Making a decision about flooring has always been a hard one for Betty. I like the feel of cool tile, yet last December when Sister Angela dropped a Christmas ornament and it broke into hundreds of pieces, for a moment I wished we had all carpet. But then when overzealous Clyde--the season's self-appointed wassail maker--spilled a pot full of Christmas cheer, I longed for tile.

Carpet is economical to install but has a shorter life expectancy than tile. Although the newer carpets have built-in, stain-resistant fibers, they still show dirt and wear and tear. However, carpeting can also work as a valuable noise buffer for your store.

If you choose the carpet route, you have two options: solid-colored or patterned. Solid-colored carpet can make your store look larger, but it shows wear faster than almost any other type of flooring. Patterned carpet, on the other hand, may need to be toned down to prevent it from distracting attention from the store's displays.

Tile can easily be cleaned and comes in many sizes and colors that can blend with your store's walls and fixtures. However, tile requires regular wet cleaning to keep its look. Perhaps mixing carpet and tile would be a good option for your store. This is now a common practice and seems to work well in many situations.

When our store has had to make flooring decisions in the past we have taken "field trips" to other local businesses. We look for stores that make us feel comfortable and curious about the products they offer.
Many of these stores have received consultations from professional interior designers, and we get to take advantage of their expertise.

Also, if you have professional interior designers in your congregation, be sure to let them in on the selection process. But remind them it is not a home environment--stores normally have more spills, breakage and other rough usage than homes.

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