Floors and ceilings, although always in evidence, tend to become nearly invisible in the eyes of homeowners. We take them for granted. When we are preparing to list our home or apartment for sale, we rush to paint the walls and woodwork, but often fail to take the condition of our floors into account. More’s the pity. Professional house stylists tell us that floors and their condition play a huge role in the decisions of prospective buyers.

Of course we clean them. We eradicate the stains and abolish the odours. We have the carpets professionally cleaned and may even replace carpet in hallways or throughout the home. Often, though, we fail to question whether or not there are better options that can beef up the property value. This is one decision where the help of your home staging company may prove to be invaluable.

Depending on the market niche where your home will be promoted, the question of carpeting may be answered in any number of ways. If the home will be primarily of interest to the older crowd – baby boomers – new carpeting may be just the ticket. Baby boomers love the lush feel of plush carpeting underfoot. If, on the other hand, your home will be attracting the interest of the millennial buyer – those who came of age around the turn of the century – you may be wise to lose the carpeting entirely and go with hardwood, tile, or even vinyl. Millennials like simple, uncomplicated finishes.

Over all, at least for the present, hardwood floors or some facsimile thereof, are a pretty safe answer to all of your flooring questions. Today, flooring choices are abundant. New products and systems come on the market almost daily and threaten to make even good old hardwood obsolete.

• As mentioned above, hardwood is almost always a safe choice. You will enjoy a good return on your investment if you go with the look of wood.
• Real wood is no longer something that requires the help of a craftsman as it did in the past. Today’s floating floor is a hardwood installation system wherein the floor planks “float” over the subfloor. With this system, the individual hardwood boards are created, or milled, with tongue and groove edges that fit together and lock into place. It’s a project that a DYI-er can do over a three-day weekend, depending on the size of the project, of course.
• Laminate flooring is a multi-layered syntheticflooring product fused together with a lamination process. Laminate flooring simulates wood (or sometimes stone or tile) with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer. These products can give you a great look without breaking the bank and they are easy to install and can be installed over most floors.
• Vinyl plank flooring is enjoying an explosion in popularity these days. It is essentially a vinyl product that looks, functions, and installs just like laminate flooring and can be put right over most existing flooring. Because the product is flexible, it is easier to cut and fit than laminate and comes in a variety of looks and textures.

The look and feel of your home can be almost instantly transformed with one of these options for flooring and you’re bound to enjoy a bountiful return on your investment. Again, though, be sure to discuss your flooring question with your professional house stylist in order to choose the product that will give you the best return on your investment.

If you are fortunate enough to have hardwood floors to begin with, you may only need to refresh or refinish your floors in order to up the ante on your home sale. (If your house is totally carpeted, don’t despair. Particularly in older homes, the stale old carpeting you see may well be hiding glorious hardwood just underneath the carpet and underlay.) With an industrial floor sander and a bit of elbow grease, you can rejuvenate even stained or damaged hardwood and get top dollar for your effort.

In your preparations for the sale of your home or apartment, don’t forget to carefully evaluate your flooring options. You and your professional house stylists can decide on a plan to make the most of your investment and enjoy a financial bonus at the culmination of your real estate transaction.