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Remodeling Contractors

Revamp Your Kitchen Flooring and Be the Envy of the Neighborhood

Your kitchen is one of the most important parts of your home.

You might have guests over who spend time in the kitchen. Plus, all of your family’s meals are prepared and eaten there. When big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving come around, hours on end are spent in the kitchen to make sure that the feast is just perfect. Yet, the kitchen flooring often goes unnoticed.

Many people see the floor of the kitchen as something that is purely utilitarian; It’s for walking on and that’s it. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The floor of your kitchen, when designed and implemented the right way, can hold just as much beauty as your oak dining table, decorative lighting or the state-of-the-art refrigerator with the stainless steel doors.

While you may not think much about the floor and what it does for the kitchen, you should know that it has just as much a hand in creating the room’s atmosphere as any other fixture that you would find in there.

Revamp your kitchen’s floor and it could easily become one of the highlights of the entire house.

When picking out your new flooring, consider these factors to begin guiding yourself down the path of picking the floor that’s right for you:

Traffic – How many people typically travel through your kitchen, and how frequently, over the course of several months? If you have a large family or entertain guests regularly then kitchen flooring that can withstand the strain of constant foot traffic is something that you should seriously consider.

Safety – This is especially important if you have children. Flooring made of a softer material will make for fewer bumps and bruises in the unfortunate event of a fall occurring in the kitchen.

Looks – Whether you prefer a vintage look or a modern one for the floors in your kitchen, you have plenty of options at your disposal. At the same time, you want to make sure that the look you choose isn’t something that clashes with the rest of your kitchen’s d?�cor.

All of these different factors tie into the next thing that you want to keep in mind when picking out the floors for your kitchen; the material.

The material that you choose in a kitchen flooring renovation project can make or break the whole thing, so you want to weigh the factors that have been listed against the inherent qualities for the different materials that are available to you.

Take a look at some of the most common building materials that many homeowners use in their flooring projects and you’ll see how each one differs from the next:

Wood – This material is both beautiful and quiet, but can require more maintenance than others. Nicks and scratches are common, but can often be remedied with a refinishing job.

Laminate – The beauty of wood (or stone) without as much of a maintenance hassle. Laminate kitchen flooring is an ideal choice for many homeowners because its’ comparatively low cost and durability, but noise is a known issue with this material.

Ceramic Tile – This material allows for the highest level of personalization. You can buy tiles with many designs on them and arrange them into whatever pattern your heart desires. One drawback to tile, however, is that it’s often cold underfoot and the grout in between individual tiles becomes covered in dirt, given enough time.

These are the three most popular options for kitchen flooring that many homeowners have used in their remodeling projects, but they aren’t the only ones.

If the environmental impact of your floor is an issue, you can have one made of eco-friendly material like cork or bamboo made. Whatever you need out of a floor, there is certainly something available for you to get the most out of your kitchen and make it the hot topic of conversation among all of your friends.

Remodel your floor to fit your personal needs and tastes and you’ll quickly see that the right kitchen floor can really tie the rest of the room together and make the kitchen that much more of an enjoyable space for you, your family and your guests.

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Renovation House

How to Obtain the Perfect Basement Flooring

Deciding on basement flooring can become a difficult decision because of the important considerations attached to it. Selecting proper supplies for basement floor finishing must accompany clear ideas. Lets see what the important factors are.
Initially you need to decide on what type of basement flooring is suitable for your needs. Are you considering a complete remodel or small touch ups? If you want a fully remodeled basement floor, then you must take durability into account. A strong and durable basement floor is very necessary which lasts for many years but it should also look attractive enough throughout the years.
If you are entirely replacing the basement floor which was damaged then you need to determine whether you will continue to use your basement as storage. If the mere purpose of your basement is still storage then you need not invest in high quality floor materials. Durability is a strong aspect which you should consider while dealing with basement flooring used for storage. When you know beforehand what function your basement will serve, you will be in a better position to determine material.
A large variety of basement floor materials exist in the market. Though attractive, it is just as much confusing for the homeowners.
As you’ve decided on the function of the basement and material that will go with it for flooring, your next step is to make sure that your basement does not have any wear and tear. As soon as you detect any work required for fixing the basement, get it done right away. Basement is the foundation on which the house rests, get all the cracks, leaks and water drain problems fixed on top priority. Repair all problems even if you are using your basement for mere storage and furnace, heating placement.
Any work done no matter how durable including a fresh layer of concrete gets damage by water in case of leak or flooded basement. The house slopes should also be right to not allow water flowing in the basement from any direction. Take preventive steps before spending money, otherwise you will only end up spending more in the future to fix it.
You can use from amongst carpeting, wood, ceramic or marble tiles or any synthetic material. A word of caution while using hardwood, it must be water proof and water treated in advance. This allows such flooring to withstand leaks and other water damage issues.
Synthetic wood is therefore suggested in most cases because of its resistance against water damage. Similarly Linoleum tile use is avoided in the basement because it is quite possible for this tile to absorb moisture and repairing damage becomes difficult in the future.
After you determine the basement function and decide on the flooring, you can start with material installation. You can choose to have the installation done entirely on your own.
In order to gain a sense of achievement, you can do the entire work on your own. Take time, do not rush things and do them proper. Laying tile or wood is a difficult task and hence requires patience. Doing a proper job of basement flooring will result in a flawless work and you get to enjoy your hard work yourself as you live happily in your house for years to come.

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Remodeling

Home Improvement Ideas for Flooring

How do you find the right flooring when you have so much to choose from? And where do you go, and who to select for the job? Selecting the flooring is probably the easy part as you have many samples and types and materials to choose from, but how do you decide what is best, and at the best price? Your style and your budget will quickly separate the chaff from the wheat and determine what you can afford.
Determining the right flooring for the best price
• Think about the room or area where you’ll be installing the flooring. What does it look like, how much is it used, and what kind of traffic flow does it have? Maintenance and performance concerns should also be factored in. Is the room cold? Does it need carpeting or under-floor heating?
• Set a price range and evaluate the design and performance features of each option. Factor in the installation costs if you’re not planning to do this yourself. This is in addition to the square-foot cost of the new flooring itself.
• If you’re not doing this yourself, hire a reputable contractor. Ask for references, and speak to people who’ve used him before. If he can’t produce references, be warned. He is probably a fly-by-night laborer, and you won’t see him again.
• If he is a reputable contractor, don’t pay money up front. You will pay him at the end of the job, when the work has been done to your satisfaction.
• Explore other options. Modern, styling products like laminate and resilient vinyl flooring offer durable, affordable and easy-to-maintain surfaces that will hold up through years of wear. Flooring should blend in with the style of your home whether it’s Victorian, country, traditional, contemporary, or eclectic. Take into account the size of the room. For instance, tiny tiles will be too busy in a large room, while a large-scale design will overwhelm a smaller space. The latest advances in resilient and laminate flooring offer fashionable colors and textures combined with durability, comfort, function, easy maintenance and affordability.
• When choosing flooring, determine how it will stand up to factors like direct sunlight, water spills, furniture scrapes, tracked-in dirt, cleaning detergents, and foot traffic. Bear in mind that natural materials such as hardwood or ceramic tiles are more fragile than many other options. For instance, it makes sense to install laminate flooring in high-traffic areas even though you love hardwood.
• Keep in mind the work involved when installing different types of flooring; tile floors and hardwood being the most difficult to install and probably requiring a professional installer.
• Resilient laminate flooring can be easily installed. Because of its layered construction, these types of flooring will not expand or contract, but lie flat and stay flat by floating in place, eliminating the need for glue or nails – unlike traditional flooring. Flooring systems that don’t require glue also help the environment.
• Check out warranties for the different kind of flooring. Some products have a ten to fifteen year warranty, while others offer lifetime warranties; the choice is yours.