The beauty and comfort of cork tiles makes them an ideal choice for many rooms in your home. The warm colors and soft feel of them on your feet can make your home feel warmer and more welcoming to you, your family, and your friends each and every day. Installing cork tiles can be just the thing that will help to give your home a new and updated feel that you will enjoy for many years to come. The benefits of cork tiles gives homeowners added incentives for adding them to their homes. ]]> Cork tiles are environmentally friendly and sustainable too. In this day and age, this can be a major consideration for homeowners who are trying to be more "green" in their construction and remodeling. Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak tree, which grows back within nine years. The tree itself is not destroyed, which is great for the environment, and what makes this flooring type a sustainable construction choice, and it can be continually harvested every nine years or so, which makes it a renewable resource. It is not unusual to find cork oak trees that are as old as 200 years old, which is excellent for the environment. Cork floor tiles are especially much healthier for the environment than hardwood flooring, which is why many homeowners turn to cork tiles for their own home.
Cork tiles are a fantastic flooring material. They are beautiful. They are comfortable to the touch and to walk on. They are sound mufflers. They are environmentally friendly and a sustainable product. Strive to buy cork tiles that aren't pre-finished so you can apply your own low-VOC finish that seals the tiles and the joints between them. And use low-VOC glue to glue them down, if you aren't using the floating cork tiles.
Whether you have carpeted floors or another type of flooring, you are sure to have a time that you need to purchase a vacuum cleaner. The choices can be quite overwhelming when you visit the store, which is why it is important that you do your research at home, so you will know what you want and need for your home Where do you start in deciding which vacuum cleaner is the right one for your home and your needs? ]]> Do you want an upright vacuum or canister vacuum? These are the two most common vacuum cleaners available and they feel very different to use. The upright is usually somewhat easier to move around and is lighter, while the canister may make you feel like you are tethered when you try to move around the house to clean and vacuum. Canister vacuum cleaners are great if you want to clean stairs or other hard to reach places and they work very well on hard flooring. An upright is great for carpeting and for large areas.
A vacuum cleaner comes in handy for cleaning your home or office, your furniture and window coverings, and your car and even your pets. Be sure to know the jobs you want it to do to help guide your selection. Weight, attachments and price are all part of your decision. This article mostly talks about the filter options available in vacuum cleaners.
The do it yourself industry has greatly expanded over the last decade due to the prevalence of home design shows on television and on the internet. This expansion of knowledge has, in turn, caused manufacturers to make their products more user friendly, so that homeowners can do many of their home projects themselves. One such product that you will want to consider for your home if you need or want new floors is laminate flooring. I'm partial to Pergo because they offgas the flooring before even shipping it to stores. Laminate flooring is durable, somewhat inexpensive, and easy to install. ]]> Finding information about how to install laminate flooring is not as difficult as you might think. The internet has a plethora of websites where you can find instructions and tips on installing all different types of flooring, including laminate flooring. A simple search using your favorite search engine can give you the installation instructions that you need to install your laminate flooring, as well as a list of tools and other items that you may need for easy and efficient installation.
It's easy to learn how to install laminate flooring. If you are careful to measure twice so you only have to cut once, you will have a new floor in no time. You get the beauty of wood floors without the challenge of installation, and without the maintenance issues associated with wood floors.
Scissors and a saw are all you need to install your laminate flooring.
If you are installing your laminate flooring over a concrete subfloor, you want to install a moisture barrier first. This reduces the moisture that comes into contact with your flooring. A moisture barrier is easily laid out and cut to fit with scissors. Raven Industries manufactures a great moisture barrier.
Then you lay the underlayment. It's sometimes made of foam, though cork is a great underlayment and more environmentally friendly. This layer softens the sound transfer between floors but also muffles the sounds within the room the laminate flooring is installed.
You want to keep a few things in mind with your flooring project.
Installation is simply a matter of inserting tongue edge into the groove edge of the planks, clicking and locking the planks together. Stagger the joints to keep the strength of the floor at a high level, and the visual interest high. A saw can be used to cut the planks to fit very easily, which makes it ideal for do it yourself installation. An entire room of laminate flooring can be easily installed in very little time.
Now you are ready to finish the flooring project by installing quarter round or baseboards to make the room complete and beautiful, and to hide any ragged edges that may have occurred from imprecise sawing or uneven walls. You only need to remember to not nail the trim directly into the flooring planks, as this will not allow the floors to expand and contract as they are designed to do.
By learning how to install laminate flooring, you can help add value and beauty to your home. This flooring can make a big difference in the entire look and feel of your home that you will enjoy for many years to come.
The old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" really holds true when it comes to reclaimed wood flooring. Salvaging and re-using a beautiful, old wood floor can yield dividends in unique decor and landfill savings. SmartWood Certification Systems estimates that reclaiming one million board feet of lumber preserves one thousand acres of old growth forest. The rich warmth of aged wood is a treasure that can only appreciate with time. ]]> The variety of woods that can be found in reclaimed wood flooring include white pine, oak, elm, Western red cedar, redwood, Douglas fir, elm, ash, hemlock, walnut, hickory, and many others. Most flooring is pine or oak; other species tend to be more rare and therefore more expensive.
Using reclaimed wood flooring in your home or office is one environmental approach to getting beautiful floors. More and more resources appear online and in the phone book all the time. Maybe you even have a recycled construction supply store in your area that will have choices of beautiful reclaimed wood flooring.
The garage is one area where most homeowners do not put much thought or effort into flooring. This could be a huge mistake, however, as this area can become something much more than a storage area for your cars. It can become a beautiful extension of your home that will add beauty and value to your home and your life. What are some of the options in garage tile flooring? ]]> Garage tile flooring is specially made to stand up to the wear and tear of garage life. It is durable and easy to keep neat and clean. Garage flooring tiles are normally made of PVC or a heavy plastic material that comes in a wide variety of colors and designs to help you create the perfect look for your garage.
Garage tile flooring is one way to finish the garage floor that will be easy to maintain. When a tile is stained, pick it up and replace it with a clean one. Add color and texture too, if you so desire.
Many do-it-yourselfers are turning to more environmentally friendly ways of remodeling and building their homes. With concrete and other stone surfaces, many people believe the only way to seal them and protect them is to use chemicals, chemicals that are often bad for the people applying them, the people living in the home, and the environment. A soy-based concrete sealer can be a durable and healthy choice for sealing your concrete and stone surfaces in and out of your home. ]]> Other concrete sealants are known for being smelly and toxic to the lungs and the body. Soy-based concrete sealers are made from the renewable resource of soy esters. These natural ingredients are non-irritating, non-toxic, and are safe when being applied. They also do not give off any latent fumes like other materials, which makes them safe for the people living in and around the area that is sealed.
Soy-based concrete sealer is a natural and obvious choice to use when you've used a soy-based concrete stain. It also is a good choice when you are leaving the concrete unstained. Most sealers are chemically based and harsh on the environment. Not so with soy-based sealers. Looking to preserve your concrete and your health too? Go with soy-based concrete sealer.
Going green is a big business in all different facets of life, including home building and remodeling. Most people assume that things like stain cannot be made more environmentally friendly, but manufacturers are finding more environmentally friendly ways to stain concrete areas and more. A soy-based concrete stain that is made from natural ingredients is much safer for you and for the environment. ]]> Staining concrete is a wonderful way to give concrete a better look, so that it becomes more of a piece of the decor, rather than a boring gray floor. A soy-based concrete stain can add a touch of semi-transparent color to your concrete floors to give them more textural interest and color. Concrete is not the only place that you can use this soy-based stain, either.
Soy-based concrete stain is the way to finish your concrete floor if you are looking for an environmentally safe finish. And it's not confined to use on floors -- you can use it on any concrete surface.
Vacuum reviews are either compilations of individual consumers' opinions or results of more systematic tests conducted by consumer research organizations. There are also several websites that summarize the opinions and tests found on other websites, giving you a good overview of what's out there in the way of vacuum reviews. ]]> An individual consumer's vacuum review can be valuable. A fellow end-user is more likely to describe the performance aspects of a vacuum that matter to you in terms that make sense to consumers. But such opinions tend to be haphazard, focusing on what the consumer like and hated most about the vacuum. Often a consumer review is nothing more than a rant about one aspect of a vacuum.
Not all vacuums are made equal. Vacuum reviews are your friend. Research which model is best for conditions you'll need them in. Balance your research between consumer-based reviews and scientific-based reviews.
Cork may seem like a fragile flooring material, but modern cork tile flooring is tough and lasts many years. It's a natural, renewable resource. Cork tile flooring is warm and gentle on the feet. It's also quiet, unlike many other flooring materials. With the right surface preparation, a cork tile flooring can be installed in just a weekend. ]]> Natural cork tile flooring (as opposed to floating floor tiles) must be glued to a perfectly flat, smooth surface. That means you can't install natural cork tile flooring on any uneven surface such as plank flooring, vinyl, or linoleum -- anything that has a pattern or obvious joints in it. You will need to screw down a plywood underlayer at least one-quarter inch thick. If you have a concrete floor that is flat and moisture-free, you can install natural cork tile flooring directly onto it, though of course a vapor barrier is recommended. Your flooring supplier may have tips on concrete installations.
Cork tile flooring is one of the most sustainable flooring materials you can use. Strive for a tile product that hasn't been sealed at the factory because you'll get better results, based on my experience, if you seal the tile in place once it's been installed. Choose low VOC glues and sealants for the best air quality you can get.
Columbia Flooring is a manufacturer of wood flooring products headquartered in Danville, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Columbia Forest Products. The company has four other manufacturing locations throughout the eastern United States, and two more manufacturing plants in Malaysia. Columbia Flooring has been in business for more than forty years. ]]> Columbia Flooring makes solid and engineered hardwood flooring. Solid flooring is just that - one solid piece of wood. Engineered wood is real wood, but it is not cut in one piece. Instead, up to ten thin layers of wood, called plies, are glued together with their grains running crosswise to each other. Engineered wood is more stable than solid wood, less apt to expand and contract under changing humidity and heat source (in-floor heat isn't as hard on laminate or engineered flooring as it is on solid flooring).
Columbia Flooring makes a variety of wood flooring products. You can buy laminate, engineered and solid wood flooring from remodeling contractors and home improvement stores. Your choice depends on your budget, whether you have in-floor heat or not, and the look you are after.
A basement carpet pad will help hold off the cold and dampness that concrete floors can transfer. As with any carpet pad you choose, it impacts the longevity and comfort of your carpet. The big decision is whether you are going to buy something that's moisture-proof or if you are going to take precautionary measures before putting your basement carpet pad down.
Basements are often a moist and uninviting room that brings with it an entirely different set of considerations when considering flooring. One such component that is often hard to decide upon is the right basement carpet pad for your needs and room to help keep your investment safe, so that it stays beautiful and lasts for many years to come. What is the purpose of a basement carpet pad and of carpet pads in general?
]]> Carpet padding serves several different purposes. One of them is moisture protection. This is especially helpful in spaces like a basement, because they are more susceptible to moisture. The reason for this is that they are normally located underground and on a concrete subfloor, which allows moisture to come in. This moisture can cause mold and mildew to grow under and in your carpeting and padding as well, which can be a health concern. By choosing the right basement carpet pad, you can help forestall these problems to allow you to live comfortably and healthy in your basement.Another purpose that a basement carpet pad serves is protecting your carpet. Carpet without a pad under it will not last as long, because it continually rubs and comes into contact with your subfloor. Padding can help it to last longer, because it takes some of the weight that can damage carpet. Even though people assume that carpet padding is to help the carpet to feel softer for walking, it really protects the carpet, helping it to last longer.
What are some types of basement carpet pad that you should consider? Most flooring installers first recommend you install some sort of vapor or moisture barrier on your subfloor before carpet padding, unless this was installed when the house was built. If you are not sure, then it may be best to lay down a vapor barrier first. This barrier can help keep some of the moisture from coming into contact with your carpet pad and carpeting, so that you will not have some of the problems that are associated with moist floors in a basement.
If moisture is a problem in your home consider installing a subfloor system that will moisture-proof your basement more than the Raven Industries vapor barrier will do. Check out the various articles on this site to better understand your options.
The carpet pad you choose for your basement should have an antimicrobial in it to help prevent any mold or mildew growth, just in case it gets a little moist. A thicker basement carpet pad may be a good idea, especially if your concrete floor is a little uneven. The density of the carpet pad will depend upon your carpet choice, so be sure that you ask a professional about which carpet pad will work best with your carpet and your room to help the carpet last as long as possible.
Since basements are prone to moisture problems, be sure you do everything possible to keep the floors dry. This can help prevent mold, mildew, and the destruction of your carpet, which can be quite an investment. By planning ahead by choosing the right basement carpet pad, you can make the most of your basement to make it into a livable area that you and your family can enjoy and spend time in.
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Looking for an American made vacuum? Kirby vacuums may be just what you are looking for. Whether you want a new model, an older model like the Heritage II, or an early model like the Vacuette, Kirby has a vacuum for you.
Kirby vacuums are made in the U. S. A. from all-metal components. They are famous for their durability, often lasting multiple generations. When it comes to quality construction, Kirby vacuums are in a class of their own.
]]> Many older Kirby vacuums can be found in the secondary market. Used vacuum cleaner stores generally have good deals on Kirby vacuums, and the product's quality means that you should not hesitate to buy used. Kirby bags and parts are also widely available. Great deals on used Kirby vacuums and parts can be found on eBay, too.Kirby's signature product is the Sentria System vacuum cleaner. It has a variable-speed motor which enables it to operate in twelve distinct modes. Made of die cast aluminum, not plastic, it easily converts to a deep-cleaning upright, a carpet shampoo system, a canister Vacuum, a floor buffer, and more.
The current new Kirby vacuums product line, brand named Sentria, have a powerful airflow and HEPA 11 filtration system. This filter removes 99.97 percent of all particles larger than 0.03 microns, including dust mite feces that contribute to asthma and allergic reactions.
Here are some of the features Kirby vacuums offer:
Features of various products include:
As mentioned above, used Kirby vacuums are still good investments. The Kirby Heritage II is one "obsolete" model, made in the late 1980s, that still has a strong following. The Kirby "G" series is also highly rated among ePinions.com reviewers.
Kirby vacuums are made by the Kirby Company of Cleveland, Ohio. John Kirby, an inventor specializing in household conveniences, created a water-based vacuum cleaner in 1906. Deciding that getting rid of dirty water was too much trouble for consumers, Kirby invented a vacuum cleaner that pushed dirty air into a cloth bag, where the dirty was filtered out.
Kirby continued developing his vacuum cleaner through World War I. In 1925, he released the Vacuette Electric, the forerunner of modern multi-attachment vacuum cleaners.
Also in the mid-1920s, Kirby decided that his versatile convertible vacuum cleaner needed to be demonstrated in consumers' homes. He began the famous tradition of door-to-door vacuum cleaner sellers who made Kirby vacuums so successful and literally a household word.
A number of consumer report Web sites bear testimonials from consumers that Kirby vacuums are sold by rather pushy doorbell ringers. Complaints about Kirby sales reps range from refusing to leave when asked to breaking a consumer's current vacuum cleaner during a "demonstration" of the Kirby. Sales reps have also been accused of preying upon the elderly, humiliating potential customers, lying about free financing, and not honoring the company's three-day return guarantee.
An excellent product, the Kirby vacuum may be overpriced for those who are used to throw-away vacuum cleaners. But if you want a versatile vacuum that will last 40 years or more, a Kirby vacuum is worth a look.
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Exotic wood flooring is gorgeous, but at an environmental price if you don't shop carefully. Laminate and engineered flooring makes good use of the rare exotic woods that people cherish for their homes and offices.
The warmth, beauty, and durability of exotic wood flooring appeal to a growing number of homeowners who want more than the traditional oak or maple statement. The woods available in exotic wood flooring are among the rarest and most expensive in the world. Selecting an exotic wood flooring is a major investment.
]]> Most exotic wood flooring materials originate in South America, Australia, the far East and Africa. These woods are the world's most treasured and beautiful. Some, in higher grades than are used in flooring, are made into fine musical instruments, cabinetry, and art work. Exotic wood flooring comes in a multitude of grades, grains, colors, and textures. You need to be aware of each wood’s appearance, stability, and hardness when shopping.The appearance of exotic wood flooring can be radically different depending on how the wood was sawn. Quarter-sawn wood generally shows off the most dramatic grain. But quarter-sawing wastes much of the wood in a log and so the finished product is much more expensive. Generally, edge grain is the next most expensive variety of exotic wood flooring, while standard-sawn wood is least costly.
Solid exotic wood flooring can be purchased in thicknesses of 3/4 inch finished or unfinished boards, or in 5/16 inch finished boards. The widths of exotic wood flooring boards range from two to five inches.
Engineered exotic wood flooring is the second type available. Engineered wood is real wood, but instead of a solid plank it consists of three to ten thin layers of wood, called plies, that are assembled and glued in a cross-ply construction. Engineered exotic wood flooring is anywhere from 1/16 to 3/4 inches in thickness.
Choosing the correct type of exotic wood flooring depends on where the flooring is to be installed and what type of finished look you have in mind for the finished floor. "Thin profile"” or 5/16 inch exotic wood flooring, for example, can be glued directly to concrete floors without a subfloor, if the moisture content of the concrete is not too high.
Unfinished solid exotic wood flooring comes in three grades. The Clear grade has no visible blemishes or knots and is extremely expensive. The Select and Better quality exotic wood flooring grades have some small knots and very little dark grain. The #1 Common and #2 Common grades have more knots and more dark grain.
All solid exotic wood flooring will expand and contract to varying degrees during extremely wet or dry seasons. This can cause gaps to appear between boards. Engineered exotic wood flooring is much more stable and better suited to basements or other areas where moisture and humidity vary a lot.
Site-finished versus factory-finished exotic wood flooring is an ongoing debate. Fans of factory-finish prefer the no-fuss installation; sanding, sealing and finishing are unnecessary, and one just installs the flooring. Site-finished exotic wood flooring can be sanded to eliminate unevenness between boards, and finished with a polyurethane coating that can be renewed every 15-20 years.
The rainforests of the world are being depleted by low-price, unscrupulous harvesters. Be sure to ask if the supplier of your exotic wood flooring uses wild or farm-raised woods.
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Panasonic vacuum cleaners are rated highly, when you balance price and how well they work. Choose between upright and canister styles for your home or office.
Panasonic makes four types of the vacuum cleaners. Upright Panasonic vacuum cleaners are general-purpose household appliances. The Platinum line of Panasonic vacuum cleaners is more rugged, and is sold through specialty retailers. The canister line of Panasonic vaccum cleaners is the usual compact, lightweight vacuum cleaner that follows the user around. The commercial line of Panasonic vacuum cleaners is designed for business settings that get a lot of foot traffic, such as hotels, restaurants, gyms, and offices.
]]> The MC-UL675 upright Panasonic vacuum cleaner features Cyclonic Bagless technology. This means the vacuums main chamber is designed to spin dirt into a receptacle that should be emptied after each use. This model also features AirSpin filter cleaning powered by extension of the wind-up power cord, which spins the air filter to get rid of some dust and maintain filtering efficiency. A Dirt Sensor lets you know if there is any obstruction of the vacuum air stream from a clogged hose, full dirt cup, or any other source. An anti-static dirt cup helps keep pet hair from sticking inside. QuickDraw Onboard Tools, including a stretch hose and extension wand, allow constant access to tools for all-house, high-up cleaning. Automatic height adjustment makes it easy to go from bare floors to carpets of various piles.The MC-UL671 upright Panasonic vacuum cleaner is $50 less than the MC-UL675 and lacks the Dirt Sensor. Otherwise, their features are the same.
The MC-UG471 upright Panasonic vacuum cleaner is a traditional model that uses bags. It features a cord reel, automatic carpet height adjustment, on-board tools, and a 12.5-foot attachment reach with the wand and extension hose. It has a HEPA filter to help capture allergens. It is also the lowest-priced model ($250 MSRP) in the Platinum line, which ranges up to $699 MSRP.
The Platinum line is Panasonic's broadest, sold through authorized dealers. It includes bagged and bagless models, with and without HEPA filtration, upright and canister models. Apparently, Panasonic wants you to believe that these models are more rugged than their non-Platinum brethren. Which makes you wonder how flimsy the latter are!
ePinions.com consumer ratings seem to show a direct correlation between price and satisfaction for Panasonic vacuum cleaners. The model MC-V415 gets a generour 4-1/2 stars and costs around $220. The $129 model MC-V7305 gets a lukewarm three stars. The main differences are in durability and ease of use.
Consumer Reports did not include Panasonic vacuum cleaners in its latest survey and testing of vacuums. Amazon.com reviewers give the Panasonic vacuum cleaners good marks on cleaning. The all-plastic construction of some models caused concerns about long-term durability. Many reviewers were unhappy about the high cost of HEPA filters, which must be replaced regularly. (Hint: try eBay.) Finally, several reviewers felt that the power cords retracted too fast.
Overall, Panasonic vacuum cleaners are fairly priced, middle-of-the-road appliances that clean well, are relatively easy to use, and may have high filter replacement costs. The longevity of the plastic bodies on some models is still to be seen.
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Armstrong vinyl flooring is one of Armstrong's first flooring products and is going strong yet today. There are numerous variations if their vinyl flooring, giving consumers myriad purchase choices. The biggest problem I see with with vinyl flooring is the environmental damage done by its manufacture and use. It relies on petrochemicals for its production and it negatively impacts air quality with its off-gassing. But it's durable and beautiful.
Armstrong vinyl flooring is made by Armstrong World Industries. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Armstrong operates 39 plants in 10 countries and has approximately 13,000 employees worldwide. In 2006, Armstrong's net sales were $3.42 billion, with operating income of $210.8 million. That's pretty good for a company that emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, 2006!
]]> Armstrong vinyl flooring is only one of many products that Armstrong World Industries has made during its nearly 150 year history. In 1860, Thomas H. Armstrong, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants from Londonderry, Ireland, joined with John D. Glass to open a one-room shop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, carving bottle stoppers from cork by hand. Armstrong was a shrewd businessman. He branded every cork that left his shop, and soon included a written guarantee in every bag of corks. The company grew to be the world's largest supplier of corks by 1890.Armstrong saw the future of flooring in linoleum, and in 1909 the company began selling linoleum flooring with tiles. The combination of cork and linoleum eventually led to vinyl. Armstrong vinyl flooring has been made with a special formulation called ToughGuard™ since the year 2000, which gives it a dramatic increase in durability. Armstrong vinyl flooring is sold worldwide through distributors, dealers, and remodeling contractors. Today, Armstrong vinyl flooring is leading brand in the United States.
Armstrong vinyl flooring is made by either rotogravure or inlaid vinyl manufacturing processes. Rotogravure is essentially a printing process where a pattern is printed onto white vinyl sheet. The inlaid vinyl process is much more complicated. A variety of vinyl granules of different colors are combined to produce a pattern. These granules are deeply etched into the sheet vinyl, producing a more durable pattern.
The vinyl in Armstrong vinyl flooring, and every other brand, is composed of two chemicals. Chlorine is obtained from common salt. Ethylene comes from natural gas. Using other chemical additives, vinyl can be made flexible, rigid, or semi-liquid; thick or thin; clear or colorful. Some call vinyl the world's most versatile plastic material.
All Armstrong vinyl flooring features Variable Texture™ technology to create very natural looking patterns and images in the vinyl. The CleanSweep™ finish is scratch and abrasion resistant, making it easy to clean. The ToughGuard™ guarantee protects for twenty years against rips, tears, or gouges under normal household use.
Armstrong vinyl flooring comes in several styles.Armstrong vinyl flooring has been one of the world's favorite flooring choices for nearly a hundred years. It may your next flooring, too.
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