Blog : flooringsupply | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 41Flooring Supplies

Tips to clean laminate flooring

Laminate is a popular flooring option due to the fact that it is highly durable and has appealing aesthetics. A typical laminate floor consists of a top wear layer, a printed image of hardwood and an inner layer of fiber board. The effective composition and construction of a laminate floor makes it one of the easiest flooring options to take care of and to maintain.

One of the most effective ways of keeping a laminate floor clean is by understanding its limitations. Although laminate is a tough material that is not easily stained or scratched, there are certain items that could significantly damage your laminate floor. Water puddles, abrasive cleaning solutions and wax are some of the items that can damage your laminate flooring and can cause it to lose its finish. Further, rearranging furniture and pets with untrimmed nails can also scratch the laminate surface. Therefore, it is important to protect your laminate flooring from these items in order to ensure high durability.

It is important to keep the laminate flooring free from dirt and other impurities; therefore you should mop it with a dry cloth, or vacuum it regularly. However, one of the common problems faced by people is that of dirt getting trapped in between the seams of the laminate floor. It is therefore advised to mop or sweep in the direction of the seem to ensure that no dust or impurity gets trapped in between. You can also damp mop the laminate floor occasionally in order to restore its shine. However, excess moisture can cause the laminate to swell so it is important to be careful while mopping the floor with a damp cloth.

In case you spill high staining substances, such as wine, coffee or orange juice, on your laminate floor you should immediately wipe it off the floor. In order to remove such tough stains you can use acetone based solutions such as nail polish remover on the laminate. However, such chemical based cleaning solutions can discolor the laminate so it is important to test the cleaning solutions on a hidden portion of the flooring first.

Another effective cleaning idea for your laminate flooring is to use a solution of vinegar and warm water. This is an inexpensive and a natural way of removing tough stains from your laminate floor. For maximum effectiveness you can use this solution by spraying it from a bottle and cleaning with a mop.

In case of scratches or dents to your laminate flooring you can purchase a touch up to maintain its finish. A typical touch up kit would consist of either a filler material or crayons & color pencils. When used properly, such touch up material can easily hide the damage to your laminate floor, and can maintain its finish and durability.

With a little care and effort it is easy to ensure that your laminate flooring looks like new for a long duration of time. Laminate does not require much maintenance and care, and is therefore preferred over natural wood flooring by a number of individuals.

Effective tools for a DIY enthusiasts

Certain things are more comforting for a ‘Do It Yourself’ enthusiast than completing a home renovation project without any professional assistance. DIY lovers, although enthusiastic about completing a project all by themselves require proper tools and resources to effectively complete the job at hand. A trip to the local hardware store can get you access to a number of different tools and equipment; however, selecting the right ones can be a difficult job.

Bathroom renovation is one of the most complex DIY jobs since any complications in tiling or waterproofing can result in significant damage to the surrounding areas. It is for this reason that tools such as Pro Pan, ready to tile shower pans and Quick Pitch are widely used in a bathroom renovation job. Pro Pan and ready to tile shower pans come with a standard slope of 1/4” inch per foot, thereby ensuring a perfectly sloped shower floor. Further, Kirb perfect offers an easy solution to building a shower curb, thereby ensuring that water does not spill outside the shower area.

Tiling & grouting is another job that can create a problem for people who prefer to complete their home renovation job themselves without any professional help. Tiles have to be placed at an equal distance to smooth transitions. Further, the grouting job has to be completed in an effective manner so as to ensure proper sealing, and that the water does not seep through the grout. This job can be effectively completed by using tile spacers and grout caulk thinset. Further, DIY enthusiasts can also find a variety of tile trims that can add an appealing look to the tiling of a room.

One of the common problems faced by people while installing stone or ceramic tiles is that of lippage. This not only disrupts the aesthetics of the room but can also result in cracks in the tiled floor. This problem can be easily solved by using the revolutionary Tuscan leveling system. Using this system will ensure a perfectly level tiled floor and will also make the tiling job easy and convenient.

Be it a job for carpentry, landscaping, or plumbing, a number of DIY enthusiasts find it difficult to find that perfect level pitch. An effective slope level indicator can prove to be more than handy in measuring and correcting the slope level of a place. Such slope levels are ideal for use by roofers, contractors, carpenters, engineers and most importantly by ‘Do It Yourself’ enthusiasts.

Finally, safety is an issue that concerns most people before they embark on their DIY endeavor. Certain safety tools such as a face mask, gloves, knee pads and clean up bags are essential in order to successfully complete a home renovation project.

Therefore, it is prominent that there are a variety of choices of tools for a DIY enthusiast to select from in order to successfully complete a home improvement project. Proper tools and equipment will not only help in timely completion of a job but will also ensure that it is completed in an effective and proper manner.

Different flooring options for your house

Never before were there as many flooring options in the market as there are today. However, an increase in the number of options does not necessarily lead to convenience while selecting one for your home. Now, you have to contemplate a number of factors in order to select the right flooring type for your house. Further, there has also been an increase in the number of subcategories; for example, in case you select hardwood flooring you have to further select from rose wood, bamboo wood, oak wood and teak wood among others.

Earlier, vinyl was the flooring of choice for many since it was highly durable, and was available at an affordable rate. Next, the preference for ceramic increased since it offered the same durability at an even lower price. However, now you have a number of options to select from such as laminate, hardwood, carpets, slate tiles and stone, among others.

Carpet flooring is widely preferred by homeowners since it provides an appealing look to a particular room. However, carpet collects dusts and is not ideal in homes where people are prone to allergy or where there are small children. It is for this reason that a number of people are opting for laminate and hardwood flooring.

Wood flooring provides a timeless finish and makes the room aesthetically appealing. Wood flooring have a characteristic of matching with any room decor, thereby ensuring high adaptability. Using wood flooring is not a new trend, and a number of individuals will find that their home consists of this type of flooring. Further, with a little care and maintenance wood flooring can last as long as any other type of flooring can

Bamboo flooring is a type of wood flooring that is available in a number of different shades and varieties. Bamboo flooring is resilient to scratches & stains, and offers high durability as well. However, since bamboo flooring is a bit expensive as compared to wood flooring a number of homeowners refrain from using it.

Laminate flooring is ideal for those people who are looking for the same aesthetic effect as that of wooden flooring, but at a significantly lower price. Laminate can be easily cleaned and is not damaged by water spills therefore it is ideal to be used as a flooring material in bathrooms and kitchens. Further, laminate flooring is easy to install and is completely hygienic, which is why it is preferred in a number of households.

Apart from these options you can also select from either stone flooring or tiled flooring. Stone flooring can be in the form of marble, granite, slate or limestone, and is popular due to its high durability and low maintenance. You can also select from a number of tiled flooring options such as slate, ceramic or vinyl.

While deciding on the type of flooring to use in your house there are a number of factors that you should consider. The size of the rooms, foot traffic in the rooms, pets and the availability of natural light are some of the factors that should be considered before deciding on a particular type of flooring.

leak proof shower no more a worry

One of the most common problems pertaining to a shower area is water accumulation over the pan liner. Since your tile floor is not completely waterproof, some water will trickle down to the pan liner. In case your pan slope is not appropriate, the water that seeps down the tile floor might not be directed towards the drain, and might accumulate between the floor and the pan liner. This water accumulation could lead to serious problem of mold in your shower area in the long run. Whats more, in case there is a leakage in your pan liner, your sub floor could also get damaged due to the water leak.

Traditional mortar beds can soak the excess water and can remain wet for a long duration of time, thereby resulting in damage to the tiles as well as the grout lines. Further, mortar can choke the drain weep holes, thereby resulting in a blocked shower drain. All such problems can result in an unpleasant showering experience for you.

A leaky shower area or excessive mold could cause serious problems and could result in unnecessary repairs and maintenance expenses. Now, with the introduction of ready to tile shower pans, leaky shower is no more a worry. Ready to tile shower pans are a contemporary version of traditional pan liners, which used to be placed over the shower sub floor. Ready to tile shower pans are manufactured with high grade polystyrene, and are rot proof as well as leak proof.

Ready to tile shower pans have a pre-formed slope of 1/4” per foot that is as per the industry standards. This slope ensures that any water which seeps through the tile floor is effectively directed towards the shower drain weep holes. Effective drainage and non accumulation of water below the tile floor ensures no leakage and no mold growth in your shower area.

Constructing a traditional mortar bed shower pan requires a lot of time as well as a little masonry skills. However, the easy and convenient structure of ready-to-tile-shower pans ensures that every do-it-yourself enthusiast can install it without any difficulty. The fact that these pan floors can be tiled as soon as they have been installed makes them all the more convenient and effective.

Although installing a pan liner is still the most popular method of constructing a shower area, more and more people are realizing the importance of ready to tile pan floors. Their easy to install and highly effective nature ensures high value for money. Further, the preformed slope, which is in accordance with the industry standards, ensures that any water that seeps through the shower floor is effectively directed towards the drain weep holes. You can also find a few ready to tile shower pans that come with integrated curb to ensure that you do not to spend extra time or money into building a shower curb. It is due to benefits such as these that the use of ready to tile shower pans has picked up significantly in recent times.

Build a perfect curb for that unmatched shower area

While building a shower area, a number of individuals give the least priority to a shower curb. The results of this negligence are frequent leaks and unnecessary expenses in repairs and maintenance of the shower area. The curb of your shower area acts as a dam and prevents water from spilling out to the floor. It is for this reason that the process of building a shower curb should be given high priority and should be completed with extreme care.

If a shower curb is not built with utmost care, the nails can puncture through the pan liner and can cause it to leak. It is to remove this problem that Kirb-Perfect can be an ideal solution. Kirb-Perfect is an easy to install structure that can be used to build a shower curb that is perfectly pitched and that maintains the integrity of the pan liner. Kirb-Perfect is made up of high quality non rotting plastic to ensure long durability of the curb structure.

Kirb-Perfect can be used both with a 2×4 membrane wrapped wooden curb as well as non-wooden curb. In both the cases, the nails are to be used on the outside of the curb structure, thereby ensuring that the integrity of the pan liner is not affected. The use of Kirb-Perfect also makes it easier to use light weight mud to cover the curb structure.

The biggest advantage of Kirb-Perfect is that is allows construction of a curb even without the use of 2×4 wooden blocks. This can be done by inserting the pan liner between the interior and exterior portions of Kirb-Perfect while screwing them together. Since nails will not be used in the inside of the pan liner, there is no scope for any leakage to the sub floor.

The ease of installation associated with Kirb-Perfect makes it a perfect choice for ‘Do-It-Yourself’ enthusiasts. All that is required to use Kirb-Perfect in building a perfect shower curb is attaching its 3 sides and trimming it on the inside to accommodate pre-pitch. The next step is to place this structure over the 2×4 wooden blocks or over the pan liner and fill it with mud. The ease of installation and the high utility offered by Kirb-Perfect makes it an ideal choice for any shower area building project.

A shower area is incomplete without a proper curb to keep the water in the shower area and to prevent it from splashing outside. Since your tile flooring is porous, there is a possibility that water might seep down to the pan liner. Although a pan liner is there to ensure that the water which seeps down is directed into the drain, in case your pan liner leaks, you could face serious problems of water accumulation. By using Kirb-Perfect, you can ensure that there is no damage to the pan liner and that in case any water seeps down to the sub floor, it is effectively directed into the drain. This would enable you to build a perfect curb for an unmatched shower area.

Author: flooringsupply

Tips to clean laminate flooring

Effective tools for a DIY enthusiasts

Different flooring options for your house

leak proof shower no more a worry

Build a perfect curb for that unmatched shower area

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