What's On The Floor?

Every industry has a trade association. I like to look at the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council homepage every once in a while to keep abreast of developments in the hot dog business. When I was in the air duct cleaning business, I belonged to the National Air Duct Cleaner's Association. I believe businesses that belong to their respective trade associations are demonstrating their commitment to their industry.

I recently became aware of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the trade association for folks in the flooring business. The WFCA helps its members develop the highest standards for the flooring industry.

They also have a lot of good information for consumers. Their website gives a consumer unbiased information about the benefits, proper installation and pitfalls of different flooring options. They've got a very good virtual room designer decorating tool. You can punch up different flooring solutions to see what they'd look like with different color schemes. It is quite possibly the best online decorating tool I've ever used. You pick what kind of room you want to decorate, choose the flooring type, wall color, ceiling color and trim color. You can get a really good idea of what colors go with different kinds of flooring. That's half the battle right there, if you know what I mean.

If you're thinking about new flooring for your home, the WFCA Homepage is a perfect starting point. They'll even direct you to local retailers once you've figured out what kind of flooring you want.