Winter’s arrival means hot chocolate, warm sweaters, and candles, but also more moisture and corrosive salts that may be walked into your home. However, hardwood floors are up to the challenge. With just a few precautions, your hardwood floors will make it through the season just fine. Questions? Call the hardwood flooring experts at Floor Sand Crafting at (317) 759-2575 or contact us online. 

 

1. Avoid using salt on your front porch. 

Protecting your hardwood floors this winter starts with keeping de-icing salts far away. Salt leaves a white, abrasive residue and salt particles can scratch your floor’s finish. If left on the floor too long, salt can harm the wood itself. (Here are some non-salt ice-melting ideas.)

2. Use mats at all entrances. 

Placing doormats at all entrances will give snow and salt a chance to be wiped off shoes and boots before they walk onto your floors. If there is a particular area of your floor where shoes collect or that receives a lot of outside foot traffic, consider laying down a large area rug to protect the floor during the winter.

3. Mop up water or snow right away. 

Sitting water or snow can damage hardwood floors, so immediately removing puddles is the key to protecting your floors. Use a towel to remove the moisture, mop the area, and dry. Sweep your floors regularly to remove debris. 

Do your hardwood floors need professional help to look their best? When it comes to hardwood flooring, Floor Craft Sanding has the experience and knowledge to make each project a success. We believe every floor can be a hallmark of your home, and we take every precaution to make sure all aspects of installation are done with precision and attention to detail. Contact Floor Craft Sanding today at (317) 759-2575 or contact us online to ask how we can add the timeless beauty of wood flooring to your Indianapolis, Indiana area home.

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Patterned or plain? Bold or neutral? How to choose the perfect flooring shade for your room

 

Unless you’re an interior design expert, choosing your new flooring is likely to leave you with a twinge of doubt. What looks great in the showroom, when actually fitted, might show dirt, seem gloomy or bland or just ugly. A sample that might look great, when sized up to fit your living room, doesn’t always gel. So what guidance is there to ensure you end up with the right flooring surface for your home? Our brief guide

 

1. Choose the right surface

The last thing you want is to fit a new carpet that then becomes worn or dirty. The difference a more durable flooring surface can make to high-traffic areas over the years truly makes them worth considering. Hallways, kitchens, bathrooms and other areas that experience high foot traffic as well as spills, stains and scuffs will remain brighter and more attractive in the long term the more durable a surface you use.

 

2. Pattern for space

Large and small spaces alike benefit from a sense of light and space, though the exact impact you want to achieve depends on the room. Smaller rooms, such as bathrooms, utility rooms and kitchens, always depend on features and furnishings to achieve a welcoming sense of space. This can often be a challenge to combine with the placement of functional features such as appliances. The best approach for these is to use patterns such as grids and ceramic tiled patterns to open up a room. While also fitting the functional theme, a ceramic tile pattern such as the classic black and white chequered ‘chessboard’ flooring lends your floor an optical illusion that provides a striking impression of space.

 

3. Colour for light

Very light or very dark colours can both provide a sense of light. By carefully working light and dark shades, you can produce a great brightening effect in otherwise dingy-feeling rooms. A very dark floor can bring out the light in a room with white fittings and walls, while a lighter floor can create a broad neutral feel that accentuated décor features and accents.

 

4. Consider the bigger picture

Your entire house, throughout the entire day, will be a wide range of shades and atmospheres, as natural light moves and changes. Neither will you be in one room all day- so factor in the feel of a flooring as part of the whole.

 

If you ever need any help choosing your new flooring, feel free to ask the advice of our flooring experts at our Sheffield showroom. We’ve helped homeowners across South Yorkshire find the right floor for their homes, with years of experience we’re confident we can help you too!

 

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Hardwood floors are beautiful, easy to maintain, and provide a clean, safe surface for your family. They are also the most environmentally sound choice for your floor. So, if you want to make a difference with your flooring choice, pick hardwood and let the experts at Floor Craft Sanding install it for you. Questions? Contact us today or give us a call at (317) 759-2575.

1. A Renewable Resource

Wood flooring is the most abundantly renewable flooring material available. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than the average annual removal rate, thanks to responsible harvesting techniques. That means that trees are growing faster than they are being used.

In terms of CO2 removal, trees remove the most CO2 (a greenhouse gas) from the air when they are young, long before they are ready for harvest. By the time they are harvested, the process by which they take in CO2 and release oxygen is slowed significantly. This means that the earth still is benefiting from their most “productive” oxygen emission phase.

2. Fewer Chemicals

Hardwood floors contain far fewer harmful chemicals than carpet or linoleum. Once in your home, hardwood floors are far easier to clean than carpet, keeping your family and pets free and clear of debris, dust, and chemicals brought in from treated lawns.

3. Longer Life

Wood floors use less water and energy to produce than carpet and linoleum. They last the lifetime of a house, rather than needing to be replaced every 10-15 years.

Floor Craft Sanding is a family-owned business here in Indianapolis. With our environmentally safe techniques, we can provide you with eco-friendly solutions for all of your wood flooring needs. Contact us online, or call (317) 759-2575 to learn about how your new flooring can meet all of your needs!

Source: Bona.com

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Vinyl Flooring from Pyramid Carpets: A practical, stylish choice

A well-chosen floor can transform any room; discover why with our five-point guide

 

Versatile and easy to manage

Vinyl flooring is the ultimate versatile floor surface, perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms and wet rooms. It’s incredibly easy to cut & adjust, fitted in minutes to all kinds spaces. Simple to adjust to even complex appliances and fittings, with vinyl, you can upgrade your floor in a day.

 

Realistic prints

Modern floor printing means vinyl floors no longer look bland or boring. Exciting prints and textures can replicated stone or other surfaces with incredible precision and accuracy, while nuanced subtle colours can easily bring a new dimension to the space.

 

Durable and tough- perfect for a family home

Nothing holds up to wear & tear like vinyl. Strong a resilient to cuts, stains, scuffs or spills, good vinyl holds up for years without fading or deteriorating. Perfect for high- traffic areas of the home, such as the kitchen or bathroom, it also resists moisture brilliantly- meaning that water, food, mud and other spills that could cause stains, smells or slips can be contained and cleaned up without fuss.

 

Creative patterns for less

Stylish designs and stunning patterns are easily available through vinyl flooring- which is also one of the most cost-effective flooring solutions available. These designs are often ideally suited to rooms where bringing light and space is a real benefit- rooms such as the bathroom or kitchen, which are often small and can easily appear cramped or dark. Open up a feeling of bright, modern roominess with a cutting edge vinyl floor.

 

Great value

Vinyl floors, to put it simply, are great, great value. Affordable and hardwearing, they can be fitted easily (cutting out the need for professional fitting) and are virtually indestructible, meaning you won’t need to replace them every few years. The flipside of this is that they’re easy and quick to replace if you ever need a change. Vinyl floors are really the ultimate practical flooring solution!

 

 

 

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Everybody wants a clean, nice-looking hardwood floor. But learning how to clean it is essential for protecting and maintaining your beautiful investment.There are so many cleaning products and methods available on the market; finding the right one can be overwhelming.

Here are some tips to ensure you clean your hardwood floors the right way.

1. Choosing the right hardwood floor cleaner

Good hardwood floor cleaner choice
– Our #1 recommendation is to use Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner. It’s residue free and it’s safe for family, pets and the environment.
– Always make sure to use a hardwood-recommended cleaner. Your hardwood floor cleaner should be non-abrasive and easy to use. It should not leave any trace or residue behind and should require no rinsing. It should be quick drying, with no VOCs.

Bad hardwood floor cleaner choice
– Never use liquid or paste wax, oil-based detergent, vinyl or tile cleaning products, surfactant detergents, any general-purpose household cleanser or other household products containing lemon, citrus, Tung vinegar, oil or silicon to clean your hardwood floor. These can dull and damage the finish, or leave a greasy film and make your hardwood floor slippery and more difficult to clean.
– Do not use 2-in-1 cleaners that contain acrylics or urethane polish to restore gloss.
– Stay away from harsh cleaning aids such as steel wool pads, scouring pads containing metal, or scouring powders. These can dull and damage the finish of your hardwood floor.
– Never use a wet mop or steam mop on your hardwood floor. Water and steam can dull the finish and even damage the wood. Steam cleaners put heat and excessive water on your wood floor, which can lead to cupping and long-term damage.

2. Regular hardwood floor cleaning routine

Daily sweep: Sweep your hardwood floor to remove loose dust and grit.
Weekly vacuum: Vacuum your hardwood floor with a soft-bristled attachment or broom, especially in high-traffic areas. Do not use vacuums with a beater bar or power rotary brush head. Vacuuming prevents gritty dirt and particle buildup that can scratch the wood’s surface.
Monthly clean: Clean your hardwood floor using a hardwood-recommended cleanser and a mop paired with a machine washable, microfiber pad for dusting and cleaning. Electrostatic action attracts dirt, micro particles and common household allergens.

When cleaning your hardwood floor, you should:
1.  Sweep or vacuum your wood floor.
2.  Spray a small quantity of your wood floor cleaner onto your microfiber mop. Never pour cleaner directly onto your hardwood floor.
3.  Swipe your floor.
4.  Excess cleaner that does not evaporate immediately should be dried with a clean towel. No rinsing necessary.

3. Special hardwood floor cleaning situation

Tough stains: Caused by food, water, animals, grease, crayons, ink spots, rubber heel marks:
– Spray your wood floor cleaner onto your microfiber cloth.
– Wipe the area clean.

 Chewing gum and candle wax:
 1.  Apply a sealed plastic bag filled with ice over the gum or wax to harden the substance.
 2.  Wait until the gum or wax becomes brittle enough to crumble off.
 3.  Gently scrape with a plastic scraper or credit card until it is completely removed.
 4.  Spray your wood floor cleaner onto your microfiber cloth.
 5.  Wipe the area clean.

Following these few simple cleaning tips will ensure your Lauzon hardwood floor stays beautiful for years to come.

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We all look forward to summer- but for some it can be a challenging time. Hay fever season usually rolls around in late summer and can be difficult for people across the UK. Open windows to let in a warm summer breeze can open your home up to unwelcome visitors much smaller and harder to control than the occasional bee- don’t let these allergens will make themselves at home.

 

Why do carpets cause hay fever?

Pollen has a way of finding its way into every corner of your home. Carried in on shoes and clothes, as well as in the air, gravity deposits it in the fibres of your carpet, where it can become embedded and continue to cause problems. This problem isn’t just confined to pollen: bacteria, dust and mites can thrive in the protection of your carpet. They’re then stirred up by foot traffic or light cleaning, where they can rise into the atmosphere again. Fabric furniture, bedding and curtains also become great areas for these annoying microbes to fester. Fortunately there are steps serious hay fever sufferers can take to fight the allergens that build up in carpeting.

If you’re really susceptible to the effects of hay fever, don’t let your carpeting help the allergens! Use our sensible carpeting tips to give your allergies the boot.

 

Where should I focus?

Identify the areas of your house that are most exposed to pollen. Typically rooms that have a high level of outdoor foot traffic will have the highest levels of pollen. Also be aware of rooms that might be highly exposed to gardens in summer- for instance with French or sliding doors immediately adjacent to your garden.

The bedroom is another area that, as a rule, should be carpeted in a way which fights allergens. The amount of time you spend sleeping, and the importance of that time being peaceful & uninterrupted rest, means you should consider doing everything you can to protect yourself from pollen there.

You should also bear in mind that thick or heavy carpets can be a very favourable environment for pollen, dust mites and bacteria. Even regular vacuuming rarely penetrates to the base layers of these carpets and over time this can mean a heavy build-up of allergens in these types of flooring.

In areas where you judge that you’re particularly at risk from allergen build-up, consider reducing or replacing your carpeting. Rugs covering a smooth flooring surface such as karndean or vinyl can be an excellent solution due to being easily removed during hay fever season, rolled up and stored until autumn.

 

What carpet is best for allergy sufferers?

There are many reasons you might not wish to go without carpets entirely. They’re warm in winter, comfortable underfoot and provide great sound insulation. They can reduce energy bills and look great.  Being susceptible to hay fever for a couple of months per year might not be sufficient reason to dispose of them entirely. Fortunately there are choices you can make when selecting your carpet.

 

So what carpet is best- and what should I do next?

1. Choose a shallow carpet

As mentioned above, the deeper the pile, the more space you’re providing to the pesky pollen molecules that trigger your immune system. Deep, fluffy carpets also provide recesses in which bacteria, mould and germs can thrive- in these warm, protected spaces, they can breed and spread almost effortlessly.  This doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax, though- even without a deep pile in which to shelter, the pollen, germs and microbes are still on your carpet or flooring, and in fact will be swirling around more, being easier to disturb. Even a shallow carpet will therefore need cleaning before you’ll notice a change.

2. Use non-organic fibres

Woollen carpets have lots of advantages- lush and authentic, they look fantastic- but unfortunately they provide a great platform on which microbes can develop. Using synthetic fibres like nylon dries out pollen molecules and is inhospitable to microorganisms. This makes it a great surface for areas particularly susceptible to allergens and dust particles. The great thing is that nylon is also widespread, affordable and available in a huge range of stylish designs.

3. Clean your home regularly

Besides having a beautiful & attractive home, this rule also means you’ll be cracking down on build-ups of microbes that can spread sickness or trigger allergies. While most people hoover and dust, consider also washing fabrics, such as curtains, pillow cases, and carpets, and bedding more frequently during allergy season.

4. Deep clean your carpet

Further to the advice above, giving your carpet a thorough, deep shampoo & wash with proper soap at least semi-regularly means scrubbing out the finest pollen granules, reducing the effects of your allergies and giving you a clean, microbe-free floor.

 

 

If you found this article helpful, you’ll find a lot more useful carpet information at our Sheffield showroom- where our carpet experts help people find their perfect carpet every day. Our team are passionate about all things flooring- and what they don’t know about carpets isn’t worth knowing. Besides having all the know-how and experience to help you pick your dream flooring, we have Sheffield’s widest range of flooring, from cheap carpets to luxury hardwood and everything in between. Why not come and find out why we’re South Yorkshire’s most trusted flooring supplier?

The post The best carpets for hay fever sufferers – and which to avoid appeared first on Pyramid Carpets – News.

Sheffield’s leading supplier of cheap carpets has a new addition to their catalogue- a huge range of beds & mattresses! We’re proud to showcase such a comprehensive selection of quality beds, including specialist models, along with a wide range of bedroom furniture. Our team of experts are here to help you select the perfect bed for you, from our selection of all the top brands including ealy, Taylor’s Beds, My Sleep, Julian Bowen, Braemar and Siesta Beds. We offer tremendous value on our selection of beds, just as we do with our carpets, and we invite you to come and see the superb range of products for yourself at our Sheffield showroom!

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Buying a carpet for let accommodation?

If you’re a landlord, you know all too well the need to balance the considerations that come with letting a house. The attractiveness of the property, and the quality of life of your tenants, is a priority, but outfitting your property with the richest luxury décor available isn’t an option either- there’s both the initial outlay and the long-term costs. You must balance these considerations carefully to provide tenants with a pleasant, desirable home that nonetheless remains cost effective. Nowhere is this truer than when choosing a carpet. Every part of your rented property (including some bits you might not expect!) can be subject to dramatic wear and tear and can need replacing after even a short period, placing added emphasis on the considerations above when choosing your carpet. Whether or not it’s true that tenants in rented property take less care than homeowners when it comes to risking or repairing property damage, you need to choose your carpeting based on common (and financial) sense.

Picking an attractive carpet that presents your house in the best light & is also durable, easy to clean and affordable might seem like no easy task. With Pyramid Carpets, though, there’s a huge range of great value carpets available- here are our suggestions for rented accommodation.

 

1. Go neutral and dark- but don’t forget your tenants

A bright carpet will show stains more easily, decreasing its life even with regular cleaning. Even a more durable lino or laminate might begin to show signs of wear & tear faster if it’s lighter. Choosing a darker design will hide stains and damage, while also helpfully making way for a neutral, yet modern, décor that stands out to tenants and creates possibilities for their own personalised interiors. After all, who doesn’t want to put their stamp on the space they live in? Maintaining a neutral décor presents each room as a blank canvas your tenants can customise as they wish. It’s also important to consider the feelings of your tenants- as we’ve established a neutral-dark carpet or flooring can save money on repairs, yet this can risk appearing unattractive to many renters- so should be redeemed in its quality and appearance in the eyes of potential tenancy.

 

2. Invest in underlay- and stock up

 

Underlay is essential for durability, and prolongs the life of your flooring. It also limits noise transfer between rooms and floors, and lowers energy bills. Investing in top quality, heavy-duty underlay is vital, with long-lasting flooring continuing to work for decades of use after the initial installation. Crumb rubber or other thinner materials may not work as well- you need to really pursue quality underlay that will protect all the flooring that goes on top of it over the years- buy it right, buy it once. Remember that for project like this- where it might (hopefully!) be decades before you need to replace your work- you should stock up on the exact measurement of underlay you need, in case it isn’t available when you next need it.

 

3. Avoid pile

A shallower carpet might not absorb sound as well as a nice, thick pile, however it doesn’t absorb other things either. Some landlords rate stain resistance above durability, and keeping a flooring surface easy to clean is essential. A thicker pile traps dirt and can be a real chore to clean- so opt for a suitable, thinner carpet, especially in areas liable to attract a lot of dirt.

 

4. To carpet or not to carpet?

Many landlords favour the non-carpeting option as it’s ostensibly more durable than carpet. Laminate or karndean won’t scuff, stain, crease or wear out nearly as easily as a carpet- yet there are other considerations here. Sound travels far better through the harder surfaces, meaning tenants in flats or HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy) might not thank you for installing it on the floor above! Carpet or flooring than can be easily lifted is always an advantage- although it’s preferable not to need to do this: choosing a durable laminate or even lino that’s stylish & professionally fitted can be a perfect solution for kitchens or bathrooms, as well as living rooms as an alternative carpeting. Some landlords feel lino or laminate can look scruffy and worn quickly, yet tenants often prefer an attractive laminate or karndean floor (again, darker shades mask stains) which lets them choose their own rugs & accents.

 

Come and visit our Sheffield showroom for more information on the best choices of carpet from our team of carpet experts! We stock a huge range of great value carpets suitable for all uses, as well as rugs and underlay to provide the complete flooring package.

 

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At AAI Flooring we often get asked to pull a few samples for our guests. These samples are usually for a certain color the family wants to use for their home design. We have a lot of fun pulling looks for our clients and thought we would share some of our favorite green carpets!

Green is a symbol of nature. This calming and refreshing color is the easiest for the eye. It improves vision. In fact the research shows that it can improve reading ability and comprehension. It is also a symbol of health. Here is a look at the green carpets from our favorite brands!

Come enjoy the warmth and allure of Antibes, Couristan’s seafaring-inspired quality residential carpet. This charming woven Wilton loop pile carpet is a pure delight for bare feet.

Creating an interlocking square pattern, Antibes gives practically any room in the house a relaxing, yet fashionable, feeling.

Different hues of green have different meanings. For instance, a bluish green is colder, fastidious, and sensitive, while a yellowish green is stimulating, lighter, and less serious. A light bluish green is refreshing and a neutral green is calming.

Green is a wonderful color to decorate a home with. A fresh green carpet can uplift any design. With spring around the corner and flowers blooming, why not bring the outdoors in? If you have any design needs for your home, check in with us at AAI Flooring in Orange, CT.

For a free estimate on your green carpet needs: https://aaiflooringspecialist.com/free-estimate/

 

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At AAI Flooring we use top quality brands to assist in renovating homes. We take flooring serious and not only want to make sure your dream design comes true, we also want to make sure you have the best product for your home. One of our favorite brands is Mirage Flooring.

Mirage quality

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