How To Select The Right Transition For Your Flooring

If you are like many homeowners, your home doesn’t have the same flooring type in every room. You may transition from hardwoods in the living room to tile in the kitchen. Or carpeting in the bedroom to vinyl in the bathroom.

Having a home with multiple types of flooring is the norm; which means that having the right transition from room to room will either make or break the ambiance of your final décor. Without a little planning, and doing it just to get done will only create a floor that is destined for failure. Transitions will make your final look more appealing, and give you the longevity of each flooring option to its fullest value.How To Select The Right Transition For Your Flooring

There are several issues when determining the best transition:

  • Elevation – the final elevation of each type of flooring needs to be taken into consideration to determine the best transition
  • Location of transition – will the transition take place in a door opening or in an open entryway?
  • Special transitions – stairways pose their own unique set of issues

Elevation

Elevation changes are fairly common in remodeling projects. Because a home is originally designed with one specific flooring in mind, and that flooring may have changed numerous times over the years, you may have flooring of different thickness. Some flooring requires different types of subflooring – large tile, for instance, takes a special underlayment to handle the weight and stability of larger tile. Therefore one flooring may wind up being higher than its counterpart, making a smooth transition necessary for movement between rooms. In this case, a transition molding may be the way to go to connect the two flooring choices together.

Location of transition

Transitions between flooring often depends on where the transition is occurring. If it occurs at a door opening, make sure you know the position of your door so you can install the transition of make sure only one flooring is visible when the door is closed between the two rooms.

Special transitions

Stairways need their own special moldings in order to create a finished look. Stairways often incorporate several looks into one: a hardwood main level, may transition into hardwood stairs with a painted siding, and transition into a carpeted upper level. The key is attention to detail. Lay everything out before final installation to make sure they transition from one position to another. A reputable flooring contractor can help you make the best decision not only for the type of flooring you are laying, but also keeping your taste and budget in mind.

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How Often Can You Stretch A Carpet?

“I moved into my home three months ago. The carpet appeared to be okay when we bought the house, but now I find myself tripping over the carpet in the hallway several times a week. I occasionally see a small roll in the carpet, but it doesn’t appear to be that bad. Can this be stretched? Or is it time for new carpet?”

Carpet can develop humps and rolls after years of wear and use. But that doesn’t mean your carpet is ready for the landfill once you find these in your most lived-in areas.How Often Can You Stretch A Carpet?

Re-stretching a loose carpet pulls the slack out of the carpet, and allows it to lay flush against the floor once again.

Loose carpeting most commonly occurs in older carpeting. Over time, carpeting may begin to lose its elasticity and begins to stretch and move out of its original shape. The problem worsens if the adhesive used to attach it to the floor loses its strength, or if the carpeting begins to pull up from the corners or edges where it has been tacked down.

Loose carpeting also often occurs in very large pieces of carpeting. Because there may be less support holding it in place, it comes up in places as it begins to wear down. Depending on the size of the carpet, a specialized tool may be used to help take up the slack and hold it in place while it is trimmed and refastened.

And when carpet begins to roll, its not only an unsafe hazard, its also an unsightly problem that takes away from the ambiance and the value of your home.

Overall, stretching is not a process that is required in all carpets. If a carpet is of good quality, properly installed and properly maintained, it should stay in place and not need stretching. However, if you do see rolls and decide to stretch your carpet rather than replace it, it should never be stretched more than once. If you see rolls again, its time to replace the carpeting.

If you are stretching your carpeting, and you either tear the carpet in the process, or discover the padding is damaged underneath the problem area, its also an indication that it is time for replacing both padding and carpeting.

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Carpets or Hardwood, Which Is The Better Choice For Bedrooms?

Whether you are building a new house, or renovating the flooring throughout your home, you may be considering your options when it comes to hardwood floors. Nothing is as beautiful as hardwoods; why not install them in every room of your home?

Yet something may be holding you back. Is it wise to install hardwoods in every room of your home? Is it the best choice for your bedrooms? Flooring isn’t a decision you can easily replace in a few weeks if you don’t like the looks and functionality. And if you make a decision you don’t like, it can be a costly mistake you’ll regret for years in the future.

Bedrooms are typically thought of as our own personal sanctuaries. Carpets or Hardwood, Which Is The Better Choice For Bedrooms?We want peace, warmth, comfort and style. Above all, we want a place we can retreat to and feel comfortable with, every day of the year. Will hardwoods be a mistake when it falls below freezing? Will carpet be a regret if you choose the wrong color or style? Overall, your final choice should be made based on your personality and your desires. But there are a few things that can help steer you towards one choice over another.

Benefits of hardwood floors:

  • Hardwood adds a sense of luxury. With its old world charm and appeal, you can have a prestigious look that compliments any décor.
  • Hardwood will last and last. Especially in the bedroom where you’ll never have a high level of traffic, hardwood flooring can last indefinitely.
  • Hardwood are always in demand, and will add in to the resell value of your home.
  • Hardwood is easy to maintain. With a damp mop, you can have clean floors in a matter of minutes.
  • Hardwood will help alleviate allergies, especially important if you have a family member with allergies or asthma.

Benefits of carpeting:

  • Carpeting can add style and color to your décor. With thousands of choices, its an easy way to help with your decorating plans.
  • Carpeting is an affordable choice, with options only constrained by your pocketbook.
  • Carpeting is easy to care for. With a simple vacuum every week, and an occasional steam clean to go in depth, you’ll have a flooring choice that will last for years.
  • Carpeting adds warmth. Nothing feels as good on a cold winter morning as carpet between your toes.
  • Carpeting adds both a softness and a sound barrier to your home. Something that works well with small children.

So which is the best choice for you? Let lifestyle and personality direct you towards the right flooring choice. There is no right or wrong answer; either way, you’re sure to enjoy your new flooring now and well into the future.

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How To Choose Carpet Color

carpetOnce you’ve decided its time to lay new carpeting throughout your home, the decisions don’t stop there. In addition to style, kind, pile, you’ll also have to decide on color. After all, carpeting isn’t something you change out with the seasons; you’ll have to live with your decision for years.

Trends in color change throughout the fashion industry. Typically carpet coloring runs one to two years behind that of clothing, which means the most popular colors you see on the racks in your favorite stores today will make it to the carpeting section in a year or two.

“But I won’t use bright blues or oranges in my carpets,” you might be thinking. And that’s true. But colors still affect the overall appearance and selection of carpeting. When you walk into a home with cool golds, shades of greens, silvers, mauves or grays, you’re likely to think the color choice is old and outdated.

Today’s colors lean towards solid earthy colors. You’ll find warm golds and greens that resemble the great outdoors. You’ll find light blues, neutral stone hues, khaki and suede shades. And through it all, beige is continued to be a popular choice that never shows age, no matter what the current trends are.

How should you decide what color is right for you?

Level of traffic – Carpets in a well lived in family room take more abuse than a guest bedroom. They are in more danger of spills, stains and tracked in dirt. And in hallways and other high entry points, they sustain wear and tear all day long.

Use of space – Each room is subjected to different treatments throughout the day. Will it receive harsh sunlight for a number of hours each day? Do you work in the room daily, such as a home office? While its easy to choose one carpet for the entire home, if you don’t keep in mind what each space is for – especially for high traffic rooms – you may be sorry down the road.

Personality – Just because you moved in to a home that used a forest green carpet throughout the main living quarters doesn’t mean you have to live with it. What are your preferences? Does it match your décor?

When all else fails, stay neutral and go with the beige. Beige is a universal color, and is a great color choice especially for investment purposes. If you’ll be moving soon, its one that will appeal to a wide variety of people, and will always work no matter what the situation.

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