Tag Archives: flooring

Information on Bamboo Flooring

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Bamboo flooring provides an excellent alternative to traditional hardwood flooring.  Growing in popularity as an alternative, bamboo flooring has many features that make it stand out when compared to hardwood.  Although harvested primarily in China, bamboo flooring can now be found easily in both European and North American markets.  Many of those that adopted bamboo flooring early on point out its environmental friendliness.  The bamboo plant regrows within a few seasons and can be harvested repeatedly without permanent damage.  In fact, the bamboo plant is considered a grass, as it grows far faster than a forest.  When done responsibly, bamboo plant harvesting can be done without causing any permanent damage.

How does bamboo flooring compare with traditional hardwoods?  High quality bamboo flooring is harder and more durable than even the most expensive hardwood flooring.  Moisture does not affect bamboo in the way that hardwood suffers from water damage.  Where traditional hardwood may cup and crown because of water exposure, bamboo flooring will keep out water without a problem.  Bamboo flooring is processed as a laminate and treated under very high pressure with a high quality adhesive.  This makes bamboo flooring extremely hardy and resistant to abrasion, where a hardwood floor would end up showing scratches.  Bamboo flooring has become significantly more affordable in the past few years as well.

Best of all, bamboo flooring is easy enough to lay down without any professional help.  Like many of the newer hardwoods, bamboo flooring is produced with a tongue and groove construction, making them considerably easier to install.  Before installing a bamboo floor, let the planks to adjust to their new environment for no less than 72 hours.  Although bamboo flooring does not suffer from water damage like hardwood, they do need some time to adjust to their new climate before installation.

What should be done to maintain a bamboo floor?  Maintenance requirements are fairly simple for bamboo flooring.  Make certain to sweep and mop the floor after it is laid down.  Regular dusting and sweeping should be done after installation.  This will prevent a build up of dust that can dull the finish.  A mat should be placed at the entrance to prevent dust and dirt from coming into the room.  Dirt and small rocks can easily scratch the finish, and a mat can go a long way in preventing this problem.

Check out flooring options for more info about discount laminate flooring and an updated version about bamboo flooring pros and cons.

Information on Laminate Flooring

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Go to flooring options for more information about discount laminate flooring and an updated version about buy laminate floors.

Although carpet and hardwood are two of the most popular choices when it comes to flooring, they are sometimes unsuited.  Spaces like the kitchen, or garage, commonly demand a greater level of durability and resilience.  Carpet is susceptible to dirt and stains, leading to a spotted looking surface that may also attract odors.  Hardwood offers a tougher surface than carpet, but it also falls prey to moisture.  A wet hardwood gradually warps and cracks.  After many years of expansion and contraction, moisture damage can become very apparent with a hardwood floor.

Areas in which spills and accidents are frequent can result in scratching or gouging in the flooring as well.  Laminate flooring is a wonderful solution for water damage and durability issues.  With a laminate floor, designers can have the aesthetic allure of hardwood, while avoiding many of the typical problems.  Laminate flooring is very resilient when it comes to moisture problems and will not absorb water.  Stains are not an issue, and as long as they are cleaned up promptly, should not leave a mark at all.
Best of all, laminate flooring is very affordable, and can be found in a large range of shades, colors, and styles. 

Laying down laminate flooring is also fairly easy.  As soon as a set of tiles can be unwrapped, check each to ensure that each tile is intact.  Once sure that all the tiles are in good condition, give the tiles a few days to adjust to their new climate.  There may be some contraction or expansion that occurs when the laminate flooring tiles change environment. 

Be sure to follow all manufacturer guidelines that are included with the tile packaging.  Specific instructions on how to glue the tiles are very important, and can affect the overall aesthetic quality and durability of the end product.  It is also important to give the tile a quarter inch between wall and flooring.  Although an extensive set of tools is not needed for in home installation, you may need something to cut the tile around corners, fireplaces, stairs, etc.  A wet tile saw would provide all the cutting power needed for laminate flooring.

Having a level surface for laying down tiles is also important.  Be certain to fill any holes in the subflooring, or sand away any protruding areas that might stick up afterward.

Maintaining Laminate Wood Floors

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When most people get themselves laminate flooring the main reason behind the selection is the ease of maintenance. Although it is true to a great extent – laminate flooring probably being the easiest of all floors to maintain – yet, it would need some amount of basic maintenance all year round which is mostly effortless. This is more true because, for laminate flooring, damages might lead to entire planks being replaced. This is because apart from scratches and bruises, laminate floorings are susceptible to structural damages if not taken care of properly. So it is always better to take the necessary precautions.

This article will give you a few pointers as to what are the basic precautionary steps you can take for your laminate flooring. But beyond this, you must strictly follow the instructions and recommendations of your manufacturer. What we will discuss here are a few generic issues.

Preventive Maintenance Tips

• To avoid dirt and grit to settle on the floor place mats on all the doorways, preferably on both sides and also near sinks and stoves to keep the floor free of water and oil. Make sure that the mats are non-abrasive and the surface of the mat doesn’t react with the material of the floor.
• Don’t drag or pull furniture along the floor as it might lead to scratches. Instead try to lift them up while shifting them. Felt pads below the legs of the furniture can be a further preventive measure and will avoid scratches if the furniture is moved around.
• Areas of the room with high traffic areas can be protected by placing area rugs.
• The temperature and humidity levels of a room can also be crucial to maximize the flooring’s dimensional stability. The general trend is to maintain an average temperature of 72ºF and an average humidity of something around 55%.

Cleaning Tips

• While cleaning with a vacuum cleaner always use the hard floor attachment or you can get scratches.
• If you intend to use a mop, then don’t saturate it with water. After cleaning there shouldn’t be any water on the floor. Sweep with a slightly damp cloth.
• Don’t let spills to stand. Wipe them off immediately.
• Always use cleaners which are   recommended by the manufacturers. Never use soaps, abrasives or polishes.

This has been a rough guide to the maintenance of your laminate flooring. You can use this information along with the recommendations from the manufacturer.

Introduction to Buying Laminate Floors

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Laminate flooring was introduced in America in 1994 and since then its popularity has always been on the rise. As with any popular product, there has been a flood of versions of laminate flooring. There has been this whole host of manufacturers who have jumped on to the bandwagon and are now producing laminate flooring of various types an numerous designs. As the saying goes, the more the choice, the harder it becomes to choose, and it is also very true for laminate flooring. What we are here trying to do is to help you decide on the right laminate floor that you will need.

There are various factors which you will need to consider before deciding on one particular flooring.

Price

This has always been a crucial factor no matter what you are buying. And as much as you would like to save the maximum amount, going for the best deal doesn’t always work out. First of all get your budget done. While researching on the net you might come across unbelievable deals like less than a dollar for every square feet. The best thing would be not to believe them. The normal price range for laminate flooring is generally between $1.5 and $3 for every square feet, with some going as high as $6 per sq. ft. Anything lower than that might mean either they are discontinued products whose replacements wont be available when you need them or you might need to buy a huge quantity to get the special discounted price.

Design Choices

There are numerous designs available today, enough to make you go crazy. If you are looking for wood designs, you will get the designs for all the species. You will also have to choose between:

• Single strip
• Two strip and
• Three strip

Then you will need to decide on laminate boards with

• square edges,
• beveled edges and
• micro-beveled edges

Finally you will have to take a call on the different surface finishes and textures. That is quite a choice. But decide only after seeing the boards, preferably installed on a floor. You can also look photographs of rooms with particular type of floorings. However, never should you decide on a particular kind just by looking at a photograph. Also remember that your floor forms the foundation of the room décor and it should gel well with the furniture and the color of the walls.

Warranty

Before finally deciding on a particular product, look at the warranty on offer. The general trend is to provide a 15-year residential warranty for protection against premature wear, staining and fading. Protection against accidental moisture damage would be a bonus.

 

Cork Flooring: The New Trend

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Cork flooring has been a popular flooring over the centuries and the trend for it has come back time and again. The impression that it has made on the mind of people is an ever lasting one.

Cork Flooring and its History

If we look back at history, we will see that cork has been applied for centuries in a variety of uses. It has been used as bottle stoppers, especially in the wine industry. It has also been used by fishermen as fishing net floats. Compared to that the use of cork for flooring purposes has been pretty recent. It was during the last years of the nineteenth century that cork was used for flooring mainly because of its resilient qualities. And it remained a very popular form of flooring being used in several public buildings, including Chicago’s First Congregational Church, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Cork flooring was made popular in housing designs by the world renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

With the introduction of easy to maintain floorings during the 1950s, the interest in cork flooring waned. Materials like linoleum and vinyl had a wide range of colors and patterns, and it allowed people to create bright and colorful rooms. But cork having made such an impression already in the public’s mind, it was again back in vogue during the 1970s.

Cork Flooring Today

Today, cork is back again and the reasons are environmental as much as nostalgia. The concerns for limiting the damage to the environment and preserving the natural resources are priorities for many today. Using cork flooring for their homes is definitely a better option than to go for hardwood flooring. Cork is made from the bark of cork oak tree which is renewable. Since it’s renewable, hence it’s not causing any harm to the tree and there is virtually a limitless supply of the material. There are trees over two centuries old that still produce the bark which can be used to make cork. So it can be classified as a ‘green’ product.

Beyond being environmentally friendly, cork has other attributes which makes it a very good option for flooring. It is non-toxic, resists mold, mildew and insects and is anti-microbial. As flooring it is hypo-allergic, flame retardant and does not produce static electricity. Care and maintenance of cork floors is also much easier today. This can mainly be attributed to the newer techniques of manufacturing.
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