If you visit a flooring shop online rather than in person, you have the advantage of being able to peruse a larger array of different floors. But that can have a downside as well.
Whether you are looking for carpet tiles for an office or hotel, vinyl flooring for commercial premises, or laminate planks for a home office, there is a risk that what you see in an image on a screen may not look quite as good when you have it installed in your home or workplace.
If you were physically in the store, you may get a better idea, of course, but even this has limitations. You will invariably be left to imagine just how good (or not) the floor will look once it is delivered and laid in your premises.
A Visual Solution
Of course, a world that has given us virtual reality, drones and artificial intelligence should be able to come up with some kind of practical solution, and we can offer just this, thanks to the fact that many of our suppliers have developed visualisation tools. These enable you to see exactly how a particular floor would look in your premises.
Some tools are tricky to use, and you might think you need to be something of a computer geek, but our suppliers have set out to make these user-friendly, with simple step-by-step instructions.
For example, Balsan, which produces a series of carpet tile products, has a great tool to use, which leads you by the hand straight through the process. Firstly, you run through the products menu to select the item you are interested in. Then, click ‘sizes and products’ below the photo banner.
After this, you can select a function to plan your space with the 3D simulator. Further functions enable you to check out the carpet in different spaces, at varying angles, multiple layouts and various colours.
With so many functions, you can play around with this for ages, which is absolutely fine; by doing this at leisure, you can check if the product really is what you want and, if it is not, what else may suit you. Balsan products come in different shapes and colours, precisely so that they can offer lots of variety. This tool enables you to check out as many as you like.
Makeover Magic
Another great benefit of visualisation is that it can enable you to see how a new floor might fit with a wider makeover, for example, if you are redecorating and refurnishing the entire kitchen or living room. Gerflor has designed its visualisation tool with this situation in mind, with the fact that this supplier also does wall coverings, making this even more useful.
Assessing a room for different products can be especially handy when the supplier produces different kinds of flooring. For instance, Tarkett makes carpets, vinyl tiles and hardwood floors. Its Room Designer visualisation tool helps you see how the room would look with the product of choice in place.
The Limitations Of Visualisation Devices
This particular device does come with a disclaimer that it does not have the capacity to assess the suitability of any particular flooring product for the room in question. This is not a failing on the part of the tool, but a correct statement of how it should be used.
Instead, Tarkett states that customers should check out the specific details of each product, and this is correct. For example, if you have a room that needs a hard-wearing carpet that lasts many years, you should check the product specifications for details like its wear rating or ability to reduce noise.
What this means is you should not be using the visualisation tool as the primary means of selecting a product. There is no point choosing something that looks great on the simulation but might not do the job you need it to. That is why you should use the tool as the last part of the assessment, not the first.
Purchase With Confidence
Nonetheless, by using such visualisation tools alongside viewing physical samples of your chosen flooring, you can ensure that you buy with confidence and don’t end up with regrets afterwards.
The initial work you do in checking the specifications to ensure they suit the space where they will go (as well as other aspects, like being recycled and recyclable) helps you cut down a long list of possible choices to a shortlist, with the visualisation providing the final means of assessing the product.
By combining these two aspects of shopping around, you can ensure you get the flooring you need, one that has met the essential requirements, as well as passing the (virtual) eye test before a single plank or tile is laid in your premises.
