People planning to redecorate their homes, do-it-your-selfers, and new developers are just some of the folks who come into Home Floor Covering and Polson Stone and Tile at its new location, 35923 Mud Lake Trail, Polson, just east of Hwy. 93.

The store offers a beautiful new showroom, bringing both businesses under one roof. Inside, visitors will find lots of tile, quartz, quartzite and granite counter tops, laminate flooring, luxury vinyl plank flooring, carpet, window shades, hardwood flooring, and sheet vinyl.

Service is also an emphasis. Cathy Wies, interior designer, and Alyssa Vargas, sales, made it clear the staff doesn’t expect customers to walk in and just find what they need. The staff is always there to guide them through the multitude of choices.

“We always have a very wide range of price points,” Wies added.

Jesse Cutts, the Home Floor Covering manager, noted that showrooms need to have an extensive variety of products.

“You never know what a customer is going to choose,” Cutts said.

Montana natives, as well as customers who’ve moved here from California, Washington, Arizona and Utah, all have their own aesthetics.

Asked what colors are popular, Cutts said grays have been in, but seem to be on the way out. Wise and Vargas agreed with that assessment as did Thad Michalson, TSA Flooring supplier, who happened to be on hand during the interview.

Michalson said golds and rusts are coming back in fashion. Wies added that lighter wood tones are showing up, and neutrals are always desirable.

As an interior designer, Wies gets calls for design consultations.

“I have to visualize what a house looks like from the floor plan,” Wies said of her job. “We have to be flexible here to do all kinds of projects. I don’t just pick pretty colors – the design may be colors, and it may be styles, but it has to have the appropriate scale.” Vargas is also learning those skills.

As to whether carpeting or laminates are most in demand, Cutts said it goes in waves. Some months, customers will choose laminate or luxury vinyl plank flooring and then a surge of carpet buyers will come in.

Vargas noted most people choose carpet in bedrooms and “run the vinyl over the rest of the house.”

Laminate flooring had fallen out of favor, Cutts said, because back in the day if water seeped into the seams, the product would swell. Now waterproofing or water resistant laminate flooring is available, and more and more people are having laminate installed in their houses.

With many samples inside and a slab yard out the back door, people can choose counter tops when they’re picking out flooring, points out Chancey Dennison, co-owner and general manager.

After a trip to Seattle, Dennison announced they’re launching a new line of stock materials.

“Each one of those slabs weighs over 1,000 pounds,” he added.

Polson Stone and Tile has an updated stone fabrication workshop on site as well. They deal with all hard, solid surfaces except Corian, according to Dennison. That includes granite, quartz, quartzite, marble, travertine and soapstone.

It’s another world in the workroom with the murmur of running water, machines buzzing, an undercurrent of music and workers in safety glasses and rubber boots.

The shop is now fully automated, Dennison said. They’ve added two C & C machines, automated pieces of machinery which cut and router the edges of stone.

With an emphasis on service, a large inventory and a custom cutting shop, Home Floor Covering and Polson Stone and Tile offers a wide range of services.

“We do everything from the initial estimating to the final installation of the finished product,” Dennison said.