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Flooring
October 16, 2017

Finding The Best Flooring For Insulation

When the temperatures start to dip here in Colorado, and the furnace kicks on in the morning, it’s natural to begin thinking about ways to make your home more efficient. Why let your conditioned air flow out of your home and pay more in the process?

Many will tell you to look to your attic, your windows and your doors for opportunity. We agree. But there is another place that many forget to look, and that’s down at your floors.

Depending on what your home was built on, your conditioned air may be doing little good. As you walk around, all you feel is cold, damp air.

Building insulation is used to help maintain internal temperatures. A home that is properly insulated will be more energy efficient. That also means your heating and cooling system will not have to work overtime to get the job done. Typically, you’ll find insulation placed in attics, exterior facing walls, and under the subfloor if you have a crawlspace or basement in your home.

There are many different types of insulation available: spray foam, radiant barrier, batt insulation to name a few. Pretty much any floor can be installed over insulation, so determining the best floors for insulation is a simple process.

Insulation may not be the only factor in decided how to retain heat in your room. It may also help to ask which floors hold heat the best. The answer is stone or tile flooring. And what helps even more, stone and tile can be installed over a radiant heating system.

You can also install floating vinyl floors over radiant heat as well. They key is floating – this means the interlocking vinyl planks that are growing in popularity.

If you have a concrete subfloor, using an underlayment can also help insulate your room. Underlayment is a cost effective way to create an insulation barrier underneath vinyl and hardwood floors. The underlayment acts as an insulation barrier to hold in heat and keep the cold from moving from your subfloors to your actual floors. It can also help prevent against moisture.

Want to learn even more about flooring and insulation? Give us a call today.

Carpet, Flooring
October 12, 2017

4 Reasons To Use Carpet Tile For Your Commercial Location

Upgrading your commercial flooring? There are many things to consider before you finalize your decision. Of course, you want it to look great. It’s important to have it maintain well over time. It’s also important that you get the best deal possible – why have this choice cut into your bottom line?

While many people settle on broadloom carpeting throughout their commercial space, more are moving towards carpet tile because of its good looks and ease of use. Here are the top 5 reasons we think you’re going to love this option.

Easy Maintenance

What makes carpet tiles so versatile is they are easy to care for and easy to replace. Depending on the traffic in your commercial location, some carpets may need monthly deep cleaning. With broadloom carpet, stains can set in quickly if not treated immediately. With carpet tiles, it’s never a problem. Just pick up the tile that’s been impacted and replace it with a new one.

Easy Installation

To fully install carpeting throughout your commercial location takes time and exact measurements. Especially if you have specific shapes or challenges within your space. Carpet tiles are loaded up in boxes, meaning they are easier to transport no matter where your commercial space is. Carpet tiles are easier to cut into any size and shape and fit them into places that are much more difficult than with a full roll. It also makes it easier to replace – just keep an extra box or two, and you’ll keep your space in top condition all the time.

Easily Customizable

Carpet tiles come in many different colors, patterns, styles, and themes. You can add them easily wherever you want them. And unlike broadloom carpet, you can piece together carpet to create the look and pattern you desire. You could create a checkerboard pattern, add stripes of different colors, or give your space a unique look to match any decor. There are so many different possibilities – you can let your imagination run wild.

Cost Effective

Carpet tile one of the longest lasting carpets you’ll ever select. You don’t have to purchase underlayment or padding with carpet tile because it has a backing already in place. It tends to last a lot longer than other carpet choices because you can replace individual sections on an as needed basis. In general, it is also easier to install.

Are carpet tiles in your future? Stop by and see the many possibilities available to you today.

Flooring
October 9, 2017

Home Office Makeover: Choosing Your Flooring

When you think about home renovation, chances are the flooring is one of the last things you consider. If you are in the process of giving your home office a makeover, it’s more exciting to look for the right desk, select paint colors for the walls, and purchase new accessories than it is to choose a flooring. Yet your flooring is vitally important to your surroundings. You walk on them every day, place furniture on them, even subject them to different kinds of spills than what you’d find throughout the rest of your home.

It may be a part of your home, but it is important to consider finding the best flooring to match your needs.

Hardwood

This continues to be a favorite for both home and office environments. Why? Because it’s durable. While your home office may contain nothing more than a desk, a chair, and a filing system, those can be tough on your floors. If you move in a wheeled office chair, it can leave marks or even crack, rip or tear some flooring materials. Not so with hardwood. They will look great and last a long time too.

Ceramic or Other Tile

Tiling is also another choice that is perfect for the home office. They wear extremely well and are durable and easy to maintain. What’s more, if you want your room heated efficiently, consider placing radiant heating underneath your tiles. Because tiles come in all kind of materials, styles, sizes, shapes, and colors, your potential is unlimited in creating the perfect look for your home office. And if a tile happens to crack, it’s easy to replace. Just be sure you keep a few extra tiles on hand for the just in case.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a great choice depending on the dynamics of your home office. If you have wheeled office chairs, understand that they can mar, dent, and even tear the bamboo. If this is the case, using a clear chair mat can help preserve the bamboo. If most of the wear comes from walking and sitting, bamboo can be an attractive alternative, and is green and eco-friendly too.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood is another excellent choice for the home office. Engineered hardwood is durable, and is easy to take care of because it’s sealed. What makes engineered hardwood so attractive is its composed of entirely real wood but is layered with a top layer that can be virtually any color or style. Yes, it can create the look of exotic hardwood. Yes, it can create the look of marble or stone. The possibilities are endless. And because many engineered hardwood systems are click and place, by saving a few extra pieces you can easily replace it if necessary in the future.

What is your favorite flooring for your home office remodel?

Flooring
October 5, 2017

Flooring Ideas For Your Home Gym

We all have the best of intentions to eat better and exercise more. Sometimes your best motivator isn’t a gym membership, but instead is having the gym right there in your home.

Home gyms can be a perfect addition to your home if you want privacy and solitude while working out. They can be cheaper in the long run once your initial investment for equipment is in place. And it doesn’t take much to give you everything you need: a weight bench, a treadmill, a stationary bike and an exercise ball may be all you need.

But there are other factors too. Safety is important to ensure you stay safe while using the equipment. And an important aspect of that is in the flooring. There are numerous things to consider when selecting the flooring for your home gym: the kind of heavy equipment you are installing, where the gym will be in your home, and what kind of exercises you plan to perform in the space.

Gym flooring should have a lot of different characteristics: durability, strength, low maintenance, comfort, noise reduction are just a few to keep in mind.

Carpet

Carpet may be your least expensive option. It’s also one of the most popular. Select commercial grade carpet tiles as they are durable and easy to install. They also give you the option of replacing tiles on an as needed basis.

Rubber

Rubber is the most common gym flooring in commercial gyms. It is water resistant, easy to maintain, and can withstand the weight of most gym equipment. Rubber is very heavy to work with and requires professional installation.

Vinyl

Vinyl comes in lots of formats, including flexible, interlockable tiles that are easy to install. There are many styles, patterns, colors and options to help you make your home gym as unique as your home. Vinyl is capable of handling cardio rigor, but if you are doing a lot of weight training, keep in mind that the constant friction can damage vinyl.

Cork

Cork is also emerging as a popular gym choice. It is hypoallergenic and is easy to maintain. It can bear the impact of moderately heavy objects with ease. Like vinyl, it cannot take heavy equipment or rigorous lifting and movement.

Utility Grade Wood

Utility grade wood handles weight extremely well. However, keep in mind that if you drop heavy weights on it, it may splinter or crack. It can work quite well with heavy machinery that remains stationary, but think twice if weightlifting is a part of your routine.

What’s the right flooring for your home gym? Let one of our associates help you select the right flooring for your room.

Flooring
September 30, 2017

How To Fight Allergies With Your Flooring

With the change of seasons comes a whole new round of potential aggravators for allergy sufferers. Trees, plants, furry friends, all can trigger allergy symptoms and leave you feeling like you’re not quite yourself.

But there is a way to combat the effects of allergies by incorporating the right type of flooring into your home.

These days, our homes are filled with toxic chemicals that can cause a variety of ailments. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, more than half of the population suffers from some form of allergies. And most of these come from inside the home.

By carefully considering what flooring choice you introduce into your home, you may be able to eliminate one major source of problems, and allow your family to breathe a little easier.

Common allergens around the home include:

Dust mites – dust mites are microscopic insect too small to be seen by the naked eye. But they are unavoidable and are everywhere.
Pet hair – our favorite fluffy friends shed animal dander and contribute to allergies by salivating, urinating, defecating, and bringing in biological playthings in from outdoors.
Mold – anywhere there is moisture you risk having mold. It can grow easily in damp places including kitchens, bathrooms, and basements.

The best flooring choices to combat these issues are:

Cork – cork flooring is an excellent choice on many levels. It is antimicrobial due to suberin, a naturally occurring substance that reduces the growth of mold, mildew, bacteria, and other allergens. It’s a surface that is easy to clean and easy to maintain.
Hardwood – hardwood continues to be one of the most beautiful and durable flooring choices around. The hard surface leaves no room for dust mites to hide, and is easy to clean and maintain.
Bamboo – bamboo offers all the surface properties of hardwood and is water resistant and less likely to retain moisture than traditional hardwood. It’s important to check the manufacturing to ensure the bamboo is low VOC before you purchase and install.
Stone – not all stone if allergy friendly, but as a rule, smooth stone will be much less likely to harbor allergens because it isn’t as porous. Select a marble or granite for a clean surface area that is durable and easy to maintain.
Tile – tile is one of the best choices because it’s easy to care for and dust is easy to spot and clean up. Be sure to install with VOC-free adhesives.
Vinyl – much like cork flooring, high-end vinyl offers all the benefits of a hard surface. It’s easy to clean and easy to care for, with no pockets to collect moisture, mold, or mites. With vinyl, you do get what you pay for. Ensure your vinyl is manufactured with low VOCs, which can increase your allergen risk.

Carpet, Flooring
September 26, 2017

Selecting The Right Style and Texture For Your Carpet

With so many different styles and textures of carpet, where do you begin?

Loop pile is made from multi-level loops or tufts of equal height. The loop design means it’s a durable option for both residential and commercial applications.

Cut pile uses cut construction to create many different styles and patterns. This type of carpet construction usually creates different shades with combinations of big and small tufts of fiber. The height level varies depending on the design.

Plush or Saxony is a dense cut pile with all tufts going in the same direction. Yarn is closely packed, giving it a luxurious feel.

Cut loop provides yarn fibers that are sculpted to form patterns. You’ll usually find these at lower price points and are great for your informal settings.

Frieze is a type of texture with highly twisted tufts at the surface. It is especially well suited for higher traffic areas. It gives a curly fiber appearance and is very durable for wear.

Trackless is another popular style mad with curled or twisted tufts in random directions. This unique texture makes it easier to mask footprints and continues to look great in all settings.

Berber carpet is a loop pile option with thick yarn, such as wool. It has a comfortable feel and handles well in high traffic situations.

Your floors are the fifth wall of your rooms, connecting all other decor together. It’s important to consider color scheme as well as room use before making your final selection. Wall to wall carpet tends to expand the look and feel of a room. Light colored carpet makes your room look larger. Darker colored carpet can make a room seem more intimate.

What’s the right choice for you? Need a little help deciding? Stop by today.

Carpet, Flooring
September 23, 2017

What Makes Berber Popular

Berber carpet is popular because of its rugged good looks, its durability, and its economic cost. Berber is a high level loop weave of tight yarn loops that stand upright in a nubby texture. Berber makes a great choice for a busy, active household as it hides footprints and handles well under lots of activity. The loops are easier to clean than a cut-pile or plush carpet and hide vacuum marks in the process.

Berber style comes in many different fibers, including high end wool or nylon, polyester, or the less expensive Olefin and petrol-plastic. Because synthetic fibers like Olefin have made the costs less, it has become a popular option. But it is important to keep in mind that synthetic fibers can become saturated with dirt easier, which makes them wear out faster because they lose their fibers over time.

Wool and nylon may be more expensive in the beginning, but often stand up to wear and tear better over time. Natural fibers often clean and maintain their look far longer. They also have a lower flashpoint than their synthetic counterparts. What that means is if you drop something hot onto the carpet – an iron for instance – synthetic fibers will melt almost instantly. It can also be more flammable and spread fire more quickly to other areas of your home.

The looped weave of berber protects the carpet from accumulating dirt. It also helps trap the dirt once it’s there. That means you won’t have to vacuum your carpet as frequently as other types of carpet to still retain its good looks. That same trapping ability can also impact the look and feel of your carpet when it comes to liquid spills. Seepage can quickly accumulate below the carpet, so it’s important to react quickly when spills occur. A wet extractor is a preferred method for berber carpet cleaning. However, you should never allow too much liquid onto your carpet and go over it again and again to try and remove the stain.

When people think berber, they often think beige. With new stain-resistant fibers and improved dyeing techniques, there are now lots of options for you to select from.

Color isn’t your only choice. Loops are cut in a variety of styles, sizes, and patterns. You can find many different designs to compliment any look.

Keep in mind that berber installation is a little trickier than other carpets, because of the subtlety of the patterns within the berber itself. It’s often difficult to hide the seams if you don’t have experience in working with berber installation. Be sure to ask your consultant and ensure they have the requisite experience.

Flooring
September 20, 2017

The Perfect Flooring For Your Nursery

There are many things to worry about when you bring your bundle of joy home for the first time. You may spend hours considering the right colors, selecting the right furniture, even choosing the right fabrics that will be next to your baby’s skin.

But what about the flooring in your nursery? Are hardwoods too hard? Are carpets too messy? One search online will pull up a host of troubles with every potential flooring choice on the market.

With so much else to worry about, keep these tips in mind as you are making your selection.

Carpet

Carpet is soft, comfortable, and cushiony on the knees – a perfect combination as your baby starts to move around. Additionally, carpet is one of the best floor coverings for preventing dust and other allergens from becoming airborne. Just be sure to vacuum regularly to pull all dust away from baby’s delicate skin. And if natural products are a concern, you can never go wrong with carpets. There are many sustainable, low VOC options on the marketplace today.

Hardwood

Hardwood is classic, elegant, and easy to keep clean. Plus with the versatility of hardwoods, it will look appropriate at every stage of your child’s life. Wood floors are durable, but it’s important to note they will wear over time. Especially with the demands of a toddler as they learn to walk and begin playing with toys. Rugs are a surefire way to add a pop of color to the room while protecting the hardwood underneath.

Cork

Cork is anti-allergenic and anti-microbial by nature, making it a great choice for a nursery. It’s warmer and softer than wood flooring, which means it will cushion falls and feel comfortable under little feet. Cork is a favorable choice for parents that are looking for an eco-friendly flooring option. It’s also an excellent insulator, helping your home stay energy efficient in the process.

Looking for the perfect flooring for your nursery? Stop by today and see all of the options waiting for you.

Carpet, Flooring
September 15, 2017

Sanitary and Unsanitary Water Damage To Your Carpet

One of the most difficult situations facing any homeowner is knowing what to do with carpeting if you sustain water damage. There is no standard for dealing with every flooding situation. Every crisis must be considered based on the circumstances of the event.

A few questions can help you determine the next steps to take to return your carpet to its pre-flood status.

Sanitary Flooding
Sanitary water comes from a pure water supply, without chemicals or contamination mixed in. While many homeowners opt to replace carpeting in all situations, you can return your carpet to pre-flood status with a few necessary steps.

Keep traffic to a minimum until the carpet is completely dry. The carpet back is weakened when wet and can easily degrade with stress. That should go away once it’s dried. Remove all furniture or other items that can stain or damage the carpet during the drying process. Extract all excess water – a restoration company can help with this task. If you fail to do extraction in the right way, it can lead to several types of bacteria, including mold and mildew. Often the best route is to take up the carpet and replace the padding underneath to ensure a fresh start once the carpet is dry.

Unsanitary Flooding
If the water is identified as unsanitary, there are few options for saving the carpet. If the water intrusion is a result of water from some form of contamination, the water can be classified as unsanitary. That includes water from dishwasher overflows, toilet overflows with urine present, and other sources where pollutants and bacteria are present.

It is recommended that carpet and padding be replaced as soon as possible if there are bacterial concerns. Then proper cleaning should be performed to the area before new padding and carpeting are installed.

Black Water
Black water includes water that contains raw sewage. This is considered highly unsanitary and can cause serious health effects if not treated immediately.

When black water is involved, all floor covering materials should be discarded and all surface evaluated for proper treatment. The home or facility should take special precautions during the process to ensure the environment is returned to pre-flood conditions before it is inhibited once again.

Is it time for new carpeting in your home?

Flooring
September 10, 2017

Flooded Flooring When Should You Replace Everything

Have you had a flood in your home? Whether the toilet overflowed or what levels rose throughout your home, here’s what you need to know about replacing your flood damaged flooring.

The biggest factor is the kind of flooring you have.

Indoor carpet – you should remove it as soon as possible. Carpet and padding are too thick to dry after extreme flooding. If left on the floor, it can quickly allow mildew and mold to grow, which can cause buckling or even ruin your subfloor.

Outdoor carpet – if this is on a concrete subfloor, water damage might be held to a minimum. By sucking out the standing water and allowing it to dry thoroughly, you might be able to save the outdoor carpeting.

Hardwood – In most cases, a wait-and-see attitude works best. Work to dry out the flooring as quickly as possible. You might pull up a few planks once it is thoroughly dried to determine how the subfloor looks and feels. If any planks buckle due to moisture, don’t try to straighten them out until they are dry. Once everything is thoroughly dry, you might be able to strip and rewax your hardwood and return them to as good as new.

Vinyl – check for moisture bubbles underneath the floor. If there are any water pockets below the flooring, remove and replace the flooring once the subfloor is completely dry.

With any flooring, the key is in cleaning the area from top to bottom. Mold growth can cause major health problems, so quick and thorough cleaning is the key to keeping the mold at bay, and your family safe and healthy.