Flooring is the way for many decorators to make the total look of a house. Some decorators are moving away from wall-to-wall carpeting, which some years ago was the most important technique used to cover house floors or just specific rooms. There are many important factors to consider when deciding on flooring for your home. Lifestyle, budget, climate, style, comfort and degree of use all play a part in determining what your flooring choices should be. Flooring is available in a range of prices. At the top end of the range is hardwoods. The most popular hardwoods are oak, maple and cherry. American cherry is a hardwood that starts out as a light red-brown. It will darken over time to a very deep shade of this color. It is a fairly soft wood compared to most wood flooring. It is also one of the most expensive hardwoods.Different types of flooring require varying levels of care. If you lead a very busy, active lifestyle, you will want flooring that is easy to take care of and needs very little maintenance.

Dramatic flooring styles have their place as well. Picture a pieced parquet wood floor in your front entry hall, or a buffed section of terra cotta tile flooring inset with stone parquetry around the borders. Then replace that flooring in your mind with a thick, Oriental runner over bare hardwood and envision how it can change the look and feel of the room.Ceramic tile is a less expensive option for flooring. You can also install it yourself in most cases, which can be a big money-saver, since a large portion of the cost in flooring consists of installation labor.Carpet can be a very inexpensive choice, or it can cost more than hardwood flooring, depending upon which carpet you choose. Very plush, dense carpets tend to be more expensive, while those with shorter, more sparse fibers are less expensive.