Lifestyle Behind the Flooring: Gabriela’s Story
Gabriela gives Nueva Casa de Ceramica a glance at her life and how she makes her flooring choice.
Remodeling plans vary for everyone, but behind any plans is a person’s lifestyle and the choices in their everyday life that makeup what changes will be enacted. Gabby Martinez, Nueva Casa de Ceramica’s Marketing Manager, gives us a glance at her life and how she was able to choose a flooring option that suited her best, considering her position as a college student and as a pet owner.
From Carpet to Laminate:
Before moving to a laminate floor, Martinez explained her previous experience with carpet. When moving into her parent’s new home, she recounts the realtor’s comment about there being carpet issues.“When I had moved into my room, there were still stains. I tried different products that I found online that people recommended that would take the stains off, but it seemed like it just kept getting worse and worse.”
Pets and Flooring
In addition to the floor’s history, Martinez explains one of her first significant considerations for remodeling her floor. As a pet owner, Martinez explains why it mattered that the flooring was not just carpet and something that suited her dog's needs. “I also had my puppy Nala, and every time she felt something soft, she wanted to pee, which makes sense because she was using pee pads, so I had a lot of incidents with her as well. Every time she needed to go, she would get out of her kennel, feel the soft carpet, and instantly just go for it,” Martinez said.
Considering that the flooring could not be carpet anymore, but also did not want it to be of any material that would make the floor too cold, after asking for advice at Nueva Casa de Ceramica, where she bought the product, Martinez decided on laminate. “I thought tile would be too cold for a bedroom because we always have the AC running… during that time, vinyl was just being introduced, and my mentality was, “because it’s a new product, I’m not too sure if I wanted to go with that route.” But I did learn that the laminate that I chose was water-resistant… which was fine because usually, you know, when something spilled, like when my dog went to the restroom by accident, I would just clean it up right after.”
College Student Considerations:
Most of the time, thinking like a college student is not all about academics; it is also about costs and affordability. However one’s financial situation may be, Martinez explains that despite typical college expenses, remodeling her floor was still something she could consider. Besides saving up money for the change, she discusses how the process was also made affordable by being able to buy a floor without having to pay for installation costs.
“I had mentioned to my dad that, I knew once installation also gets added, it becomes pricey.” Alternatively, Martinez and her dad were able to find videos online and work through the installation process themselves. “So I was able to watch videos and see how people did certain things and how cuts were made and tools that were used to make sure that material clicked with one another. It was much easier than I expected… There were a lot of things that I needed to know before just going into it.”
Advice for Future Remodeling Plans:
When asked what advice she would give future customers looking to remodel their homes, Martinez said, “to get something that fits your lifestyle. When I was looking for stuff for myself, my main concern was making sure that my dogs would not scratch it because I don’t have small dogs. I have all larger breeds, so that’s one of the things I kept thinking of.” After having the floor for many years, Martinez explains how it still looks as when it was first installed at her home even now. “Take your time to pick something that fits your lifestyle so that you don’t have to worry about it every day.”
People’s remodeling choices are not limited to a simple color preference or a particular aesthetic. Perhaps a reader may relate to Martinez’s story. Still, there are many more experiences that are all shaped by people’s lifestyles. From being able to reminisce on the porcelain a person once saw as a child to valuing a floor that has withstood the tests of time with plenty of family memories. Everyone’s story is significant in its own way. Nueva Casa de Ceramica wants to be an agent in making whichever narrative you’re following possible.
