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Flooring Supply Shop Blog | Flooring and Floor Heating Supply - Part 16

Home Improvement things to know before your next Remodeling

ATR tile leveling system, RLS wedges, RLS spacers, RLS-KIT, leveling, lippage, flat surfaces, spacers, installation

Now that spring has officially arrived, many homeowners are going to focus on finally getting around to those home improvement projects they were never got around to during the winter. One big change you can make to your home, that makes an even bigger impact on it’s appearance, is getting new flooring.

There are, of course, hundreds of flooring options one has to choose from. A flooring type that has often gotten a bad rap is tiles. People have a misconception that they are pricey, difficult to install, and are delicate. What people don’t think about is that, as is with everything, technology has completely changed tiles and how they’re installed.

Tile now days are completely transformed, unique, and almost futuristic. Frosted glass tile along the walls of a shower can turn it into a spa like environment while dark porcelain tiles in the kitchen give it a Tuscan feel.. It has the ability to take a room to another level. While it’s still popular in the traditional settings of the bathroom and kitchen (thanks to its water resistance), it’s almost becoming popular in entry ways and walkways thanks to it’s durability.

A big concern for many when installing tile is proper installation. Whether you do it yourself, or hire a professional, we’ve all heard the horror stories of jagged, uneven tile floors. As I previously mentioned, technology has transformed the installation process with much of that due to the invention of the ATR Tile Leveling System. The system is the only of its kind in that it is a simple, pull out tile leveling system.

ATR tile leveling system, RLS wedges, RLS spacers, RLS-KIT, leveling, lippage, flat surfaces, spacers, installation

Other tile levelers involve use of force, kicking, or even use of tools. I’m fairly certain the last thing someone wants to do when they install brand new tile floors is start kicking at the leveling system or taking a mallet hammer to the leveling system to try to get it out, running the risk of scratching or chipping a tile. This system is unlike others in that it is simply un screw in few spin or use 10mm socket.

Some advantages below

1. The universal Spindle removes cleanly and easily, without any force applied, eliminating risk of fragmenting tiles or leaving any unwanted obstructions behind

2. ATR Leveling System is also the only system not to leave any straps or obstructions between the grout joints once the spindle is removed

3. NO SPECIAL TOOLS REQUIRED, for the advanced professional a simple socket and a cordless drill may be used to install and remove spindles so you are not depending on a broken gun or a single gun on the job site

4. The only system that the spacing plates lock the tile into position giving you the most perfect intersection of the tile and straight lines without requiring consistent adjustments

5. no movement in tile position while twisting the spindle

6. Great labor saving 4 to 1 ratio

For those of you looking to remodel on a budget or simply prefer to do it yourself, there is a ATR Tile Leveling System that will give you the same results as with the professional kit. All you have to do are three easy steps: spread mortar and install tile, screw the spindle into the spacing plate and slide the plate under the tiles to align them, and turn the spindle until the tiles are aligned. It doesn’t matter if you’re installing tiles on your floor or walls, it’s all the same for this system. Just like that, your “big project” for your home this spring, just got a little easier.

Spencer Blohm is a freelance home and lifestyle blogger for ViralHeat. He’s currently been on a D.I.Y. binge and has established some unlikely friendships with the employees of his local hardware store.

Should You Consider Hardwood Floors For Your Homes Or Offices

hardwood flooring, Hardwood floors, maple hardwood, oak hardwood, white oak hardwood, red oak hardwood, mahogany hardwood, Santos Mahogany, solid hardwood, Hardwood care products, Transition molding pieces

Should You Consider Hardwood Floors For Your Homes Or Offices?

Investing in hardwood flooring implies a significant investment that can turn out beneficial in the long run. Though there are sources suggesting that modern bamboo flooring is as effective as hardwood floors with a hardness rank comparable to oak, nothing beats hardwood floors when it comes to class, elegance and structural strength. Go further through the post in a bid to acquaint yourself with benefits of installing hardwood floor in your homes or offices.

You might as well be browsing a number of sites including wikipedia.org Interior Design and http://www.designerhq.org in a bid to get a hang of the modern interior designing concepts and ideas. But before going in to details – know for a fact that the flooring would be counted as an integral part of the project and its only advisable that you acquaint yourself with its nitty-gritty.

Convenience of Installation and Easy Maintenance

Superior hardwood floors are engineered to offer a homogenous and steady fit. Those who have due experience in DIY flooring would hardly find it difficult to install it. It turns out to be a more sagacious investment than carpet as its color might start waning with time. Additionally, hardwood is considered to be hypoallergenic as it does not retain debris that can lead to or aggravate your allergies as carpet does. As it doesn’t retain dust you can settle for regular but easy cleaning processes including moping, vacuuming and drying.

Versatility

No matter how diverse or unique your needs are, hardwood offers you variant choices in terms of appeal- styles, stains, species, colors, finish etc. In fact, it can safely be claimed that no two hardwood floors are the same. Additionally, wood is naturally equipped with versatile patterns.

It’s Healthy!

Hardwood flooring unmistakably makes for a healthy interior choice. It does not have embossing or grout lines that would allow pollen particles, dust, allergens or animal dander settle on it, thereby bolstering overall air quality. There are immediate health benefits associated with this attribute as the debris-free air in the house proves conducive for people with respiratory illnesses.

Problems and Solution

Cupping and buckling is a recurrent problem with hardwood. You need to ensure that you’re familiarizing yourself with these concepts before installing the hardwood in your home or office.

It’s phenomenon which refers to a malformation or warping process that is caused by absorption of humidity. Now, “how would your indoor flooring would be exposed to humidity?” Yes, it’s possible. There are several ways whereby the wood becomes vulnerable to moisture. Both the normal ground water saturation levels at your home or else the outdoor humidity levels in the geographical area you’re residing in, make for the standard sources of humidity. Additionally, if the burst water pipelines remain unattended to, for a considerable period of time, the internal structure of your home might be considerably damaged as well. Therefore, as a homeowner if you have noticed cupping or buckling in the floor, make sure you’re identifying the source of water and attending to it immediately.

Copyright © 2014 FlooringSupplyShop.com

Why Wintertime is the Best Time of Year to Replace Your Flooring

Bathroom remodeling, bathroom accessories, Ready to tile shower pan, Shower remodeling, shower recess, niches, ready to tile recess, shower seats

Remodeling the kitchen and bathroom returns anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the money invested into the project, Remodeling Magazine reports. With each of these projects, old and outdated flooring can be a major portion of the remodeling, as can replacing appliances and fixtures in the room. Remodel now to enjoy the positive changes and make more money when you go to sell your home. While it may not seem like winter offers many advantages over other seasons, especially in snowy areas like Vermont and Virginia, it’s actually a wonderful time to replace flooring: The drier air prevents the boards from gapping while the lack of humidity wards off water damage during the installation.

Bathroom remodeling, bathroom accessories, Ready to tile shower pan, Shower remodeling, shower recess, niches, ready to tile recess, shower seats

Winter works well for floorboard replacement

In the winter, contractors are limited in what they can do. Many cannot complete exterior projects, like adding on a new deck. Replacing flooring is one job they can do year round, because it happens inside the home. For you, this means a faster job completion time because contractors aren’t trying to satisfy as many jobs as during the peak season. Additionally, stores are more likely to stock all needed items so your project won’t hit a supplier-side snafu. Picking out the right shade of stain and discussing the advantages of maple, bamboo and walnut flooring can help prevent some of the winter weariness that sets in when you have long winters.

Because hardwood is so easy to clean and also hypoallergenic, it can make your daily life easier in a season when taking the dog out for a simple walk can mean tracking in wet and dirty snow. A new hardwood floor also increases your home resale value and makes your everyday life more enjoyable. If your old floor squeaked, replacing the floor can reduce the noise level in the home as well.

Planning a floor replacement

While winter is an ideal time to replace your floor, this project comes with a lot of debris. You’ll have your old floorboards that have been ripped out, plus any under layers that need replaced. You’ll also have the trim ends of anything you are installing, plus all of the equipment needed to clean and prepare your floors. In the summertime, it’s easy enough for you or your contractor to run all materials to the dump at the end of the day. In the winter, the dump may have limited hours or a winter storm can make driving unpleasant. If your city has laws that regulate the storage of garbage and debris or that specify that all garbage must fit in your garbage can, you might want to consider renting a dumpster for this project. You can find short term dumpster rentals by the day, week or month. At the end of the rental time frame, the Richmond dumpster rental company will haul away the dumpster and debris.

Additionally, polyurethane sealants have a strong odor. While the sealant will dry faster in the winter, there is a greater chance that you’ll be housebound for much of the day. If you are susceptible to odors, consider using pre-sealed floorboards. These won’t need to be stained and sealed post-installation.
 
Copyright © 2014 FlooringSupplyShop.com

ATR Leveling System – Upcoming update Feb 1st 2014

ATR Leveling System -Upcoming update Feb 1st 2014

We at ATR are excited and glad to announce after a long year of re-development, further testing and improvements, ATR will soon be introducing the new innovated Spindle and Spacing Plate designs

NEW Spindles

The new spindle features a new screw element with a larger head and grip element,4 segment viewing windows for easier viewing access and much more robust which means you will get more uses and will save you long term expenses

NEW Spacing Plates – available by the end of March 2014

Soon to be released the new 3mm Spacing plate. This 3mm spacing plate design may also be substituted for the use of laying on Floors and Walls. Available in Cross plates, T shape plates and Edge plates. The new spacing plate features a dome look effect to the underside for tightening spindle to it’s desired strength locked position and to eliminate anymore future concerns of the screw tip penetrating through! This was never the situation but more of an allusion.

This unique innovated ATR patent system will work with any type of tile, thickness up to 18mm excluding un-even stone type like Slate or as such composites, for more handy information on any of our products visit www.atrleveling.com

atr_spindle

(latest video 04/07/2013) new video coming soon
Video taken by Professional Tile setter Salvatore DiBlasi

How to Properly Budget and plan your Home Improvement Projects

How to Properly Budget and plan your Home Improvement Projects

Now that 2014 has started, many Los Angeles homeowners are getting their budgets together and making plans for the New Year. For many people the improved economy means that they can finally tackle some of the big home improvement projects they might have had to put off previously.

One of the biggest home improvements you can make which can reap surprisingly dramatic results is replacing your flooring. Try to imagine that old carpeting in the dining room replaced with beautiful, hardwood floors. The whole room could be completely transformed, and the value of your home will no doubt increase. It also helps that new technology and innovations have increased flooring options by the tenfold in the last few years. Just looking at Flooring Supply Shop’s options can show you just how many new options you have.

Flooring Supply Shop

Another thing you may noticed while shopping around is the number of   environmentally friendly options you have. It’s not news that there is a rapidly increasing focus on bringing sustainable materials into every facet of consumer lives, and flooring is no exception to the trend. Unlike a few years ago, there are a huge number of options today.

One option you have if you’re looking to replace some marble in your home, is to actually not replace it at all! If you haven’t heard about our Restoration Training and Cheetah Pads, just let the results speak for themselves. What could be more environmentally friendly than buffing your way to a completely new floor?

However, if you’re searching for a new look in your home that is also Eco-friendly, one of the biggest trends right now is concrete. Yes, you heard that correctly, concrete. This concrete isn’t the boring sidewalk slabs you’re imagining, since the innovations that have been made with concrete are astounding. It can be molded to fit any area, can be dyed or stained to any color, polished until it gives you a high shine look, and – barring any catastrophic events – would never need to be replaced.

 

While concrete is great, one of the newest, coolest, and most environmentally friendly options on the market right now is glass tiles. Eco-friendly glass tiles are made of recycled glass products (like beer bottles) which are then converted into beautiful tiles. It’s really incredible how a bunch of old wine bottles can be transformed into some truly unique flooring. On top of being an environmentally friendly flooring option, many people are using it on the walls of their home or as back-splashes in their kitchen thanks to its light reflecting properties. As an added bonus the tiles are easy to maintain and you won’t have to worry about staining as you would with many traditional types of tiles.

It seems counter intuitive to assume that hardwood floors are eco-friendly, right? Chopping down trees can’t be good for the environment. However, thanks to new advancements you can get hardwood floors without so much as knocking a leaf off of a tree due to engineered hardwood floors. In the past engineered hardwood got a bad rap thanks to it’s less than conventional look, but like every other flooring material out there a few years of time and testing has resulted in a more aesthetic appearance. In addition to being environmentally friendly, it’s usually significantly cheaper than traditional hardwood, sometimes as much as $3 a plank cheaper. They’re also much easier to install than their traditional counterparts.

When making plans for major home renovations it’s easy to get lost in the details and forget about the environmental impact your choices may have. However, it is our responsibility to do our best to use sustainable, eco-friendly products as often as we can, and that includes our flooring. Thanks to the incredible advancements in technology, Eco-friendly floor options are cost effective and very aesthetically pleasing, sometimes more so than non-green options. Just take a look around at some of Flooring Supply Shop’s environmentally friendly options and you can see just how far we’ve come in terms of green flooring options.

Copyright © 2014 FlooringSupplyShop.com

About the Author: Spencer Blohm is a freelance design, lifestyle, and entertainment blogger for Direct-ticket.net. His interests range from interior design to old Hollywood films and can often be found scavenging in vintage and antique stores for his next big find. He lives and works in Chicago.

Flooring Supply Shop Blog | Flooring and Floor Heating Supply - Part 16