Nearly 80 percent of homeowners are considering a home improvement project this year, and 33 percent of those will install new flooring, according to a new research study from the home advice site Kudzu.com.

Installing new flooring will be one among the most popular home-related projects during 2011. According to the Kudzu.com study, only painting (49 percent), landscaping (38 percent), refurnishing (35 percent) and lawn care (33 percent) will be as popular a task as installing new flooring.

  “The floors are one of the first things someone notices when they walk into a home,” said Rhonda Hills, Kudzu.com vice president and chief marketing officer. “Good flooring improves the look of a room and can also increase the value to the home. It’s no surprise that flooring projects are at the top of most homeowners’ lists.”

Kudzu.com’s study shows 50 percent of all homeowners planning to install new flooring are undecided on the brands they will consider. The brands receiving the most consideration are Armstrong (24 percent), Lumber Liquidators (21 percent), StainMaster (19 percent), Mohawk (15 percent), Bruce (10 percent), Shaw (14 percent). Of study participants, 50 percent were undecided about the brands they will consider.

“Which flooring option a homeowner will choose is very much up in the air,” said Hills. “Half of all homeowners have no idea which brands they will even consider. This isn’t all bad news, though. Product manufacturers and flooring professionals should look at this as an opportunity to market directly to homeowners and establish their products as the brand of choice.”

The Kudzu.com homeowner’s study was conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 18 and included nearly 3,500 respondents.