Blog : flooringsupply | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 39Flooring Supplies

Choosing the right home improvement contractor

Home improvement is a task that involves many technicalities. You need to analyze, decide and cross check a number of factors. So, it is very important that the person who is entrusted with these responsibilities must be capable enough to handle them. You should always keep few things in mind before you decide to choose your home improvement contractor. Let’s have a look at them in detail.

Idea Organization: This is something very important. Home improvement is a vast area of knowledge. As a house owner you should keep a track on the areas at which your home needs a makeover. Make a crystal clear vision on your ideas. This will help you zero in on the most relevant areas of improvement. Once you have an idea of the requirement, it becomes a touch easier in choosing the contractor.

Meet Contractors: Exercising the options is very important. Once you have a brief overview of the task, you can always meet a few contractors. Meeting and sharing your thoughts and getting their reviews helps in judging the experience level of the contractor. It also helps you get an idea on the current market trends and pricing of a particular project. You can always take the corporate brochures and handouts of the contractor to study the credentials of the contractor.

Decide on the Budget: Once you have met a few contractors, you get a brief idea of the market bids and pricing of home improvement projects. So, you can decide on your budget. You must review each quote and bid given by the contractor very thoroughly. Try and analyze the strengths and weak links of each quote with the price and your budget. You should make sure that the proposed quote justifies the services offered by the contractor.

Take References: Experience, exposure and performance plays a vital role in home improvement projects. When you make up your mind on a particular contractor take some client references from him. This will help you get an idea of his previous projects and client satisfactory levels of the contractor.

Execute a written contract: Most often, the Contractor will provide their own Contract for you to sign. Be sure to read it carefully and do not hesitate to ask any questions for language that may need explanation or clarification. Ask the Contractor how the payment schedule will be put together. Never give a Contractor more than 50% of the contract amount up front. If the Contractor has to purchase a large amount of materials prior to starting work, a payment or draw for the materials is understandable. You should always check out for certain things that must be mentioned in the contract. Clauses like scope of work, Design selection, net and gross fees, construction schedule, detailed Explanation of the Contractor’s Warranty should be clearly stated in the contract.

Level of automation: This is again a very important point. The level of automation is a great indicator of the experience of the home improvement expert. You should always check the amount of automation a contractor can bring to your home. A good automation system may include Pro melt snow mats, floor heating systems etc. These automation systems help you lead a comfortable life by bringing down manual labor to some extent.

Quality of Material: Last but not the least is the quality a contractor brings to your home, and as they say “Quality speaks volumes without saying a word”. You should always keep a track on the quality that your contractor will offer. In order to check the details of material, it is important you do a bit of research. Browsing the internet is a good idea. You can always read some books and study materials on home improvement. This will help you keep up to date with the modern trends in home improvement.

I hope if you keep the above mentioned points in mind you will be able to strike a perfect deal.

Prevent cluttering in your shower

Modern construction designs have rendered space to be a premium commodity, so it has become all the more important to make maximum utilization of the space that is available to you. Utilization of space is especially important in a bathroom since it is one of the most important areas of a house. One of the most effective ways to ensure that you are able to effectively utilize the available space in your bathroom is by using shower recess and niches.

Earlier when a separate space for keeping accessories in a shower was required people used to install either a ceramic soap dish or a corner shelf. Although effective, this method used up a lot of space in the shower area; therefore, a more effective storage solution was required. It is in order to effectively utilize the space in a shower that the uses of shower recessed shelves have gained popularity. Most people use a variety of cosmetics and accessories while showering and cluttering in the shower area has become a common problem that is faced by many.

Not only can shower niche prevent cluttering in your shower; it can also act as an essential part of your shower’s decoration theme. These recesses and niches can be easily installed in your shower area thereby ensuring that there is no damage to the surrounding areas. Further, these porcelain recesses and niches are available in a variety of colors, shapes and designs to suit to the specific theme of your shower. You can even use these recesses and niches to create a special theme in your shower area thereby enhancing its aesthetic appeal.

For those who like to fix things on their own; while installing these recesses & niches would face the problem of effectively waterproofing it. Since even a minor leak in the shower area could significantly damage the walls, it is of prime importance to ensure effectively waterproofing the installed recesses and niches. This problem has been effectively solved by high quality shower recesses and niches such as those offered by FlooringSupplyShop. These recesses and niches do not require any waterproofing so you can easily install them within a matter of hours rather than days.

Manufactured using high quality porcelain, these shower recesses and niches are highly durable and offer longevity. You can easily clean these porcelain recesses and niches without using any special chemicals thereby ensuring ease in maintenance.

It is due to the high utility and ease of installation that these porcelain recesses and niches are widely being preferred. You can go through the website of flooringsupplyshop to get access to the various porcelain recesses and niches that are being offered. Available in a wide range of colors and designs, you can select the one that best suits the specific theme of your shower area. The unique feature of these recesses and niches is that you will be able to create space for all your shower accessories, thereby ensuring an effective showering experience.

Experiment with a wide variety of flooring options

Flooring is an integral part of any home, which enhances its visual appeal. The entire outlook of a room can be changed based on the kind of flooring used in it. There are different types of flooring options available nowadays; and you can select the one you feel, would look the best for your room.

While choosing the right kind of flooring, there are various factors that you have to take into consideration. The flooring you choose should blend easily with the interiors of your room. In case the room has less lighting or have dark colored interiors then you may select light colored polished floor as such a surface would reflect more light. Though light colored floors get dirty

Further, you must choose flooring which is comfortable for everyone in the house. For example, the highly glossy floors can be slippery and in case you have children who run around the house then there is danger of them slipping and sustaining injuries. Areas where plenty of water is used, you must choose the flooring that provides a better grip.

The most important factor when it comes to choosing the right kind of flooring is your budget. Some very important aspects\ that you must take into consideration while estimating the budget for your flooring are its type, installation, transportation and labor costs.

There are various flooring options available for you, such as tiles, marble, granite and hardwood flooring. Among the available options, tiles are preferred by many, since these are available in a wide variety of shapes, colors and sizes, along with being affordable. These are easy to install with minimal maintenance requirements. Tiles are available in different varieties, including vinyl, ceramic, vitrified, porcelain, glass and metal tiles. Another popular option is the hardwood flooring which is aesthetically pleasing and gives a warm-cozy look to the place. The hardwood flooring blends easily with every kind of decor; whether your room has a traditional outlook or has been designed in stylish manner, wooden flooring goes best with all sorts of interiors.

Other flooring options that you can consider include laminate flooring, carpet flooring and resilient flooring which encompasses cork, vinyl, rubber and linoleum. You can also opt for the stone flooring which offers a natural ambiance to your home. A popular stone flooring option is marble, which has gained immense popularity over the years and are available in different varieties. In case the budget is not an issue, then you should consider purchasing Greek, Italian or Spanish marble. However, marble floor requires a high degree of maintenance since it needs to be polished regularly to retain its luster and has a tendency to develop cracks. In contrast, another popular stone flooring option is granite; it is easy to maintain, though a little expensive than marble. You can use a combination of granite and marble for beautiful flooring patterns.

Before making a decision, sift through the various flooring options and wisely select the one which best suits your needs and budget, along with enhancing the look of your home.

Check out our Installation Schemes Pattern and Tile Calculator

Rise of DIY due to economic slump

One of the most exciting, yet challenging aspects of owning a house is taking care of the related home renovation and repair jobs. Some homeowners hire professional contractors for their home renovation job, while there are others who prefer to complete the job themselves. The latter, known as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) enthusiasts, usually take up DIY projects as a challenge and try to complete them in the most effective way possible. However, a number of individuals refrain from undertaking DIY home renovation projects due to the concern that they would not be able to complete the job effectively.

Now, with the economic slowdown and the credit crunch in the markets people are on the lookout for ways to curb their extra expenditure. It is for this particular reason that the current economic slowdown has fueled the growth of DIY projects across the globe. One of the main benefits of completing a home renovation project yourself is that it will let you save on the cost that you would have been incurred in hiring a professional. Another benefit of completing a DIY project is that it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

There are a number of projects, such as building a patio, repainting the walls and re-grouting, which can be easily completed without professional help. All that is required to complete a DIY project is basic knowledge about the job at hand and the proper tools. Considering the current economic slowdown and the increasing popularity of DIY projects a number of DIY tools have been introduced in the market. These tools, along with a basic knowledge can ensure that you complete the job at hand in the most effective way possible.

Although this trend of DIY projects is extremely popular during the current economic slump, there are indications that this trend will continue even after the economic scenario improves. It is during the current scenario that a number of people have learns the basics of various home renovation jobs such as tiling, grouting, carpentering and flooring. Now that people have experienced the benefits that a DIY project offers there is a good possibility that even when the economic scenario improves they will continue with this trend. Further, the tools and resources purchased by people can be used by them in the future as well, thereby providing added incentive to complete a home renovation job themselves as competed to hiring a professional contractor for it.

It is quite evident that the current outlook is that of uncertainty and financial instability; therefore every opportunity to save on extra expenditure will be appreciated by people. Since home improvement and home renovation jobs can involve significant expenditure, DIY projects are a logical step ahead for a number of people. However, there are still a number of jobs that should be handled by an expert only due to the dangers involved. For example, a home renovation job involving changing the electrical wiring should be completed by a professional electrician only. For other simpler projects, such as tiling and grouting, you are free to trust your skills and complete the job at hand yourself.

Effectively clean your floor tiles

Tile Flooring

A tiled floor looks appealing and pleasing as long as it remains free from dust, stains and other impurities. However, maintaining that shiny and appealing look of a tiled floor can be a daunting and time consuming task. Not just the tiles, but the grout can get dirty and discolored as well thereby giving the whole tiled area an untidy look.

Dry mopping the tiles is important; however, care should be taken while dry mopping since the dust particles can scratch the tiles. Further, if proper care is not taken this process generally does not clean the grout area, thereby leaving the tiled area unclean. It is therefore a good idea to use vacuum cleaner, a dust mop or a rubber prong broom. After dry mopping the tiles it is important to use a damp mop to bring back the original shine to the tiles. Although damp mopping by simply using warm water is effective, it might not be enough to remove tough stains from the tiles.

In order to remove tough stains, such as those caused by grease, you should use an oxygen bleach based cleaning solution. However, such an oxygen bleach based cleaning solution should not be used on colored grout since the grout can get discolored due to the bleach. In case you are apprehensive about using bleach on the tiles and the grout you can clean them using a mixture of vinegar and warm water.

Cleaning the tiles is a relatively easier task as compared to cleaning the grout area. Problems with the grout generally vary depending on the different areas of a house. For example, the grouting problems associated with the shower area include the growth of mold and mildew; whereas the grouting problems in the kitchen include discoloration and food stains. In severe cases of mold and mildew growth, the only option left is to re-grout; however, stains can effectively be treated using a common bleaching agent.

Irrespective of the severity of the stains, it is essential to start using mild cleaning agents. In case they do not work you should work your way up to harsher chemicals to remove the stains. Some mild cleaning solutions can be made at your home easily by mixing warm water with vinegar or baking soda. In case such a solution does not work you can use a commercial grout cleaning solution or other strong products such as oxygen bleach & chlorine bleach.

While cleaning your tiled area and the surrounding grouted area there are a few considerations that you should keep in mind. You should avoid using abrasive materials such as steel wool to ensure that the tiles do not get scratched. Further, you should also refrain from using excessive force while cleaning to avoid chipping or cracking of the tiles. Finally, the most effective way of ensuring that your tiles and grout do not get stained is to mop up the spill immediately. Proper care and maintenance will ensure that your tiled floor keep looking like new for a long duration of time.

Author: flooringsupply

Choosing the right home improvement contractor

Prevent cluttering in your shower

Experiment with a wide variety of flooring options

Rise of DIY due to economic slump

Effectively clean your floor tiles

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