News
Wall Street Journal Talks Flooring
In a post last week the proposed engineered hardwood flooring duty was discussed. Now the Wall Street journal has picked up the story as well. They rightly point out that this is not about made in the USA vs. made in China. In fact this is a battle “pitting American flooring distributors against one another, as manufacturer-owned companies seeking the duties face off with independent firms.” To read the full story go here: ENGINEERED FLOORING DUTY at WALL STREET JOURNAL
read moreCarpet Tiles – Yes Indeed
A recent story about carpet tiles only reinforces the idea that carpet will soon face a change of it’s own. Like vinyl has had to adopt to a new format and like laminate has changed to be 100% click from it’s glued days and like hardwood is now mostly pre-finished rather than finished on site carpet too will now have to adapt or lose market share. People like the idea of having carpet in certain areas of the home, but they don’t like the hassle of the installation or the tear out etc… If you could simply buy 10 boxes, go home...
read moreLaminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is not as complicated as people may believe. There are just a few key things to think about: 1) What color/style do you like? This is an obvious home decor related topic and the most important question as long as the technical features and benefits match your answers below. So the best advice is to answer the questions below FIRST and then pick a color and style from the products that meet your requirements noted below. 2) How long do you want it to last – or in other words how long will you be in the home? This...
read moreEngineered Hardwood – Watch What Happens To Prices
Due to the recent government regulations (translation: incompetent beaurocrats fueled by self interested giant US based conglomerates-yes Warren Buffet, your company is involved) the anti-dumping and counterveiling duty for engineered hardwood flooring looks like it will make a large leap upward. Although the results are not yet final the speculation is a range of 50% duty to 237% duty added to the cost of imported engineered hardwood flooring that is made in china and imported in the USA. The immediate impact is a large disruption of this...
read moreCork Flooring
Cork Flooring has been a flooring choice for over 100 years, yet few people know very much about it. So rather than give a complete history hear are some of the highlights: 1) Cork is resilient – that means it is inherently tough. 2) Cork is hypoallergenic – that means it is good for people with allergies. 3) Cork is unique visually – that means you will either hate it or love it. 4) Cork is very dent resistent – although denting is something that most cork can recover from due to it’s natural structure it can gouge...
read moreRefinishing Flooring Checklist – 3 Things
Here is a Top 3 Things checklist of some basic things to consider when refinishing a hardwood floor: 1. Do I really need to sand the floor or is a recoat an option. A recoat is a less expensive, no sanding and faster option that is appropriate for many situations. Finding out if a recoat will give you that fresh feeling is an important first step. 2. Select your stain ahead of time, but have the crew sand and show you a larger sample as they begin the job (at least a 4′x4′ area) so that you can double check your own choice....
read moreCommon Flooring Mistakes
People who have flooring (which is most of us who don’t live on dirt floors) often make some basic mistakes that later cause problems for their flooring that were preventable. 1. When selecting a flooring it is critical that the usage of the floor is consistent with the flooring capabilities. For example selecting a cheap builder grade laminate floor and putting it in a commercial bank lobby will only lead to problems. Simialarly you must consider environmental restrictions or other cautions with the specific product you put in (low...
read moreCork Flooring Pros & Cons
Cork flooring is generally something consumers and even contractors and designers are unfamiliar with despite it being used for over 100 years across the United States and Europe. Here are 3 cork flooring PROS: 1. Cork is softer under your feet than other flooring leading to less fatigue. 2. Cork is quieter than other flooring naturally absorbing sound while feeling great. 3. Cork is resilient and can be very tough if properly well maintained – even in some commercial flooring situations. (there are other pro’s to cork...
read moreVinyl Floors Are Back & Better Than Ever
Technology in flooring has kept pace with computers, cell phones and everything else, so if it’s been a decade or so since you’ve looked at vinyl floors, the vinyl floors of today might surprise you. Imagine what your computer was ten years ago compared to what it is today. It’s almost a different animal, and that’s precisely what’s going on with vinyl flooring. It seems every kitchen or bathroom we walked into from the sixties to the mid-nineties had some form of sheet vinyl flooring. Some had tile, some even had kitchen...
read moreAre All Bamboo Floors Green Floors?
When shopping for bamboo floors, you might automatically assume that the floor you’re looking at is environmentally friendly because it’s made from bamboo. But there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that you need to be aware of before purchasing a bamboo floor. As we know, bamboo is one of the greenest construction materials in the world. It grows very fast, is readily available and gives us a hardness that exceeds most hardwoods. Add that it’s beautiful and stylish, and you have floor that’s a great alternative to...
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