long your these choices will be part of your life, it’s clear that choosing new floors is a decision that depends on being exposed to as many of the stylistic and technical aspects of the different types of flooring as possible, as well as staying up to date on what the latest flooring innovations are. Empire’s Flooring Inspiration Center exists to help you navigate every aspect of the process of selecting a new floor.