Why Move... Improve!
Specific Project Information (coming soon)
  

Flooring-General
Choosing the right flooring for any room in your home may seem like an intimidating decision. This process combines your personal taste with thorough thinking about practicality. Before beginning ask yourself a few questions to help reduce worry and to increase your satisfaction with your new floor.

How much traffic will the floor receive? Children will make a difference. Any pets? Will the floor be exposed to moisture regularly? How often will the floor need cleaning? How long do you hope the new floor to last? Answering these questions will assist you in purchasing what your needs are for flooring.

Start your remodeling project first by clearing all items that don't belong in the area away. By putting items away you are clearing the clutter which will give you a better idea of what the area you are remodeling really looks like.

Decide what is the focal point in the room, piano, fireplace, or armoire, and it will be the center of the room. Your floor plan is designed around that piece. The floor is the fifth wall to any room. Don't ignore it. This will give your room character by choosing a floor that works with your design.

There are many types of floor coverings to choose from, for instance hardwood, carpet, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, and area rugs. Remember your new look should fit your lifestyle and reflect your personality.



Hardwood
Hardwood floors bring the room natural beauty, warmth and ease of cleaning. Hardwood does not go out of style. Its rich character looks good, is long lasting and a great investment in your home's value. There are three styles of hardwood to choose from for example, strip flooring, plank flooring, and parquet flooring. Strip flooring comes in strips with widths from 1 1/2" through 2 1/2" and thicknesses of 5/16" through 3/4". The strip flooring creates a traditional look and the illusion the room is larger than it is. Plank flooring comes in strips also yet they are wider usually from 3" through 7". Plank flooring creates a more rustic look. Parquet flooring is a series of wood pieces that create a geometric design. Parquet offers a variety of design options which creates an elegant look for formal settings. Hardwood can be chosen for any room of your home.


Carpet
Carpet creates a feeling of comfort in any room. Whether you want elegant or a casual for your family to relax there is carpet that is perfect for your home and lifestyle. There are several reasons to choose carpet for many of the rooms in your home. It offers a variety of colors and patterns to match any decor. Carpet is cushioned and absorbs sound and is less noisy to walk on. Carpet is one of the most economical flooring products to have installed. It provides additional warmth during cold seasons and is a non-slip surface.

There are four types of fibers: nylon, polyester, olefin, and wool. Nylon is the most durable and stain resistant carpet fiber available. Nylon carpet is perfect for heavy traffic areas like hallways and stairs. Polyester has a more luxurious look and feel with an abundance of colors and styles. Although less durable and stain resistant than nylon, polyester carpet is a good value for homes with normal amount of traffic. Olefin carpet is moisture and stain resistant yet is less wearability than nylon and polyester. Although the colors and styles are limited it has a good loop pile. Wool is favored for natural beauty and is soil resistant not stain resistant. Wool carpet is well constructed and looks good.

Choose what level of stain resistance that works best for your home. If you have children, pets, or entertain a lot you will want a carpet with stain resistance. This does not limit your choice of carpet styles or colors. When selecting a color remember to consider all elements in the room. Consider window treatments, walls, and furnishings when choosing your carpet color.

Carpet comes in many styles: the cut pile, loop pile, cut and loop pile. The cut pile is composed of yarns that are cut at the ends which feels soft and a perfect choice for bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms. Loop piles have yarns looped and are not cut at the surface. The loop pile is durable and has soil hiding capabilities which is ideal for heavy traffic areas. Cut and loop pile has some cut piles and some piles not cut which creates a different surface look and texture. Cut and loop carpet are less durable than loop carpets yet offer good performance.

Once you have chosen your carpeting the decision on the cushion or padding has to be made. One thing to remember is the quality level of the carpet should dictate the quality of the padding.



Laminate
One of the most popular flooring materials today is laminate. With a wide variety of color and tone it creates a great look in any room. Laminates are made to look like hardwood, tile or stone. The high performance laminate flooring offers you durability against scuffing, indentation or fading in high traffic areas. The surface is resistant from pets scratching and also is burn resistant. Laminate will provide you with durability and the look you want without increasing your budget.

Laminate flooring materials are available in a variety of designs that will fool you into thinking that the laminate is solid hardwood or stone. Laminates are constructed of four layers: wear, design, core and back. The wear layer protects against fading, stains and surface burns due to the clear layer of aluminum oxide. The design layer provides you with a variety of looks; hardwood, ceramic or stone due to the high resolution photograph of the floors surface appearance. The core layer protects against indentations and moisture with a durable high density board layer. The back layer protects the planks against moisture and helps balance the floor for stability. The layered construction of the laminate flooring absorbs the heavy traffic of the day to day use of the family while it looks good.

Laminate flooring is not fastened directly to the sub-floor. The planks or squares are attached to each other with tongue-in-groove connectors. There are three types of installations for laminate flooring: glue laminate, glue-less laminate, and pre-glued laminate. Glue laminate is when glue is manually applied to the tongue and groove of each plank during installation. Glue-less laminates do not require glue yet a locking system that hooks, snaps the tongue and groove together to lock the floor into place. This locking system has simplified the installation process with no messy glue cleanup and you will be able to use the floor immediately. Pre-glued laminate is a combination of the two methods which has glue pre-applied by the manufacturer on the tongue and groove that is moistened prior to the planks being clicked together.



Ceramic
Ceramic tile has a practical natural look with many colors, sizes, shapes and finishes so there is no limit to the personalized designs you can create. With timeless beauty and durability the ceramic, porcelain and stone tile flooring create a unique look that's practical. Ceramic tile is perfect in kitchens and baths where moisture resistance and easy maintenance are necessary. The scratch resistant properties make tile ideal for family and recreation rooms which receive heavy traffic. There are a variety of designs in ceramic, porcelain and stone tile that are affordable and are appealing.


Vinyl
Vinyl flooring has a rugged versatility and water resistance and this accounts for its use in kitchens, bathrooms, family dens, playrooms, basements, and workshops. Vinyl is strong against moisture, heavy traffic and active play from pets and children. It never needs waxing and you can wipe away scuff marks and food spills with a damp paper towel (easy clean up).

Vinyl comes in many styles with contemporary colors and geometric patterns, even natural wood and stone looks. With this variety available make it more practical for your home's formal as well as casual settings.



Area Rugs
There are several styles of area rugs: flat weave, hooked, needlepoint, and oriental rugs. Flat weave rugs are hand woven in India usually made of wool or cotton and come in many colors and designs. Braided rugs are made from strips of cloth braided and stitched together, which creates a more casual, rustic look. Hooked rugs are made with yard or fabric pulled through a backing. Needlepoint rugs are stitched on a canvas with woolen yard come in floral patterns. Oriental rugs are named from their place of origin and feature rich colors and patterns.

Area rugs are a great way to accent your floor by adding interest and style to any room. They provide warmth and protection for your hard surface flooring. Area rugs provide a focal pint in a large room and come in a wide range of styles, sizes and prices. Pattern rugs visually decrease the size of the room while solid color wall to wall carpet will increase the visual size of the room. Area rugs can fit anyone's budget and accent any room of the house.



Hiring a decorator
As stated above, clear the room of unnecessary items this will give you an idea of the space you have in your home. Do some price checking so you have an idea of what flooring is available. Make sure the decorator is insured and bonded. Ask for references and see how the flooring they have done looks.

When you hire a decorator they will come to your home and bring swatches of carpet, vinyl, hardwood, ceramic. This will give you a chance to see what colors or shades will work best with your decor. Once you have made your decision the decorator will order your flooring and set up the contractor to install your flooring. There a few things to do before installation and usually you are furnished with a check list.
An example is below:

  • Verification of the installation date.
  • Ensuring the removal of all "breakables" from the room.
  • Determining who will remove furniture, appliances and the sub-floor, if needed.
  • Arranging for the disconnection of gas appliances and icemakers.
  • Determining if any change to the height of the floor require adjustments to doors in order for them to close properly.
  • Ensuring the removal of items in storage areas and closets where the floor is to be resurfaced.
  • Make certain drapes, wall hangings and pictures are removed from walls.
  • Verify what the temperature needs to be for installation.
The list is just an example of things that may need to be gone over with your decorator. The checklist is to make the installation a smooth one. By hiring a decorator/contractor the job is less stressful. That is their job to make sure everything is done correctly.

When hiring a contractor the job can be done in a timely manner. If you are doing the job yourself make sure you have plenty of time or a lot of help to complete the job in hand.