Blog : Do It Yourself | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 3Flooring Supplies

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

Wooden Flooring Nature trail

Remember the joy of climbing those verdant oak trees in your childhood? Well, now you can bring in the same innocence in your life and relive those wonderful moments with the help of wooden flooring! It will bring all the blessings of nature right inside your home and also add tones of elegance to your interiors. Wooden floors come as a welcome break from the traditional flooring materials available in the market and lend a discernible allure to the interiors.

Wood is one of the most precious gifts from nature and has a unique appearance owing to the presence of natural grains and colors. It is perfect as a flooring material due to its sturdy nature and poetic appearance. However, it is a care intensive product and requires a proper maintenance both before and after installation. Proper care will protract the longevity of wooden floors and ensure that it keeps on shining for a longer duration giving you a shining floor that looks as if it was installed yesterday.

One of the most popular variants of wooden flooring is the engineered wood which can be customized as per your requirements. To get the most out of a wooden floor it is important to pay attention to the installation of these floors. An inspection of the floor is the first step in installation which will ensure that the entire installation process can be carried out smoothly. If there are any problems with the acceptability of the material then you should look for proper substitution. In case there are any doubts do not hesitate to take the advice of a professional installer.

It is also equally important to ensure the condition of the sub floor before installing the hardwood floor. The sub floor should be able to meet all the requirements which a typical flooring site demands. The use of filler and putty stick is the normal procedure while installing wooden floors and hence should be accepted. Care should also be taken to ensure that an extra waste factor should be added to the square footage amount depending on the layout.

Installation of hardwood flooring will vary according to the environment and surface and hence should be carried out in the proper way. For instance, in a new construction the hardwood floor should always be the last item to be installed. Similarly while installing hardwood floor over radiant heated floors take care that the hardwood material is Oak, Hickory or Walnut etc to ensure complete safety of the heated floors.

Following the proper installation guidelines will ensure that your hardwood floor is ready to handle all the challenges of the modern house. Proper care and maintenance of the floor will ensure that it has a long life. Caring for wooden floors is no rocket science and all you have to do is follow the basics. Keeping the floors free from spills as much a possible will maintain its natural glow. You can use a damp cloth to clean the spills as soon as they happen. Even if the stains are tough like paint, ink etc make sure to use only a soft material like a nail polish removal which won’t leave behind any residues. Clean the floor periodically with certified cleaners will also protract the life of the interior wooden floors.

A few external factors like relative humidity etc also determine the performance of ma wooden floor and ensuring proper conditions will ensure that your floor have a longer life. A relative humidity level between 45 and 65% throughout the year will minimize the natural contraction and expansion of the wood and take proper care of the floor. A shining wooden floor will blend in perfectly with your furniture and create a simply outstanding effect!

Custom designed shower area made easy

While building a custom designed shower area, most do-it-yourself’ enthusiasts will face the problem of designing an appropriate floor pitch. An appropriate floor pitch ensures that water flows directly into the shower drain and does not accumulate on the shower floor. You might use complicated and sophisticated measurement tools to create the perfect floor slope, but there is still no guarantee of achieving the desired results.

However, technological advancement in the form of Quick Pitch has emerged as an ideal solution to the problem of an irregular shower floor pitch. The simplicity of this product makes it ideal for people who are looking to build a custom designed shower area with the minimum of fuss. Quick Pitch consists of float sticks and a center ring, which are used to create a standard slope of 1/4" per 12" on the shower floor.

The problem of irregular floor pitch is not a minor one, and should not be taken lightly while designing a shower floor. Water that accumulates on the shower floor can easily seep into the mud bed, thereby resulting in various ‘water ponding’ issues.

Another advantage of a proper shower pitch is that since water would not accumulate on the shower floor, the tile floor will last for a longer duration of time. Water seeping through the tiles can weaken the bond, thereby forcing you to redo your tile flooring after regular intervals of time. In order to create a long-lasting tiling on your shower floor, you should avail of the Quick Pitch system.

For maximum utility, you should use Quick Pitch along with Pre Pitch and Kirb Perfect systems. Not only is it necessary to have a proper slope on the shower floor, but it is equally important to have a proper slope on the sub floor as well. Pre Pitch is an easy to install system that facilitates an apt sloping sub floor beneath the pan liner. This slope will ensure that any moisture that seeps through the mud bed does not remain accumulated above the pan liner and is effectively directed towards the weep holes.

Using the Kirb Perfect system will allow you to easily and conveniently build a curb for your shower floor. Although the frame of a shower curb is traditionally built out of wood, there is a serious chance of damaging the pan liner while building such a curb around the shower area. While nailing the curb frame to the floor, you can easily damage the pan liner, thereby increasing the chances of a water leak. Since installing Kirb Perfect does not require you to nail the frame to the shower floor, there is no possibility of damaging your pan liner.

Since Quick Pitch has been specially designed for the convenience of ‘do-it-yourself’ enthusiasts, you will find that its use will significantly streamline your process of designing a shower area. So you can go ahead and install the Quick Pitch system and enjoy the benefits of a properly sloped and a well drained shower area.

Ready To Tile Shelves Bear Everything

One of the most personal spaces in your home is your bathroom. Here you can spend some quality time and feel completely relaxed. Bathroom accessories can go a long way in helping you to provide an elegant appeal to your shower. The ready to tile shelves have emerged as one of the most fascinating bathroom accessories which fit easily into your shower to create an organized look. You can customize the shelves as per your requirement to create a magnificent blend.

With a rapid increase in the exciting range of shower products, you surely need some extra space in your bathroom. The shelves serve this purpose perfectly as they are designed to offer you sufficient space. The shelves allow you to store all your favorite shower stuff in one place. The shelves can blend perfectly with your surrounding walls and create an effect which is simply beyond words. The shower seats can also be an interesting addition to your shower which will help you give yourself a royal treatment while bathing.

The shower shelves have evolved as one of the most effective tools for managing space in your shower and lend a fresh and bright appearance to it. The shelves can be easily installed in your shower and blend perfectly with the interiors. The shelves can be used for storing your shower stuff and also for enjoying an extended session in the shower. Available in a variety of materials these seats and shelves are perfectly suitable for your shower and will add a new dimension to your bathroom.

The shower shelves have a tremendous load bearing capacity and can withstand heavy weights. This means you can sit on your shower shelf and enjoy a relaxed shower without having to worry about your safety. This capability is achieved through the engineering of shear force instead of tension loading. The shower benches can be easily installed in your shower area to enjoy an uninterrupted experience. The benches and shelves are very user friendly and do not require any additional waterproofing or structural reinforcement. Following proper installation procedures will ensure that the shelves are fixed in the best possible manner.

The shower seats are also a great addition for your bathroom as they can add an element of elegance to your bathroom. The shower seats will offer you a personal seating space in the bathroom and help you to rejuvenate yourself. These seats are also very helpful for physically challenged people as they can sit comfortably on them. The seats are designed to be water resistant which makes them anti corrosive and saves you the hassles of water proofing. The seats are generally made from granite and marble and a few also have marble flooring on the top. A few seats may also have ceramic tiles on the top. It is important to ensure that you use only certified chemicals to clean the seats.

Unlike the traditional shower seats which required hours to install, modern seats can be installed in a matter of no time. The present shower benches come with a one piece frame that can be installed easily with the help of fasteners which are supplied with it. This eliminates the need for any structural reinforcement and makes installation very simple. The high density Polystyrene shower seats are also gaining in popularity today. These seats are extremely light weight and can be installed without any hassles. Proper care of the shower seats will enhance their life and ensure that you enjoy a comfortable shower.

Choosing the perfect accessories and following the proper installation techniques will help you create a shower which stands out in all respects. Accessories like shower seats and shelves will enhance the appearance of your bathroom and also offer various capabilities. It is a sound investment which will help you enjoy each and every minute under the shower.

Tag: Do It Yourself

Hardwood floor enriches the look of your home

Get your facts right before tiling the floor

Wooden Flooring Nature trail

Custom designed shower area made easy

Ready To Tile Shelves Bear Everything

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