9 tips for shopping big box flooring centers like a pro

For most folks, having the opportunity to redo all of the flooring in your house is at the same time awesome and totally daunting. You start out really excited about going to look at all the pretties, thinking that your experience will look like this:

Aaaaah, tile heaven.

...until you get there and realize that it actually looks like this:

Shoot me now.

It's like going into T.J. Max expecting it to look like J. Crew. The beautifully curated collection of tile comes at a price, and it may not being your budget. If it is, congratulations. This process just got a whole lot easier.

If it's not, then you're likely heading to one of the warehouse type stores. There are 142,349 different tile options and you have to pick TODAY. You hyperventilate, pass out, and just pick some plain old tile that looks just like the plain old tile you ripped out.

I helped my high school friend, Lexi, and her husband Brian this weekend select flooring and tile for their new home. They are renovating a cool 1970's house (in my neighborhood. Yay!) and needed to pick all of the flooring, wall tile, and backsplashes that day. It's a pretty tall order. Lexi had tried to do this on her own the week prior. She walked in, saw the overwhelming number of options, stood in the pretend display shower, and then left feeling defeated.

Friends, it doesn't have to be this way.

I helped Lexi and Brian pick out everything they needed (along with backup options just in case something came in outside of their budget or wasn't in stock) in less than 2 hours. Granted, this is my job, but through many years of experience, there are a few things you can do to make this process less daunting and more fun.

Here are my tips on selecting flooring and tile (or any other finishes for that matter) like a boss.

1. Have a list of exactly what you need to select. You think you have this all in your head, but all of that will fly straight out the window when you are confronted with hundreds and thousands of shiny objects. You'll wind up picking a beautiful glass tile that you have absolutely no place for. Have a list of what you need to pick that day (wood flooring, kitchen backsplash, powder room tile flooring, etc.).

Also have your budget handy. The people at the stores can help you with this. Know that there is a difference between material cost (the cost at the register to buy the product) and installed cost (the cost of the item plus the contractor's markup to cover labor). Many contractors are going to smoke and mirror you and not want to tell you what their labor markup is. That's why it's always good to pick a couple of options for each item so in case the markup is high, you have a back up.

2. Don't go alone. Many professional Interior Designers prefer to select finishes with another Designer rather than by themselves. Why? Because you need someone to bounce your ideas off of to make sure you're not crazy-town. It also helps keep things from feeling too overwhelming. Two heads are better than one, and a buddy might help you to see an option that you wouldn't have thought of by yourself.

3. Don't shop "hangry." This is just a good rule of thumb for life. Don't go to one of these giant stores when you're hungry. There's a reason Ikea puts a cafeteria halfway through the store. If they didn't, people would be about to pass out midway through, get ticked off, and leave to go get food. We make stupid decisions when we are hungry, and especially when we're angry about being hungry. Bring a snack and let's get to it.

4. Go in the morning. Because you haven't been beaten down by your day like you are in the afternoon or evening. Your mind is fresh and clear, and you will make better decisions. You don't have to go at 8:00 AM or anything. Just make it your first errand of the day, after a big o'l breakfast (see the "hangry" note above).

5. Take a lap. OK, your belly is full and you've made it to the store. Before you dive into all the little pretty things, take a big lap. Just wind around, taking note of things that strike your fancy. Don't pick anything up yet. I know it sounds silly, but once it's in your hand, you start to feel committed to it. Just meander around the store. You don't have to hit every aisle; you're simply window shopping.

6. Grab the things you really love. You made your lap. There are probably 2 or 4 or 10 things that really caught your eye. Even if you don't think you have a spot for them, go grab them. Many of these places will either have a cart or a table that you can use to lay things out. Grab your favorites and add them to your cart/table.

Don't worry if nothing you are pulling looks like it will work together, or if everything you're pulling looks exactly the same. Just go with your gut.

7. Evaluate what you've pulled. Lay everything out on your cart or table (or if all else fails, sit on the floor. I've done it. No shame). Do you notice any themes?

Think about Pinterest. If you have a Pinterest board for your house/wardrobe/recipes/whatever, you probably don't notice as you go that you pin the same types of things. But when you view the board as a whole, you'll notice that themes start to emerge. For example, my Design Inspiration board lately has been full of rooms with soft pink accents paired with gold. I may not have been able to tell you a month ago that I was into that, but when I look at my board, I clearly am. So now that I'm cognizant of it, I'm thinking about how to incorporate it into my home.

Same idea here. Did you pull a lot of natural stones? Things that looks like concrete? Shiny things? Rough things? Rustic things? Modern things? You get the picture.

8. Start to pull it together. Refer to your list and go room by room. You'll probably need to take another loop to grab anything else you might be missing. If something is your absolute favorite, work everything else around it, just like an outfit. You may not be able to use all of your favorites (see my previous post on avoiding hot mess rooms), but make sure you use your absolute favorite one or two things. What you're going for here is harmony. Let one item (be that a tile, flooring material, amazing bathtub, art, whatever) be the shining star, and let everything else support that.

For Lexi and Brian, they knew they wanted a hand scraped dark wood floor. That was our starting point. We also found this stone mosaic that they loved for the walls in their bathroom. Awesome. Then we found a large format tile for the floor (top right) in the same tones as the wall tile and had some great texture, but wouldn't compete with the mosaic. Last, a bronze accent tile to tie in the adjacent dark wood floor and plumbing fixtures. Done.

Another example, at our old place, we (I) picked a really cool linear mosaic tile for our tub surround. While the color was neutral, it was definitely on the busy side. For the flooring, I selected a large 12x24 version of that same tile with a matching grout. It played a supporting role so the tile could be the star.

9. When in doubt, get some help. Most people think hiring an Interior Designer is some huge, ungodly expense, but it doesn't have to be. If you live in a decent sized town, there are designers in your community that charge by the hour that you can hire to come shop with you. If you're going to spend a significant amount of money on your remodel, budget a couple of hundred of those dollars for some professional guidance. If you're going to be living with this tile/flooring/whatever for 5, 10, 20, or more years, that $300 is a drop in the bucket compared to the money (and heartache) wasted if you wind up with something you don't love.

Hopefully you feel better equipped and inspired to tackle those flooring centers! May the force be with you.

// Bathroom photo by Selso Garcia //

You might also enjoy:

why every piece can't be your favorite piece

pool renovation diary (or, the death of swamp thing)

refined rustic or bright farmhouse: which would you choose?

kim's living room