From the Floors Up

Why Homeowners Are Choosing Concrete Floors

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Concrete flooring can be an excellent option for homeowners looking for a trendy twist on their home’s style. Although concrete floors have been around for a while, we see a lot of homeowners veer more toward classic styles like hardwood or carpet. While hardwood and carpet can be excellent choices, we are here to share with you five reasons why you should choose concrete floors. Let’s take a look!

A Real Tough Guy

As you would assume, concrete flooring is extremely durable. Its resilience is quite impressive, making it a perfect solution for heavy appliances. Typically, you see homeowners use concrete flooring inside of their garages, because of its durability. But in fact, its durability can withstand daily damages throughout your home. Concrete can withstand high heels, heavy appliances and furniture, and pets. This type of flooring will help to put your mind at ease.

Easy Peasy

Considering that this type of flooring is mostly found inside of garages, it is extremely easy to maintain. Experts recommend to seal or wax it every three to nine months depending on its wear, but otherwise, it is recommended to clean it periodically.

Ability to Change

If you are unhappy with your concrete floors, its smooth texture makes it easy to install any flooring surface over it. This feature gives you the ability to change your mind at a later date without the fear of a huge project. 

Long-Lasting

Under proper maintenance and care, concrete floors can last a lifetime. With concrete, you are investing in your future, and you can rest assured in flooring that you can trust. 

Very Versatile

With concrete, people’s minds may go straight to the universal gray color that is unappealing; however, concrete comes in an array of colors and textures to match your style preference. You can now have the concrete floors of your dreams without compromising on the look.

Many companies carry a line of concrete flooring. It is a beautiful collection of modernized concrete floors that would be the perfect finishing touch to your home. Check with your flooring retailer to view their selection.

What Type of Flooring Do I Choose?

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Are you in the market for new floors? If so, if you are anything like us, we tend to be guilty of overlooking the importance of flooring choices and how that choice will affect the style and function of our home. To help, we have listed a few tips below that will help you choose the right flooring for your lifestyle and family!

Daily Activity

Your lifestyle is critical when choosing the right flooring for your home. For instance, do you have children, pets, or friends and family coming and going? If so, your floors must withstand heavy traffic and be resilient to moisture and dirt. Ceramic tile and vinyl flooring are durable, tough, and ideal for high-traffic areas. Hardwood floors are durable, but will scratch and over time and require refinishing. If you prefer softness underfoot and have minimal traffic, consider carpet or using area rugs over hardwood and tile flooring. Just keep in mind the function and style of each room and choose your floors accordingly.

Specific Room Tips for Individual Rooms

Foyers

Foyer entryways should always say welcome and introduce your style. A key factor to remember for entryways is preventing dirt and debris from being tracked into the home. If snow, rain, mud, and sand are elements in the entry, consider stone, tile or hardwoods. Just make sure you place an entry mat outside before entering to trap and absorb much of the debris.

Interior Floors

To protect your entry interior floors, rugs are always the perfect solution while adding pops of color that enhance the entry foyer.

Living Rooms

Family and great rooms are active rooms, so remember that area rugs are ideal over tile and hardwood floors. They help add an element of comfort and style to your classic flooring options.

Bedrooms

Many people still prefer carpet in bedrooms simply for the softness and warmth on bare feet.

Kitchens, Bathrooms, and Laundry Rooms

Keep in mind that kitchens, bathrooms, laundry/utility rooms are considered work areas, and the flooring should resist water as well as be durable.

Flooring Cost

Flooring is priced per square foot for product and labor. Understanding flooring pricing is an essential factor to keep you on track and within budget. Keep in mind the product grades of quality and the padding or moisture barrier for carpet, hardwood, and vinyl plank flooring. Another factor for flooring cost is longevity. Floors need to be maintained, and the type of flooring you choose will depend on how often you must replace them.

Please reach out with any and all questions. We are here to help you make the best decision for your next floor!

The Best Floors for Pet Owners

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There are many variables to consider when shopping the market for your next flooring. Since flooring can be a significant investment that can last for many years to come, it is crucial to pick one that you love. However, pet owners are troubled with another variable. Not only does your floor need to withstand you and your family’s standards of living but also your four-legged family members as well. It would be a shame to invest in a floor that is not suitable for everyone. Well, have no fear, because we explored several of the most common flooring options to discover which is the most pet-friendly option to consider adding to your home. Let’s take a look!

Carpet

No surprise, carpet is not the most ideal flooring option for pets. While it is soft and can be great for you to spend time on the ground with your pets, it is not best for longevity. Carpet has made many advancements in preventing stains; however, if accidents penetrate down to the padding, it can leave a foul odor in your home. Carpet can also easily collect dust, fur, and dirt from your animals. And if your animals go outside or spend time with other animals, it can also store fleas.

Hardwood

Hardwood is a durable option depending on what kind you buy. From floating engineer to solid hardwood, different hardwoods all have their own sets of pros and cons. However, hardwood can scratch. While it can be sanded and refinished, it is essential to know that hardwood is not the most durable option. You can also have permanent damage to your floor if water or pet accidents occur. Hardwood can easily be ruined when exposed to liquids. If your dog love to run around your home as well, hardwood may not be best for traction under their paws.

Luxury Vinyl

Most vinyl plank floorings are marketed as pet-proof. They are 100% waterproof and extremely scratch-resistant. These durable floors can stand many of the obstacles pets throw at them. They are also extremely easy to clean if accidents do occur.

Tile

Tile is another great option. Tile is waterproof and durable. It can be easy to clean while being scratch-resistant. Your main concern is dirt collecting in the grout lines over time. You may also want to note that these floors can become slippery when wet and may give your pet a hard time to find traction.

It comes down to personal preference. While no floor is perfect in every situation, vinyl plank flooring reigns supreme as an excellent option for pet owners. You will need to make sure that this option is also functional with your lifestyle. You may want to consider another great option like tile as well. All in all, the choice is yours. Make sure to weigh out the pros and cons of every flooring option and find which is best for your home.

3 Reasons Why You Should Use Luxury Vinyl

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Is it time to upgrade your existing flooring, flip a property, or build a new home? If so, the time is now to start looking at Luxury Vinyl Flooring. Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) is an affordable, waterproof, wood-like flooring option that has excellent warmth/texture and installs with a peel-and-stick technique or clicks together with ease. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is a luxury vinyl product that looks like stone or ceramic tile, complete with gorgeous natural colors and surface texture that feels like the real thing. Some styles are even made to be installed with grout, but installation will increase due to the labor. Talk about realistic! We have listed three reasons below for why you should use luxury vinyl. Let’s take a look!

The Product Will Not Break the Bank

Your LVP flooring will be a fraction of the cost of hardwood flooring. In fact, LVP’s installation is so much easier to install than hardwood floors, ceramic tile, or natural stone. This feature is a benefit to the homeowner with lower installation charges compared to standard flooring installation charges. With a reasonable installation and product cost, homeowners can have a beautiful flooring product at a great price.

It Is Stunning

Luxury Vinyl is absolutely gorgeous and has come a very long way regarding its technology and appearance. It will look and feel like hardwood, ceramic tile, and natural stone. In fact, you will be amazed at the styles and colors available in Luxury Vinyl.

It Is Durable

Everyday wear and tear is a given on flooring with children, pets, water spills, etc. Hardwood floors tend to get scratched and can suffer water damage if spills are not cleaned. Linoleum may eventually start to tear and rip while carpet can get stained and lose its shape. Flooring installers and experts will tell you that LVP floors are tough as nails! Many brands are 100% waterproof and constructed with cork backing, making the floors comfortable, quiet, and forgiving when items are dropped. If you have children and pets, you know how loud it can be when they are running through the house on hardwood and tile floors. Again, with the cork backing, the floors are more soundproof while being easier on your back and legs if standing for long periods of time.

All in all, luxury vinyl is an incredible flooring solution. Be sure to ask your sales representative for more information to learn everything that this incredible product has to offer.

Measuring for Flooring and Its Variables

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Many companies will come out and measure before installing flooring – this is not because you are naïve and do not know how to measure a room. In fact, it is to ensure they order enough flooring for your project. Every room will come with its own variables, and in many situations, you need to know more than the square footage of a room. While linear footage can help give your flooring company a general idea, there are still many variables to consider. Here is a brief look at why measuring flooring can have many variables:

Carpet

When carpet is manufactured, it is typically created on a large roll. These rolls are traditionally 12-feet in width and can be up to 300-feet in length. The size of your room determines how much length you will need. So, if your room is below 12 feet in width, you will just order for the length.

  • Example: 11×11 Bedroom will call for a 12×11 roll of carpet
  • Example: 10×14 Bedroom will call for a 12×14 roll of carpet

However, what happens when you have a room that is 16×14 can completely change the equation. A room over 12-foot will need to be seamed. Carpet is directional, which means it needs to run the same way to be installed correctly. So, a room that is 16×14 could be complete with two 12×16 piece rolls; however, there would be a substantial amount of wasted product! So, these areas are created by making cross seams.

Carpet can also be calculated out differently depending on how many rooms or the shape of the rooms being done. Some rooms may be L-shaped. There are several variables that can go into the exact measurement needed for carpet.

Tile, Hardwood, & LVP

Prepackage flooring that comes in boxes can be a little simpler to figure out the measurements. If a box says it contains 27 square feet of material and you are doing a room that is 100 square feet, you will need four boxes. Unfortunately, the problem arises when you have an area that is just over a box amount. Let us say you have a box of LVP that covers 20 square feet, and your room is exactly 100 square feet. Would this mean you need five boxes of LVP? Not quite because you need to calculate waste. In these situations, you will most likely need to invest in six boxes of flooring. Also, some products may come damaged from the manufacturer with a broken tile or a splintered piece of hardwood. Calculating a little heavy is always a safe bet.

If a company asks to come out and measure, it is best you have them do so to help keep your quote exact. With many variables from transitions to installation, a trained eye is best. This can help assure that you are getting just the right amount of flooring.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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