Ben Larrabee, Author at PRO! Flooring

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
April 21, 2018

So You Chose Hardwood Floors For Your Home

One of the most popular choices for home flooring is hardwood. For many homeowners, they wouldn’t think of installing anything but hardwood.

But did you know there are many different styles of hardwood – and not all of them work well in each home? Each wood flooring type offers a unique set of characteristics and benefits. If you install the right one, you’ll have a flooring choice that can last for years.

Oak

Oak is the most common wood floor used throughout Colorado. It’s highly resistant to dents and deep scratches, giving it the edge if you want your hardwood floors to show without covering them up with area rugs. Oak comes in a variety of stain colors and has a unique grain pattern which gives your home personality and design.

Mahogany

Mahogany is prized for its beauty and color. You’ll find mahogany is often used to make furniture, boats, and other fine home products because it’s highly durable and water-resistant. That is also why many choose it for flooring. It provides a classic and timeless look for your home.

Ash

When you see a light colored hardwood floor, more often than not, it’s ash wood. Ask is perfect for people looking for a hard, durable flooring option that will last for years. It’s some of the toughest, hardest wood in the marketplace. Ash is differentiated from hickory by white dots, and is often less expensive than other comparable woods.

Hickory

Hickory is most common in log or rustic settings, and has one of the hardest exteriors for flooring choice. It’s ideal if your home gets a lot of foot traffic. Hickory has a close grain without much pattern.

Pine

Pine isn’t a hardwood. It’s one of the softest woods and is great for people that are looking for the beauty of hardwood flooring but aren’t quite sure of the rough touch underfoot. It’s growing in popularity due to its pinholes and knots.

Cherry

Cherry is a hardwood that darkens with age. It can produce a great finish and is easy to maintain. It’s also one of the easiest to scratch. It’s difficult to work with, but it can make a good choice when properly installed.

Walnut

Walnut makes a perfect flooring choice because it is strong and durable. It’s knowns for it’s light to medium chocolate brown color. But it can be one of the pricier hardwood flooring choices. The texture and final appearance are often what homeowners like about this choice.

Bamboo

No, bamboo isn’t a hardwood. But many people associate it as such because of its performance. It’s a sustainable option because bamboo is actually a form of grass. It comes in two shades – natural light color or it can be boiled for a darker tint. Because it has been popular for a number of years, its flooring qualities continue to improve, making it a great choice for families that are looking for a greener flooring choice.

What type of hardwood flooring is right for you?

Flooring, Tile Floors
April 18, 2018

How To Buy Porcelain Tiles For Outside

Want to know what today’s savvy home buyers want most? More space. And here in Colorado, that space often leads to outdoor rooms. When the weather’s nice, why not extend your entertaining space beyond your kitchen and living space and including it outdoors. With patios and decks, you can entertain outside almost every month of the year with a little ingenuity.

When you start planning your outside space, it’s easy to get caught up in the options. A fireplace? You bet. Outdoor cooking space? Of course.

But what many don’t think about is the options for the floors. It doesn’t have to be cement or wood based. Porcelain tiles can easily do the trick. If you’re looking to tile an outdoor space, you can’t go wrong with porcelain.

If you’re shopping around for porcelain tiles, here’s what you need to look out for.

Anti-Slip Rating

When choosing porcelain tiles for an outside location, remember that outdoors can be a slippery place, even on the hottest of days. Things like plants and mud can play havoc with keeping your space neat and tidy, so it’s essential that you choose a porcelain tile with the highest anti-clip rating. Look for an R10 rating which means it has extra friction and grip, making it the ideal choice for every season.

Frost Resistant

Picking out tiles for outside means they will have to endure more stress. Ground frost can cause damage to tiles that aren’t made for dipping temperatures and aren’t properly rated. That means they can quickly crack and succumb to the elements if you haven’t chosen wisely. Be sure the porcelain tiles you choose are created for your environment.

Stain Resistant

No matter how neat and tidy you are, your floors often take the brute of daily living. And being outdoors means they’ll have an even further opportunity for potential problems. Even if you don’t step on them, trees, bushes, landscaping, grass cuttings, and move can settle into the cracks and do extensive damage if not chose wisely. Make stain resistance top priority and the color you select in the beginning will last year after year.

Water

Tiles are a great choice for areas that have moistures. But outside tiles can become a nightmare if they absorb moisture. Be sure to check with the manufacturer and ensure they repel moisture. Follow guidelines for cleaning and resealing to ensure they stay in top condition year after year.

Have additional questions about porcelain tiles being used in your outdoor locations?

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
April 13, 2018

What Hardwood Stains Well?

Looking for the right hardwood for your floors? It’s more than the stain you ultimately select. It comes down to the wood you choose.

The most popular wood choices are vastly different. They range in extremely soft to hard, with undertones in a full spectrum across the map. Not only does hardness affect how a wood will accept stain, but also the appearance of the natural color.

Birch has pink undertones and is extremely soft.
Pine has yellow undertones.
Poplar has green undertones.
White oak has the most neutral undertones.
Red oak has red undertones.

Because hardwood starts out with certain colors already in place, the stain you use ultimately plays into the final appearance.

For example, if a stain starts with red undertones, it will play well into hardwood that has red undertones already in place. White and red oak will let the darker, red tones shine through, pine may have a lighter, yellow-reddish appearance.

It’s not just the type of hardwood that matters. It also depends on the grain. Tight grains won’t take the stain as well as other grains. And higher-quality wood will always perform better than cheaper, lower qualities. This is especially true if you will be installing hardwood and you have a desire to sand it and change the color more than once in the coming years.

Oak has large pores and stains very well
Ash accepts all hues of stain
Chestnut takes stain well
Pine is preferable with light stains only
Birch and maple do not stain well
Cherry – why would you stain it? It looks great without
Dark woods are also often best left alone with just a finish to keep the natural look in place

In our experience, oak is one of the most versatile hardwoods you can work with. It stains evenly every time and looks good no matter what stain you ultimately choose.

Pine is one of the most difficult, and is a good choice if light, natural looks are your desire now and in the future.

How can we help you choose the right hardwood for your project?

Flooring
April 10, 2018

Flooring Tips For Small Spaces

Have you ever lived in an apartment? Then you know there’s a fine line between cozy and cramped. Sometimes the perfect space for you isn’t big – it’s small. And you want it to look its best, not like it’s an afterthought.

Selecting flooring for small spaces presents a number of challenges. How do you choose design elements without creating clutter? How do you ensure your flooring compliments the look you are going for without requiring more maintenance on your part?

Start With Color

Color is everything. There’s a common misconception that dark floors shouldn’t be used in small spaces. Not true. Instead, dark colors tend to make a room feel smaller, so it’s important to factor this in when selecting the decor for the rest of the room.

If you want dark hardwood floors, for example, offset them with lighter, cooler tones on your walls and in your furniture. The contrast will be both visually striking and prevent a room from feeling claustrophobic.

If you use lighter shades, select similar shades for your walls. This eliminates the “horizon line” that creates the illusion of expansive space.

Less Is More

Another big challenge with small spaces is to avoid sensory overload. The fuller a room is, the busier it becomes. Keep it simple, especially with darker, bolder colors.

This is where simple hardwoods come into play. By selecting bold and exotic hardwoods, the patterns may appear too busy for small spaces. Wider planks mean fewer seams, which have less going on visually. You should also be conscious of drawing interest to the floor as you move from room to room. Nothing says busy more than having your flooring change from space to space.

Consult With A Professional

While it’s easy to find the perfect look in an ad or on Pinterest, recreating that look in your home offers distinct challenges. Before you make a decision you may regret for years, let a professional help you with your choice.

They can offer creative solutions to your design needs, and help you create a space you’ll love now and well into the future. We’ve been designing spaces just like yours for years, and offer advice that can help you make the right choice. Stop by today.

Carpet, Flooring
April 7, 2018

What Carpet Wears The Best?

What’s the best carpet for your home? That depends.

Do you have kids?

Do you have pets?

How much foot traffic does your carpet receive each day?

Selecting carpet fiber determines how long your new carpet will last. It controls how easily it is to maintain, clean, and ultimately how much it will cost you over time. Some carpet may cost more originally, but if it lasts years longer, is it worth it?

Selecting the right fiber starts with understanding the different fibers available on the marketplace today. There are only a handful of fibers, yet you may run across altered fibers using fancy new names to gain your attention. They are still the same fiber, though they may have additions that make them appear different in marketing.

Nylon

Nylon was developed in 1935 by DuPont Company. It’s the most durable and the most resilient of all carpet fibers. It’s a synthetic fiber that outperforms all other fibers. It wears exceptionally well. It resists abrasion. It resists stains and is easy to clean. Nylon will continue to look like new longer than any other fiber. If you have heavy foot traffic and longevity is your biggest concern, nylon is the choice to make.

In addition to all of those benefits, nylon also comes in virtually any style and color you could want. Nylon is easily color-dyed and comes in a variety of patterns. It’s perfect for any room.

Polyester

Polyester is one of the least expensive fibers on the market. A thick polyester carpet will feel nice and soft, but won’t have the resilience you’ll find with nylon. Polyester carpet mats down in a hurry, and won’t provide classic good looks over the long term. That’s always been the problem with this fiber.

The main reason people invest in polyester carpet is when they want quick fixes and short term solutions. Polyester may not give you long term looks, but it can be the perfect solution in spaces where you change out your carpeting regularly.

Olefin

Olefin is a very strong fiber used in production of Berber, commercial, and outdoor carpet solutions. Olefin wears well and has good stain resistance when an anti-stain treatment is applied. It also has anti-static qualities, which makes it a good choice for offices and rooms where technology is in abundance.

Wool and Wool Blends

Wool carpets are considered the most elite of the fibers. They are also some of the most expensive carpets you’ll find. Wool is a natural fiber and is very soft. It provides excellent insulation and is fire resistant. Because they are natural, they are often selected by families dealing with respiratory illnesses such as allergies or asthma. Be sure to ask about full installation procedures, including materials used in the backing and padding.

Which is the best choice for you? It depends on what you’re looking for. Stop by our location today and we can help you narrow your choices and make the perfect selection for your needs.

Flooring
April 3, 2018

Decorating Your Stair Risers

Stairs are often one of the most prominent features of your entryway, creating a statement as they rise to your second floor.

Yet if you’ve never taken the time to make them stand out, you might feel a little stuck with the potential.

While you may think of your staircase as one complete unit, there are many parts that make up the stairs. The stair riser and tread are the two major parts that make up a staircase. The stair tread is what your foot lands on as you walk up the stairs. The stair riser is the vertical support that fills the space between the tread.

Before you consider how to decorate them, it’s important that your steps are in good shape. With average wear and tear, creaks and squeaks can occur due to gaps between the riser and the tread. If you hear a squeak or see a crack, repair it before you make any improvements.

Hardwood

One of the most beautiful ways to have your staircase make a statement is by installing hardwood. Choose hardwood to match the rest of the flooring throughout your home. But the ideas don’t have to end there. Many homeowners change out the wood in order to create more personality. How about painting the riser a different color? How about using two different stains to create a unique look? Do a little investigating online, looking at home improvement sites and Pinterest to find the perfect look for your home.

Tile

When it comes to decorative risers, tile is a beautiful and durable option. With so many choices in colors and patterns, you can add a pop of color and design that adds your own personality into your decor. Because of the unique issues when dealing with tiling risers, it’s a project best left to the pros.

Carpet runners

Many homeowners love the look of hardwood throughout the home. Yet hardwood can be dangerous on staircases, especially if you have elderly or small children at home. One solution can be to install carpet runners. This gives you the ability to add softness and comfort while letting the beauty of hardwood shine around it.

Your stair risers can be a fun place to express your unique style and personality. You can make a permanent change or use fun and easy ideas to change it up on a regular basis. Either way, you can create a home that truly stands out.

Flooring
March 31, 2018

Redoing Your Stairs? What’s The Best Flooring Choice

Selecting new flooring for specific rooms in your home is fairly straightforward. With Colorado’s two-story living, many families lay hardwood on the main level to cover living space, kitchens, and dining rooms. Then they opt for softer, warmer carpet in the upstairs bedrooms.

But what about the stairs leading up from the main level to the second? Should you cover them with hardwood? Or should you cover them with carpet?

What should you consider?

Safety

While hardwood creates a sleek, modern feel to your home and can present a dramatic entry to your home, they can also be dangerous. Hardwood stairs can be slippery. And if you do fall, there isn’t any cushion. If you have children or seniors in your home, that can be a problem.

Having carpet on the stairs doesn’t necessarily prevent falls, but it will provide more traction and cushion the fall if it happens. If you carpet your stairs, look at the thickness. Carpet that is too thick can become a tripping hazard over time. Also look for a low-pile carpet to ensure safety.

You can compromise between the two and install stair treads, which are non-slip pads installed on your hardwood stairs. They provide style, safety, and functionality.

Cleaning

Wood flooring provides a low maintenance option for your home. Hardwood doesn’t accumulate dust or allergens in the same manner as carpeting, and cleaning involves occasional sweeping and mopping.

Carpeting your stairs requires more work. Since carpet can harbor dirt and dust, it is important to use a high quality vacuum on a regular basis. Stains are inevitable with carpeting, so it’s also a good idea to have a spot cleaner at hand, especially if you have an active household with pets and kids.

Wear and Tear

Your stairs are often one of the highest traffic areas in your home. Carpet can start to show that wear very quickly if you don’t select the right carpet for the job. Pick colors that can handle daily use. Darker colors can help repel dirt and make it look cleaner for the long term. Texture can also help you hide wear and tear.

While hardwood keeps its good looks for years, think about your daily activity. Pets nails can wreak havoc on hardwood, especially if they are up and down all day. And because hardwood is slippery, it can be more dangerous for pets to move around your home, especially if they are older.

Sound

Wood stairs don’t provide much sound absorption. You may hear every step being taken, no matter what time of the day.

Carpet serves as an insulator, blocking out sounds that are more noticeable. To create a quiet environment, carpet is the logical choice.

Appearance

This is where your personality comes into play. What are your preferences? What style represents your home? For homes with dramatic entryways and hardwood throughout, carpet staircases can feel outdated and out of place. If your home has a mixture, carpeting may be the better choice.

Flooring, Vinyl Floors
March 25, 2018

Is Vinyl Flooring Waterproof?

Looking for waterproof flooring? Look no further than the latest in luxury vinyl.

As homeowners, we put each room through a lot each day. But while your normal activities may take place on a countertop or a table, invariably a lot of your messes will head down to the floor. Whether you spill or drop whatever you’re doing, the floor can be a pretty messy place.

That means your flooring has to withstand it all. It has to be easy to clean. But more importantly, not absorb the potential messes it has in store.

You may not cry over spilled milk, but you will cry if it seeps into your flooring and has you replacing it because of mold or buckling of the floor.

Waterproof vinyl flooring is a luxury vinyl that is 100 percent waterproof. (Also known as WPC vinyl flooring.)

Waterproof flooring typically features a four-layer construction that includes a waterproof core. It has a:

Wear layer – this provides its stain resistance and makes it easy to clean
Luxury vinyl top layer – this is what gives it its look
High density core – this is what makes it waterproof
Underlayment – this is what provides sound insulation and makes it easy to install

Wear Layer

Just like traditional vinyl, this protects your floors. It prevents scratches, dents, etc from impacting the lower layers of the vinyl. Think of it as your buffer zone to give added protection.

The Top Layer

This is where you get your color, patterns, and style. Photographs are used to make vinyl look like natural materials like stone and wood. Often, waterproof vinyl flooring is the highest quality vinyl on the market. This means you get the most realistic looks that people will swear look like real stone/wood.

High density core

This is your most important layer. This gives the floor stability so it won’t contract or swell when it connects with liquid.

Underlayment

If you’ve ever walked on a floor without underlayment, you know it has a hollow sound. Vinyl needs underlayment for both comfort and sound absorption. With waterproof luxury vinyl, the underlayment is attached, making it that much easier to install.

Sounds good, right? The best thing is the style. You can select vinyl plank, vinyl tile, vinyl stone. Whatever you desire for the look and feel of your home, there’s a vinyl flooring option for you.

Stop by and see what we have available for your home. You’ll be surprised.

Uncategorized
March 24, 2018

What’s The Best Flooring For A Home Gym?

Bringing a gym into your home means you have an easier time sticking to your health plans. But converting a room in your home to a gym isn’t as easy as bringing in a new piece of equipment.

There are a wide variety of floor covering options available to ensure both safety and functionality. The four most popular flooring options for use in a home gym are carpet, rubber, foam, and vinyl. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks; which is right for you?

Carpet

The perfect carpet for your gym isn’t plush fibers. Instead, think carpet tile. It’s all-purpose, relatively inexpensive, comfortable to the touch, and fairly easy to clean and maintain.

Select low pile. Berber style often makes a good choice. Commercial grade carpet also works well in home gyms. Carpet tiles make it easy to install with interlock install, and be laid into place even as a DIY project. The tiles also give you options and flexibility when you need to replace.

Rubber

Rubber flooring comes in both rolls and tiles with a wide range of thicknesses and color options. They are also one of the least expensive flooring options available.

Rubber can be easily installed, especially if you install with tiles; it makes a great DIY project for your weekend. It’s easier to clean and care for than carpet, as you can clean just about anything with a damp cloth or a vacuum. It also has antimicrobial qualities, and won’t harbor mold, fungi, or mildew growth. It also provides a quiet atmosphere to keep your home quiet during workouts.

Foam

Foam is often sold in tiles or mats. You’ll often find them in puzzle lock tiles that can be installed in minutes by a DIY homeowner.

Like rubber, they are low in cost and easy to maintain. They provide cushion and comfort for every workout routine. Many homeowners choose them because of the color, style and pattern options. You can incorporate any look you desire into your home gym.

Vinyl

Vinyl also comes in sheets and in tiles, giving them flexibility for installation. If you select tile, they interlock together just like foam flooring, making them super easy to install. They also have cushion and flex, giving the final appearance of a rubber floor.

They are easy to clean; just use a damp mop or sweep. Vinyl is extremely resistant to mold and mildew growth, and fights away most chemicals. That makes them a perfect choice if oil or solvents may be present, such as in a garage or basement.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
March 21, 2018

Avoiding The Hollow Spots On Your Hardwood Flooring

What’s the most common complaint about wood flooring installations gone wrong?

Creaky, hollow sounding floors that develop quickly after the installation process is complete.

They can detract so much from the final project that you decide never to install wood floors again.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. The right installer knows how to avoid this problem long before it begins.

Hollow spots are often blamed on adhesives. That’s rarely the cause. If the adhesive were bad, it would cause problems throughout the room, not just in one spot. And most complaints about hollow spots occur in specific sections of the room.

The most common reason for hollow spots is not getting the subflooring correct. If the concrete substrate doesn’t meet industry requirements, it won’t provide the right surface for the wood floor to reside on.

The National Wood Flooring Association recommends the substrate for an engineered hardwood floor to be no more than 3/16 inch deflection or variance in the slab within a 10-foot radius of the floor. If the radius is greater, proper steps should be used to rectify the situation before installation continues. That includes grinding the substrate and/or leveling it by pouring cement underlayment to achieve flatness.

The flatness of the substrate is imperative when installing boards that are greater than ½ inch thick, or greater than 5 inches wide. The thicker or wider the board, the less likely it will conform to any deflection or variance with the substrate. This means the greater likelihood of a hollow spot.

Of course, it isn’t the only problem that can cause a hollow spot. Other problems include not applying the right amount of adhesive. If the flooring and adhesive lose contact when being installed or doing the curing process, a hollow spot will occur. Weights should be used if the wood has the possibility of rising up during the process. The installer should also use the proper flooring trowel to ensure a sufficient amount of adhesive is laid down.

For some hollow spots, removing the wood flooring, flattening the substrate, and replacing the wood is the only way to correct the problem.

In other cases, injection repair kits are available to allow an installer to inject additional adhesive under the flooring. This works when specific areas are popping up or voids have developed.

Installation isn’t a time to skimp on materials. Always use premium grade pressure sensitive wood flooring adhesive to ensure it will remain tacky for the lifetime of your flooring.

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