The Beyond Genius Floor Renovation Tip Christina Hall Swears By

When shopping for your home's finishes, the available options can be overwhelming. But, it's important to make the right choice, especially with something as critical as the flooring you install. Viewing flooring samples in your home before making a final decision is one conscious move that is more likely to result in the right match. In her TikTok video, HGTV's Christina Hall explains why this is important since flooring can look drastically different in person, especially if you're browsing online.

Plus, everything from the amount of natural light that you get throughout the day to the colors of your walls can determine how well the flooring will look. With most suppliers providing the opportunity to take various samples home or order them, this is an easy yet effective way to examine all your options at once. That way, you can pick the overall best option for your new floors with both aesthetics and functionality in mind.

When you identify the types of flooring you're interested in, check out the websites of stores, suppliers, or manufacturers that offer them and see if they do sample orders. You can also contact them directly. The number of samples you can get is typically limited so narrow down your preferences to your top few. Sites like BuildDirect offer up to five free samples with free shipping to your home while LL Flooring offers up to four, both in-store and online with free shipping.

According to its website, Home Depot has "take home samples" for $2.99 each that you can order for pickup at the store or have shipped directly to your home. The prices are about the same on the Lowe's website depending on the type of flooring. Products Direct lends out premium kits which include a large piece of the flooring that's better to test. They are free but require a deposit based on the number of samples and their sizes.

RW Supply+Design has them for free at its showrooms while Carpet One Floor & Home offers up to six samples with shipping all for $12. If you ever need more samples than a store offers, it doesn't hurt to ask. They may be willing to accommodate your request to earn your order.

Now you've got your floor samples. What exactly do you do with them so you know if they'll be a good fit? To test with the lighting, lay them all out and check them at different parts of the day so you see how they change. Do this in all parts of the house where you'll be installing the new flooring and check them in both natural and artificial light. 

To test their durability, scratch them with sharp objects to see how marks form and expose them to various liquids and substances like oils and drinks. Spill on them multiple times, cleaning them quickly, and then more slowly the next time to see how the materials react. Use your normal cleaning products to see how well they work on them. If you are trying to decide between solid wood, laminate, and engineered wood, the results of these tests will really assist your decision-making process.