Whatever your goals when Staging your home, floors are a huge part of the overall results of your efforts.  These days, there are many options available for you to choose from, so explore those options and have a good time with it.

I can share a little story about the floors in one of my homes.  It was a condo that I originally moved into thinking it would be a temporary residence.  It was in horrid condition and we were renting it.  As renters, we got permission from the owner to paint it, replace light fixtures and make any other repairs we saw fit, but we just didn’t feel up to replacing the carpet at our expense so we cleaned it and lived with it.

As it turned out, we bought the unit. The day after we closed Escrow, we ripped out that rancid carpet to discover a concrete floor that had 41 years worth of aging on it.  To my eyes, it was a work of art.  Who knows how many times, by how many homeowners, landlords, tenants or handymen this unit had been painted, carpeted, tiled and otherwise worn and abused.  And this floor proudly bore the scars, drips and stains of each of these renovations.  I cleaned and scrubbed that floor for weeks, each time growing fonder of the scars and markings on it.

I studied it and thought to myself, “Maybe I’ll just leave it like that…”  Virtually every time I opened my door, friends would exclaim “I love this floor!  How did you do it?”  I’d just smile; say “Well, it just sort of came like that.”

Of course there were a few skeptics that would politely ask if I had decided what to do with the floor yet.  But I was attached. This floor was special to me and reflected my eclectic style.

Now I don’t necessarily recommend this for real estate staging, but I share the story to inspire you to think outside the box when creating the perfect setting in your own home.  A more conservative real estate staging approachis wise when the goal is to appeal to a wide range of buyers, but be creative.  “Real Estate Beige” is not the only color out there, so have a little fun with your floors.

Consider hiring an artist like Gilles Giacomotti, a trained interior designer and graduate of decorative painting at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris who hand paints wooden floors for a very elegant treatment.  For more traditional and cost effective flooring alternatives, there are some great hardwood, carpet and vinyl treatments available through local flooring retailers.

Nickie Rothwell is an ASP Stager, owner of Get Staged 2 Sell in Los Angeles.