Month: May 2022

What’s holding you back from installing the flooring of your dreams?

Do you dream of hardwood flooring from one side of your home to the other? Do you see it adding ambiance to your home?

Are you holding back because you’re worried about it scratching?

Don’t worry; you’re not alone. It’s often one of the first questions homeowners ask when contemplating hardwood flooring installation. They’ve been dreaming about it … but they don’t want buyer’s remorse.

Hardwood flooring is something you’ve dreamed of for years.

They say hardwood flooring can last for decades. Even when they start looking a little rundown, you can sand them down and refinish them for a brand new look.

How easily will they scratch? And is there something you can do to protect hardwood flooring from scratching even before it begins?

What scratches hardwood flooring?

In order to fully protect your new flooring, it’s important to understand what the greatest risks are to stop scratching before it begins.

Footwear

By far, this can be one of the most damaging things to your floor’s finish. Take a look at the bottom of a shoe. See all of those tiny rocks stuck in there? They have the potential to scratch your floors. Running shoes aren’t the only culprits; high heels can scratch and dent. If you want to keep your floors looking their best, create a “shoes off” policy and have them checked by the door.

Furniture

Furniture is also a big culprit for scratching. If your kids bounce in the chairs and cause them to scoot across the floor, you might see tiny scratches appear over time. Before placing any furniture directly on hardwood, place pads on the bottom to avoid damage over time.

Pets

Do your pets love to play? Their nails can impact the finish of your hardwood flooring. Be sure to keep their nails well trimmed, as long nails can cause more significant damage to your floors.

What can you do to further prevent scratching?

Keeping your hardwood flooring looking great doesn’t require massive change. With just a few tweaks to your regular routine, you’ll have great-looking floors for years to come.

Take off your shoes

We can’t stress this enough. If you want great-looking floors – no matter what type of flooring you install – check your shoes at the front door.

You can encourage this by placing mats or a bin by the front door. Maybe add a bench to make it easy to sit down to zip or tie your shoes into place. You can even have a selection of slippers available to avoid cold feet. This is the easiest way to make this a habit, and your flooring will thank you for it.

Place entry mats by every door

We have it all here in Colorado – ice, snow, water, debris. How many times have you tracked in ice from the coldest days of winter? Or brought leaves and other debris when autumn sets in?

Placing mats at all entry points will allow visitors to wipe their feet before they enter your house. You can change them often to create a new look for your visitor and guests. We suggest placing entrance mats outside to give feet a chance to leave much of the debris outside. Then have another mat on the inside to leave your shoes behind. This double matting will ensure most of what you can track inside, stays far away from your hardwood floors.

Adding felt pads to everything

Many homeowners think about adding felt pads to sofas and chairs, but then forget other things that still have the potential for damage.

Bookcases, tables, desks, and hutches – if it sits on your floors, it has the potential for scratching. They make felt pads in a variety of shapes and sizes. Buy extras and have them available for when they fall off. Pay attention to quality. There are many inexpensive brands on the market, but some will do the job better than others.

Avoid rollers

Home offices are more popular than ever. But office chairs with rollers on the bottom can easily trap dirt and grit. Every time you roll across the floor, you risk having them scratch the floor.

If you have rollers on any furniture, consider placing rugs or mats to provide further protection.

Clean regularly

One of the best ways to ensure dirt doesn’t grind into your hardwood flooring finish is to sweep it up before it can cause damage. Use a soft sweeper to pick up dirt and debris and pull it away from your finish. Avoid harsh chemicals that can penetrate your floor’s finish.

Be sure to check with the manufacturer of your hardwood flooring for recommendations on products to use. Many on the market today have harsh chemicals that can dull or ruin the finish. Your manufacturer will usually provide guidelines right on their websites. Or feel free to give us a call – we’re happy to make recommendations.

Use rugs

Area rugs can be handy for keeping your floors clean. They are also a great way to improve aesthetics, and to add color and flair to your decor. If you have chairs that move frequently, such as in the dining room, an area rug can provide added protection. They also help reduce noise, which can be beneficial in an open concept home.

Be sure to get a durable rug pad to place underneath. Rug pads add to the rug’s overall comfort, durability, and warmth. It will also provide added protection to help reduce scratches even more. Some rug backings are stiff enough to scratch if they move around.

Are you still dreaming of hardwood flooring?

With the popularity of hardwood flooring, many homeowners find the risk of possible scratching worth it for the chance of having the right aesthetics inside their homes.

Don’t be afraid to install what you want. Hardwood flooring is tougher than you think.

With a bit of care and maintenance, you’ll be able to keep your hardwood flooring looking its best for years to come. And when they do need refreshing, it’s as simple as sanding them down and adding a new finish.

Are you ready to find the hardwood flooring of your dreams?

The post Easy Ways To Protect Your Hardwood Flooring From Scratching first appeared on PRO! Flooring.

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

One of the first things people notice about a space is the flooring. High-quality flooring can create an inviting environment and a positive first impression. Additionally, well-crafted flooring can withstand the wear and tear of daily living, lasting for generations in a home. If your flooring is less than desirable, here are five reasons you need to renovate your floors:

If you plan on selling your home in the future, you want to renovate your floors. As mentioned previously, top-quality flooring can last for generations in a home. When buyers are looking at homes on the market, they don’t want to buy a home with floors that are falling apart. Rather, they want to have confidence in their purchase knowing that the floors are designed with strength and durability in mind. New floors can improve the value of your home, providing a return on investment as well.

Floors that are cracked or warped can be unsafe. You may think it’s best to repair the flooring, but it’s actually more worth your money to replace the floors. This is because new flooring improves the value of your home. Additionally, new flooring is more durable and designed to last longer. If you repair one or two floorboards today, you will likely have to replace more floorboards soon. Instead of spending a lot of money to replace small sections of your floor over time, take the plunge and replace all of your floors to save money in the long run.

When the temperature drops, do you find yourself getting too cold inside of your home? If this is the case, you may be able to benefit from replacing your floors. Certain types of flooring can actually improve the insulation of your home. It’s no surprise that carpet provides insulation, but laminate flooring can also help you maintain a comfortable temperature in your home.

If you or your children have allergies, replacing your flooring can provide positive health benefits. Old flooring, especially carpet or cracked hardwood, can trap in allergens, bacteria, and other contaminants. Even when cleaned regularly, these allergens can get stuck in old flooring and cause discomfort for you and your loved ones. Removing the old flooring and replacing it with smooth, high-quality hardwood can help you live allergen-free in your home.

Finally, you should consider replacing your flooring to upgrade your look. You want your home to feel comfortable, cozy, and like an expression of yourself. If your floors are outdated and boring, switch them out for something that is more your style.

At Flooring.org, we carry a wide variety of flooring options that you can use to upgrade your home. For details about our flooring selection, give us a call at (800) 689-9006 or email us at [email protected] . We hope to work with you soon!

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

When our kids graduate, it’s the culmination of years of hard work, family support, obstacles overcome and joy all rolled into one. That’s why so many parents, aunties, brothers and grandparents tear up when they hear “Pomp and Circumstance” float out of the speakers at the graduation ceremony. Graduation marks emotional growth as well as academic achievement.

So, when it’s time to celebrate, it’s time to do it up big! You’ll need to order food to feed a crowd and maybe get one of those cakes with the graduate’s picture on it (though it’s a little strange to cut into).

Before you stock up the party supplies, start with a good whole house spruce to welcome your guests. Deep clean the kitchen. Dust off the patio furniture and scrub the grill. Don’t forget to eliminate dust, germs, pollen and stains with a springtime carpet and upholstery cleaning too.

Freshen up the carpet

Let’s start with your carpeting. It’s one of the first things guests notice when you open your front door. If it’s in good shape, your guests may ask if they need to remove their shoes when entering. If it’s not, your guests may think all sorts of thoughts (What’s that smell? How old is that carpet?), but they won’t let you know what those are!

Regular carpet maintenance can help ensure your house is inviting and it can also save you money. Of course, vacuum your carpet weekly to keep your carpet fibers in top shape. Then, hire a professional carpet cleaner to deep steam clean your carpets and upholstery. The care will restore your carpet texture and ensure your furnishings are renewed for guests.

A Personal Touch steam cleaning technology removes nasty germs, even coronavirus, deep down into your carpet and upholstery fibers.  Our cleaning water is heated up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. According to our industry guidelines, just 125 degrees Fahrenheit kills 98 percent of household germs including colds, flu and bed bugs. Our deep soil carpet cleaning with a potent truck-mounted steam cleaning system removes tough stains and odors, including cat and dog urine stains and smells.

Sanitize the upholstery

Dining room chairs, recliners, couches, loveseats, armchairs and throw pillows all need an occasional deep cleaning too. This will ensure your guests don’t encounter any surprises when sitting down to chat about impressive achievements and future plans.

Remember the time your graduate had friends over for raucous games in the family room? The spills on the chairs are still there, as are the ones on the couch cushion that was just flipped over to hide them! Those are memories you don’t need to keep. Stains, dinginess and even pet odors can be removed with a thorough cleaning performed by A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Disinfecting and deodorizing after cleaning can help you keep your furniture looking newer longer too.

Get in touch

A Personal Touch can help you make your house extra welcoming for all the celebrations you’ll have this spring and summer in Denver, Parker and Littleton. Reach out before big birthdays, weddings and anniversaries too. We are happy to answer any carpeting or upholstery cleaning questions you might have and give you a free, written estimate without cost or obligation. Contact us at 720.344.2870 or use our online form to schedule a free consultation.

The post Welcome Graduation Guests with Clean Carpets and Upholstery appeared first on A Personal Touch.

Referral programs are more necessary now than ever before! While we enter an economic crisis after lockdown, prices keep going up, and every penny counts in the bank. The Carpet Guys will pay you to refer your friends and family. Read on to find out how.

Tell All Your Friends and Family for Referral Bonus

If you are a previous customer, or just had a great service experience getting your flooring installed with The Carpet Guys, we will pay you to refer your friends and family.  With our referral program, we will pay up to $100 for each qualified purchase.  That can turn into a very lucrative reward program. Realtors and home improvement specialists are included.  If you have customers that are looking for flooring and you refer The Carpet Guys, we will send you a free bonus. Resources would include co-workers, and extended family, even if you overhear someone talking in the grocery store that wants flooring. Tell them about your awesome experience and that they should use your name when they book their appointment.

Where Can I Sign Up for the Referral Program?

If you already referred someone, you could fill out this online form at The Carpet Guys Referrals. We just need your name, mailing address, email, and phone number. We will never use or sell your information. We have our own agent standing by to process your referral and it will be mailed to you within 45 days of your friend’s installation completion.

When you tell your friend about The Carpet Guys, make sure they let their Design Consultant know you referred them.  If it’s on the contract, that is how we verify that you referred them and will get money. Then, after the installation is complete, we will issue a check and put it in the mail for you.  If we don’t have your address, our agent will call you to confirm your name and mailing address. It’s that easy to be a part of this program!

What is a Referral Qualifying Purchase?

A qualifying purchase to get credit for referring your network is an actual purchase of installation by The Carpet Guys.  If they set up an appointment but don’t purchase, it doesn’t count. They must make the purchase and pay their balance in full. Once we have installed their new flooring, we will process your referral reward. There are no other requirements and no hidden fees.

It’s that easy for free money. We want to thank you for being a valued customer of our business and referring friends and family. If you are in the market for new flooring or know someone that is, tell them to call us at 855-4-MY-GUYS (855-469-4897) or go to our online scheduling form here and we will set up a Free In-Home Estimate.

The post Referral Program appeared first on The Carpet Guys.

When you have a new build, flooring can be installed to flow from one room to the next, blending well and looking its best.

However, few homeowners get the chance to add a new palette to start fresh and make flooring match. As time and budgets prevail, most of us live with the ebb and flow of renovation, doing a room here and another one there.

And that’s where the problems begin. You have hardwood in the living room or dining room. Now you want to add in the hallway or the kitchen.

It’s logical to think that you want it to flow and blend, as if it was all installed together.

Is that possible? And if not, how can you create a unified look for your home?

The first question … Do you care?

There seems to be a designer appeal of having every room in your home match. Having one solid hardwood floor run throughout your home creates a sense of unified space with appeal.

That may be a commonly held belief, but that doesn’t make it the right choice for you.

This is about your personality, your decorating choices, and the way you view your aesthetics.

Do you care if the same hardwood flooring exists from room to room?

Do variations bother you as you piece two separate rooms together?

For some, uniformity is a must. Without a flow-through from room to room, they will hate the ambiance it creates.

For others, they simply don’t care. They enjoy design and functionality on a room by room basis. If that means changing the flooring in each space, so be it.

What makes two different hardwood choices flow well together are transitions

Can you place two different hardwood choices together inside your home? Of course. Homeowners do it all the time.

Just head out to Google and start searching for images. Or visit Pinterest and explore your favorite decor sites. You’ll quickly find homeowners that have used hardwood flooring transitions and do them quite well.

But what you’ll quickly notice is that the key to making different flooring choices work well is the transitions. You can’t install two different sizes or color choices next to each other and expect them to work well together. You have to think about the presentation, and how it will look when finalized.

This transition needs to be planned, not happen by accident.

Flooring transitions are used anytime two different floors come together. It can be used if the flooring is of other materials, has different heights, or has different thicknesses. It creates a smooth boundary as you move from one area to the next.

There are several ways to transition from one material to another. What works best for you depends on the look you’re trying to create.

T-Molding – this is the easiest method, and is a great tool for blending different wood materials. You’ll often find these in natural transition areas, such as a doorway. They work best on floors at the same height.

Seam binder or transition strip – it’s a thin piece of wood material you can nail down across a wood flooring to bind two flooring types together. It’s a simple solution, but often looks rougher than other transitions because it can look tacked into place.

Metal transitions – a thin straight line of metal can provide an attractive, modern look to your floors. Just 1/8th of an inch wide, they can blend two separate wood colors nicely, and give you a contemporary look.

Threshold – a flat, rectangular block that looks and blends with hardwood flooring. It may look like hardwood, or resemble other materials such as stone or marble. They can be installed to blend in, or make a statement and stand out. They’re easy to install and can be cut to any size.

If both floors are the same thickness and height, you’ll have many options to transition between the two floors. However, sometimes you end up with floors of varying sizes. If that is the case, you’ll have to be more careful with the transition you install.

If it’s significant, you may need to look at rounded edge transitions used for flooring. This provides a buffer between the two heights and creates a smooth surface without becoming a tripping hazard.

The same … or different

If you won’t be using the same hardwood flooring from room to room, there are many ways of blending two separate flooring choices together.

It’s often better to choose two contrasting colors rather than trying to match them together. Two separate wood types with the same tonal qualities will blend well without looking like they were installed by mistake. One material will be darker than the other, complementary and in the same tone range. If you want them to match, you can work with a professional who will match the original wood and stain it for you.

If you cannot find the same material, it might be time to think about other flooring. This is often where homeowners select a natural tile, luxury vinyl planks, or other flooring choice for the kitchen and bath, while using hardwood throughout the rest of the main living space. When it becomes difficult to match or have it look pleasing to the eye, it might be better to move to an entirely different selection.

You can also use the structure of your room as a guide. If you have an open concept living space where each room blends into one another, transitioning can be a little trickier than if you have distinct rooms.

We often recommend selecting the right flooring for every room in your home. A dining space has different needs than a family room or a kitchen. Some questions you can ask include:

• Is my room big or small?
• How much light flows in during the day?
• What ambiance am I trying to create?
• Do I want noticeable transitions or do I want everything to blend?
• Do I like dark floors, or is lighter better?

Blending two hardwood floors together

Whether you’re considering adding new flooring to every room in your home, or will be installing it one room at a time, you’ll have to decide on how to transition your choices as they flor throughout your home.

Need help in making the perfect selection? Stop by today. We can help you make the right decision to suit your needs.

The post How Do You Blend Two Hardwood Floors? first appeared on PRO! Flooring.

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

Sometimes, life can get a little bit messy. Because of the hustle and bustle, we go through on a daily basis, there never seems to be enough time to get our home in shape. The Carpet Guys would like to pass some helpful organizing tips on to you.

No matter what area of the home you are organizing and what size it is, we believe there is a way to make it a well-organized space. Take a look at what The Carpet Guys consider the top eight organizing tips:

Start Small and Take Your Time

1. Always start in one place. Don’t look at the whole problem.  To begin, break it into smaller chunks. After you complete one area, move on to the next.

2. Take your time organizing. Certainly, you don’t have to get the whole house organized in one day! If you dedicate a couple of hours a day to the job, then you can set some time aside to relax.

3. After you have organized one room, take a look at the contents of the room. If you find some things that aren’t used anymore, then sell them in a yard sale or donate them. As a result, you will open up some space.

Use Hidden Spaces to Organize

4. We suggest taking advantage of doors by adding hanging net shelves on them.  Alternatively, we suggest using over-the-door hooks or baskets. First, it will allow storage of shoes and other items. Second, it will open up some much-needed space.

5. Organize with color. If you are going to organize and possibly add shelves or other items, then have them correlate with the colors of the room.  For example: if your office is green and red, then use green office supplies so they coordinate with your decor. Or, make green folders the “completed” folders and red the “Need to Process” folders. It will coordinate with purpose.

Make Organized Items Highly Visible

6. Visibility is a key factor in organizing. Because of this, the best containers are transparent.  These will enable easy labeling and identification. If you can see the items clearly, then it will save you a lot of time when you need to retrieve items.

7. Make sure to keep your items easily accessible. For instance, keep the items that you use most on the lower shelves and the less important items on the higher shelves.

8. Be flexible and select storage systems that can adapt to any changes. As a result, you can reconfigure and reuse the system for any organizing problems you may face.

Sometimes, the toughest part of organizing is getting started.  However, if you let The Carpet Guys replace your old, worn-out flooring, then it will spark a new light.  First, we will refresh your space, then your desire to organize will increase. Please call 855-4-MY-GUYS (855-469-4897) or  Fill out our Free In-Home Estimate form.  From here on out, our top eight organizing tips will get your home spruced up. Now, you can enjoy your well-organized, efficient space for years to come.

The post The Top Eight Organizing Tips appeared first on The Carpet Guys.