Blog : do it yourself | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 4Flooring Supplies

The impact of moisture on different flooring types

Tile Flooring

The decision to install a particular flooring type depends on various factors such as its aesthetics, durability, price and effect of moisture. It is the impact of moisture on different flooring types that restricts the use of certain flooring options in high moisture areas such as the kitchen and the shower.

Hardwood flooring is highly sensitive to the surrounding moisture content since it is fibrous and absorbs and releases moisture. All wooden floors expand and contract according to temperature and humidity changes. Hardwood contracts when the relative humidity is less than the moisture content of the wood. On the other hand, hardwood expands when its moisture content is less than the relative humidity. Fluctuating moisture levels can significantly affect the shape of your hardwood flooring.

Another flooring material that is affected by the moisture levels is bamboo. Since bamboo is actually a type of grass, and is fibrous as well, it also absorbs and releases moisture. Excess moisture in the air will cause your bamboo flooring to swell and bend. In contrast, less moisture in the air will dry the bamboo flooring and cause cracks in it.

Although laminate flooring is considered to be the most durable out of all the flooring options it is still susceptible to moisture. During the manufacturing process, a durable coating is applied on laminate flooring to make it resistant to moisture. Even after this coating excess exposure to moisture can cause laminate flooring to expand significantly.

Cork is another flooring material that is impervious to water seepage. Cork contains a natural material that makes it highly durable and ideal for use in areas such as the kitchen as well. However, since cork is a natural material it is affected by humidity changes. Although cork is not affected by moisture in the same way as hardwood is, yet it should be properly cared for to prevent damage.

Even though different flooring materials respond differently to fluctuations in moisture levels, it is important to limit the exposure of moisture to your flooring. One of the most effective ways of ensuring the relative air humidity does not affect your flooring is known as acclimation.

Acclimation is a pre installation process to ensure that the flooring adjusts to the humidity level in a particular room. Generally, this process consists of placing the flooring material in the room where it is to be installed, for a period of 2-3 days. During this time, the temperature as well as the humidity levels in the room should be controlled for maximum effectiveness.

Controlling the moisture levels around your flooring is important for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that excess moisture, or lack of moisture can cause the flooring to shrink or expand. This in turn would affect the integrity of the flooring. Another reason is that unless proper maintenance of the flooring is done the warranty on it would not be valid. It is for these reasons that you should ensure that your flooring is not exposed to moisture, or excess fluctuations in humidity levels.

Dont renovate your home only because your neighbor is doing it

Fully furnished living room

Renovating a home is a daunting task which requires time, money and planning, hence, it is not advisable to start renovating your home, simple because your neighbor is doing so. You must renovate your home only if changes in your home are required.

Home renovation is generally done to make living more practical as well as enjoyable for people residing in it. Remodeling the home must ultimately justify the large portion of the cost that is invested, since renovating home is an expensive proposition. Furthermore, it is a time consuming process and hence you must be prepared to take out time from your busy schedule to supervise the renovation process.

In case you ultimately decide to renovate your home, you must be aware of the fact that there are quite a few important things that you need to do before the actual work starts. You need to plan well in advance so as to avoid high job costs or low quality work, along with wastage of time. Even before the work starts, there is so much to be done, such as formulating the plans and taking the necessary permits. Further, once you have the permits and bids, the next step is to arrange finance for the entire renovation expenditure, this will help avoid work-delay caused due to fund shortage. You also need to get a reliable contractor, for which you can take reference from your friends. Planning in advance will help you execute the renovation in an organized & timely fashion. In addition, you can shop around for things and take advantage of various sales and bargains, get the requisite items at less cost and increase your savings.

It is essential that you set aside some time for the planning and even plan to take time off work in order to execute the renovation process under your supervision. The time frame would depend upon the job, for example if you plan to renovate just your bathroom, it may a week; however, if the complete house is to be renovated then it may take weeks for the job to be completed. It is advisable to avoid rainy season for renovation work, generally January is a popular time for home renovations. Sometimes there may be delays in work due to accident or illness of any of the involved parties; hence you need to set aside few days as buffer. Therefore, keeping all these factors into consideration, plan your time accordingly. Moreover, your house can become quite a mess during renovation, with renovation material scattered all around, it will demand your constant attention to ensure tidiness.

The most important thing to be considered before starting any renovation work is the need for it. It is not advised to get into renovations when it is not required to be done. Apart from this, if at all there is a need for renovation then you need to be well prepared for it in advance, with sufficient backup of time & money.

Build the right rapport with your contractor

A number of people are enthusiastic to undertake ‘Do-It-Yourself’ projects to complete a home renovation job. Although DIY can cut down your expenses significantly, there are few projects that cannot be completed without the services of a professional. It is, therefore, important for you to identify the job that requires the services of a contractor to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Simply deciding that you require the services of a contractor is not enough, since finding the right one is important for the proper completion of your project. A number of people who hire contractors face problems such as delays, hidden costs and inferior quality of work. In order to ensure that you avoid such problems you should select the right contractor and build a rapport with them.

The key to selecting a professional and proficient contractor is having knowledge about this domain yourself. Your initial communication with the contractor should convey to them that you have done your homework. This will ensure that you are able to negotiate the right quote for the job at hand. Furthermore, before meeting with the contractor you can lay out a detailed scope of work for the contractor. This scope of work should lay out the different aspects of the job, plus your estimated budget and the time frame within which you require the project to be completed.

Before signing a contract with your contractor you should check their background to determine their professionalism and their quality of work. This step will ensure that you do not face any problems in the future due to the unprofessional nature of your contractor.

Once you have hired a contractor and signed the final contract with them, it is important to maintain a healthy rapport with them. You should properly convey to the contractor your quality expectations from the job at hand, and should draw a payment schedule. A proper payment schedule will convince the contractor that they will be paid on time, and will help you in keeping a tab on your payments.

It is also important to regularly inspect the renovation site to ensure compliance with your quality expectations. Ideally, you should visit the renovation site daily and convey any disparities that you might find over there. This will ensure that you are aware of the progress on your home renovation project, and that the quality of work is as per your expectations.

Finally, you should remember that not all contractors are going to overcharge you or deliberately use inferior quality material to maximize their profits. You can easily find a number of contractors who take pride in their work and strive to exceed the expectations of their clients. All that you need to do to find one such contractor is some research on your part and a little effort in selecting the right one. Once you find a dedicated and professional contractor it is important to build and maintain a good rapport with them so that you can utilize their services in future projects as well.

Have a strong foundation Use ready to tile shower pans

ready to tile Shower pans, PreFormed Shower Pan, shower pan, shower pan, tileredi

One of the most common problems that people face in their shower area is inadequate drainage, thereby resulting in water accumulation. This accumulation of water gives rise to mold growth and can even make the shower area slippery and dangerous. Hence it is important that you have a dry and hygienic bathroom; and the key to achieving this is to lay a good shower foundation. To accomplish this you need ready to tile shower pans, which not only keep the shower area dry, but also protect the sub floor from water seepage. Moreover, the shower pan base will act as the foundation for installing tiles in the shower area.

It is crucial to carefully design and construct the shower area since even a minor glitch can result in water accumulation, and water seepage to the sub floor. To avoid such a situation use a shower pan, which will be installed between the sub floor and the tiles. These ready to tile shower pans are waterproof and prevent water from accumulating on the tiled floor, and seeping to the sub floor. This helps in keeping the bathroom dry and hygienic, thereby preventing mold growth. A dry shower area will ensure that the sub floor as well as the tiles long last and require minimal maintenance over the years.

Tile shower pans form a strong foundation of the shower area, thereby making them essential while designing a shower area. These shower pans offer a waterproof lining and prevents water from percolating to the sub floor, hence avoiding any damage to it. A number of individuals are unaware that even tiles are porous. This point is especially relevant to a shower area that is situated on the first floor or the second floor of a house. In case there is any leakage of water below the tiled floor there could be significant damage to the surrounding walls. This leakage could extend to the other floors of the house as well, thereby resulting in greater damage. It is in order to prevent such damage from occurring that you should consider installing a shower pan below the tiled floor of your shower area.

Ready to tile shower pans are lightweight, waterproof and can be easily installed. Although a number of individuals prefer to install a shower liner membrane below their shower area, there are a number of disadvantages associated with it. First of all, there is a chance of damage to the liner during the installation process thereby leading to water leakage in the future. Further, there is a possibility that water might accumulate over the liner membrane, thereby resulting in mold growth.

Ready to tile shower pans have a standard ¼” per foot drain slope, and an integrated drain assembly thereby facilitating proper drainage of water. Further, since these shower pans are ready to tile, the time taken to build a shower area is significantly reduced. Therefore, to have an aesthetically pleasing, dry and clean bathroom you should install ready to tile shower pans in your shower area.

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: do it yourself

The impact of moisture on different flooring types

Dont renovate your home only because your neighbor is doing it

Build the right rapport with your contractor

Have a strong foundation Use ready to tile shower pans

The increasing popularity of DIY projects in the current slowdown

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