How To Find The Perfect Flooring
Can’t decide which flooring to get for your home? You’re not alone. A lot of first time homeowners get confused when it comes to picking out the right type of flooring. Whether they’re for the kitchen, living areas, bathrooms even the basement. Some of them even quarrel over carpet or hardwood. So how can you go about this? Here are some flooring ideas that may answer your questions.
What are some good types of flooring for a kitchen?
The ideal flooring for the kitchen is tiles. You don’t need any special cleaner to clean it up. Just mop up the mess and you’re done. The only drawback is you have to handle glassware carefully unless you’re good at gluing mugs back together.
I have pets in the house, what type of flooring can I use?
You can go with laminate flooring. Plus they have designs that mimic the look of natural wood, marble, granite and stone. The only difference is the price. Compared to the real thing, laminate flooring is only about a quarter of the price. It’s easy to install and fends off claw marks and scratches pretty well. If one part is damaged you can easily remove it and stick a new piece in its place.
What type of flooring is easily cleaned?
Tile and laminate flooring dominate in this area yet again. This will help you save time and energy. These flooring types can withstand anything from stains, spills even the mess your pet makes. All you need to do is mop up and go. Cleaning has never been this easy.
How much does the average flooring cost?
Prices for each type of flooring may vary on the size of the floor area as well as the type of flooring. Hardwood flooring costs about $5 per square foot and lasts about 25 years. Carpets are priced around $3 per square foot and lasts about seven to 10 years. Stone or tile flooring costs about $2-$8 but lasts a lifetime if you really take care of it.
What kind of vacuum can I use to clean laminate floors?
Rather than uprights, use canister vacuum cleaners when it comes to floors. They’re easy to use and control whether you want to go around and under tables. You’ll want to use the parquet floor brush. Aside from cleaning, it will leave your floor shiny and bright.
What flooring can I get for my basement?
Forget laminate flooring when it comes to your basement. It won’t last long in the moisture and damp anyway. What you can get is vinyl flooring. It’s much easier to clean plus it can withstand moisture, leaks and damp. Even if you’ve turned the basement into a den, a lot can go wrong. Next thing you know your den will be flooded.
What type of flooring has the least maintenance?
Your options are laminate or tile flooring. They’re both easy to clean and maintain. Although there are some little kinks like scratches for laminates and grout for tiles. These can be fixed with some oxygen bleach for tiles and easy replacement for laminates.
If you’re still confused, you can ask your local floor retailer for helpful suggestions. After that you can have an installer do it for you but be warned, flooring is not a cheap investment. Yet done correctly you won’t regret it and will soon forget the cost.
Choose The Best Flooring Material For Your Home
It doesn’t matter that you need to redo just one of your floors or all in your home, you have a lot of things to think about. The fact is that there are a wide variety of different options for homeowners today in flooring materials. This is why it can get so confusing for a homeowner.
First, you must set a budget for how much you can spend on your flooring. You may dream about having something extravagant, like marble, but if it is not in the budget, it will not happen. The best thing to do is to figure out how much you can afford and stay within the budget. But, do not worry, as you will still have many great options, no matter how small your budget.
The floor materials that you do choose must also be something that really appeals to you. Most floors will last a long time. In fact, if you were to choose hardwood floors, they could last as long as a hundred years. Therefore, make sure it is going to be something you can live with for a long time before you invest your money in it.
Making sure that it is going to actually last through the normal wear-and-tear in your own home is also a must. If you have children or pets in your home, this could affect it by damaging it. Anyone with pets or children should make sure they are going to invest their money into something that is going to hold up.
Once you have set your budget for your flooring, you will get a better idea of what your options are in materials. The fact is there are many options. If you want hardwood floors and your budget won’t extend that far, consider an alternative in laminate floors. They, too, can add just as much appeal and will hold up to the wear and tear, without breaking your budget.
Basement Improvement – Covering Up Guidelines For Concrete Floors
Most garages or basement are built on concrete flooring. Concrete can be readily painted as compared to other high-end treatments. Painting your concrete floors will instantly transform them into something quite attractive and at the same time make your space easy to clean and very durable. If painting is carried out correctly, your concrete floor can last for many years.
Where to begin:
This is not a very expensive home renovation project but it is not something that is done overnight either. In order to begin your painting project it is necessary for the floor to be thoroughly dry. If you have any wet spots, especially in your basement then you will need the help of a professional to correct your seepage problem.
Once you are completely certain that your floor is already dry, next step is to scrub it in order to free it from chemical residues and greases. This is important especially if the floor you wish to paint on is your garage or shop area. This is an important step because if there is any type of foreign substance on the floor’s surface the paint will not adhere.
Some kitty litter would be very handy in absorbing most of that grease on the floor if any. Next, scrub the floor using Goof Off and then rinse thoroughly. Now scrub the floor with the use of some TSP mixture. Rinse and repeat the process over and over until such time that the mop looks clean after several cycles. After scrubbing the floor needs to dry for at least three days to be sure it is thoroughly dried and ready to paint.
Some final preparations before you start painting:
Using a sander or an 80-grit paper, remove any stuck materials on the surface of the floor and smoothen out the bumpy portions. A tack clothe will remove any sanding residue that the vacuum misses.
Look for and fix any cracks that might be present. You can fix these cracks or little holes with the use of a Cement Fixall; just be sure to let it dry thoroughly afterward.
Now you are finally ready to start painting!
First, apply two coatings of stain blocker and a primer such as Kilz. Remember that the surface must be completely dry in between the two applications. Now you can apply a top quality latex flat paint. A paint compressor or a roller will work fine for the painting.
Decorating your painted floor:
At this juncture, if you wish you may add some designs like geometric shapes or faux stone to make the floor look even more beautiful. You may run wild with your creativity at this point, just make sure to let the floor dry completely before finishing.
Finishing your painted concrete floor:
You will need a quarter inch nap roller and two applications of Breakthrough sealer to finish your floor. To be safe, wear a respirator mask when doing this as fumes are sure to be present during this process. Allow the floor to thoroughly dry for one final time.
Now your floor is complete. You may decorate it with some throw rugs or an area rug for some flourish as it is still concrete after all. The difference is that it is now a beautiful concrete!
