Floor Talk, Tips and Tricks

5 Things To Know About Cork Flooring

2011-02-17T15:30:00.002-06:00

Cork is one of the hottest trends in flooring. Interior designers love it for its unique looks and unmatched sustainability.

1) Cork flooring is know for it's anti-bacterial properties. It resists mold, mildew and termites unlike traditional hardwood floors.

2) Contrary to most beliefs, Cork flooring does not absorb water. A good rule of thumb is to install cork flooring anywhere you would install traditional hardwood floors. But avoid installing it in areas where there will be excess water.

3) Cork flooring works well in any room in the house. It's comfort underfoot makes it great for kitchens and rooms where a lot of standing is required.

4) Along with cork's color variations it's also becoming available in a number or plank widths and tiles.Perfect to create any design in your home.

5) Unlike hardwood floors, cork is made by harvesting bark from an oak tree leaving the lumber intact. The back grows back over time, and can be harvested repeatedly with little impact to the tree or the environment.

Hardwood-Before You Buy

2010-12-08T16:25:00.009-06:00

OK, you’re getting close. And you probably know by now that, with the wide array of beautiful hardwood choices available today, it’s easy to suit your taste and find a flooring solution for the way you live.

Choosing the best hardwood floor covering is really about finding the right combination of aesthetics, performance and budget to best meet the needs of your lifestyle.

So you want to shop smart -- right?

That way your final decision not only creates a warm, inviting environment in your living spaces but also delivers what hardwood floors are noted for: adding value to your home.

We created this section to help you get smart before your hardwood floor is laid down -- and long before you lay down your money!

Must there be dust? Unfortunately, yes.

Since your floor is being finished in your home, please be aware that your floor will not be “dust free” as it is impossible to create a “dustless” environment. Some dust will fall onto the freshly applied topcoat of urethane finish. You may also see sanding marks, small bubbles and brush marks. However, take heart, Finish in Place floors may be screened and recoated to rejuvenate the finish and revitalize the floor’s natural beauty.

The origin of the species and natural selection.

Each species of wood has its own unique characteristics. Color is determined by what part of the tree the wood originally comes from. The grain pattern is determined by the species and how the wood is cut. Natural variations in the color and grain are normal and to be expected. Similar to natural stone, these variations create the beautiful and unique look of a wood floor. They make your floor close to one of a kind.

Wood moves. It’s a fact of nature.

Wood floors will expand and contract due to moisture and temperature changes, causing hairline cracks, slight height variations or both. Hardwood does not expand or contract equally in all directions. This is not considered a defect but a natural result of nature. So, in dry climates, you may want to consider the use of a whole house humidifier to help minimize shrinkage and hairline cracking.

Information from: WFCA
For the full article click here.

Does Carpet Gets Dirtier After it's Been Cleaned? NO

2010-11-29T16:31:00.031-06:00

Keeping your carpeted floors looking new is easier said then done. Many turn to various companies to clean their carpets yearly. Little do they know, their carpet may turn out dirtier then before.

This is only true when the wrong cleaning agent, one that leaves soil attractive residue, is used that will make the carpet get dirtier faster. Carpet only gets dirtier faster after cleaning if a soil attractive cleaning agent is used by people who don't really know what they're doing.

This can be reversed by purging the soil attractive cleaning agent from the carpet with a plain water flushing process. If foot traffic is allowed and the carpet doesn't get a chance to dry the damp carpet will clean off the bottoms of shoe soles and cause the carpet to get dirtier. So keeping foot traffic off wet carpet after cleaning is important.

If you are cleaning your carpets with a shampooer try diluting the detergent to prevent excess detergent from remaining in your carpet after cleaning. If detergent remains in your carpet after cleaning it will attract dirt causing your floors to look dirty faster.

The Benefits of Cork Flooring

2010-11-15T16:28:00.008-06:00

Let's take a quick look at some of the benefits you receive with cork:

Comfort & Softness
The air trapped inside the cellular structure of cork provides a natural shock absorbing feel to the floor. It's great for applications where you are standing a lot such as in a Kitchen providing relief for your feet, back and legs.

Beauty
Cork has a natural beauty rivaled by few other natural materials. It comes in many colors and different manufacturers provide various tile shapes and patterns as well.

Noise Reduction
The same cellular structure that makes the floor comfortable also reduces noise and vibration. Unlike hard materials like tile, wood or vinyl, cork is quiet and reduces impact noise such as something dropping on the floor or the sound of walking by people or pets.

Healthy and Safe
Cork has natural properties that are anti-allergenic and resistant to insects. A naturally occurring waxy substance in cork called suberin repels insects, mites and mold and protects cork from from rotting when wet for a long time. In addition, suberin is naturally fire resistant and cork doesn't release any toxic off-gassing when it burns. These natural properties plus the coatings used to seal cork flooring make it healthy and safe for adults, pets and baby.

Durability and Ease of Maintenance
Durability is a strong trait of cork and cork floors have been used in public buildings such as churches and libraries since 1898, long before residential applications.

Article found: About.com
To view original article click here.

Top 5 Enemies of Hardwood Floors

2010-10-12T09:04:00.080-05:00

Hardwood is a favorite choice for many, but did you know it has enemies? Here's how to protect for beautiful floor form everything it hates.

Enemy #1: Dirt

- ALWAYS have doormats inside and outside the entryway to help trap dirt and grit. Clean them regularly
- Vacuum regularly with a canister vacuum cleaner (no beater bar!)
- You can also do a quick dust mop with a DRY terry cloth/microfiber

Enemy #2: Dust

- Clean all rugs and mats them regularly
- Vacuum frequently, using a canister vacuum with special hardwood floor attachments (Never use a beater bar)
- Air purifiers and filters (as long as they're kept clean) are great at keeping dust and other impurities out of the air

Enemy #3: Water

- NEVER put hardwood in a full bath

- ALWAYS clean up spilled and pooling liquids immediately
- NEVER ever use a steam cleaner or slightly damp mop on hardwood
- In rooms where spills are prevalent (kitchen, mudroom, half-bath, etc) use mats and/or rugs to catch any moisture that is tracked in or spilled
- In essence, just keep water away from hardwood. It will cause warping and eventual rot

Enemy #4: High Impact Points

- Check the bottom of shoes for anything that might be lodged (like stones) these will scratch or put dents in the floor
- Take shoes off at the door (especially high heels)
- Install felt pads or coasters on the bottom of furniture that is heavy (couches) or is moved around a lot (chairs). Clean them often to ensure grit doesn't become embedded causing scratches

Enemy #5: Sunlight

- Protect your hardwood floors with blinds or drapes, at least when the sun is shining directly on the surface.
- Cover the area that gets exposed for the most time with a mat or some furniture that will take the beating instead.

If I Have Allergies is Carpet A Bad Choice?

2010-10-06T09:35:00.044-05:00

Studies have actually shown that carpet is better then a hard surface for those with allergies. This is because dust particles become airborne with hard surfaces and stayed put in carpet. The carpet acts like a filter trapping the particles and doesn't allow them to become airborne. Result: cleaner air in your home.

If these pollutants stay trapped in the carpet fibers they are likely to return into the air when disturbed. To prevent this you must vacuum regularly, at least once a week making sure to spend extra time in high traffic areas.

Next time you have your carpet replaced, have it installed with a healthier installation method: Healthier Living Carpet Installation System

Defining a Healthier Way to Install Carpet

10 Steps to Build an Earth-Friendly Home

2010-09-20T16:34:00.002-05:00

1. Get oriented. Before you build, study the lay of the land, and put the sun to work for you and your home. Notice how the sunshine travels across the property, then orient your house so the rooms you'll use most often catch the best rays.

Take your climate into account. Are winters brutally cold? Plan your home so main living areas -- or any rooms you might use during the limited daylight hours of winter -- receive southern exposure. If harsh winters swing into sizzling summers, invest in high-efficiencywindows (such as those with low-E glass) to keep cool.

2. Don't waste space. Do you really need a guest room? How often would you use a den? Eliminating rooms that you'd rarely use will help keep your building budget in line. In addition, you'll save the cost of heating and cooling these rooms in the future. Sit down and examine how you'll use each space in your home. What you decide might not adhere to conventional design standards, but if it will work for your family, go ahead.

3. Help out your HVAC system. Make your building materials and home design work double duty. That way, you can purchase a central air-conditioner and a furnace with less power -- and a smaller price tag. For example, use argon-gas-filled double-glazed windows. Then you can let in vast sheets of sunlight and save on the heat bill at the same time.
Ventilation is also an important part of heating and cooling. Strategically placed doors at either end of the house, along with double-hung windows at reachable heights, can be opened to let breezes sweep through the house. Similarly, an open floor plan allows heated or cooled air to pass easily from one space to the next.

4. Spend money where it counts. How your building budget is allocated is largely an individual decision, but creating an energy-efficient home usually requires a few up-front expenses that will save money in the future. Paying extra for custom work can maximize a modest space; that can be more economical than spending money and resources on additional square footage.

5. Skip the doors. Of course, doors on certain rooms, such as closets, bathrooms, and the master bedroom, are a must, but limiting the use of doors can help decrease costs. Consider separating rooms with a simple step down, a corner, or a change in ceilingheight that allows the entire space to drink in the same sunlight and air (whether heated, cooled, or fresh from the outdoors), while still visually dividing the spaces.

6. Leave surfaces exposed. Drywall and the labor required to install it can get expensive. Think about leaving ceiling beams -- and the recessed lighting therein -- exposed in several areas of the house, including the breakfast room and part of the kitchen. Exposed structural elements provide visual interest and give the illusion of more volume and a higher ceiling.

7. Save water. New toilets are stingy with water, using a standard 1.6 gallons per flush. Some toilets have dual-flush handles, which allow you to choose between flushing less water (just over a gallon) for light waste or using the full amount for solid waste.

Opting for short showers rather than baths will conserve even more water, as will installing low-flow showerheads. Especially if your house has a septic tank, it's important not to overuse water. You're also saving a natural resource.

8. Use simple (or no) coatings.Chemical paints and coatings can be a source of major irritation in a new home. Not only can they aggravate asthma or allergies -- especially in children -- but they also require adequate ventilation and drying time.

Use water-base paints. They have less odor and require less cleanup than oil-base or alkyd paints. Treat wood floors with a citrus-base oil for a light sheen rather than with layer after layer of polyurethane.

9. Use renewable or recycled products. Simple choices in finish materials can help make your home ecologically sound. Opt for flooring manufactured from recycled materials where possible, such as rubber with embedded neoprene chips in anentryway. Not only is rubber resilient, easy-to-clean flooring, but using a recycled version keeps the material from ending up in landfills.
In the absence of recycled materials, select products that are renewable. Purchase exterior wood doors from a company that buys its lumber from a conservation forest (the company plants a new tree for every tree that's harvested).
Use maple butcher block for kitchen countertops, or fireslate, a material that looks like slate but costs about half as much. Fireslate is used in laboratories, especially in school science classrooms, because of its durability, heat-resistance, and low cost.

10. Go natural, not synthetic. Select cellulose insulation, which is made out of plant fiber, instead of fiberglass, and Homasote, a recycled newspaper product, as a substitute for drywall in some places. Use linoleum for the kitchen floor rather than vinyl, carpet made of wool and sisal, a natural grasslike fiber and wood floors. A metal roof shields the house from harsh sunlight, and since it's not petrochemically produced, is a nontoxic material.
From: Better Homes & Gardens