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Posts tagged flooring

Beautifying A Home with Floor Covering

Dec03
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Day in and day out we spend the bulk of our free time in our houses.  To make our stay home more enjoyable, many of us like to invest time and money in beautifying their homes with home improvements.  The least expensive and most noticeable change you can make to a home is changing the flooring.  Everyone had flooring in their home , every home implements and prefers many different types of flooring.

Some of the most typical kinds of flooring are carpet, resilient floor, hardwood, laminate and ceramic tile.  There are plenty of different colours, styles and looks within each kind of flooring.  As an example, carpet can come in berber or loop pile, cut pile, frieze, cut/uncut and patterned.  Carpet is also made out of a number of materials like polyester, olefin, nylon, polypropylene or a blend.  Each style and material have different benefits.  Some styles like berber tend to resist traffic wear better than your standard cut pile.  A nylon carpet wears better, but polyesters have a tendency to clean better.

Resilient floors or more frequently known as sheet vinyl can also come in various styles and materials.  You can improve quality vinyls that have awfully detailed textures and colours to mimic the look of ceramic tile or you can select to economize and go with a lesser quality floor.  Fiber glass sheet flooring has become a extremely popular alternative option to sheet vinyl due to its softer surface, warmer nature and its ability to be installed without or with glue (loose lay).  Fiberglass may also be utilized in areas that do not have adequate heat, which is a unsuitable environment for sheet vinyl.

Hardwoods can come in several different species and stains, as well as quality.  You can find hardwood in wider boards like a 5′ or smaller like the more common two 1/4′ wide plank.  A great look for a county home would be the new hand-scraped looks.  Bamboo has changed into a new popular type of wood flooring as it is very hard and is green, since bamboo replenishes itself within ten years.  Using area rugs over your hardwood is a great look for most homes.

Laminate is a wood alternative flooring that may come in popular wood looks as well as some tile designs.  Laminate is superb for installing a wood look floor in an area that’s not OK for real hardwood like in a basement, since it is a floating flooring (not nailed or stuck down).

Ceramic or porcelain tile is superb for kitchens, baths, three season porches and really anywhere that might get water on the floor.  Tile can also come in more shocking materials like granite or marble.

Whatever flooring you select for your home, ensure that it will coordinate well with the planning of your house.  Select colors and materials that will flow well with your choice of decor in the selected room as well as any diagonally opposite rooms.  A new floor can make a whole world of difference in your house and cause you to feel like you have done a total renovation with just a straightforward flooring change.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Area Rugs and Carpet, a Softer Method Of Home Flooring

Dec03
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

New and existing homes need flooring in each room to ensure comfort and beauty.  The flooring you use is the basis for the rest of your home decor.  Since the flooring is one of the largest components of a design, it should be the 1st chosen.  Once the flooring is picked, the rest of the design can coordinate with it.  Carpeting comes in a rainbow of colours and designs available in even more fibers and textures.  A good carpet can set the tone for the remainder of the room.  The warmth and comfort of a carpet will last for many years to come.

Carpeting is a particularly flexible flooring that may be strong enough for commercial use or luxurious enough for the wealthiest master bedroom suite.  It can keep children safe and warm in a nursery or grace a formal dining room.  Carpet can surround a pool or warm up a basement family room.  Carpets can match any budget and be easily modified for a new design look or a new owner’s taste.  They can be casual or awfully formal depending on the fiber and pattern choice.  Carpeting is cosy to walk or sit on and makes a room feel warmer.  They will last for years with periodic vacuuming and shampooing.

It’s important to purchase your carpeting from a good carpet store which has well trained sales associates and installers.  Look for a sales staff trained in flooring and design, so they can help you coordinate your flooring and other design elements in your home.The installers should use the best quality carpet padding to insure a longer carpet life.  Good seems make your carpet look like a regular surface.  Correct stretching and installation are needed for an attractive long lasting floor.  The better the carpet, the longer it’ll last, so buy the best carpet you can afford.

Homes with hard surface floors through out can still use a little carpeting in the form of area rugs.  Area rugs come in standard sizes from a tiny 2 foot by 3 foot size to much bigger sizes like 9 feet by eleven feet and larger.  They come square, round, oval and rectangular.  Area rugs can be employed to add design and color to any room.  Rugs come from all around the globe in several different designs and fibers.  Area rugs look great under a dining room table or outlining a seating area.  When purchasing an area rug, go to a reputable dealer or flooring store to get the best rug for the price .  The best area rugs are of natural fibers like wool, silk and cotton.  A high quality area rug is an investment that may ad beauty and heat to your home for a whole life.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Basic Guidelines for Choosing Ideal Flooring

Nov27
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Decorating a home is a large job, but for most, it is a delightful task.  Of course , home is where to heart is, and folk are willing to go thru great cost and great effort to decorate their abode in that perfect style.  As hardwood flooring makes a comeback in appreciation ( vs most rooms being covered with carpet as in up to date decades ), area rugs are also enlarging in appreciation.  With this rise in demand comes an increase in supply, and in the decisions available on the market today.  How does one decide on the perfect rug?  These are some easy guidelines.

Maybe the most important consideration is size.  Area rugs come in all sorts of sizes and styles, ranging from tiny accent rugs to room-size coverings.  Obviously, the room will have to be measured to determine the proper size.  Room size isn’t the only consideration, however.  The function of both the room and the rug must be taken accounted for when deciding the appropriate rug size.  Is the rug intended to anchor a particular furniture grouping?  In this case, the appropriate size will be way smaller then if the rug is meant to cover a whole room.  It’s helpful to use a tape to visualize different sizes in the room before going shopping, as the size will always look different in the store than it’ll in the home.

Also needing to be considered are shape, color, and pattern.  Oblong rugs appear to be the most well liked, but square, circle, and oval are all making strides in popularity.  As far as color is anxious, area rugs are integral to a room’s color range.  They can function as an accent, which will stand out ; as an anchor, which is less noticeable ; or they can tie the whole decorating scheme together.  to get the best match, take a fabric swatch or paint chip with for the shopping trip.  Patterns vary widely nowadays, from traditional floral and oriental designs that repeat a particular motif over and over, to giant, single-shape patterns that are only featured once, to geometric designs of varying scales.  All of these points to consider have a big effect on a room and must be considered carefully in order to buy the ideal area rug!

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Dealing With Dirt On Harwood Floors In Your Home

Nov13
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

If you can continue to take care of your hardwood floor on a regular day to day basis, it will continue to retain its looks for a long time and that calls for no special skills. The rooms which bear heavy traffic or those often frequented by children and pets need extra care as these are prone to getting stained more often.

Broadly speaking floors can have two types of finish, wax finish or surface finish and each type of finish needs to be handled in a different manner.Apart from the regular dust-mopping, sweeping and vacuuming with an appropriate extension, you need to know how to take care of “accidents” and minor damage that the floor would inevitably experience sooner or later. So you have to take hardwood floor care seriously.

You are not expected to use water for routine cleaning of such floors. It’s important to get instructions and recommendations of the floor manufacturer or the floor finish manufacturer, as the case be, to check the use of damp mops for cleaning, otherwise water can cause immediate irreparable damage to the protective coating and subsequently to the main floor. On reacting with water a treated floor may lose its color and shine and get buckled or crowned. Recommended cleaners by the manufacturer should only be used, in stead of using dust and surface cleaners that are often found in most of the homes. In the absence of any specific instructions from the manufacturer, it will be safer to use generic hardwood cleaner specifically made for the type of floor finish that you have.

When it comes to dealing with stains, like from a pet or ink, the sooner you react the better. Once the surface gets stained, you will be required to use fine or very fine steel wool to scrap the upper crest for approaching the contaminant and its subsequent removal.

It’s good idea to use floor polisher besides regular equipment. Take care to apply only the specified wood floor cleaner with a little of mineral spirits for removing the stain and allow the affected area to become dry, then apply wax and buff it off finally.

This article written by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Basement And Floating Floors – Great Flooring Solutions

Nov06
2009 1 Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Because of the present economic scenario, the house owners are finding it increasingly difficult to have a customer for their houses. It is therefore prompting them to look for some meaningful economical renovations to add value to the house. It has been observed that families shopping for a house look for houses with finished basements. It will therefore be worthwhile for a homeowner with an unfinished basement to improve the prospects of selling it by offering a finished basement. This applies to floating basement floors too.

There are many options to consider when finishing a basement, and basement flooring is an important part of the entire project. With a little information, anyone can choose the right flooring option for their budget.

With as big a project as completing a basement, cost is an important factor to consider. Depending on the market and the home owner’s budget constraints, there are many basement flooring options that will fit most budgets. Some of them are hardwood flooring.   Some of the least expensive options of flooring a basement include sheet flooring and vinyl tile.

Those on a tight budget will find it a good option because it offers easy installation. Carpet is a good medium for basement flooring but works out to be a bit more expensive than vinyl flooring.  Hardwood floors can be a bit more expensive, depending on the material and manufacturer, but one can mimic the look of hardwood with the less expensive and easy to install laminate flooring.

As the total cost of the project includes the cost of the chosen material and the installation expenses, you have to take into consideration the latter part also.With an easy to install material, a homeowner might be able to install it themselves instead of paying installation costs for the company to do it.  Some of the materials need to be installed by professionals only as their installation necessarily requires special purpose machines and tools, carpet installation being one such example. Laminate flooring is can be easy for even a novice to install, as most kits just snap together and don’t need glue in between each plank or any expensive or uncommon tools. Hardwood is rather difficult to install and may call for the services of skilled personnel to ensure a perfect finish.Vinyl can be easy to install oneself if one has the proper glue necessary for the project. Bear in mind that any material that you can install without hiring the services of a professional will make a substantial difference to the final cost of the project.

The factor of costs is a very important think to consider when discussing one’s options for basement flooring. Of course personal tastes play a role in the whole game, but with little effort it would not be difficult to choose a material that adds to the value of your home within a limited budget.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Things you can do to change the environment of your house

Nov02
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

One thing that people never get tired of doing is improving their homes. It makes sense since people spend many years in their home usually.And because of that people sometimes get tired of the looks of their houses and will try to change it.  Some people go all out and do remodels. Others do minor changes but can still provide a different look to their houses.Changing your flooring with a new design is one those things. This can work wonders in changing the look of your home.

My advice to most people I have gained running a San Diego tile business is to do your flooring.Especially if they are not that rich.In other words, they don’t have enough budget for a complete remodeling of their houses.You can get the most out of your money in doing this. Mainly because the flooring runs through the whole house. It can really change the look of your house by just changing your tiles or hardwood flooring.You can transform a boring and plain-looking room into a lively one just by changing the design of the flooring.

But most people right now, especially during recession times, don’t have the means to change their whole flooring.I at least tell them to just regularly clean their flooring.If their house is carpeted then they should have it cleaned regularly.  If they are really on a budget I suggest they buy some carpet cleaning supplies and do it themselves. But I make sure that they buy quality products so the cleaning can be noticeable.

But of course the best way is to change your carpets or tile. This option will really give a new look to your house. It will be cheaper and can still give that new look to your houses as compared to a complete remodeling of your houses.  So when people come into my carpet San Diego business I give them that choice of carpet cleaning or replacing the flooring.  If they have the budget I always suggest upgrading the floors.But if money is not that aplenty then cleaning the flooring will do at the moment.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Floor Buffer Improves The Look Of Your Floors

Oct31
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

The patronage that polished concrete floors enjoy is no more restricted to business and industry, even the house owners are beginning to develop a preference for these floors. It’s not only because of the stunning looks, but the durability factor too, that is being recognized by the consumers and encouraging its applications.

A polished granite floor is a finished floor and needs to be treated like one. They are not impervious to chip-outs and scratches and if not treated with some type of topical polish may be subject to some types of staining.

It is essential that these floors be kept clean and to use walk off mats at all entrances. The use of walk off mats proves highly effective in the long run by keeping maintenance to the minimum, as salts and dust are kept away from the floor.

To continue to have dazzling floors for along time, it is important to clean them daily by using a dust mop or preferably a micro-fiber mop. When needed a damp mop using a neutral cleaner, which can be purchased from a janitorial supply or home improvement store, is all that is usually needed to clean the polished concrete floors. The use of improper cleaning agents can actually diminish the gloss of your floor.

The floors of a large warehouse or an industrial unit can be effectively cleaned by making use of an hoover floor buffer that saves time. Several polishing supply companies are now manufacturing buffing pads that have diamonds in varying grits impregnated into the pads. That enables the floor owner to have shining floors once again in minimum time with least effort.

A very positive feature of floor scrubbers is that they are very easy to operate and not too heavy to be carried on back. They are very simple to operate and can be pushed around easily, hardly needing any maintenance: simply fill that with water, add chemicals and empty the contents after use.

During normal cleaning only white pads should be used on the auto scrubber or buffer.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Garage Concrete Flooring And Epoxy Based Paint

Oct31
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

For quite a long time now Epoxy paints have been on the scene.  Their characteristics of being oil and grease-resistant coupled with hardness and long life makes their use ideal for industrial floors. However, over the last few years they have even been patronized for domestic purposes also.

Homeowners use epoxy paints for garage floors and basement floors. They provide a protective coating to your dull and gray floors while making it convenient to have clean floors.Some of the benefits of epoxy floor paint include: Long lasting, rustproof, waterproof, heat resistant, salt and acid resistance, Nontoxic when dry and reduced maintenance costs.One major factor prompting its use for the householders is its low price. Keeping the technicalities’ in mind, you should not use concrete floor paint in case your floor has seepage or moisture, as such paints don’t last long under humid conditions.

Epoxies are classified into three categories, namely, 100% solids, solvent based and water based.  The strongest and the most expensive are 100% solids for being applied by professionals only. The most often used epoxies for industrial applications are the solvent based category. They comprise of 40-60% solids. Application of solvent based epoxies on the floor of your garage or basement makes it necessary to keep your floor ventilated.

You have to go to industrial supply stores to find them. The most economical epoxy is the water based. They are strong enough for being used for residential applications.They are conveniently available at any home improvement store.Nowadays epoxies are available in various colors.

Certain manufacturers offer the facility of computerized color mixing too.
Most of the brands in the market claim that epoxies are good for exterior purpose only. This statement is true for some of the stronger coatings.Those living in unfriendly climatic conditions would do well to check on acid-based paints and acrylic concrete stains before deciding to go for paints.

Preparation of the garage floor is the first step in the  application of epoxy paint. If the surface is not properly prepared, the results would be far from satisfactory.  At the outset you have to clean the floor with a hard bristled brush and subsequently clear the debris created.  This is followed by a through scrubbing and cleaning with a mild acid.These are usually referred to as acid etching.

The process of acid etching is followed by scrubbing of the concrete floor, using a warm soap solution in water and clearing it away.At the end of it all, you may still be left with certain water soluble impurities that need to be rid of by scrubbing the floor with a de-greaser and rinsing it off with water.The mild acid does not remove grease and oils from the garage floors. You should ensure that water used for rinsing does not remain stuck on the floor, but if it does, you have to repeat the process once again.

After doing these, the garage floor should then be left overnight to dry.The application of epoxy garage paint has to be consistent. You should also see that humidity level is within the acceptable limits ,else the coating may form blisters or get discolored. Generally it suffices to apply two to three coats of paint.

For deriving a long life, proper installation and subsequent regular maintenance are of vital importance.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Using flooring to transform your home

Oct30
2009 1 Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Everybody loves tinkering with their houses.Some people love to adorn it with decorations. Some people like nice furniture.  Others like maybe a nice kitchen or bathroom. But the most essential part to improve on if people want a nice looking house is the flooring. The flooring is very important to the overall look of the house.It makes sense because the size of our house is also the size of our flooring so it is easily noticed. So if you really want to make your home look nice, don’t overlook the flooring.

Spending for things that are not so important is hard to do especially these days. But those that want to spend it on home improvement have some choices to make.  Of course running a carpet San Diego company my advice is to go with the flooring.  If a person is limited on budget flooring offers the best option.It can transform the beauty of the house.  A lot of times for a lot less than some other options.

But there will be cases of people who are really in dire times.  They may not even be able to afford flooring.  So one thing they can do is clean what they have.If the type of flooring they have are carpets then they should just regularly clean it to keep it looking new.  Of course they have to make sure to use the best carpet cleaning supplies. If they buy cheap cleaning products then it could destroy their carpets.  Or it can make it look not that good.

But of course I would like them to replace their floorings. If a person does not have any issues with money then there are many choices to choose from.  Someone doesn’t have to just go with carpeting.  In my tile San Diego busines I offer my customers a lot of choices from hardwood floors to tiles.The type of the look that they want is what will help them make their decisions.  Once they know what they want they can make their home look beautiful with flooring.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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Learn How To Stain Concrete Floors

Oct27
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Of the many DIY projects one may undertake for home improvement, concrete staining is perhaps the most interesting and convenient that results to having better looking concrete floor.The alternatives, like epoxy, tearing out existing concrete and replacing with new or decorative overlays, are not recommended for do-it-yourselfers and can be very expensive. Some of the things you would do well to know before starting a staining project are mentioned herewith.

There simply are two types of concrete staining namely, acid staining and acrylic staining. Acid stains are caused by the chemical reaction with free lime on the surface and give a translucent floor with natural looks.They create a mottled, variegated, multi-hued coloring.Every concrete surface reacts differently to acids stains making each job unique.  The outcome of acrylic stains is more consistent and imparts semi translucent color comparable to that of a dye because they are water borne pigments that seep thru pores and remain stuck to the surface of the floor. Acrylic stains help you to camouflage defects or discolorations of the floor, but acid stains may make them somewhat conspicuous.

For many surfaces, acid and acrylic stains will work equally as well, but which one you choose depends on the look you want.

However, there are situations where one type will work better than the other. For instance, exterior concrete older than ten to fifteen years may not be to hold acid stains as it has already lost most of the free lime on its surface. Such a concrete would give excellent results with acrylic stains because of its increased porosity over time. You can’t get this with epoxy paint. Acid stains work well with newer concrete because of the availability of free lime. If the concrete is already in need of repairs and requires a bit of patch work or scaling, it will be good to use acrylic stains as it helps to disguise repairs. Such patches would begin to look apparent on being treated with acid stains.  Smooth trowel led interior surfaces with less porosity give better results on being treated with acid stains that do not require so much penetration for coloring the concrete.

This article approved by the Editor of LevelAdvice.com and Showroom411.com

For the best free Home Improvement Advice, go to Showroom411.com where you can Ask Rick the Contractor any home improvement question and get and an answer from a real building contractor for free.

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