Blog : Flooring Supply Shop Blog | Flooring and Floor Heating Supply - Part 40Flooring Supplies

Proper insulation under your wooden flooring

Wooden flooring can greatly enhance the visual appeal of a house, and can add a lot of value to the house as compared to other flooring materials. Not only is wooden flooring more affordable as compared to marble and stone flooring, but is highly durable and long lasting as well. Further, flooring that has been made from wood grown in sustainable forests is environment friendly as well.

Apart from the above mentioned benefits another benefit of wooden flooring is that it is a good insulator, and prevents heat from escaping. However, irrespective of the fact that wooden flooring is a good insulator of heat, it would still get quite cold and uncomfortable to walk on during the winters. It is for this reason that it is a good idea to install proper insulation beneath the wooden flooring to ensure that heat does not escape. Further, proper insulation beneath the wooden floor will also prevent the infiltration of moisture.

It is quite simple to insulate a wooden floor if the building is still in the construction phase; however, a number of homeowners consider insulation only after they have a bad experience during a harsh winter. In such a scenario insulation will have to be placed through the available crawlspace beneath the floor.

The most commonly used material for insulating a wooden floor is unfaced batts. These batts are traditionally made using fiberglass, and ensure effective insulation of the floor. It is quite easy to cut these unfaced batts according to the size of the floor and to place them underneath. Not only do these unfaced batts provide effective insulation, but also provide moisture resistance and acoustic insulation.

In case you are searching for something more effective you can go in for a radiant floor heating system. A radiant floor heating system uses radiant heat to warm the floor, thereby ensuring complete comfort even during harsh winters. Apart from the obvious benefit of heating up the floor, radiant floor heating systems also enable significant savings in the energy consumption. This is possible due to the radiant heat emitted by this system, which not only raises the floor temperature, but also the temperature of the entire room. This effective heating will enable you to turn down the main thermostat by a few degrees, thereby resulting in significant savings in energy consumption.

In case you are a DIY enthusiast you can install the unfaced batts beneath the wooden flooring yourself; however, it is always a good idea to hire a professional contractor to complete the insulation job. Further, in case you decide to install an electric floor heating system you would have to take the help of a professional.

Thus, it is evident that although, wooden flooring is aesthetically appealing it is important to have proper insulation for maximum effectiveness. A properly insulated wooden floor will enhance its utility especially during harsh winter seasons. Further, proper insulation will also save you on your enormous electricity bills, thereby offering high utility and benefits.

Hardwood floor enriches the look of your home

Hardwood floors have remained a popular choice for years as these offer warmth and grandeur to the place. Hardwood floors enhance the outlook of the room and are considered stylish and elegant, giving an aesthetic appeal to your home. Moreover, these can be laid easily and are available in a variety of attractive options, giving the room a warm and cozy look.

In case you are planning to construct a new home or renovating the present one, opting for hardwood flooring would be a good choice. Hardwood flooring’s are available in different types of woods and are priced according to the type of wood used. Therefore, you can opt in for the hardwood flooring that best suits your budget.

This, stylish and elegant flooring option, blends well with the traditional as well as the modern home interiors. Though it requires a little maintenance, it is worth every penny as it enhances the aesthetic value of the place.

Many people may discourage you from opting for hardwood flooring since it is expensive compared to the conventional flooring options, but there are many reasons that make it a worthwhile investment. Hardwood floor is a great option to give your room an elegant, warm and a cozy look. The biggest advantage of hardwood flooring is its high durability & long life; therefore even if it is a little expensive, it proves to be a great return on investment in the long run.

Moreover, it is easy to maintain. All you need to do is sweep off whatever dust comes in and use a recommended cleaner to remove the stains. With a little effort on your part, your hardwood floor will provide you long lasting durability.

Another important feature which makes it stand apart is its versatile finish, in comparison to the other flooring options. Every hardwood flooring has a different stain, which can be altered after a few years to give it a new look. This can be done easily, you can refinish or sand it with other stains to give it a whole new look, to match it with the renovated decor. The refinished look proves to be beneficial and a better option than spending on installation of new flooring. Hence, even though it is little expensive than its competitors, it is worth investing.

Moreover, you have a wide range of options available, in terms of sizes, designs, colors, grains and styles. In addition, you can choose from the group of hardwood flooring which includes solid wood, engineered wood, laminates and synthetic or even plastic laminates. Hardwood flooring’s are generally available in planks and strips, with beveled or non beveled edges. Easy to install, you can either opt for pre-finished flooring or can finish it at site, as per your convenience. Further, installation of hardwood floor also decreases the chances of dust mites and allergy.

Hence, if you are looking for an elegant, stylish and durable flooring option, select hardwood flooring which will add to your home, a great design feature and give it a warm and cozy appeal.

Get your facts right before tiling the floor

Tiles offer durability and are a cost effective option for flooring; with minimal maintenance requirements, tiles can enhance the entire outlook of the room. In case you are planning to install floor tiles to upgrade your home, you must be aware of certain facts before you start working on it.

These are available in different shapes, sizes, colors and varieties, such as glass, terracotta, brick, cement, porcelain, terrazzo and quarry tiles. Among the various types, stone and ceramic tiles are generally preferred more for the floors. Ceramic tiles are available in glazed as well as unglazed options in different varieties of color. Further, the tiles are classified in four groups from I to IV depending upon durability. Group IV tiles are most durable, strong and sturdy withstanding more pressure and hence preferred for heavy traffic floors, such as patios and drive ways. Therefore, selecting the right kind of tile for flooring would depend upon the area such as kitchen, hallway, bathroom, basement or patio.

The most important thing you must have, before installing tiles for making the floor, is a proper layout, in order to execute the installation properly. For a correct assessment, measure the dimensions of the flooring area and divide it by coverage area of the tile; this will provide an estimate on how many tiles you would require for tiling your floor. It is advisable to re-evaluate your calculations, in order to avoid any inconvenience while doing the job.

Always get a few extra tiles to make for the loss, if any, during installation. Moreover, this also helps you in having matching tiles in case you need to replace it in future, because finding matching tile pattern can be difficult. Planning, patience and labor are the key ingredients that will help you cruise through this task effectively.

You should also be aware of the fact that installing a tile floor is a tedious process which may take days or weeks to complete the job. For a small bathroom floor, it may take two or three days, however installing tiles on the floor of your living room may stretch beyond a week. The time frame also depends upon your skill. Moreover, choosing the material, estimating the cost and finally purchasing the supplies consumes few days initially.

Before starting off with the tiling process, it is essential to lay out the sub floor. Sub flooring forms an integral part of the whole tiling process; hence make sure that you have strong sub flooring to prevent the grout from cracking. In addition, you must select the right type of grout depending upon the type of the tile. There are primarily three types of grout, namely epoxy, furan resin and Portland-cement based grouts. Among these, though epoxy is more expensive, it is highly water resistant and spreads out easily. In case of moist areas, you can use cement fiber-board for under flooring.

Once the sub floor stabilizes, it is time to lay out tiles. To hold the tiles in place make use of thinset and leave the tiles overnight. All this information will help you make all the necessary arrangements beforehand and have the perfectly tiled floor for your house.

Check out our Installation Schemes Pattern and Tile Calculator

Climatic Interior Decoration Ideas Inspired by Nature The Summer Season

Interior designing patterns have evolved immensely over the years. The latest trend that has taken the center stage is interior designing based on climate. The summer season is now being regarded as a period when you can opt for different patterns for interior designing and home improvement. These patterns may be based on space management, eco friendly home management or color management of the home. As a house owner you tend to spend a healthy amount on your home management projects. You try and take inspirations from different sources to land on an ideal combination that will best suit your needs. You take inspiration from art works, internet, newspapers etc. Another source of inspiration that at times is overlooked is the Nature. The nature can very easily be the best inspiration for any home interior designing project. There are certain aspects of nature that can help you in clubbing different combination’s and permutations. Here is a look at some of them.

Light: This source can prove to be the insight of your interior designing project. Different lighting patterns help you understand your designing needs better. Most of us feel better in summer than other times of the year because there are more daylight hours. Similarly, the ways in which you use lighting in your home will affect your mind, body, and spirit.

Color: This is yet another important ingredient of nature that can be very useful. The color defines the beauty of the room. A lot of the color usage depends on the individual preference. You can increase the charm of the room with a single color or by using a color combination of many colors. Nature again serves as the best inspiration in choosing colors. Brightly colored fresh fruit and vegetables abound. A rainbow of colors in flower gardens and lush foliage can offer ideas for beautiful colors to use in our home decorating projects.

Materials: The material that you use in home furnishing plays a vital role. The material may include furniture, modular goods and flooring. These days you can always opt for eco friendly flooring patters. They are specially designed by using radiant touch heating patterns. On the other hand, cool, crisp, and refreshing cotton and linen fabrics, sisal and jute rugs, rattan and wicker furniture are all borrowed from nature and delightful to use in our interior design.

Texture: Home texturing again plays a very important role. Many interesting textures in nature’s summer landscape encourage us to use varied textures to complement each other in our home decorating. Observe the beauty of a white velvety magnolia blossom against its own smoothly polished leaves. Compare the contrasting textures in your own back yard and repeat them in fabrics and finishes for a naturally occurring textural variety.

Proportion: This factor largely depends on the level of space management being carried out from the end of the house owner. The proportion of any aspect of home designing that justifies the by product is worth accepting.

Scale: Along with proportion, determining the proper scale in interior design can sometimes be a source of quandary. Although, a good proportion generally leads to proper scaling but the project outcome might vary depending on a number of factors. The budget justification, timeliness of the project and the longevity are all the factors that determine the difference between the scale and the proportion.

Equilibrium: Last but not the least balance is very important. A proper equilibrium between all the above mentioned factors needs to be maintained. Many first time designers make the mistake of thinking that to get balance in a room everything needs to be symmetrical, i.e. one end table on one side of the couch and one on the other and each with exactly the same accessories. Unless all these factors are not kept in mind achieving balance can be a bit of an issue.

I hope these factors help you determine an ideal nature based home decoration and furnishing project.

The basics of caulking

Caulking refers to the process of sealing the joints and seams where movement is expected by using a high quality sealant. Although it looks like an insignificant job, caulking holds a lot of significance as far as the durability of the tiles and the sub floor is concerned. Generally, a tiling job involves grouting the tiled surface area to holds it together and to make it watertight. Further, grouting is also done to enhance the aesthetics of the tiled area. However, a homeowner has to decide on whether caulking is the better option or grouting as far as the expansion joints are concerned.

One of the most commonly used caulking material is Silicone based, and has a clear texture with a flexible and rubbery finish. This caulking substance is available in a wide variety of colors to suit the particular color theme of a room. However, in case you are planning to use the caulk in high moisture areas such as the kitchen and the bathroom you should select a caulking substance specially created for such areas. This will ensure that the caulking substance is able to withstand mold growth as well as mildew growth.

Caulk is ideally used in areas where there is a joint between two surfaces, for example between the wall and the floor. Further, caulk could also be used where two walls meet, around sinks, faucets as well as around bath tubs. It is due to the high flexibility provided by caulk that it can withstand any structural movement without cracking.

Although caulking is an integral aspect of a home renovation job, it is important to apply it properly for maximum effectiveness. Most DIY enthusiasts usually fail to either estimate the correct size of the caulking area or to set a smooth layer. This is the reason why their caulking job does not lead to a watertight joint. In order to ensure maximum effectiveness out of your caulking job you should use a high quality caulking gun to set the material along the joint.

The trick to ensuring a proper caulking job is to cut the caulking tube at the right place and at the right angle. After applying a layer of caulk you should smoothen it either by using a damp cloth or your fingertip. This step is important since any opening in the caulked area will compromise its integrity. One trick to ensure that you do not leave any gap while caulking on a wooden area is to apply a layer of paint first. The paint will clearly highlight any gaps and nail heads in the wooden surface, thereby enabling you to caulk in effectively.

Thus, we can see that caulking is important, especially for expansion joints and for areas where two surfaces meet. Not only does an effective caulking job ensures waterproofing of the joint, but provides high stability and enhanced aesthetic appeal. However, you should either take the help of an expert of should use a high quality caulking gun to ensure an effective and precisely finished caulking job.

Proper insulation under your wooden flooring

Hardwood floor enriches the look of your home

Get your facts right before tiling the floor

Climatic Interior Decoration Ideas Inspired by Nature The Summer Season

The basics of caulking

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