Month: April 2020

A flooring for kitchens needs to be strong, durable, water resistant and able to cope with continuous changes in temperature and humidity. The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in a home, so you will want a practical but stylish floor covering that matches the rest of the décor. Read More

If you are looking for ways to make a big change in your home, you may want to consider hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring can change the look of your home and update it. Did you know that if you take out that old shag carpet from the 1970s, and install hardwood floors, you can up your resale figure for your home by 20%? Here is some information on why hardwood floors are so amazing.

While you might not know this, many people really want hardwood floors in their houses. There are several reasons people like hardwood floors. One reason people like hardwood floors is because they are easier to clean than carpet is, especially if you have dogs and kids running around the house. Also, many people with allergies prefer houses with hardwood floors, because carpeting traps pollen and dust mites, which aren’t good for people with allergies. Hardwood floors also retain their beauty far longer than carpeting does.

Do you already have hardwood floors? Are they looking a little rough and showing signs of wear? You may want to sand your floors down and have them restained and refinished. When your floors are stained and sanded, they return to the original glory they once had, and work in your home’s resale value favor. What a great surprise to find out how new your home looks with restained and refinished floors.

Often, if you are remodeling your home, and you pull carpeting up, you may find hardwood floors underneath your carpeting, especially if you are remodeling an older home. When you take up the carpeting, and you only find the subfloor, that’s not a problem. We can install a hardwood floor on top of the subfloor. Many people have hardwood in parts of their home, but carpeting in their bedrooms or in their dens. By replacing the carpeting with hardwood, you expand the space inside your house, especially if you have an open floor plan. We are able to match the hardwood you already have with new hardwood to give your home a uniform appearance.

If you’re looking for a professional upgrade, why not use hardwood flooring to redesign the hearth in your den or bedroom? People really appreciate designer touches, such as a hardwood border with design around a fireplace. These are the touches that set your home apart from the rest of the pack.

When you are ready to try new flooring in your home, why not look at what we have to offer? Give Flooring.org a call today at 800-689-9006. We are fully operational as usual and look forward to assisting you!

This post appeared first on http://www.flooring.org

You will notice that laminate flooring is quick and easy to clean.  You don’t need a range of expensive cleaning products, and you shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time sweeping and mopping.  We have put together this laminate flooring cleaning guide to help you get to grips with the basics. Read More

Was 2020 the year you hoped to remodel, change your floors, update your fixtures, and give your home a fresh new look?

Is it still in the plans, albeit pushed back a bit?

Use this time to get clearer on what you truly want for your remodel. You can do that by asking these seven questions to help you hone in on what’s really important to you.

What rooms do I really want to renovate?

We all like to dream about the ways we’d like to change our homes. Upgrade the kitchen. Make the family room more open and airy. Or maybe change out the master bathroom to a spa-like experience.

Instead of dreaming about it, start focusing in on the renovation from the ground up. What rooms will you tackle first?

Every homeowner is unique in their approach to home renovation. For one, they might realize it all starts with the flooring because the carpeting is in such bad shape. If they have to replace it anyway, why not upgrade it more to work towards creating the house of their dreams?

If you’ve always had carpet in the family room, and are considering moving to hardwood, for example, it might be more time consuming then ripping up the carpet and laying planks in place. When you’re in the process of changing your floors, you might discover that the subfloor currently in place isn’t well suited for your new flooring material. Renovation will be more detailed because it will require more work to install something new.

Location of the room is equally important. Maybe you want to create a succinct living space, with hardwood throughout the main floor. If the hardwood currently in your kitchen is no longer available, you’ll have choices to make. Do you want to sand your current flooring down and stain it throughout to match? Are you ready to install transitions between rooms to create a beautiful look?

Look through your favorite decorating sites, and start building a pinboard on Pinterest to keep track of your preferences in one place.

What is my budget?

What is a realistic budget you’ve set aside for your remodeling plans? If you’ve only based your budget on estimates you’ve noticed online, or in ads you see for your local big box store, you might be surprised at the final price tag.

Big box stores like to share low prices for products. Yes, they’re offering a low price on hardwood planks, for instance. But they don’t share with you all the other costs that go into installation. Like ripping up your existing floor. Or making it ready for a new one. Or labor costs.

Now let’s add that into a complete remodel. If you’re redoing your kitchen, every step you take might reveal problems you didn’t anticipate. Have you watched the shows on the home and garden network? How many times are the homeowners “surprised” as a problem surfaces, adding 5 to 10 percent to the final budget?

Think realistically. Then add 5 to 10 percent for the just in case. If all goes well, you’ll feel even better by “saving money” too.

Who uses the room? What for?

Are you remodeling a kitchen that will be used several hours each day? Or are you adding in a guest bedroom that will only be used several times per year?

Different rooms. Different needs.

Base your final decisions on what floor makes most sense to stand up to the kind of wear you anticipate. And ensure you consider how much upkeep it will need throughout the years as well.

Do any of your family members have health challenges?

For some families, the best decision you can make is to change your floors to make your home a cleaner place. If anyone in your family has allergies or asthma, cleanliness is everything.

Many select hardwood or tile because they are easier flooring choices to keep clean. Running a swiffer over it daily is much easier than lugging out the vacuum. But other choices might make even more sense.

What about cork? Cork is naturally hypoallergenic. They use natural materials for production, and won’t collect things like pollen, mildew, or other pollutants and contaminants that can trigger allergic reactions. In addition, cork flooring releases no VOCs, which makes it the right choice for many families.

What are your personal preferences? 

No matter what flooring choice looks good on paper, some homeowners have their minds set on a specific flooring product, and nothing else will do. Does this sound like you?

Our suggestion to you is to stick with your personal preferences. And then come in with an open mind.

Let’s say you want hardwood; you’ve wanted it for years, and your remodeling plans are based around installing hardwood. If you come in with an open mind, we can help you make the best choice based on your situation.

Hardwood is ever-popular. That’s why many other flooring choices have gone to great lengths to mimic its classic good looks. What if you could install luxury vinyl tile in the laundry room that is so close to the real thing, you have to get down on your hands and knees to tell it isn’t “real”? Or maybe you want to carry the look of hardwood throughout your home, but tile makes more sense in the master bath. Thanks to today’s technology, you can get tile that looks like wood planks too. And it’ll handle better in a high moisture, high humidity situation.

What look are you trying to create?

Design is everything. We get that. That’s why you’re contemplating a remodel in the first place.

You have a specific goal in mind. You “see” your final look long before you start putting everything together.

Go with your gut feeling. If you’ve always wanted a certain product, then don’t let others sway your final decision. Stick with it. Ask questions to ensure you’re getting the best in the product line. And love your results.

What maintenance level are you comfortable with?

Are you more of a sweep-and-go kind of person? Or do you take great joy in spending a little time in the cleaning process, and making it look great at all costs?

Different flooring options will take different levels of maintenance. It’s important to be prepared for whatever that means before the installation begins.

Also, check in with our flooring associates for recommendations for the best products to use. If you use many of the cleaning products you’ll find on the shelves of the local big box store, for example, you might void the warranty right from the very first cleaning.

Are you thinking of changing your floor this year?

Do your research. Then give us a call. Whether you stop by and see our full selection, or would like us to meet you and go over options where you are, we’re happy to help you select the perfect flooring choice for your home.

This post appeared first on https://pro-flooring.com

Floating floor – it sounds fascinating, doesn’t it? The concept of being able to move a floor in quickly and “float” it into place has a certain appeal. Yet from talking with a lot of homeowners who are contemplating which new floor to install, we’ve also discovered there’s a lot of misinformation around it too.

What is meant by a floating floor?

In today’s modern homes, there are two parts to the flooring inside your home: the floor covering and the subfloor. Subfloors can be made from a variety of materials, including concrete and wood. Depending on what your subfloor is made from determines how your new floor covering will be installed.

A floating floor is designed to “float” on the subfloor without having to be secured to the floor. The installer won’t use nails or glue to ensure it stays in place. Instead, it is secured by the edges of the room as it is installed under base moldings and transitions. This requires a knowledgeable installer to ensure your flooring of choice is put into place properly to prevent movement through wear and aging.

Because floating floors have their place in modern home design, today’s homeowners have a wide variety of materials to select from, most of which have a “click” technology that helps lock planks together, and hold them tighter for a better fit. The three most popular choices include:

Engineered Wood – if you love the look of hardwood, yet want something that is more durable and that fits better into your lifestyle, engineered wood is often the best choice. Engineered wood is constructed from multiple layers of thinner wood and plywood, with a finished layer of solid wood. Engineered wood is created to be a lightweight alternative flooring choice that’s easy to care for and fits a wide variety of lifestyles. The bottom layer is often created from sustainable materials, making it a more eco-friendly option too. Because of its popularity, you’ll find engineered wood available in both floating options and glue down.

Laminate – while engineered wood is made up of different layers of wood designed to look like real hardwood, laminate takes a different approach to give you the classic look of hardwood. Laminate is a multilayer product where the hardwood look is created with a lifelike photograph. It has a protective top layer that gives it its durability. When you choose laminate planks, they’ll float into place through click technology. People often choose laminate flooring because it’s less expensive than other flooring choices, and it’s easy to use. You can often lay it into place over existing flooring, meaning you have fewer labor costs for removal.

Luxury Vinyl – while most vinyl isn’t floating and requires glue to hold it in place, the exception is luxury vinyl planks (LVP) and luxury vinyl tile (LVT). These two products are designed to imitate hardwood and ceramic tile, and come with click installation process. They interlock to make it easy to install, and have a multilayer backing that makes it a softer choice than hardwood. It can be easier on the budget too. It’s a great alternative if you’re worried about moisture, as these products stand up well in areas that typically are associated with water problems, like bathrooms and basements.

Cork – one of the newest floating floor options is cork. They come in planks, and click together in similar fashion to laminate flooring. Cork is a sustainable product, as it is harvested from tree bark, meaning the trees don’t have to be cut down for production. It’s also a hypoallergenic product, making it a good choice for homeowners that are conscious of the materials they bring into their homes.

Why would you want to bring a floating floor into your home? 

There are a lot of reasons why a floating floor makes sense for your remodeling needs.

You want fast installation – depending on the flooring you already have in place, you can often lay and of the floating floor options right over the top. This saves you time as you won’t have to rip out old flooring, and fix the subfloor for any problems that occur during the process. It means you can have your flooring installed in hours, and be ready to use your home again in no time.

You want an economical option – homeowners often select floating floors because they want the look of a more expensive flooring choice with a more budget-friendly price tag. And because it can usually be installed over existing flooring, it can save money on labor if you choose to have a contractor install it.

You have an uneven subfloor – sometimes, no matter how hard you try to create a smooth, even surface for your new flooring, your home’s flooring structure won’t cooperate. A floating floor is a forgiving floor. Because it doesn’t directly connect with the subfloor, it’s easier to lay it in place over small problem areas without causing more maintenance work down the road.

You are dealing with asbestos issues – asbestos is a dangerous product that can cause a lot of problems in your home. Unfortunately, in some older flooring products, asbestos was used in production. It’s not only dangerous to remove it from your home, but it also can be a very time consuming and costly process. In some cases, unless you’re properly certified, it can be illegal too. Being able to float a floor over this existing product is the wisest move.

You want radiant heating underneath – a floating floor is a great option when installing it over radiant heating. Because it doesn’t require nails or glue to hold it in place, it keeps the space between the perfect place to install a radiant heating system. It’s also easier for repair work because you can lift up the sections you need, and put them quickly back into place.

What’s your decision?

If this article caught your eye, it may mean that floating floors might be the perfect choice for your home. Floating floors are perfect for do-it-yourselfers, or if you’re wanting to make a quick change with less than perfect conditions. When you’re ready to talk about your remodel in more detail, we’re here. Stop by today and see the many floating floor options available to you.

This post appeared first on https://pro-flooring.com

When buying new flooring, there are certain key steps to ensuring its longevity. Preparation is key. As the old saying goes: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. One key step is to acclimatise flooring. But what is it? Why is acclimating wood flooring so important, and how do you do it effectively?

To acclimatise flooring, leave the boxes in the room the floor will be fitted in. This allows it to adjust to the room’s temperature and moisture levels. Leave the flooring in its boxes, stacked on top of each other, and open them at each end to let air circulate through the packs. Different flooring types require different minimum acclimatisation periods:

• Solid wood: 72 hours
• Engineered wood: 72 hours
• Laminate flooring: 24 hours
• Luxury vinyl tiles: 24 hours
• EvoCore: No acclimatisation needed

Jump to:

• What is Acclimatisation?
• Why is it Important?
• How to Acclimatise Your Flooring
• Best Practice

What is Acclimatising Flooring?

Acclimatising flooring is the process of conditioning your wood, laminate or LVT to adjust to its new environment. This is the room it will be installed in. 

Through acclimating wood flooring, it is given time to get used to the room’s natural temperature and moisture (humidity) levels. 

Missing this crucial step can lead to serious issues with your floor down the line. 

Why is it So Important?

If you fail to acclimatise your flooring, it may warp, crack, buckle or split. You could also be left with unsightly gaps. 

This is because floors naturally expand and contract. This is even more true for real wood flooring, as they are natural products, which is why their acclimatisation times are longer. 

Every room has its own temperature and humidity levels. Because your flooring is likely to have been stored in a large warehouse, the environment is much different to the one in which it will be laid. 

If you immediately lay your flooring without letting it acclimatise, it will expand or contract due to the sudden change in environment. This is where damage most occurs.

How to Acclimatise Your Flooring

Acclimatising your new flooring is very easy to do.

Simply leave the flooring in its boxes, open up the end and stack them on top of each other. This allows air to circulate between the boards and helps the flooring to adapt to its new environment. 

The length of time you need to acclimatise flooring depending on the flooring type. Here are our recommendations for the minimum amount of time you should leave your floor to acclimatise.

Flooring Type	Minimum Time Needed to Acclimatise
Solid Wood	72 hours
Engineered Wood	72 hours
Laminate Flooring	24 hours
Luxury Vinyl Tiles	24 hours
EvoCore	No acclimatisation needed

Flooring such as solid and engineered wood is of course made from natural materials. This makes them more susceptible to damage from moisture or fluctuating temperatures. 

While laminate does have wood in the form of a fibreboard core, there is less of it, which is why it needs less time to acclimatise. 

Luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) may be made from mostly plastic, but this can still be affected by changes in temperature. This is why 24 hours minimum is recommended for this flooring type. 

EvoCore flooring is a brand new range, made from seven highly-durable layers. These layers mean it requires no acclimatisation.

When acclimatising your flooring, it’s important that the room’s temperature and humidity levels are as they would be normally. 

If they’re acclimatised to an environment that’s different, for example before heating or air conditioning is installed and used, this can cause damages down the line as the flooring adapts to the new temperature levels. 

If your room has heating or air conditioning, make sure they’ve been operating for at least five days before you acclimatise flooring. The same goes for underfloor heating. If you’ve had any work done to the room, such as plastering, allow this to fully dry before acclimatisation. 

In short, the room should fall within 18-24°C, with a relative humidity level of 45-65%. Your flooring should not be any larger than 8-12% humidity before it is installed. 

Best Practice

There are certain best practices you should follow when acclimatising flooring:

• Make sure the room environment is stable before you acclimatise your flooring
• If you floor was delivered on a rainy day and has absorbed moisture, allow extra time for acclimatisation
• Check your room falls within 18-24°C and 45-65% humidity
• Ensure your flooring’s humidity levels are between 8-12%
• Always follow manufacturer guidelines if you’re unsure to ensure your warranty remains intact

To Sum Up

Acclimating wood flooring, and most flooring types, is crucial in protecting its longevity. 

To prevent damages such as cracks, gaps or warping, ensure you follow the step in this guide. For further advice, contact our team today.

The post How to Acclimatise Flooring? appeared first on Direct Wood Flooring Blog.

If you are decorating your home and thinking to replace your old carpet with something a bit different, why not consider a wooden floor.  Hardwood flooring is a great alternative to a carpet and can add character and sophistication to any home. Read More