Blog - PRO! Flooring

Flooring
November 23, 2016

7 Things You Should Never Do With Your Flooring

Flooring is expensive. It’s not something you replace on a regular basis.

Yet in many cases, we see people making big mistakes almost from the moment of installation. Yes, there are easy ways to make sure your flooring has a long life. Yes, there are ways to ensure it looks as good as possible, no matter what type of flooring you install.

Here’s how.

Use “anything” to clean
Whether you have wood, tile or carpet installed in your home, realize that there are proper ways to clean it. Find out what is recommended by the manufacturer. Then use as gentle a product as possible to avoid buildup and destruction of your flooring. Too much water on wood can cause warping. Too many chemicals on carpets can actually leave it vulnerable to stains. Using the right products are the only way to keep your flooring looking good for years to come.

Bringing in dirt and debris
Leave your shoes at the door. This is one way to ensure you don’t track dirt and debris all over your flooring. Dirt can easily be ground into the fibers; dirt can also act like sandpaper against the grain of a wood floor.

Forgetting regular cleaning
If you have carpet, it should be vacuumed regularly to prevent dirt from settling into the fibers. If you have tile or wood floors, they should regularly be swept to avoid dirt from accumulating in cracks and crevices. Just a little bit of work each day can extend the life of your flooring by months or even years.

Pets make messes
No surprise that owning a pet means you’ll more than a few messes on your hands. An overturned water bowl can leave wood vulnerable. Dirt and debris will almost always be tracked in on a regular basis. And if you forget to trim their nails, they can do serious damage to your wood floors, or scratch vinyl or linoleum. Be consistent with cleaning up after your pet daily.

Waiting to clean spills
The longer you take to clean up a spill, the more damage it will do. Stains can penetrate fibers of carpet or soak into the grain of woods. Even grout between the tiles is a vulnerable place. Always blot instead of rub, and ensure you have a bottle for spot cleaning close at hand to remove stains immediately as they happen.

Conscious decorating
The couch you have picked out for your living room is perfect. The chairs in your dining space will be a lovely addition to your home. Ensure they add to the ambiance of your rooms without damaging the floor by placing protective pads under the legs of furniture, and verify they are in place on a regular basis.

Ignoring the pros advice
Manufacturers will tell you to hire a professional carpet cleaner on a regular basis, or have your wood floors refinished periodically. It’s a part of the regular maintenance cycle of your flooring. Doing so can extend the life of your flooring out by years. Ignoring the advice can shorten the life considerably. Maintenance always costs less than replacement. It can also add years of enjoyment of the flooring you select for your home.

Flooring
November 18, 2016

How To Clean Your Floors With Non-Toxic Floor Cleaners

What’s the one thing that takes the most abuse in your home? Your flooring. It’s the largest surface area in your home, one that requires regular maintenance to keep it looking good.

But have you ever thought about your regular maintenance routine? Depending on the cleaning agents you use for the wood, carpets, tiles or vinyl, you can be exposing your home to a variety of chemicals. And once they are on your flooring, they add to your indoor air pollution.
Why not try non-toxic floor cleaners instead?

Cleaning Wood, Bamboo, and Laminate
Wood, bamboo, and laminate flooring all have one thing in common; water can quickly become an enemy. Never use a wet mop to clean; avoid steam cleaning at all costs.

Steam can strip the finish that protects the floor. Moisture can also seep into the cracks and cause the floor to warp or splinter.

Instead, dry mop regularly. After a thorough vacuuming or sweeping, use a well wrung out sponge or mop with plain water. You can also add vinegar (1/4 cup of vinegar to a 2 gallon bucket of water) and a few drops of essential oil, if desired.

Avoid using things like dish soap, lemon juice or black tea – often recommended on sites. All can do more harm than good to your flooring.

Cleaning Linoleum, Tile, and Stone
Vinegar and water also make a great cleaner for the linoleum, tile, and stone throughout your home. Clean these floors with a vinegar and water combination of one to one up to one to four, depending on how dirty your floors are. You can also choose to add a few drops of essential oil, if desired.

Lemon juice and other acids can eat into the protective layers. Soaps can leave residue. And while these flooring choices can handle more water, it sill is best never to leave standing water on your floors.

On all flooring types, dirt and debris can scratch and scar your floors. Be sure to remove potential harmful particles before they do damage to your floors.

Flooring
November 14, 2016

What Flooring Would A Builder Select?

If there’s anyone you can trust to fully understand the longevity of a product, it’s with someone who works with it every day.

That’s why we pay special attention to what builders and contractors order and rely on when installing in homes and commercial properties throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Because builders know what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t. When they give their opinions, you can bet they’ve seen the best and worst of everything out there.

Good looking flooring can enhance the value of your home, or could even attract more customers to your commercial location. The right floors can be the best dollars you’ll ever spend, if you know what to look for.

Ceramic Tile
If your floor is subjected to moisture or water, there is no better alternative than selecting ceramic tile. It can be used indoors and out, on floors, walls or countertops. Tiles with high gloss finishes tend to scratch easier than others. If you choose an unglazed finish, it’s a great alternative for high traffic flooring areas, including outdoor locations where standing water may occur. Ceramic tiles made from porcelain allow color to spill through the tile body, and are the best at hiding scratch damage. The biggest drawback with ceramic tile is the grout lines can be difficult to clean, and if you don’t invest in high quality tiles, they can chip easier than their higher quality counterparts.

Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring will never go out of style. It presents a combination of beauty and durability that is hard to find in any other material. You can choose from a variety of hardwoods to give a unique style: Maple, Oak, Beech, Cherry, Pine, Birch and more. It’s a long lasting product that offers wear resistance and offers the possibility of refinishing when necessary. Be aware that certain types of hardwood flooring can darken with age, and in some conditions can shrink or expand, causing gaps in the floor.

Eco-Friendly Options
Builders often love installing eco-friendly options that offer easy maintenance as well as a beautiful look. Cork flooring is a great choice for areas that demand comfort in both walking and standing. Another addition to the marketplace is bamboo, which is durable, elegant and comes in a variety of colors. It provides a strong surface that resembles hardwood in both looks and easy maintenance.

Redesigning the rooms in your home or commercial location? What is the right flooring choice for you?

Flooring, Vinyl Floors
November 10, 2016

What Makes Linoleum A Solid Choice For Your Home

Trying to decide the best flooring for your home? Maybe it’s time to consider linoleum.

Linoleum is increasing in popularity for a variety of reasons. It’s eco-friendly. It’s easy to install. And the color and style choices make any look possible.

Linoleum is a resilient flooring material, which means it’s flexible and soft to the touch, bouncing back into its original shape. Though many people confuse it with vinyl, they are two separate things. Linoleum was invented in the 19th century, and is made from linseed oil and other materials, including cork dust, pin rosin and wood flour. Because it is made from all natural products, it is a great option if you are attempting to go green at home.

One of the best features of linoleum is its longevity. With many flooring choices, we begin counting the months almost immediately as to when it will need replacing. Linoleum is incredibly durable and can last up to 40 years if it is properly maintained.

Linoleum is also easy to maintain. Regular sweeping and occasional mopping can keep it in good condition indefinitely.

What makes it an increasingly popular choice is its health benefits. Linoleum is made from a renewable resource, linseed oil. And when laid in place, it does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so it won’t cause indoor air pollution. That can be a welcome relief for anyone suffering from asthma, allergies, or other respiratory problems.

And because it’s a softer material, it’s comfortable underfoot. It’s a great addition to kitchens, where standing for long periods of time is a standard. It’s also good for aging in place remodels, where falling may be an issue.

Linoleum is one of the more versatile flooring options available, with a wide variety of colors, styles and patterns available. You can create unique mosaics with tile linoleum, as it is very easy to cut to exact specifications.

Think linoleum might be the perfect choice for you home? Stop by today and see all of the options available to you.

Hardwood Flooring
November 6, 2016

7 Things To Think About Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Many people prefer the natural beauty of hardwood floors. It’s also nice knowing your flooring selection can give you years of enjoyment.

But if you’re ready to install hardwood flooring, make sure you are ready for the upkeep that will keep them in top shape throughout the years. Refinishing is a process. And while it isn’t something you’ll have to do on a regular basis, it can help you make the best selection now as you’re installing hardwoods throughout your home.

1. There are three types of finishes you can choose for your hardwood floors.

Polyurethane comes in oil or water based applications. Polyurethane will provide varying degrees of luster with a plastic looking finish. This is a great choice for high moisture or high traffic areas.

Varnish provides a matte to glossy finish with varying degrees of luster. It will darken with age, but is easier to spot repair than polyurethane finishes.

Penetrating sealers provide a natural look finish that brings out the natural grain of the wood. It is the least durable of the finishes, but is the easiest to repair.

2. One of the best reasons to select hardwood flooring is for the longevity of the product. Hardwood flooring can last as long as 100 years, depending on the location and the care. In most cases, hardwood floors can be refinished about ten times before the wood needs replacing.

3. Refinishing doesn’t always mean sanding. A lot is determined by the damage to your hardwood planks. If your wood is minimally scratched and the wear doesn’t reach the actual wood, simply removing the finish and scuff sanding it may be all you need before refinishing it.

4. Refinishing is a process. You’ll need several days to finish the procedure from start to finish. It’s best to seal floors the same day as sanding to prevent moisture being absorbed back into the wood. You’ll need to let sealant dry at least 24 hours before you begin to use your flooring once again.

5. Oil is an enemy for hardwood floors. You can’t buff a room that has been cleaned or waxed with an oil based soap. It has to be stripped off before cleaning and refinishing.

6. Small gouges, scratches and dings can be fixed easily with a wood putty. If you are having hardwood flooring installed and you have access to sawdust created from your hardwood, save some to mix into a putty to ensure your wood filler matches your flooring exactly.

7. Finishes are not like paint; you can’t keep applying coats. If one coat isn’t applied properly, it must be buffed to remove impurities before reapplying.

Hardwood Flooring
November 3, 2016

3 Steps For Good Feng Shui With Your Home Flooring

Trying to give your home the right energy? Looking to introduce feng shui techniques into your home décor?

Energy-wise, your flooring is your foundation.

There are many types of flooring out there – woods, laminate, cork, linoleum, stone, carpeting and more. You can find different finishes, patterns, styles, colors and grains. Does placement matter? Does size of planks matter? Yes. When it comes to good feng shui energy, it all matters.

It’s best when flooring looks seamless, or continuous as it runs through your home from room to room, because it guides energy in smooth fashion. If you have dark plank wood in your kitchen and it flows to white tiles in the living space, the energy might stop at the door, interrupting or blocking the flow of energy.

In general, good feng shui energy of flooring depends upon three areas:

1. Material
There isn’t a right or wrong choice of flooring for the rooms in your home. In general, flooring choice should solely be made on personal preferences. And in most cases, choices that would cause bad feng shui are common sense – you would never put carpeting in the bathroom, would you?

2. Color
Because your flooring represents your foundation, it’s best to select flooring colors that are earthy and natural. Classical wood floors offer good feng shui as they will make your flooring cohesive with the color choices throughout your home.

The same applies to all other flooring choices. Stone, tile, laminate, cork, carpeting – all natural hues are good feng shui foundations for your floors.

In feng shui, each color is considered to be an expression of one of the five feng shui elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each of these elements governs specific areas of your home, according to the feng shui map of your space. When your choice of color is focused on strengthening and nourishing the element within the area you are decorating, the result is good feng shui.

3. Pattern
Feng shui is about energy flow. When installing patterns or flooring with distinct flow, it’s important to place the boards in an obvious pattern. You don’t want to lay wood planks width wise across a narrow hallway. You shouldn’t lay planks down a narrow hallway and out through a window.

Good feng shui is about inviting, channeling and keeping things inside the house – happy and strong. It’s about allowing the energy to settle in the important rooms in your home, and keeping stability and nourishment within.

Always ask yourself “where does the pattern direct energy to?” The direction of the floor boards guides energy either in or out of your house. Do not let energy escape before it has a chance to nourish your rooms.

Flooring
October 30, 2016

Choosing Non-Toxic Flooring

Choosing non-toxic flooring may sound like a simple task, but as you begin looking around you’ll discover there many different opinions and options available. Which makes choosing a difficult task at best.

If avoiding toxic chemicals on anything you bring into your home is important to you, certain flooring choices may be of concern.

Air pollution is now the world’s largest environmental health risk. Millions of people die each year as a result of air pollution. And studies continue to show that indoor air pollution is just as risky – in some cases more so – than what you’ll find in the great outdoors.

If you are in the process of choosing new or replacement flooring, what should you look for?

Carpeting
Carpeting is always a popular choice, and the good news is there are options for you. New carpeting can fill household air with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include carcinogens like formaldehyde, benzene and stain repellents. There are safer carpeting options available, but you’ll have to ask for them as you’re making your decision.

Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile is generally a safe, non-toxic flooring option that is easy to install and maintain. It’s important to ask your dealer about the safety of the glue and grout, and be sure the ventilation process used during installation will not cause toxic fumes.

Hardwood Flooring
For anyone with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory problems, hardwood is always a good choice. Hardwood surfaces allow for dust and other allergens to be removed easily. True hardwood is harvested from solid wood, which makes it eco-friendly providing it is harvested sustainably. Look for non-toxic finishes applied either at the factory or on site.

Linoleum
Linoleum is made from all-natural and biodegradable materials including linseed oil, cork dust, pine resin and wood flour. It is very resilient and can last upwards of 40 years. It comes in a variety of colors, patterns, and styles, and provides a versatile, durable and economical option for many rooms in your home.

What to look for

Look for non-toxic and eco-friendly options. Ask questions about both the manufacturing and installations process to be sure all materials and processes meet safety and environmental standards.
Decline any stain-resistance treatments, as they will add chemicals into the process.
Look for products made from natural materials and processes and avoid using manmade products like petroleum or synthetics.

Flooring
October 23, 2016

Putting Safety First With Universal Designed Floors

“Old age is like everything else. To make it a success, you’ve got to start young.”
Fred Astaire

There’s a lot of truth in those words. And it applies to many things in our lives, including the ability to stay in our homes for as long as possible as we age.

Universal design doesn’t begin when you need help most. Instead, it’s a part of the remodeling process years before you have the need in place. You never know when events change your life in a big way

Bedrest through a pregnancy
A broken leg
Major surgery with months of recovery
A chronic disease that becomes a part of your life

Universal design applies to all aspects of your home. But in many cases, it begins with your floors. Flooring has to allow accessibility inside and out, through all rooms and doors.

Stairs
While it’s important to keep stairs at a minimum, it’s equally important to ensure what stairs there are easy to access and slip-free. Hardwoods can be slippery – carpet runners can add softness and ensure they are easier to climb. Ensure they are installed correctly to avoid tripping hazards.

Bigger bathrooms and curbless showers
Any obstruction, no matter how tiny it is, can be difficult for some people. Roll-in showers with no curb gives anyone the ability to walk in and have more surface area to create ambiance and appeal. If you build the shower large enough, you can slope tiles towards the drain to give water easy access to the drain, and help keep your bathroom easily maintained.

Slip resistant, comfortable flooring
There are many products that can offer you everything you need in flooring material. When using tiles, smaller tiles provide less surface slipping. Cork flooring adds a little cushion and warmth underfoot. Carpeting is still a great choice for cushion, softness to prevent hard falls. Just ensure that all materials are properly installed and don’t pose a tripping hazard when walking between rooms.

Have you considered what flooring you’ll use in your universal design remodel?

Flooring
October 20, 2016

What Is Marmoleum?

Marmoleum is linoleum, but it’s not the drab flooring you’ll find in older homes. Marmoleum comes in a variety of colors, styles, and patterns. Unlike vinyl floors, Marmoleum has no foul odors or off-gassing in your home’s environment. It’s an Allergy Friendly certified product. It’s also SMART certified as a sustainable product.

Why choose marmoleum?

It’s a natural and sustainable product. It’s made with natural ingredients without any harmful VOCs or other toxic chemicals. If you install it in sheet format, it’s installed with solvent-free adhesives. If you install it with Marmoleum click, it’s installed without any adhesive.

Marmoleum has no adverse health issues either in production, throughout its useful life, or through the disposal process. It’s a flooring product that is soft to the touch and stays warmer than other products, including ceramic tiles.

It’s natural bactericidal properties prevent microorganisms from multiplying. The anti-static properties of marmoleum not only reduce the potential for electric shock, but it also makes the floor cleaner because dirt and dust won’t stick to it.

And if you’re ready to make Marmoleum your flooring choice, you’ll have fun with the design process. Whether you choose sheet, tile or click systems, you can be the designer. It’s not a typical assemply line pre-printed process. You choose colors, inserts, and borders to come up with endless possibilities. From designing with simplicity to the use of daring colors and patterns, your flooring choice can be uniquely your own with this flooring choice.

For all these reasons and more, Marmoleum is the flooring of choice in homes, hospitals, medical offices, and many other places. Will it be yours?

Carpet, Flooring
October 18, 2016

Nylon or Polyester Carpet – Which Should You Choose?

Shop around for new carpet and you’ll quickly discover that the most used carpet fiber materials are nylon or polyester. Both have their own characteristics. Both can make excellent choices. Which is right for you?

While nylon and polyester are quite different in feel and performance, they do share a few characteristics.

Both, for example, are petroleum based synthetics. Nylon was invented as a silk substitute. Polyester was developed as an alternative to wool.

While both products are derivatives of petroleum, they are produced in different ways.

Nylon is an engineered fiber made in a factory from petroleum. About 65 percent of all carpet created today is produced from nylon that is newly created, with only a select amount of nylon made from recycled nylon.

Polyester used for carpet is made from recycled products such as plastic soda or water bottles. That makes polyester fibers more environmentally friendly than many nylon options.

Nylon is very hard, which is why it’s a durable product for carpet and rugs. When dirt gets into carpet, the sharp edges can cut into carpet fibers. Because of nylons hardness, it slows the process considerably. Nylon also has a better bounce-back feature than polyester. Walk on it and you’ll find the fibers return to their upright position easier. And if you find marks after furniture has been sitting in the same spot for some time, they will be easier to get rid of with nylon.

While polyester isn’t nearly as durable as nylon, what it makes up for is found in the softness level. Polyester carpets are easy to sink your toes in, providing warmth and comfort.

Both nylon and polyester come in a wide variety of color and style options. You’ll find both kinds of carpets offer easy cleaning and easy maintenance, with a variety of stain repellent options. And both types of carpets can be recycled after use.

Which is better for you, nylon or polyester carpet?