Flooring Archives - Page 51 of 58

Flooring, Vinyl Floors
September 12, 2015

Why You’ll Love Luxury Vinyl Tile

Do you love decorating your home? Do you like changing things up again and again?

Thanks to HGTV, many of us have become our own home decorators. We love changing out a few décor pieces and having a new room as fast as the changing seasons. We love being able to get great ideas from a show or a magazine, then following it up by spending the afternoon in a home improvement store.

Yet for many, we also want to step beyond buying a few throw pillows and changing the color on the walls. We want complete change, from floor to ceiling. Sound familiar?

If so, it may be time to look at luxury vinyl tile. Modern vinyl tile isn’t to be confused with the tacky, glue down tiles from yesteryear. They offer many unique traits that are perfect for any room in your home.

Any look, any style
Luxury vinyl tile comes in many colors, patterns and choices. In some cases you can have the look and feel of a hardwood, stone, or even ceramic tile floor, all laid easily into place because its vinyl. And because it’s easy to lay, you can transform any room in your home in a short period of time.

Install today
While many flooring choices require acclimation to its new environment, not so with vinyl tile. It can be purchased and installed the same day if you choose. It’s ready to go right from the box, and can be used to instantly transform any room in your home.

Easy process
Luxury vinyl tile gives the DIYer a chance to try out their home improvement skills, or can be easily installed by a professional if you prefer. Because luxury vinyl tile fits together life puzzle pieces, its easy to put into place. And if you make a mistake, simply reposition the boards and continue on. It’s that easy. Yet because the tiles are created to work together, you’ll never find seams and joints that pop up and out of place, leaving you with messy floor you don’t want in place.

Overall, luxury vinyl tile is the perfect way to get quick results any time. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them here, or give us a call today.

Flooring
September 10, 2015

Choosing Flooring For A Home With Toddlers and Kids

Transitions. There are certain points in our lives when we leave the old behind and start down a new path. If you have kids, or are planning on starting a family soon, you know how much they change every aspect of your life.

It’s no longer all about you. Instead, you begin thinking about what’s good for everyone in your home. It’s also why many new families decide to trade in the condo and move to their very first family home.

With kids, you need more space. They need room to grow and to play. For you, that might not mean a brand new house in the suburbs; instead, it may mean trading in a two bedroom for a three bedroom in the city. Yet do you really want to stick with the same flooring used by the people before you? Do you want your baby lying on the floor where Friday night parties once occurred? Or have your toddler learn to crawl on several years old carpeting?

What should you replace it with?

Carpet

Carpeting is a great choice for a home with small children. It offers a soft, warm surface that’s easy to crawl, walk and play on. The surface is slip resistant, perfect for running and playing on. And depending on your choice, it can be stain resistant, and be easy to clean and maintain.

Bamboo

Bamboo offers a soft flooring choice that has the appeal of hardwood flooring. And because bamboo is considered environmentally friendly, it can check off multiple boxes on your list of requirements for a great flooring choice. Bamboo comes in a variety of choices and styles; be sure to invest in quality urethane finishes that can take the wear and abuse your family dishes out. In some cases bamboo can be refinished when scratched or stained, giving it added benefits to a longer life span.

Cork

Cork is a soft flooring choice that absorbs impact, which makes falling and roughhousing a little less painful. Cork creates a warm surface area perfect for living spaces where you’ll spend a lot of time playing and hanging out with the family. It also is hypoallergenic, resistant to fungi and mold, making it the perfect choice for family members that may be prone to allergies or asthma.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is a good choice no matter how old your kids may be. It offers a versatility factor that gives it its appeal, no matter how you dress up or dress down the décor. Hardwoods offer a very durable surface area, and depending on the thickness of the wood, can be refinished multiple times. By using area rugs, you can add a splash of color into the room, and change out the look and feel whenever you choose.

Linoleum

Linoleum flooring offers convenience and durability in one package. Linoleum creates a hard surface area that resists scratching and is easy to clean and maintain no matter what your family dishes out. It can have hypoallergenic qualities, depending on the linoleum you choose. Today’s linoleum offers a wide array of design and color options, with many taking on the appearance of your favorite flooring choices – think wood and stone. It may be the perfect choice for the highest traffic rooms in your home.

Flooring
September 4, 2015

The Perfect Flooring For Your Mudroom

Today’s mudrooms can be anything from a simple entryway, to a dramatic room filled with storage and functionality. If you browse through remodeling or design magazines, you can gain hundreds of ideas to make the mudroom the most functional room in your home.

Yet before the shelving units and baskets can go in, the most important place to start is at the bottom … with great flooring as a base.

Since the purpose of a mudroom is to enter and remove all of your outdoor gear before you enter the home, first and foremost the flooring must be durable to withstand any kind of abuse your family can dish out. It’s best to choose a material that is durable, long lasting, and will blend in easily with the rest of your interior décor.

Some of the best flooring options for your mudroom space include:

Ceramic tile
Ceramic tile is one of the best options for a mudroom entry because it’s durable, easy to clean, easy to maintain, and environmentally friendly. It’s an affordable choice, and can be an easy do it yourself project, or one that can be professionally installed in no time. Because ceramic colors come in many styles, colors, patterns and materials, the look and feel can be almost unlimited in potential.

Natural stone
Natural stone offer unique, one of a kind beauty. Depending on your selection, you can find a variety of color variation, texture and patterns. Unlike ceramic tile which is man-made, natural stone is manufactured from quarries all over the world, making no two stones alike. When natural stone is properly sealed, natural stone is durable and easy to maintain.

Wood floors
Wood floors have always been some of the most dependable and sturdy types of flooring around. And here in Colorado, its been a long time favorite for high traffic areas. Because a mudroom is one of the most high traffic areas in your home, choosing hardwood would be a good recommendation. However, keep in mind that wood does show wear and tear over time. Mudrooms are often susceptible to standing water due to wet boots and shoes. It’s important to wipe away any excessive water so it doesn’t penetrate the wood.

Vinyl
Vinyl flooring can be an inexpensive and durable solution for a mudroom. Yet today’s vinyl is anything but boring. Luxury vinyls can imitate any look and feel you desire – from wood, to stone, to laminate, to bricks – if you have a look you desire, you’ll find it in vinyl. Vinyl provides a tough surface that is durable and essentially maintenance free. And depending on what style of vinyl you choose, you can find anything from peel and stick tiles or planks, to luxury vinyl sheets.

Choosing a material that works for your setting all begins with your ideas. Want a little inspiration? Stop by and see all the options available to you.

Flooring
September 1, 2015

Choosing The Right Flooring To Help Fight Allergies

If you have allergies, you may face allergy symptoms year-round. And according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, more than half of the population does.

Cranking up the heat in January can cause more air movement than in the summertime, meaning those dust bunnies can spread into all corners of your home. Tree pollen may peak in the spring and early summer as trees come into full bloom. And as fall’s cool air brings a change in your landscaping, it can trigger all kinds of symptoms once again.

While you can’t change what’s going on outside of your home, you can do your part to control the presence of allergens in your personal space, and improve the air quality overall.

The most common forms of allergens around your home include dust mites, mold and pet dander. Because the environment in our homes changes on a daily basis, its not possible to eliminate allergens, but it is possible to make them easier to clean and maintain.

Cork Flooring
Cork has antimicrobial qualities due to the presence of suberin, a naturally occurring substance that reduces mold, mildew and bacterial growth. Cork flooring provides a hard flooring surface that makes it easy to clean with a mop.

Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is one of the most beautiful and in demand flooring choices, and with good reason. Hardwood provides a hard surface area that makes it difficult for dust mites to hide, and allows them easily to be cleaned and removed with a simple swish of a mop or vacuum.

Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is manufactured by gluing together layers of wood composite. Depending on the manufacturer, these layers can contain dangerous VOCs that can trigger allergies both immediately and over time. Always check the product documentation and talk with a sales representative for the emissions rating before you purchase laminate flooring. If VOCs are low, laminates can be a good choice, much like hardwoods, they are easy to clean and do not harbor dust mites or dander.

Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo offers the same surface qualities as hardwood, yet also offers a water resistant quality that makes it less likely to retain water than traditional hardwood. This reduces both mold and mildew over time. Like laminate, bamboo can be manufactured in a variety of ways, so it’s important to check manufacturing and VOC qualities before installing.

Tile Flooring
Tile flooring is one of the best choices for allergy prevention. It’s easy to care for and easy to spot dust accumulation to clean. When installing, make sure to use low or VOC-free adhesives and keep grout in good repair to avoid moisture from seeping beneath the floor where mold can start to grow.

What’s your favorite flooring type? Have any of these made a difference in your allergy symptoms?

Carpet, Flooring
August 25, 2015

4 Myths About Carpeted Flooring

I love watching the HGTV shows. Some of the design ideas you can gain from 30 minutes of television are simply amazing.

But I’ve noticed one thing on virtually every show I watch about redesign and remodeling … people hate carpeting. It’s a common trend throughout these shows.

Yet I always have to ask why? I love hardwood flooring and porcelain tiles as much as the next homeowner. But in some rooms in your home, you simply can’t beat carpeting.

A lot of myths are floating around about carpeting. Do you believe any of these?

Myth #1 Carpeting is poorly manufactured

When most people think of carpeting, they picture the indoor/outdoor carpet from their elementary school days, or the buckling, fraying, stained carpet that was in their very first apartment. Yuck. Like any other product sold on the marketplace today, carpeting has undergone a lot of changes over the years. And today, some of the leading names in the business offer some of the most luxurious carpeting in the world. You will find innovative patterns, the highest quality around, and in some cases handmade, original works of art created by true artisans. Today’s carpeting can add value to your home.

Myth #2 Carpeting is unattractive

Yes, carpeting can be unattractive when you choose a lowgrade quality carpet sample, install it with seams in incorrect places, and leave it alone and unmaintained for years at a time. The stains, ripples and tears can leave a lasting impression (even as you move on to house number two and house number three). Yet with the carpeting in today’s marketplace, the range of options is truly limited only by your imagination. You can get just about any color or pattern you desire.

Myth #3 Carpeting is unhealthy

There’s a big myth around what is harbored within your carpet fibers. Yet in reality, carpeting can be a good thing if you know what to look for. Many people today are worried about VOCs, which can release chemicals into the air of your home. Laminates, tiles and even subflooring and glues can have a world of toxic chemicals in them if you don’t pay attention to the brand and type you are purchasing. While at the same time, if you choose a natural fiber carpet, you can introduce a clean and healthy option into your home. It also depends on the care you give your carpet. Avoid wearing shoes and tracking in dirt and debris from the outside. Vacuum with a quality vacuum, and clean regularly with a green carpet cleaner, and you’ll have a flooring choice that beats out many the other options.

Myth #4 Carpeting is high maintenance

People love the “sweep and go” mentality of a wood or tile floor. Which is why many people shun the concept of carpeting; its too high maintenance, right? With today’s technology, many different products have been introduced into carpets, making them soft and luxurious, while at the same time strong and easy to maintain. They can be stain resistant, yet still provide a beautiful look and feel. With simple and routine vacuuming, and an occasional deep clean, your carpets can retain their beauty for years.

Do you love the carpeting in your home?

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
August 22, 2015

A Guide To Choosing Mahogany Flooring

What comes to mind when you hear the word mahogany? Elegance? Class? Style?

Mahogany is a straight grained, reddish brown wood harvested from three tropical hardwood species indigenous to the Americas.

The Honduran, or big leaf mahogany, has a range from Mexico to the southern Amazon in Brazil, and is the only true mahogany species used in commercial applications today. Illegal logging of this commodity led to it being placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list in 2003, the first time a high value tree was listed.
West Indian or Cuban mahogany is native to southern Florida and the Caribbean, currently being used for commercial applications.
Swietenia Humillis is a small, often twisted mahogany tree found in dry forests in the Pacific Central America, and has limited commercial use.

The features of each of these species include a wonderful, clear, find grain, and will provide minimal shrinkage and swelling in different types of climates and temperatures. Classic mahoganies like these will always make a good investment no matter what their intended use will be.

But like every classic material, there are options available that imitate the look and feel of real mahogany.

African mahogany is a little bit different. It carries many of the same characteristics as its Caribbean counterpart, and looks identical in many ways, yet isn’t considered to be a true mahogany. Processing is a little more difficult, meaning care must be used to create a smooth finish without snagging the wood.

Asia has also entered into the mahogany market. While their mahogany is close in appearance, it is worlds apart when it comes to the workability of the wood. They are a good option for plywood, and work well as engineered flooring, but won’t match true mahogany’s quality when it comes to traditional flooring and furniture production because of its limited durability and its tendency to splinter.

When you’re out looking for flooring, and you’ve narrowed your focus to mahogany, what should you look for?

True mahogany – the Honduran or big leaf mahogany – has been restricted for years because of its over-harvesting, and there are few ways to obtain it on the open market, outside of recycling it from an older home.

The best options for getting the look and feel of real mahogany is to choose plank flooring with well processed African mahogany, or choose engineered mahogany options using high quality African, Caribbean or Asian mahoganies. In most cases these are expertly processed so they will look and feel as good as the original.

Have additional questions? Stop by today and see the many options available to you on our showroom floor.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring, Tile Floors
August 19, 2015

Wood Look Porcelain Tile vs Wood Floor: How To Use Both

Lets face it; Coloradans love their wood floors. And rightfully so. Colorado is a rugged, outdoors kind of place. A place where we enjoy being outdoors almost every day of the year. From snow skiing and tubing, to water skiing and biking, those 325 days of sunshine each year give us a chance to do what we love best.

But when the sun goes down, we want to come home to a place that’s easy to live in … and offers gorgeous décor. That’s why wood fits the bill every time. Wood floors are easy to maintain, beautiful to look at, and compliment any décor.

Yet wood has its problems.

If you’ve ever had a washing machine overflow, with water soaking into its surrounding area for several hours before you discovered the problem.
If you’ve ever had a toilet overflow, sending a flood of water through every inch of your bathroom floor.
If you’ve ever had a child drop an ice cube, or a Popsicle, or even a glass of water, and not tell you about it.

You understand the problems.

As high tech manufacturing continues to improve, the range of porcelain tile options increases as well. One of the top interior design trends that has resulted from technology advancement is wood look porcelain tile.

These porcelain tiles are carefully crafted with patterns and textures that duplicate the look of just about any wood species in the natural world. If you have a preference for mahogany, oak, birch, beech, the list goes on.

Yet no matter how closely they resemble the look of real wood, they have the durability of porcelain tile. They may have a realistic appearance, yet it’s the moisture proof property most come to love. Which means they are appropriate to use in all kinds of places you may have been hesitant to install hardwood before.

Like laundry rooms, bathrooms, even shower stalls. And yes, they are so beautiful you’ll even consider them in other places throughout your home, like your kitchen.

What’s more, if you’ve always wanted to warm up your home with underfloor radiant heating, this can be your chance. Porcelain tile is the perfect product to install over an underfloor heating system.

Can they be combined perfectly with wooden floors you already have in place? Of course. One of the best ways to see how easy it can be is to stop by and see your options. You’ll be amazed at just how far wood look porcelain tiles have come.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
August 19, 2015

The Differences Between Red and White Oak

Oak trees are one of the most widely recognized trees on the planet. There are hundreds of oak species, and grow on almost every continent (minus Antarctica). There are many different types, colors and styles, and are used for production in almost every type of wood product imaginable.

No wonder its one of the most popular flooring choices around.

Yes, if you are considering installing hardwood flooring, oak is definitely worth considering.

Here in Colorado, you’ll find two types of oak: red oak and white oak.

Red oak is one of the most commonly used woods, and has been used as the benchmark for hardwoods when it comes to hardness rating and stability.

White oak is very durable and is resistant to water, which has made it the go to wood choice in the shipbuilding industry.

Red oak is a light colored wood that when aged and sealed, may look closer to a pine color than any other species of oak.

White oak has a darker wood color which darkens to a medium brown or even a light black color over time.

Red oak is a porous material easy to work with. Its wood is pitted with microscopic open tunnels that soak up moisture like a sponge.

White oak has closed tunnels filled with solid plugs called tyloses. This makes white oak durable and extremely water tight.

Red oak makes a perfect choice for indoor flooring and for décor. You’ll find a wide array of red oak flooring options in many different planks, sizes and styles. Red oak is also a commonly used wood for stair treads, moldings and banisters because of its ease in carving.

White oak isn’t as easy to work with when it comes to the details. When it comes to outdoor construction, white oak is always going to be the safest bet. You’ll find white oak on your external door frames and on door jambs.

While red and white oak can be used interchangeably throughout your home, it may come down to coloring, style and preferences. If you’ll be staining the stair treads or banisters, for instance, choosing red oak for both the detailed work and for the flooring would be your best choice for matchability. If you’ll be painting the detail work throughout, the two can be used together.

Which oak is better for you, red or white? Come in today to learn even more about the natural beauty of oak.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
August 15, 2015

A Look At Beech Hardwood Flooring

Throughout history, the beech tree has held a special place in the hearts of mankind. Lovers look to beech trees to keep their romance alive forever. If people cut their initials into the bark of a beech tree, the bark grows around the carving, creating a sign of love that goes on forever.

But of course the use of this tree didn’t stop as declarations of love. Because of its popularity, it has been used in everything from textiles, to drums, to railroad ties, to hardwood floors.

Beech trees are highly perishable, which means that their wood fiber will break down quickly if left untreated. This means it can quickly feed back into the earth, feeding insects, moss, fungi, and also create havens for all kinds of woodland creatures like birds and mice.

Because of their easy ability to breakdown, we’ve incorporated beech into a large number of products. Beech is used as a foundation for smoked malts in some beer production. It also provides flavoring in smoked sausages and ham.

The American Beech is found on the east coast, the only native variety found in the States. It’s a fast growing tree, averaging 120 feet in height, which makes it a great choice for lumber. It’s a strong and pliable tree filled with a variety of rich wood coloring. You’ll find beech in natural light and creamy colors, sometimes accented by pink to brown contours that give it its unique look when sanded and installed. It has a straight, fine texture look that accents any décor.

Because of it’s pliability, it’s one of the easiest woods to work with. It’s simple to cut and shape both by hand and machine. It glues and finishes well. It also is a perfect choice for steam bending.

Because it’s fast growing, strong and pliable, it’s becoming a viable crop all over the world. It grows in a variety of soils and conditions, making it easy to maintain. And because of it’s flexibility and it’s ease of manipulation, it makes it a workable choice in a variety of different applications. Whether you are redoing one room or your entire home, beech wood may be the perfect choice for you.

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
August 12, 2015

Should You Consider Jatoba Flooring?

Looking for new floors? Have you decided wood flooring is the best investment for your home? How about looking at Jatoba flooring?

Jatoba flooring, also known as Brazilian cherry flooring, is a popular choice in exotic hardwood floors. Jatoba doesn’t actually come from a tree; instead, it comes from a 130 foot legume. Like other legumes – think peanuts and beans and peas – jatoba produces seed pods that have been a staple food in communities for centuries throughout Central America, southern Mexico, northers South America and the Caribbean.

Jatoba is different than the cherry wood trees you’ll find throughout the gardens of North America. Jatoba is known as Brazilian cherry wood because of the deep red color produced in the wood. Jatoba is significantly harder and more durable than its American cherry wood counterpart, and will also have a darker, deeper and richer color.

Why jatoba? In addition to its rich color, it also is a more stable wood (even compared with the ever-popular red oak) and has a hardness rating far beyond its red oak counterpart. If you’re looking for longevity, jatoba is a good choice.

The reason the jatoba grows so high and is so durable is because of the resin it produces. Tree resin, also known as amber, is a sap that hardens as strong as stone. Jatoba is one of the world’s most pure sources of yellow amber, that has a clear golden color that makes it usable in a variety of ways. This resin is fast producing, meaning the wood from this legume transforms from bean to hardwood in only a few years … also making it a sustainable building material for those interested in moving to a green option.

Jatoba’s color stands out above all, but it is important to remember that its deep red tones and smooth grain will have a lot of color variation throughout. Looking at a few planks will not capture the true look and feel you’ll have when the entire floor is laid and put into place.

A jatoba floor continues to change over time. Unless you stain the planks, it can take as long as two years for the final color to deepen and finalize. And if you add rugs or make other changes to the floor soon after installation, you can expect even more color variations around the additions.

Think jatoba might be the perfect choice for your home? With its stunning natural appearance and beautiful one of a kind appearance, you’ll love the look for years to come.