HOME & GARDEN: Finding the right floor | Home And Garden

Hill said she tells people to think about colors. She told the Eagle that Grant County is a more dusty environment, unlike other more populated areas.

The darker the colors, the dustier and more high maintenance the floors will get. She said, even with carpet, she tells people to stay away from more solid colors and go with more of a fleck-colored tone. She said the advantage of a fleck is that it does not show stains when someone with dirty shoes comes or spills coffee.

“We don’t have a lot of pavement and concrete, and you don’t want to have something that is so high maintenance,” she said.

Lately, Hill said the Floor Store is selling quite a bit of area rugs.

She said it is an “inexpensive” way to give a room a new look.

“Even if people have hardwood floors, often they like to put down an area rug to refresh a room,” Hill said.

Hill said she tends to sell more area rugs in the fall as people are usually looking for something to warm up a room or floor.

She said another popular flooring product is luxury vinyl planking. She said the vinyl is water-resistant and more appropriate for places that endure high moisture levels like kitchens, bathrooms and basements.

She said laminate, another product, is in demand as well. While not as water-resistant as vinyl, laminate is scratch and scuff resistant.

Hill, who has been in business in John Day for over 20 years, said the housing boom has been great for business.

“There are a lot of new people moving into the area, and so there’s a lot of new customers,” she said.

She said she thinks, with COVID-19, people were home much more and have wanted to refresh their homes.

Hill said estimates are free, and she is happy to come out to someone’s home, see what they have and offer recommendations.

“I can quote in carpet or hard surface,” she said.

She said people can also take samples of carpets and hard surfaces to get an idea of what they want.