Blog : DIY | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 4Flooring Supplies

Laminate Flooring Advantages and Disadvantages

Laminate flooring is fast becoming a preferred choice of most of the homeowners. If you are contemplating to install this flooring in your home, it is advisable that you know all about it. Like any other flooring option, laminate flooring also has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Knowing about these will help you make an informed decision.

The biggest advantage of laminate flooring is its toughness and durability. Irrespective of the amount of foot traffic, it can stand all the wear and tear without any scratch. In addition, laminate flooring is also resistant to stains and impacts. Unlike wood and marble, the laminate flooring does not fade when exposed to sunlight; thereby retaining its original look. Moreover, laminate flooring is the easiest to install and can be conveniently done by ‘do-it-yourself enthusiasts’ in no time. Laminate flooring is primarily available in the form of ‘snap together flooring planks’ which can easily be installed without any need for nailing, stapling or gluing to the sub-floor.

One of the biggest assets of the laminate flooring is its resemblance to real wood. The texture and color of the laminate flooring is of such high resolution that it is difficult to differentiate whether it is real wood or laminate. Moreover, unlike wood, laminate flooring does not contract or expand. Another important advantage of laminate flooring is its versatility. It can be installed over any substrate, be it wood or concrete. This makes it a preferred choice for homeowners, especially those who are looking for durable flooring option. It is also an affordable flooring option, compared to its other counterparts such as marble or hardwood; which can be quite expensive.

Along with these advantages, there are certain disadvantages which do not make laminate flooring an ideal flooring option. A major flaw of laminate flooring is its susceptibility to moisture. Laminate is made from ‘High Density Fiberboard’ (HDF) which can be damaged by moisture. On prolonged exposure to standing water the HDF breaks down and expands; the only solution to this problem is replacement. Once damaged, it is hard to repair and replacing the flooring in such cases is always an expensive option. Hence, if your house is susceptible to moisture, you need to avoid installing a laminate floor.

Another disadvantage of laminate flooring is that though it is recommended for “do-it-yourself enthusiasts”, it still requires some amount of skill. Along with having all the necessary instruments and skill to install it, you need to exercise some patience. The installation needs to be done properly where the initial and the final phases of installation are the most important as well as difficult. If the installation is not done properly, the place looks untidy and unappealing. Laminate flooring also tends to be quite slippery which can sometimes result in serious injuries.

Therefore, it is advisable to gain ample information on laminate flooring before going in for it. Weighing all the pros and cons of laminate flooring will help you make a wise decision.

Trend Setter in Home Furnishing

Home furnishing has always been thought off as the most tedious task in home management. The time consumption that takes place is something that has always been a hindrance in home furnishing. House owners these days have shifted focus to an all new concept of home furnishing. Popular trends in home furnishing include mixing old and new, classic and contemporary. Furniture has always been on prime radar of the house owners. They look for a mixed blend of beauty of the art and color in the furniture. But, choosing the right blend and in appropriate measures is the key. Furniture makers have been very responsive to this fashion, so now it’s easier than ever to purchase fine reproductions of vintage and modern collections. So here are some important trend setting aspects and designs that make your living area complete. You can either opt for singular collection or blend of many depending on your requirements and taste.

Gold Furniture: This is one of the major trend setters as far as home furnishing is concerned. Regarded as one of the oldest and royal home furnishing design, gold furniture types are no more luxurious and costly. Gold French furniture is nowadays usually finished in genuine gold leaf, and artisans make sure to give a distressing look to those areas where most natural wear would have occurred. The outcome is just awesome. This is a hard earned creation as it undergoes a multi tasking process of hand sanding, filling, sealing, painting and antique aging. Rich Rococo pieces, such as beds and chests of drawers are hand-carved, again, following the methods used hundreds of years ago.

The Vintage Style: Again a very effective and costumer centric furniture pattern. Vintage is generally a blend of Rococo furniture and chateau style. Versailles style is way over the top, but using a few rococo and baroque style items, such as a reproduction chateau de Versailles chandelier or a beautiful gilt mirror will give a glamorous look to your contemporary home. People with large dining rooms generally prefer this style of furniture.

The Mirrored Furniture: This is generally used when house owners want to bring some sanity to the house. Instead of glitter of artwork, many a times the mirror furniture is preferred by house owners. If you want something more exotic, choose a couple of items from a popular silver embossed range and mix them with white painted chateau furniture.

The Real Budget Design Ideas: If a budget based home furnishing is your cup of tea, then here are some important designing ideas for you. De Cluttering is always a good idea to start with. Minimizing accumulation is the key. This can be done by deciding which items must be retained and which can be thrown out or given away. Then be sure to maintain this system on an ongoing basis. Color management also plays a very vital role. Consulting a home furnishing expert also can be of great help. You’ll better understand how to incorporate color, lighting and texture into a room and also receive valuable tips on ensuring furnishings are in proportion with other things in a room for visual appeal.

With the wealth of information available, designing your first home or redesigning the interior of your existing home becomes a fun and exciting and cheap project rather than a stressful chore. By combining your creativity with tips gathered from various cheap or free publications, your home interior design project is sure to turn out to be a stunning success. As a final suggestion, surfing the internet and finding different combination’s and permutations that work can also provide relevant inputs.

I hope these inputs help you enhance some knowledge on catching the right trend in home furnishing.

Flooring advice for your kitchen

It is generally believed by homeowners that kitchen and bathroom are two of the most important areas for a renovation project. This is so, since these areas are exposed to high moisture content, and the flooring in these areas gets affected by moisture very easily. Some of the factors that can affect your decision to select a flooring option for your kitchen include; your budget, design consideration and your usage of the kitchen.

Most people select different flooring for each room in their house. However, selecting common flooring in all the rooms of the house is a popular trend that is becoming popular day by day. So if you are looking to change the flooring of your kitchen, you can select the same flooring as that in the surrounding areas. This continuity will give your house a more comfortable and attractive look. Some flooring options such as stone can be laid in the kitchen as well as other surrounding rooms effectively.

Going green is the latest trend in kitchen flooring. Flooring material such as stone, tile and porcelain would be ideal in your kitchen. Furthermore, wood and wood laminate would also enhance the aesthetic look in your kitchen. However, in case you are opting for wood or laminate, you should select a dark shade and thick grained flooring for maximum utility.

While selecting flooring for your kitchen you should give more emphasis to practicality rather than aesthetics. For example, if you have kids and pets in your house you should opt for a strong and durable option, such as stone. This is so since other material such as hardwood and laminate can scratch easily. Even certain varieties of porcelain, which is considered to be a tough material, can crack and chip easily in the kitchen.

In case you are looking for a low budget option that offers aesthetics, as well as durability, then laminate would be the ideal choice. Laminate would imitate the looks of hardwood flooring, but would offer better durability. Furthermore, the cost of installing laminate flooring is quite reasonable as compared to other flooring options. The low cost and high aesthetics of laminate make it a preferred choice, not just for the kitchen floor, but for floors in other rooms as well.

Talking to a professional flooring contractor is generally a good idea since they would be able to determine the right flooring option for your kitchen. A professional will not only help you determine your flooring requirements but will help you with the purchase process as well. A flooring contractor will ensure that your kitchen flooring offers maximum value for your investment in it.

Kitchen is one of the most actively used locations in a house; therefore, it becomes essential to select the right flooring option. Not only should the flooring match with the decor of your house but should also be easy to maintain and clean. Vinyl, stone and laminate are considered to be ideal options for the kitchen floor. The right floor will go a long way, in the way your kitchen looks

The Flooring Supply Shop and Compotite Are Joining Forces

The Flooring Supply Shop and Compotite Are Joining Forces

The Flooring Supply Shop’s Newest Supplier is an Innovator in The Shower Business

Atlanta, GA-July 12, 2010- The Flooring Supply Shop is excited to announce it’s partnership with Compotite.

The Flooring Supply Shop is known for its savvy research team that chooses only the best products on the market to distribute. After doing their homework, they have chosen to add Compotite to their list of distinguished suppliers. Compotite is an innovator in the shower-building industry. They were the first to create a waterproofing substitute for lead shower pans, way back in 1938. As times have changed, so has Compotite. They now offer a number of top-notch products for your shower construction needs including:

Composeal-A membrane made from PVC resin that is strong, waterproof, and resistant to punctures, chemicals, and mildew. It meets or exceeds the standards for all three plumbing codes.

Composeal Gold-The industry’s first heat fused 3-ply membrane. Gives unsurpassed double-protection against common shrinkage cracks found in residential and commercial construction, and prevents water damage and moisture migration.

Composeal White Gold-This product controls sound transmission in tile flooring and prevents substrate cracks and moisture.

Composeal Sky Blue- One of Compotite’s newest products. It protects countertops, sub-flooring, framing, and rafters from moisture and mold growth.

These and other great Compotite products will be available both individually, and as part of our shower system kits. We look forward to our partnership with Compotite and a bright future together.

About The Flooring Supply Shop

The Flooring Supply Shop is the online presence for the International Flooring Center in Los Angeles, CA. The International Flooring Center has been providing a broad selection of Tile, Tools, Setting Material, equipment and accessories to contractors and DIY homeowners for over 18 years. For more information, stop by http://www.flooringsupplyshop.com/.

The increasing popularity of DIY projects in the current slowdown

Most people refrain from undertaking a DIY project since they neither have the expertise nor the tools to complete it in an effective manner. Further, the fear of expensive repairs and maintenance in the future in case the project goes wrong also deters a number of prospective DIY enthusiasts. However, the current economic slowdown has forced people to look at different ways to save money, and DIY projects instead of hiring a contractor as one such option.

Although there is no comparison between a DIY enthusiast and a professional contractor in terms of the experience and availability of resources, one factor that makes DIY project more attractive is the cost attached to it. What you would be charged by a professional contractor would be significantly higher as compared to what you would incur if you completed the job yourself. This financial motive is one of the biggest reasons why the current slowdown has resulted in an increased number of Do It yourself enthusiasts.

Although financial motive is important, the sense of achievement involved with completing a job is something that is characteristic of a DIY project. The fact that you get to call something your own is what attracts most people to completing a job themselves rather than hiring a professional contractor.

One of the most important benefits of hiring a professional contractor is the years of experience and the resources that they bring into a project. You can easily check on the references provided by contractors to know about the previous work done by them. Further, professionals have all the tools and equipments that would be required to complete a job. Although a DIY enthusiast cannot match up to the experience levels of a professional contractor, it has become very easy to get access to high grade tools and equipment in an affordable manner.

Be it tiling, carpentry, or a plumbing job; you would require a specialized set of tools to complete the task at hand. Without the right resources you would not be able to achieve the right finish; thereby resulting in future repairs and maintenance costs. However, you can easily find highly effective tools and resources such as the grout grabber, Pro Pan, Kirb perfect, tile sealers, Tuscan Leveling System and trowels on the internet. These resources will not only make your job much easier but will result in a much more defined and finished look to your renovation work.

Although the financial slowdown is what is forcing people towards Do It Yourself projects, it is not as easy as it sounds. A DIY work gone wrong can result in more repairs and maintenance expenditure than what a professional contractor would have charged. It is for this reason that you should properly analyze the job at hand and should be prepared with the right tools and equipment before starting your project. A properly completed DIY project will give you a sense of achievement and will save you on a lot of financial expenditure.

Tag: DIY

Laminate Flooring Advantages and Disadvantages

Trend Setter in Home Furnishing

Flooring advice for your kitchen

The Flooring Supply Shop and Compotite Are Joining Forces

The increasing popularity of DIY projects in the current slowdown

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