All Entries in the "Floors" Category
Master Bathroom Floor Plan Ideas
There are a lot of couples looking for master bathroom floor plan ideas because it is difficult to find a plan idea that satisfies both users. In the majority of the cases, there are three focus areas of the bathroom: the toilet, sink and bath tub/shower.
It’s all about space
It is common for people to be struggling with space issues. The first thing that you have to make sure of is that you use all the available space to the maximum. One of the ideas to maximize the available space is to forget about the cabinet sink and go for a pedestal sink.
To make up for the lost storage space, the floor plan ideas for master bathroom also add open shelves. Some people place the sink toilet and tub on the same wall to make it easier to install the utilities. It might be a good idea to place the tub on the other wall to create an isle between the toilet, tub and sink.
Stay separated
When it comes to the master bathroom floor plan ideas, people usually prefer to have a shower but they don’t want to give up the luxury of a bathtub either. In case you have the possibility to have them both, place them back to back, so that there will be more space left around them.
Wood vs. Laminate – How to Clean High Quality Flooring?
The flooring is an important part of our homes, and this is why it is important for the homeowners to clean their flooring properly. The flooring could be wood or laminate and you have to clean the flooring according to its characteristics.
Laminate flooring
The biggest enemy of this kind of flooring is dirt because it can scratch it and it will end up looking used and dull. You need to use water and ammonia,vinegar or window cleaning products to clean the floor. The first thing you have to do is to clean the floor from loose dirt by sweeping or vacuuming.
Then use a cloth towel to clean it. If you don’t want to use cleaning fluids you could also opt for micro-fiber pads. Before cleaning you should check the suggestions of the manufacturer. In some cases the manufacturers have their own cleaning products.
Useful tips
When using the vacuum you should also use a soft flooring attachment. Instead of the vacuum cleaner you could use a mop, damp cloth or broom as well. For a better evaporation rate you should damp the mop with warm water. In order to avoid scratching you should add cushion protectors or glides to the legs of the table and of the chairs.
Flooring Tips for Your Home
There are many options when it comes to installing floors within a home. From bamboo floors to tile floors, each has its own benefits, along with its own cost factors. Continue reading below to discover some valuable flooring tips about five different types of flooring:
Hardwood Flooring Costs: $3 to $10 per square foot
Hardwood floors are a classic type of flooring that fit well with many types of home styles, especially homes with open-floor plans. This type of flooring is not ideal in rooms that have high levels of moisture. For kitchens, many professionals believe it is only best to put hardwood floors in them if they have been pretreated with polyurethane sealing. After pretreatment, it is still wise to retreat the floors every five years.
Bamboo and Cork Flooring Costs: $3 to $12 per square foot
Bamboo and cork flooring are very advantageous due to their durability. Both of them are also eco-friendly because bamboo trees grow fast and cork can be obtained without ever having to kill the trees. In addition, both types of flooring are extremely resistant and both can withstand moisture if properly treated. For homeowners that are looking to install a floor that muffles sound, cork flooring is an excellent choice.
Wood vs. Laminated – How and Why to Choose the Right Flooring
Almost all the people who are thinking about investing in new flooring have to decide whether they will have wood or laminated floors.
The truth is that the question may be somewhat confusing and this is why you should consider the most aspects possible.
What is it made of?
The laminated flooring is made of several layers of synthetic product which are fused together through lamination. On the other hand, the wood flooring is made of 100% wood . In the same time it is also possible that it is a combination of plywood, real wood and hardwood veneer.
Characteristics
We have to admit that the two products look very much alike to the naked eye. This is why when making a decision you should take a look at the characteristics that are pretty different. Usually the laminated flooring is less expensive and the installation type is also different.
Repair and maintenance
Wood flooring can be repaired while laminated flooring can’t be. Both of them are scratch resistant, but laminated flooring is sturdier. The life expectancy of the wooden floors is longer than in case of laminated flooring. In the same time, it is easier to clean laminated flooring than wood flooring.
Bamboo Floors – Need-to-Know Basis for the Green Decorator in You
When people are talking about flooring, they are usually referring to the traditional materials, such as oak wood, but there are also some other materials to be taken into consideration, like bamboo. The bamboo flooring sounds somewhat exotic and it is due to the color it has.
It is naturally light in color, but it could also receive a darker caramel nuance due to the process known as ‘carbonization’. A really big advantage of this kind of flooring is that is has a small environmental footprint, since it is a renewable resource.
Everybody knows how bamboo looks like, but it might be a little more difficult to imagine how the floor looks like.
The bamboo floor looks just like any other kind of floor, the only difference is that a plank is made of numerous small strips of bamboo that have been milled together and then glued together.
The interesting thing about bamboo is that it looks like wood, it feels like wood, acts like wood, but still officially isn’t considered to be wood. Even more, bamboo is considered to be a kind of grass; so there is no wonder why trends consider this type of flooring to be ‘green’.
Hard Floor Details You Should Be on a Lookout For
When thinking about renovating a home there is more to consider than just the walls – there is also the floor that you have to make decisions about. Nowadays there are many different kinds of flooring, and this is why it is difficult to distinguish the high quality ones.
The solid wood strip floors or the prefinished hardwood floors, as they are mostly called, are usually 4 inches wide or less and the kind of flooring that is wider than 4 inches is usually poorly designed. The disadvantage of the prefinished flooring is that it shrinks during the winter and you can’t screw or peg a prefinished floor.
In the first instance, you should consider looking for 2 ¼ inch and 3 ¼ inch sizes of the strip floor. When buying this kind of flooring, you should ask the salesperson to allow you to open a box of flooring and to assemble it on a table. There are some people that are reluctant about allowing you to do so, but you wouldn’t buy a car without testing it first, right? This is just the same thing.
Hardwood Floor Maintenance in Home Decoration
Wooden floors bring in warmth and elegance to any room. They add a lot of character and charm to the entire house. Wood flooring may be either solid hard wood flooring or parquet flooring.
Either way it requires special care and maintenance to keep its beauty untouched over time. There is plenty that you can do to keep the floors looking good.
Before you decide to start any kind of repair or maintenance finish, it is essential to know the type of finish used on the floor.
Older wooden floors will generally have shellac, lacquer or varnish finish whereas the newer floors will be finished with polyurethane.
In order to be sure about it, choose a hidden area of the floor and dip some cotton in acetone or acetone based nail paint remover. Rub it gently on the area chosen.
If the cotton ball is stained and the floor looks tacky, then it has been finished with shellac, lacquer or varnish. If the cotton remains clean and the floor smooth, then polyurethane has been used to finish the floor.
How To Install A Floating Wood Floor?
Why you would want a floating wood floor? Because it is warm, nice to feel under you, fit, elegant, cheaper than hardwood and easy to install.
The first step is to measure exactly the surface you will cover with the floating floor. If you have a house drawing you use for taxes you can use the dimensions from it. If not, simple measuring will do the trick.
As necessary materials are concerned you can get them all from flooring to finish trim from any hardware store.
Ask for the shop assistant’s help to get all that you need. Keep in mind that reported to the amount of traffic you are going to have in that room the thickness of the planks may differ from one room to another.
For starters, you have to make sure that the floor is perfectly straight. If not, you should apply a layer of self leveling concrete which usually dries in 48 hours.
When the layer is dry, apply the foam underlayment which will keep the humidity away from the flooring. The foam underlayment has different levels of thickness so make sure you pick the one suitable for your type of floating floor.
Engineered Flooring For A Better Home
If you are building a new home or looking to remodel your existing home, you should consider the benefits of using engineered flooring as opposed to traditional flooring. Engineered flooring has become the material of choice for more and more homeowners today.
Essentially, engineered flooring imitates the conventional floor board, making it look exactly alike. They are usually made out of plywood, high density fiber board, and are composed of several layers of each topped with genuine hardwood.
Because the core of the floor is made up of several layers, it makes your floor much stronger than traditional flooring material and also helps to protect against expansion.
There are many other reasons why engineered flooring is the material of choice for homeowners today. These are some of the other benefits:
1. Engineered flooring is very easy to do yourself and install. It makes for a fun and simple do-it-yourself project, which will require only very little money.
2. Engineered flooring, because of how it’s made and the material it’s made from, is stronger and more versatile than traditional flooring and therefore can be used in areas in your home you typically wouldn’t use hardwood.
The Look Of Vintage Wood For A Trendy Bathroom Floor
It looks like wood, does it not? Well… think again! It is pure ceramic.
More precisely, Ironwood wood effect ceramic tiles by Fondovalle will charm you by its ability to mix the beauty and functionality of both materials.
Not only that it has that beautiful effect of comfort and style, but its structure is solid enough to last for more than a lifetime.
If you decide to place these wonderful creations inside your home, you can choose out of different colors: Black Burnt, Oak, White, Walnut finishes, both simple and painted with lovely flower details.
The dimensions also vary: from 36 by 6 inches to 36 by 8 inches, and they can be applied on walls, floors or other places that come into your mind, places that can be enhanced by their color and style.
Both warm and practical, the wood effect ceramic tiles by Fondovalle will surely give you the comfort and pleasure you are looking for in a finishing.
The Italian creators at Fondovalle use the newest techniques and of course the most stylish materials in order to impregnate their decorations collections with the maximum of elegance. You will be convinced of that if you visit their website and the rest of their pieces.
