02/07/2010

Hardwood Flooring: Add Cache to Your Home

Posted by The Flooring Expert under Cork Flooring, DIY, Do it Yourself, Floor Installations, Floor Maintenance, Flooring Choices, Green Flooring, Hardwood Flooring, Home Improvement, Laminate Floor Installations, Laminate Flooring, Laminate Flooring Maintenance, Real Estate, custom floor designs | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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By Garret

Picture of Cork wood tree

In the past two decades, the U.S. wood flooring market has manufactured approximately $2.6 billion worth of flooring materials for domestic usage. More and more people are preferring high-end hard surface floors to tiles.

Perhaps, the vast array of easy-to-install and inexpensive wood floor types, such as pre-finished, engineered, and glueless floors, is the reason behind its popularity. Hardwood flooring is in vogue in the recent times as it is considered to be the best option for several reasons.

Hardwood Flooring: Most Favored Option

Hardwood flooring has been acknowledged for its capacity to survive the ravages of time while lending a look of elegance to the room. Earlier, choices were limited to local species and basic installation. However, a myriad of species, colors and customizable designs are now available.

Apart from the fact that hardwood complements all kinds of décor, this material also adds natural beauty, distinction and class to your room. It is usually considered to be a lifetime investment, since they last more than a decade and age spectacularly. Hardwood is extremely durable and in case of
damage, can be restored easily. Woods, such as, birch, maple, beech and oak provide additional strength and stability to an existing floor.

It is usually believed that homes with hardwood floorings are more in demand, thus, selling for higher prices. It definitely cannot be denied that hardwood flooring has a classic quality of timelessness and exudes a feel of permanence.

Hardwood Flooring: Facts

The appearance of hardwood flooring will be determined by the kind and class of tree from which it has been made. Each species of tree has its
distinctive grain pattern. For instance, Oak grain is different from Maple’s subtler grain pattern. A flooring provider will supply material of the right kind, depending on your demand for color, grain, pattern and overall fashion.

The price per square feet of hardwood is higher than other flooring surfaces. However, where long-term benefits, replacement costs and enhancement of home value are concerned, the price of the material is very reasonable.

Homeowners must carefully select a flooring company with a good reputation and track record. Choose a company that can deliver choice. Cancun Wood Floors, Inc. is a wholesale flooring distributor who posses the ability to refurbish the existing flooring and give it new life. To know more about the company and their services, visit www.cancunwood.com.

About the author:
Cancun Wood Floors offers guaranteed quality hardwood flooring in California including Los Angeles & Orange County at the lowest prices with the best customer service.

 

02/04/2010

DYI – Helpful Tips For Cleaning Your Carpet

Posted by The Flooring Expert under Carpet Cleaning, Carpet Maintenance, Carpeting, DIY, Do it Yourself, Floor Maintenance, Home Improvement, Real Estate, area rugs | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Helpful Tips For Cleaning Your Carpet
By Thomas Kerrin

Carpet is one of the most popular flooring choices in the world, but cleaning those beautiful carpets can present quite a challenge. While a clean carpet is a thing of beauty, a soiled one is not only unsightly but can be unhealthy for the family as well. Soiled carpets can provide hiding places for dust mites, fleas and all manner of vermin, so cleaning those carpets carefully is a healthy thing to do.

When determining the best way to clean your carpet, it is important to first determine what type of carpet you have. There are many different materials used to manufacture carpets, including cotton, silk, wood, sisal and silk. Each kind of carpet will require a different kind of cleaning, so it is important to determine what kind of carpet you have in order to clean it properly.

After you have determined what type of carpet you have, the next step is to choose from among the many carpet cleaning solutions on the market. While vacuuming the carpet using the right attachment is always an important first step, deeply soiled carpets will generally need additional cleaning, such as steam cleaning or other measures, to get back their original color and appearance.

It is important for the cleaning method and cleaning solution you choose to be able to deeply penetrate the fibers of the carpet. Depending on the thickness of the carpet and how severely it is soiled this can be quite a challenge. It is important to look carefully at the capabilities of the various carpet cleaning solutions in order to choose the right one for your home.

One of the most popular forms of deep cleaning for soiled carpets of most materials is known as hot water extraction. The hot water extraction method is also known as steam cleaning, and while it should not be used on wool carpets it is an effective method for other materials.

The steam cleaning method uses heat to bring the embedded particles of dirt to the surface, then uses a pressurized cleaning agent, which is injected directly into the carpet pile, to extract those embedded dirt particles. The hot water extraction method does require the use of heating or fans to dry the carpet. It is important for homeowners to realize that this drying may not be included in the normal steam cleaning service. When ordering steam cleaning for carpets it is important to ask this important question.

Not all carpet cleaning methods require the use of water, however, and the dry extraction method can also be an effective way to clean the carpets. The dry cleaning method of carpet cleaning uses detergents, which are added to the carpet and designed to attract the embedded particles of dust and dirt. A vacuum cleaner is then used to remove both the detergent and the dirt particles which have attached themselves to it. This dry method can be a good way to clean delicate carpets that could be damaged by the steam cleaning method.

No matter which method you choose to clean your carpets, it is important to give them a good thorough cleaning on a regular basis. Not only will a well maintained carpet maintain its good looks but such a well cared for carpet will typically enjoy a longer useful life as well. Tearing up old carpet and installing new rugs is nobody’s idea of a good time, so making those existing carpets last as long as possible is a worthy goal indeed.

About the author:
Floor Selection’s are experts in carpet and timb
er flooring with enen more great ideas.

 

01/31/2010

Flooring Installation DIY – How to Stencil a Great Looking Wood Floor

Posted by The Flooring Expert under DIY, Do it Yourself, Floor Installations, Hardwood Flooring, Home Improvement, custom floor designs, wood flooring | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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How to Stencil a Great Looking Wood Floor 
By Thomas Kerrin

Wood flooring has a great many advantages, and one of the best is the fact that the surface can be dressed up to express your own personal taste and style. Stenciling a wood floor is a great way to make a real impression and provide visitors and residents alike with a beautiful floor to enjoy. In addition, stenciling the wood floor is a great way to cover up those inevitable scratch and scuff marks that can accompany such floors.

 

Stenciling a wood floor is not as difficult as you might think, but it is important to plan for the job and take a step by step approach.

The steps needed to stencil a great looking wood floor include:


1. Plan the design. The first step is to plan the type of design you want, and measure the dimensions of the floor to be stenciled. A piece of graph paper can be used to design the stenciled floor so it will be easier to transfer that design to the finished floor.

2. The next step is to create a cutout and stencil for the central design. If using a ready made stencil, the design can be copied onto the vellum or onto stencil paper, and then cut out using a craft knife.

3. After the stencil has been cut out, it is time to remove the old finish from the floor. Many floors have more than one layer of finish, so it may be necessary to strip away more than one layer.

4. The next step is to snap chalk lines onto the floor, following the pattern that has been drawn on the graph paper. It is important to have a helper who can hold the line in place while it is snapped. A t-square and yardstick can be used to make sure the lines are parallel or perpendicular to the walls.

5. After the chalk line is in place, it is time to tape off the section for staining. If there is to be a central design, spray the stencil paper or vellum with an adhesive and carefully place that section on to the floor. Use blue painter’s tape to mark the outside lines of the section to be stained. This will help protect the rest of the floor.

6. After the section has been marked off, it can be stained, using a soft cloth to stain the chosen section. The cloth can be dipped into the stain and then rubbed into the wood. Be sure to hold the vellum design in the center when staining near the edges, and allow the stain to dry completely before removing the tape and the vellum.

7. If a central design has been chosen, it is now time to stain that central design. This can be done using either a ready made stencil or a hand drawn one. Begin by spraying the stencil with adhesive and then use one color stain at a time, being sure to tape off the other areas to protect them from the stain as you work.

8. After the central design is in place, the rest of the floor can be stained. If there are repeating sections, blue painter’s tape can be used to mark off the borders of each section of the floor.

9. The final step is to seal the floor, using a quality wood seal. After the seal has been applied and allowed to dry, the only other thing to do is stand back and admire your hand stenciled masterpiece.

About the author:
Floor Selection’s are experts in carpet and flooring and laminate flooring with even more great ideas.

 

01/22/2010

Flooring Installation Video of the Week-Laminate Tile Flooring

Posted by The Flooring Expert under DIY, Do it Yourself, Floor Installations, Laminate Floor Installations, Laminate Flooring, Laminate Flooring Maintenance | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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01/20/2010

How to Insulate your Crawlspace and Keep your Toes a Little Warmer

Posted by The Flooring Expert under DIY, Do it Yourself, Floor Heating, Floor Insulation, Home Improvement | Tags: , , , , , , |
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By Dan Bossenbroek

You may not realize it, but hundreds of dollars might be slipping out from under your feet every year. Adding R-19 insulation to a 400 square foot crawlspace could save you $125 a year on your heating bills and pay for itself in about a year. With an investment of a few hours this energy saving home improvement project will save you money and your toes from getting so cold.

The first thing that you need to do is to remedy any moisture problems that the walls might have. Moisture and insulation are not a good combination. Make sure that all of your downspouts drain away from the house. The ground should slope away from the house too. If you have paved surfaces that adjoin the wall you should caulk the joint between the pavement and the wall.

Second, figure out if your crawl space is vented to the outside or deemed heated by the building code. Vents are typically 8″ tall by 16″ wide and are placed equally around the perimeter.

If your crawlspace is vented, you need to seal the vents. First close the vents if it’s possible, then cut a piece of rigid insulation, treated plywood, or aluminum flashing to fit snugly into the opening. Next seal the crack around this with caulk or foam insulation in order to make an air tight seal.

The main enemy of crawlspaces is moisture so every step must be taken to keep moisture out. Cut strips of 6 mil plastic sheeting one foot wider than the crawlspaces walls are tall. Staple the edge of the plastic sheeting to the sill plate around the entire perimeter of the crawlspace. Overlap the sheets by 6″ and tape all of the joints. Now you have a dry surface for the insulation to rest against.

The next step is to install the insulation on the walls of your crawlspace. Kraft faced fiberglass batt insulation works great in this application. If you purchase the batts to fit between the floor joists, it will be easier to install in vertical strips, but then you will be left with 1 ½” gaps between the pieces below the floor structure. Or you can add wood framing or cut strips of insulation to fit, but that’s a lot of work. If you install the insulation horizontally, you will need to cut slits in the insulation so that it will fit around the floor joists. Staple the insulation to the wood joists to hold it in place.

Most crawl spaces will need two horizontal rows of 22 ½” wide batts. Use duct tape to secure the lower row to the upper row.

Once the insulation is in place, you will want to seal all of the seams between the insulation. Duct tape will fit the bill here. Installing the insulation in long horizontal strips will help reduce the amount of seams that you will need to seal.

You will also want to seal the joint between the batt insulation and the floor joists and sub-floor. If your house is fairly new and everything down there is fairly clean you could use more duct tape. However, if your house is fairly new the crawl space is probably already insulated. So, if things are a bit dirty in your crawl space a good product to use to seal these cracks is foam insulation. Spray a small bead between the paper and the joists and floor above. Wait for an hour or two and then return to seal any remaining gaps.

Next you should cover the entire floor with a plastic sheeting vapor barrier. If you won’t need to go into your crawl space very often then 4 mil plastic sheeting will work, but 6 mil is recommended. Now that your crawl space is heated, you want to keep any unwanted moisture out. Overlap the joints of the plastic 6″ and tape all the joints. Tape the joints between the plastic and the insulation as well.

Your crawlspace will now be heated, but there is no need to dump a bunch of extra air down there. So it’s a great idea to seal all of the joints in the ducts in the crawlspace. One might think that this would be the perfect use for duct tape, but I have found that aluminum tape works much better. It sticks much better and lasts much longer than duct tape. It is a bit more expensive, but you might want to use it everywhere in this project instead of duct tape. The one drawback if aluminum tape is that it will tear and puncture easier than duct tape, so a little more care must be used when installing it.

Since your crawlspace is now heated, the floor above it should be considerably warmer as well, and thus will be much more comfortable to walk around on in the winter.

About the author:
Dan Bossenbroek is a registered architect and has been incorporating energy conservation design strategies into his projects for over seventeen years. He has extensive experience
in residential design, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED™ AP) and his area of expertise is high performance buildings and sustainable design. For energy saving products and home improvement advice he recommends www.justgreenhomes.net

 

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