Flooring Archives - Page 30 of 58

Flooring, Tile Floors
May 11, 2018

Do You Have Asbestos Floor Tile In Place?

Asbestos is something we hear a lot about. And if you have an older home, chances are you may have asbestos in certain locations.

Asbestos is a heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that was common in construction until the 1980s. It was banned once the list of health risks began to form. But banning it from production of current building materials doesn’t eliminate the fact that it still exists in homes and commercial properties that have been in place for decades. It doesn’t cause a problem until you start to remove it.

If you live in an older home that may have asbestos floor tiles in place, how you handle removal is of the utmost importance to your family’s health and safety.

According to the EPA, asbestos fibers pose a health risk when they are friable, meaning they crumble easily and release into the air. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and do not break down. Over time, this can lead to illness, including:

Lung cancer
Asbestosis – a non-cancer respiratory disease
Mesothelioma – cancer of the lining surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdomen

Asbestos floor tiles do not post a problem unless they are disturbed. When you saw, sand, drill, or tear the tiles out, this can release fibers into the air where they can be inhaled.

Do you have asbestos tiles?

The only way to find out for sure is to have them tested. You can either hire an asbestos remediation expert or obtain a test kit in which you remove a floor sample, and mail it into an asbestos testing lab. The kit comes with instructions and you should wear gloves and a dust mask during the process.

If your home was built before 1980, there’s a good chance they contain asbestos because most flooring tiles manufactured during this time did.

The most popular size tile during this timeframe was 9×9. However, they did come in 12×12 and 18×18 as well, so size isn’t everything.

You may also notice a stained or oily appearance, which comes from asphalt, it’s main ingredient. You might also see a black adhesive underneath, which was commonly used to glue the flooring tiles down.

Living with asbestos tiles

One of the best ways to deal with asbestos tiles is to leave them in place. New vinyl, laminate flooring, hardwood, even carpet can successfully be installed over asbestos flooring without disturbing it and creating a further problem.

Removal options

When you’re ready to remove the asbestos, seek direction from your local authorities and talk with a flooring expert before you being the process. The safest removal option is to have an asbestos remediation contractor remove the tiles. This will ensure the entire removal process is done per regulation to keep you safe during and after the process.

Have any questions about installing new flooring over asbestos tiles?

Flooring, Vinyl Floors
May 7, 2018

3 Advantages Of Using Linoleum In Your Home

Think linoleum and vinyl are the same? Think again. The two couldn’t be more different.

Vinyl was created in the 1930s from chips of synthetic resin called polyvinyl chloride. Linoleum is a natural based product made from renewable materials including linseed oil, tree resins, recycled wood flour, cork dust, and mineral pigments. It’s all mounted together on a jute or canvas backing.

The first commercial linoleum was created by the American Linoleum Manufacturing Company in 1872. This water-resistant material didn’t take long to gain popularity throughout the US, becoming one of the most popular flooring choices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It made a great addition to high traffic areas, as well as moisture prone zones such as kitchens and bathrooms.

What made it spread quickly was its affordability factor. Yet at the same time, it was considered a luxurious material, being installed in some of the most sophisticated commercial properties of the early 20th century, including the Titanic.

But gradually, substitutes were created, and the popularity factor began to wane. Cheap vinyl alternatives could be designed more economically and offer more color and pattern choices because of the design practice. Still, there are many reasons to look back at this one-time favorite today.

Durability

Linoleum has almost double the lifespan of vinyl, lasting as long as 40 years with proper care. This can be attributed to its colorfast construction: the color and pattern are through the entire width of the material, printed on the surface like vinyl. Just be sure that the linoleum you have installed includes a protective coating to prevent the surface from darkening or taking on a yellow tinge, especially if it is exposed to direct sunlight. This protective top layer helps protect against dirt and scuffs, but keep in mind it is still susceptible to dents and tears, especially with high heels and furniture.

Water Resistance

Linoleum also offers water resistance you won’t find in other flooring choices, including wood. This advantage is what makes it a perfect choice for entryways and mudrooms, especially if you have a lot of wet shoes and snow covered boots. While you should never completely immerse linoleum in water, it’s perfect for light moisture and quick cleanups. With excessive moisture or humidity, you can begin to see edges and corners pull up, or seams to curl.

Eco-Friendly

Linoleum is a natural alternative to many other flooring choices. Linoleum is also easily recycled and biodegradable. Because of its wood components, it can easily be discarded in many different ways, even composting in your garden as you wood mulch or wood chips. And because it’s all-natural, it won’t emit any harmful VOC emissions either.

Is linoleum the right choice for your home?

Flooring, Tile Floors
May 3, 2018

Create A Stunning Look With Terrazzo Flooring

Looking for a durable, low-maintenance flooring option for a room built on a concrete slab? Want style and ambiance without having to worry about the subfloor underneath?

A terrazzo floor may be the perfect choice for you.

Terrazzo flooring gives a similar appearance to polished marble or granite, which means its versatile enough to include in any room in your home. While it was once thought of as more of a commercial application, terrazzo is gaining popularity in residential settings.

Terrazzo originated in the Mediterranean region several hundred years ago. In Italian, terrazzo means “terrace.” It was originally produced by pressing stone chips into the surface of natural clay, and they sealed it with goat’s milk for an artful display. Eventually, the process became more automated. Cement replaced clay. Glass and painted tile replace the stone chips.

Modern day terrazzo includes polymers, resin, and epoxy that improve the texture while increasing durability. It’s a solid, dense, and impenetrable surface that never requires sealants, polishing, or buffing to retain its natural glow.

Terrazzo floors are nothing short of stunning … in the right place.

Installing terrazzo is strictly for the pros. It’s labor intensive, which means it can be quite pricey, depending on the final materials and patterns selected.

Terrazzo can also be quite slippery when wet. Or dry, if you’re in stocking feet. If you have small children or elderly residents, it might not be the best choice.

Still, nothing is as stunning as shiny bits of marble, granite, and quartz reflect in the light. Experienced installers can create intricate patterns, and turn ordinary living spaces into true works of art. And because terrazzo is durable and resilient, its non-porous surface area discourages both staining and bacterial absorption. That makes it a top choice for high traffic areas.

To clean, remove surface dust daily. Wipe up spills promptly. And use a wet mop as needed to clean off dirt and grime. Avoid using solvent-based cleaners and sealers that can dull terrazzo’s finish.

And after years of use, terrazzo can be re-grinded and polished to bring it back to looking new.

Flooring
April 26, 2018

Building or Remodeling? Don’t Forget This Question About Your Flooring

Planning on adding to or remodeling your home? The next few weeks will be hectic at best. There are many decisions you’ll have to make, some spur of the moment. You can spend hours studying carpeting samples and pouring over paint chips trying to select the perfect colors. You want a home that looks great as equally as comfortable too.

Comfort should be a top priority throughout every phase of the project. Yet for most homeowners, they tend to get caught up in the design, leaving the comfort in a distant second place. Aesthetic considerations are important; you have to live with your choices for the next few years. But the choice of materials you select will ultimately be an even bigger factor. If something isn’t as durable as what you anticipated, or as functional as you’ve been led to believe, you’ll never use the room in the way it was intended to be used.

Performance is everything

If you’re adding onto your home or remodeling a room, chances are you have a good reason in mind. Maybe even several. You’ve probably said:

We need more usable space.
I want the space to be more functional.
I want a space that is more energy efficient.
I want the space to be beautiful.

One of the best choices a homeowner can make to keep the flow from top to bottom in any room is to move towards radiant heating. Even with gas-forced air systems, which many people throughout the Front Range have in place, radiant heating can help compensate for heat loss as it rises to the ceiling, and keep the floor level comfortable even in your grandest of spaces.

And as the popularity of radiant heating increases, more flooring manufacturers are creating products to make it easy to install. Even if your new room sits on a concrete slab, new building materials make it possible to lay subflooring in place before installation, increasing the warmth of your home instantly without adding undue weight to the home’s structure.

What’s more, radiant heating can now go under just about any flooring choice you desire. Carpet or hardwood, radiant heating systems can offer you warmth underfoot. Gentle warmth emanates through flooring, area rugs, and furniture without creating drafts commonly associated with traditional vent systems.

And no more icy feet when they hit the floor.

How can you make your home’s floors the best space in your home?

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
April 23, 2018

What Works Best In Small Spaces, Light Or Dark Floors?

Have you ever noticed how some design trends just don’t work in your home? You find the “perfect” look in a magazine, try to recreate it only to hate it in your own home?

It might not be the flooring you’re installing; it might be the size of the space.

Light typically creates an airy, open feeling. Dark anchors and helps define your space.

Light colored floors are timeless. Because they work well in all kinds of spaces, they tend to be the easiest to decorate around.

Light colored floors are versatile with any floor space, ceiling height, or lighting choices. You’ll never have to use lights to brighten up a room.

Light colored floors are also a good choice for homes with pets as they won’t show scratch marks as easily as dark floors.

Because light colored floors are always in style, they can tend to seem a bit boring and blend in with the background. If you want to make a statement with light color floors, look for a wood with strong texture and color variations in the planks.

Dark colored floors make a bold statement and bring out the look of your design. It’s the perfect way to make your furniture and color choices pop.

Dark colored floors work in any area: open concept, well lit rooms, offices, kitchens, studios – wherever you want to create a unique look. Dark colored floors make a room darker. Be aware of that before you place them in a small bathroom.

Dark floors also have higher maintenance. Dust and scratches show more easily. They require more cleaning and care.

No matter what you decide to go with, samples can be your best friend. Be sure to ask for samples of your favorite choices and bring them home and live with them in your room for a few days. Be sure to view the same in all conditions, day and night, sunny days and dark overcast skies. See the end result with the lighting in place to determine where you’ll need to adjust.

Still have questions about selecting light or dark flooring? Stop by. We’re here to help.

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.