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Step 1
Determine what material best suits your style. Solid wood, laminate, cork, vinyl, bamboo, linoleum and stone are but a few options for flooring material. Some might fight your home's style, some might not. Depending on where you live, some may not be appropriate. Cold environments don't welcome stone floors unless the floors have a heating system. Talk about walking on ice.
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Step 2
Decide what format is best given the type of material you want, coupled with the style of your home. Wood can come in strips, plank or parquet. Sometimes it's unfinished, sometimes it's pre-finished. Sheets, tiles and slabs are common in ceramics, stone, linoleum and vinyl, to name a few. The installation finish is usually optional here, as well.
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Step 3
Choose appropriate features. Flooring does, in fact, have features--it's more than something you walk on. Some materials can be refinished a number of times, meaning they have a long life. Others are stain and spill resistant. Most types of flooring add value to a home, but in varying degrees. So, the long-term investment, alone, is something to consider as a "feature."
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Step 4
Figure out a budget. Some floors are cheaper and can be installed by you. Others are a matter of more expensive material. Many times, this also means they have to be professionally installed, which adds to the cost. If you really like that stone flooring, explore all of the monetary commitments before diving in. You may find after purchasing the flooring, that the peripheral costs outweigh the aesthetic benefit.
