Blog - PRO! Flooring

Tile Floors
January 3, 2017

Grout Color

Uneven grout color is not normal. However, there are a number of things that can give it an uneven appearance. The easiest colors to work with are beiges and grays. The brighter the color, the more difficult it is to balance. And since most grout is cement based, it tends to gray over time. Other things that can cause color variation include:

Too much water used when mixing the grout
Not cleaning the grout and tile properly after cured
Leaving plastic spacers in the joints
Having adhesive fill part of the joint and showing through a light colored grout
Improper mixing of the grout
Not having enough grout and having to remix it
Using grout from a bag that was previously opened and gained moisture during storage
Improper joint packing
Inadequate cleaning of the sponges
Using dirty water
Defective grout
Dirty tools
Foot traffic before the grout has cured

Also remember that different tiles have different properties, and will create different effects with the grout. If tiles are porous, for example, they may take the moisture out of the grout too fast, causing irregular patterns.

In some cases, uneven grout color can actually add to the originality of your flooring. When absolute color uniformity is desired, epoxy grouts are often recommended as they cure and clean up differently than cementitious grouts.

What questions do you have about grout color?

Flooring
December 29, 2016

Create A Beautiful Entryway With New Flooring

First impressions are everything. Which is why the entryway to your home is a crucial space to finish properly.

If the outside sets the curb appeal of your home, your entryway sets the personality of the interior. Have you ever entered a home where it’s a mishmash of color and design?

Ideally, the flooring you choose for the entryway should be a reflection of the styles you utilize throughout your home. This space is the common thread that helps tie all the rooms together. It helps create a seamless and cohesive home design.

Another thing to consider is the practicality of this space. Flooring should be both durable and easy to maintain, as guests and family will enter the home through this area, tracking in dirt, debris, water, snow and other high maintenance items throughout the day. This is the area that will sustain the most foot traffic. Make sure it’s easily repaired.

Also, consider your tastes and how often you like to change your home’s décor. Some flooring can last for decades, with the right amount of maintenance and care. If you like to change and have the desire to redo your home every few years, choosing an entryway flooring material that’s easy to remove can be of benefit. However, if you choose to use flooring as your base, there are many popular flooring choices that can do so in a beautiful way.

Slate
The dark, rich color that slate offers is a traditional and popular choice. Slate adds boldness to a space that can clearly define your personality and offer contemporary feel.

Porcelain
If you love the look of slate but want something a little more budget friendly, consider using a dark porcelain tile instead. Porcelain tiles are durable options that come in a wide variety of colors. Not to mention its smoothness makes it easier to clean than the jagged textures of slate.

Laminate
Love the look of wood but worried about it holding up with constant water and snow? Try laminate instead. Laminate can create a wood look to match the rest of your home, while giving you flexibility and durability that real wood can’t.

Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is still one of the most versatile flooring choices in high traffic areas where dirt and moisture are prevalent. And with today’s luxury vinyl offerings, you can create any look you desire.

Of course, any flooring you choose can be enhanced with the use of a throw rug or a decorative doormat. They will personalize your space as well as add another layer of protection to separating the outside elements from impacting your indoor environment.

What does the flooring in your entryway say about you?

Flooring
December 24, 2016

The Best Reasons To Consider Slate For Your Flooring

Slate. It’s one of the most beautiful choices you can make for your home flooring.

It’s also one of the most natural. Slate can enhance the appearance and style of any room in your home. And because of its durability, it is often one of the best choices you can for your bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen.

Why should you consider slate for your flooring?

Waterproof
One of the reasons slate is becoming a top choice for flooring in the bathroom or kitchen is because it is waterproof. Slate’s natural water resistant properties are great for withstanding splashes and spills. It’s also why more laundry rooms are utilizing slate as well.

Slip Resistant
Because slate isn’t as smooth as other tiles, the texture prevents slipping more than other tile flooring options. Keep in mind that slate does often come with slightly uneven surfaces, which can make it more challenging for elderly or others that are at risk of falling.

Long Lasting
While slate may be more expensive at the time of installation, its longevity makes up for it in the long term. Slate lasts for longer periods of time than that of other flooring material.

Variation
Because slate is a natural product, no two tiles will ever be the same. Every slab of slate is mined for use was formed differently than others. Each tile will have beautiful variation in the color, pattern, texture, etc. Which means that your floor will be uniquely your own.

Radiant Heating
Slate is one of the best transmitters of heat. If you’ve had the desire to install a heated subfloor, slate is a great option to lay over your radiant heating system.

Think slate flooring may be the perfect choice for your home? Stop by and see the many styles available to you today.

Carpet
December 22, 2016

The Truth About Carpeting

Thinking about changing out the flooring in your home? Undoubtedly you’ve run into a variety of articles online about the reputation of carpeting. But is it truly as bad as what some make it out to be? Or is carpet still one of the best flooring options you can choose for your home?

Carpet isn’t just comfortable and stylish, it’s a safe flooring option too. If you have a young family with children learning to walk and tumbling around as they play, that can be a good thing. If you have elderly relatives, it can help them avoid slippery situations and soften falls if they do occur.

Carpet also improves a home’s acoustics because it absorbs noise rather than reflecting it back into the surroundings. And in our cold environment, carpets offer a thermal resistance (R-value), meaning it can help you save energy and reduce your utility bills overall.

Probably the biggest misconception about carpet is that it’s bad for people with allergies. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the opposite has been found to be true. Studies have shown that as carpet usage has shrunk in the general population, allergy reactions have actually increased over time. And a study of school children showed that by having carpet in a child’s bedroom, missed school days and less need for asthma medication went down.

Carpet acts much like a filter, trapping allergens and keeping them out of the air your family breathes. The trapped allergens, such as pet dander or pollen, can then be removed by proper cleaning techniques. To keep your carpet in good shape and retain good indoor air quality, it’s important to:

Vacuum Regularly
High traffic areas or rooms where pets roam free should be vacuumed daily. Once or twice a week may be fine for other lower traffic areas. Use a CRI certified vacuum for optimum soil removal and avoid damaging your carpets over time.

Limit Dirt Introduction
Keep as much dirt and debris off of your floors as possible. Be proactive and put out durable entrance mats at entryways. Also require everyone to take off their shoes as they enter so less dirt is tracked inside.

Deep Clean
Be sure to deep clean your carpets according to manufacturers guidelines, using an appropriate deep cleaning method. This process extracts deeply embedded dirt vacuuming can’t reach.

Is carpeting a good choice for your home remodeling needs?

Flooring
December 19, 2016

What To Consider Before You Buy Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is a great choice for any home. It offers a great value because it’s affordable as well as durable in many situations. And with the latest printing and manufacturing processes, it looks and feels just like the product it imitates.

That said, not all laminate flooring is created equal. There are a few things you should consider before you make your final selection. While your lifestyle will dictate the best choices for you, you should also keep these things in mind.

Check the board thickness
A boards thickness will ultimately determine its durability and overall feeling. A high quality laminate product will be thicker, usually between 8mm and 12mm thick. Ask to see the difference.

What are your goals for the room?
A bathroom will have different goals than a family room. A room with high traffic will have different needs than one with low traffic. Will the room be subjected to high moisture, such as in a bathroom? You can also create different appearances, depending on the laminate product you choose. You can use wide planks to create depth in a smaller room, use lighter laminate to increase the brightness in darker spaces. Start with what you would like to accomplish and plan from there.

Be aware of the traffic
Any high quality laminate will be able to withstand harsh punishment you family can dish out, even if you have kids and pets. That’s why many turn to laminate instead of using hardwood. Also, consider selecting a color that matches your needs. Dark laminate shows more pet hair and dust; lighter laminate shows mud and spills. You can also choose textured laminate to look like ceramic or stone, which will give you even more durability throughout your busy days.

Consider flow through
It’s also important to consider what type of flooring exists in the other rooms. You’ll want to choose a flooring that closely matches the surrounding floors, both in color and in style. Complement is most important when you’re creating a warm and inviting décor.

Don’t forget the warranty
High quality laminate is very resistant to staining and is durable in many situations. Still, you’ll want to make sure you get a good warranty just in case. The best brands of laminate will offer a 30 year warranty to guarantee your floors against staining, fading, peeling or other defects.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
December 11, 2016

How To Protect Your Wood Flooring From A Real Christmas Tree

Nothing says the holidays more than bringing a real pine tree into your home at Christmas time. The wonderful fragrance fills your home with the scent of the holidays. But watering them can create many problems for your wood floor should you accidentally spill.

Trees are often low to the ground. Add in bulky tree skirts and presents in the way, and watering can easily be one of the trickiest tasks you’ll complete every few days. Unattended water on hardwood flooring simply doesn’t mix. It can cause wood to swell, cup and stain.

And while buffing and recoating your hardwood floors should be a part of your long term maintenance strategy, it isn’t something you want to accomplish on a regular basis. Add in the fact that standing water can also penetrate between hardwood planks, causing even further damage underneath such as mold and mildew.

So what should you do before you bring the tree into the house?

Be sure you can see under and around the tree stand when you water. Be careful to watch while you pour, noticing any spills and cleaning them up immediately.

It’s best not to place anything under your tree stand. Water can be trapped underneath anything you lay down, including materials, plastics or even newspaper. Most of these materials act as a sponge, holding in the water and wrecking havoc on the wood. It can trap water underneath and leave it there for as long as your tree stands. It can even create interesting patterns on your hardwood floors.

At some garden centers, you can purchase a large plastic garden container tray that you can place your tree stand into. As long as water doesn’t get on the outside of this, it can capture all of the spills and prevent them from touching your floors.

What questions do you have about keeping your flooring looking great throughout the holiday season?

Carpet
December 9, 2016

You Love Your Pets But Your Carpets Don’t

Our pets are part of the family. It’s hard imagining them anywhere else but by our side. That means they lounge on the carpets, run across the hardwood floors, and slide on the luxury vinyl when coming in from outside.

Pets may bring a lot of love to our lives, but they also bring a lot of germs and bacteria into our homes as well. Each time they come in from the outside, the bring in allergens, waste, and other grime with them. Not only can it damage our flooring, but it can also impact our health as well.

What does your pet track in and leave on your floors?

Saliva – a dog can have as many as 20 species of bacteria in his mouth

Pet Waste – There are 23 million fecal bacteria in a single gram of pet waste

Fleas and Ticks – each year we spend in excess of $9 billion controlling fleas

Dander – pet dander is always lurking in your carpets, which affects up to 10 percent of the population in the form of allergies

Dirt – dirt carries many different varieties of bacteria, with one square foot of carpets holding up to a full pound of dirt without the proper cleaning

And once your flooring is impacted, it can affect you in many ways:

Allergies
Asthma
Skin infections
Stomach illnesses
Respiratory illnesses

What should you do to combat these potentially harmful things?

Add doormats to every entrance to absorb water and help clean dirty paws before your pet enters your home

Bathe your pet regularly

Clean all pet messes up as quickly as possible. If they continue to return to the same spot, talk with a carpet cleaning professional to treat older accidents and get rid of strong odor problems.

Have your carpets professionally cleaned according to manufacturers guidelines on a regular basis.

Replace your flooring as it begins to show signs of wear.

Carpet, Flooring
December 4, 2016

Save or Replace Carpets After Water Damage

Even a small amount of water can cause a lot of damage in your home. Water from a spill, a broken pipe, or from flooding can quickly grow into a larger problem, producing harmful mold that can impact your family’s health.

A little moisture and a little dark space, and it can quickly escalate into a very large problem.

And while you may not think Colorado has a large mold problem in our dry weather conditions, think again. Flooding can quickly occur in spring and summer rain showers. And snowpack can quickly melt on warm days and cause damage quickly around the foundation, in basements, or even your main living quarters.

In many cases, you won’t know it at all. Mold and mildew thrive in places you may not think to look … until the problem escalates. Especially with porous materials – carpet, carpet padding, and insulation in the walls.

Quick thinking is the most important part of clean up. From the moment you notice water damage, the sooner you can stop the water, clean up the mess, the more likely you can stop mold from growing in its tracks. Find the root cause, stop the water, and fix the problem. If water continues to flow, or if there is still risk involved, you could be facing the situation all over again. Fix the cause before you begin cleaning up.

Then dry out the carpets with fans. It can take several days for fans to dry a water damaged area. If you can circulate fresh air, it will help. Even if you think it’s dry, it’s not. If a room is closed up, the potential for humidity rises. It’s important to get fresh air circulating as quickly as possible.

Depending on the location of the room, you may have to use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. Any equipment that helps dry out the air and the ground will help speed up the drying time for your damaged floors and coverings.

Be sure to professionally clean your carpets to sanitize and deodorize. In most cases, damaged carpet padding must be replaced.

Sanitize all wallboards, baseboards and subflooring. If mold or mildew has stood unchecked for a period of time, it can impact the wood. Be sure it is cleaned thoroughly before you replace the flooring.

And when you are unsure of the safety of your flooring, replace when in doubt. Mold and mildew can quickly form and escalate when not properly cleaned. And because of the serious risk factors in has to your health, the quicker you get rid of the conditions, the more assurance you’ll have that your flooring has returned to normal.

Have a question about which flooring is best in high moisture situations? Need new carpets after flooding in your home? We can help.

Carpet, Flooring
November 30, 2016

How To Protect Your Flooring When Throwing A Party

The holidays are filled with family and friend get-togethers. More people will be visiting your home, celebrating throughout the end of the year.

It’s a beautiful time of the year, decorations creating a warm glow, and aromatic smells wafting from the kitchen as you prepare your home.

The last thing on your mind should be the condition of your floors once your guests have said goodbye. There are a few simple tips you can do that will easily protect your floors from the most common damage.

Tip 1: Use Felt Pads
Moving furniture and hardwood floors never mix. With guests coming and going all season long, it’s commonplace to move furniture to change the layout of your room. Be sure to place felt pads under the legs of all furniture that may be moved: tables, chairs, sofas, and loveseats. Sticky felt pieces can be found at most hardware stores and can be cut to size, so they are completely unnoticeable. This will save your hardwood floors from scratching and dents that will have to be repaired later.

Tip 2: No Shoes Policy
Wearing shoes inside can track in dirt, moisture, and other debris from outside. This can scratch hardwood flooring, or grind in dirt into carpets. And if your guests wear high heels, those tiny pinpoints can sink into vinyl and dent or tear. Creating a no shoe policy means your flooring will stay looking its best throughout the holiday season. You can request guests bring a pair of inside shoes or a pair of slippers, or consider having a basket of various sizes for your guest to choose from when they arrive.

Tip 3: Choose Floor Runners
Invariably there is always certain areas of your home that are busier than others during a party. Consider placing holiday rugs and floor runners in these areas to protect the floor underneath. The will prevent spills from soaking in and staining, and protect your flooring from dirt and debris being tracked and ground in.

Tip 4: Maintenance
No matter what type of flooring you have, regular maintenance is a necessity to keep it looking its best. Be sure to vacuum, sweep and clean before every get-together to ensure its clean. As soon as guest leave, clean all flooring again, paying close attention to spills that may have gone unnoticed. Call in a professional as soon as possible to work on tough stains and problem areas.

Protecting your floors doesn’t have to be a difficult process. By adding it to your checklist of party planning items, you’ll keep your flooring in great shape throughout the year.

Uncategorized
November 26, 2016

Choosing Flooring For Your Exercise Room

Ready to update your home and create an exercise room? Choosing the best floor for exercise rooms can be difficult; after all, there are a lot of decisions to make that will impact how well the flooring reacts.

Choose the wrong flooring material, and it’ll begin showing wear and tear early on. Your investment can quickly disappear if heavy equipment causes damage.

So what should you choose?

First, assess your workout patterns
Will you be bringing in the latest equipment? Will you have a treadmill and weight lifting machines in place? Or will your home gym be a place for yoga and aerobics? Different types of workouts cause different types of stress on your floors. Your flooring should reflect the type of abuse it will receive for best results overall.

Laminate
Laminate can be a good choice if you will be doing light workouts every day, such as yoga, skipping, or dance related exercise routines. Be sure laminate is sealed properly and wipe up any spills immediately to prevent warping and damage.

Rubber Vinyl Tiles
Vinyl comes in all kinds of styles, patterns, and materials. You can find rubberized tiles that have padding and give, that will help ease joint tension as you move through your routine. These flooring materials can be great additions to an exercise room where you’ll be using weights on a regular basis. Consider adding extra support if you’ll be doing CrossFit, or other rigorous exercise programs.

Foam
Foam tiles are another gym friendly option. They come in a wide range of colors and styles, and can add a bit of color to your routine. The only downside is they can dent easily, especially if heavy equipment is placed on it for any length of time.

What are your requirements for an exercise room? What look are you trying to achieve? We can help you find the perfect flooring choice for you.