Blog : Flooring | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 2Flooring Supplies

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

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 With each of these projects, old and outdated flooring can be a major portion of the remodeling, as can replacing appliances and fixtures in the room.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.

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.

Dont slip use anti-slip additive

In case, you have kids at home, who play inside the house, keep running here and there, may fall down while playing and injure themselves. Sometimes these injuries can be serious; hence it is advisable that one must take adequate measures to avoid such unpleasant situations. An effective way of eliminating risk of slipping and falling is to improve the safety of the floor surface to avoid it. Using anti slip additive is an excellent choice, as it not only maintains the aesthetic appeal of the place but is also highly durable, which will last for years. Hence, one can safely walk or run on the floor, without any risk of slipping and getting injured.

These are increasingly being used in offices and commercial buildings as well. The ‘American with Disabilities Act’ requires that floors, in all public, municipal and commercial buildings, have 0.60 co-efficient of friction to considered safe to walk on. In case the floors are slippery and someone gets injured on your premises then you will be held liable for his injuries caused due to your negligence. This can incur heavy expenses for not abiding by the law, especially if you do not have adequate insurance coverage. However one simple step, using anti slip additive, can help you avoid all these inconvenience and make your place safe for everyone.

Depending upon your requirements and budget you can choose amongst several anti slip additives that are available in the market, however one must wisely select the product which is effective and durable. There are environment friendly anti slip additive solutions as well, which increases the coefficient of friction by creating microscopic tread on different types of natural flooring, such as marble, smooth concrete, travertine as well as ceramic and quarry tile, among others.

Applying anti slip additive may seem to be a daunting task, but it isn’t. A do-it-yourself enthusiast can easily accomplish this task without much trouble or any professional guidance. A word of caution, before you apply the anti slip additive on any surface, apply it to a small portion and see for any side-effects, after treatment. Generally, these additives are not used on metals, wood, fiberglass and any resin type products.

First clean the surface, remove any sealers or waxes on the floor and then apply the additive to the clean surface. After applying, agitate until foaming with the help of sponge or brush and then leave it for five to ten minutes. Repeat this process and in between agitations, check for resistance by pressing and pushing forward with your finger tips and in case there is no resistance repeat the process again. The processing time differs from one floor type to another, for marble the process time is less as compared to porcelain which has a longer processing time. Once there is optimum resistance, immediately rinse the surface with clean water and you can walk freely on the surface without slipping or falling.

Hence, these additives are easy, safe, environment-friendly and affordable way of making the floor anti slip, along with maintaining the aesthetic look of the place.

Flooring: Adding the Finishing Touch

So, the floor is tiled, the grouting is done, now what? That is the question I have asked in the past after completely what seemed to be the monumental task of installing a new floor. Something still didn’t look right. I had these gaps where my floor met carpet or some other type of flooring. Something about the way the tile butted right up next to the wall didn’t seem right either. That is when a friend told me about trim and transitions. Now I’m going to be your friend and pass on this invaluable information.

First off, we’ll cover transitions. Transitions are designed to make a smooth…wait for it…transition between different types of flooring. There are basically three types:

T-molding-T-molding is for joining two floors that are of the same height. This could be a tile floor to a different tile floor, or tile to a laminate floor of equal thickness. It is strictly for floors, so if you have twin children, it will not help you keep them together.

Reducer-This wonderful product is designed to create a smooth look between a floor of a higher height down to carpet, or some other surface that sits lower. Unfortunately, it is not designed melt away the pounds, although that would be nice.

Stair Nose-No, it’s not just a playground taunt. It a transition designed to join your new flooring with a staircase. It comes in several varieties including pig, pug, ski-slope, and Caesar. That last part was a joke.

Okay, so now how about some trim? If you are really good, you can just cut the tile pieces along the wall edge so that they fit flush to the wall or leave a grout line equal to the other grout lines in the floor. I’m not that good, so I would typically add a base shoe of some type to the existing baseboard to cover those irregular cut edges. The most common base shoe is quarter-round, but in our home we took a fancier type of ceiling trim and used it as a base shoe. Maybe you want to try that. Another great alternative is removing the wooden baseboard and using some of the scrap tile pieces to make a matching tile baseboard to go with your project.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so depending on how many boo boos you made and how big they were, you may need to get creative with your trim and transitions to give it the smooth look you desire. There are lots of options out there, and you can also create your own. I have had to do that a few times, but the floors look great now…no seriously!

Laminate vs. Hardwood: Take it to the Floor

It is the dilemma that has taken place in millions of homes across America and the globe: “I want a beautiful look for my home, but I also don’t have tons of money to spend.” There was a time when you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too. The emergence of laminate flooring for homes over the last twenty years has made that elegant look affordable. But what is the difference between laminate and hardwood flooring? Is one really better than the other? Let’s take a deeper look and see what we can find. Continue reading “Laminate vs. Hardwood: Take it to the Floor”

It Isn’t Easy Being Green…or Is It?

We’ve all heard it in the news. There is a clarion call nowadays to be eco-friendly, or green. Regardless of your thoughts on the global warming situation, being responsible about the environment is something everyone can get behind. If you are renovating your home or buying a new one, environmentally friendly flooring solutions are available to you.

Going “green” with your flooring is a great way to conserve and responsibly manage the earth’s resources. It can also help you live healthier by reducing or eliminating pesky allergens like dust, mold, and mildew. So the question is “What type of flooring is out there?” I’m glad you asked.

Linoleum and Marmoleum.

Let’s start with that ole standby, linoleum. Linoleum is not made from vinyl, as some would have you believe. It was actually originally made from flaxseed oil. A more recent development is Marmoleum. It is made from linseed oil, wood flour, jute, and pine resin. It is very biodegradable and produced with a minimal environmental impact. Couple it with a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) adhesive and get even more benefit.

Hardwoods

If the idea of hardwood flooring makes you smile (of course it does), but the thought of all of those trees meeting an early death to give you a pretty living room makes you cringe, then I have something special for you. Remember this term: “Reclaimed hardwood floors”. That means that the planks for the flooring are made from old torn down buildings like schoolhouses, churches, and barns. They are considered superior to today’s wood planks in many cases because they are taken from earlier generation trees that were allowed to mature to the fullest before being cut-down. They are durable, and available in virtually any finish traditional hardwoods are found in. They cost about the same too. So you can have a beautiful hardwood floor in your home, minus the guilt.

Cork

Cork is an imaginative choice for your eco-friendly flooring. It has a distinct look and some unique benefits as well. You can stand on cork floors for much longer periods of time on cork without hurting your feet, which makes it a great option for the kitchen. It also is soft enough that your can drop breakable objects on it without the worry that they will shatter into a million pieces, which is handy if you have children. It’s environmentally friendly because it is harvested from the bark of the tree, which can be done without harming the tree itself. If you are looking for something fun and responsible, cork is the way to go.

Bamboo

Did you know that in addition to being what is on the dinner table at the panda house, bamboo could be used to make a very cool looking and very eco-responsible floor? Bamboo is a grass that can be grown to full maturity in just a few years. Bamboo is similar to hardwoods in durability, but has a distinctive look that is really starting to catch fire. Those who consider themselves unique can take this flooring route and know that they are doing the environment a huge favor.

Some Tile Alternatives

Maybe you really like the look of tile flooring, and wonder if any options exist for you. I am happy to tell you about tile made from recycled glass. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes, and only imagination will limit the possibilities. If you are looking for durability and aren’t afraid to pay a little more for it, you should go with stone flooring. It is beautiful, environmentally sound, and will last a lifetime.

As you can see, there are a host of alternatives for your flooring needs if you want to stay “green” and not spend to much green at the same time. Whether you choose the distinct looks of cork, or bamboo, the new generation of reclaimed hardwoods, the affordability of marmoleum, or one of the other options listed, you can rest assured that your won’t have to sacrifice the environment to have the beautiful floor you desire. It’s the best of both worlds, don’t you think?

Tag: Flooring