Archive

Posts Tagged ‘hardwood flooring’

Maintaining your Hardwood Floor

February 11th, 2010 No comments

You finally got that hardwood flooring that you have always wanted, or you just purchased a new home with lots of hardwood flooring throughout the house, just like you wanted, and a day doesn’t pass without walking across it and marveling at how beautiful the floor looks. What you may not want to think about are the things you must do to keep it looking that way. You get smart, however, and realize that the beauty of your hardwood floor probably won’t last long, especially since everybody in the world, it seems, is walking on it.

And just like anything else, the floor will eventually begin to show the effects of being trampled on daily. Something must be done, of course, to help the floor defend itself against that never-ending trekking throughout your home. And there are, in fact, a few things you can do, so that you can continue marveling.

Firstly-if it was not already done by the installer-the surface of hardwood flooring should be covered with three or four layers of a polyurethane resin mixture. Polyurethane resin will produce an extremely hard layer that will dry clear on hardwood flooring and is highly resilient to liquids, scratching, scraping, and damage caused by other forms of contact.

It is the near equivalent of covering your entire floor with a very sturdy pane of glass. And the wonderful part about coating with polyurethane is the stunning shine your floor will have.

The use of strong soaps and detergents may, over time, harm your floor. It is better to simply use a damp mop. Many flooring professionals say it is best to vacuum without a brushing roller making contact, instead of mopping.

Certain wood-washing products are also recommended, since they are formulated to be safe for wood. Hiring a professional isn’t necessary; numerous hardwood floor cleaning products are readily available for purchase and simple to use. Occasional waxing is also a good choice, as long as taking precautions for the possibility of slipping hazards is recognized.

It is probably a good idea to bear in mind how extreme changes in temperature, room moisture (or a room with air too dry), and direct sunlight may, over the years or decades, cause a solid hardwood floor to shrink (causing gaps between flooring planks), or expand (causing uneven sections of the floor), or warp. While it is not always possible to take preventive measures (such as maintaining a certain temperature and level of air moisture or dryness in a room around the clock), there are certain things one can do to help maintain the floor.

Placing floor mats where sunlight enters a window is one option, or maybe setting a piece of furniture in that spot. Keep the floor dry by promptly wiping up spills. Running a humidifier will help with moisture and air dryness situations (and may also be advantageous for one’s health). Another suggestion is to place foam padding under furniture, to prevent scratching of the floor when furniture is moved.

In all actuality, maintaining a hardwood floor is easier than most other types of flooring. The need for arduous scrubbing or working with aggressive and highly odorous chemicals and cleaning agents is never an issue. By simply taking a few steps now to prevent problems, a hardwood flooring owner can, in the future, continue marveling at how beautiful it looks.

Mira Floors and Interiors is Greater Vancouver’s premiere floor and window covering specialist for both home owners and commercial spaces. Mr. James Alisch and his team can assist in all aspects of floor installations, carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl and tile. For further information about your flooring options go to Mira Floors and Interiors

Carpeting for Home or Office

February 11th, 2010 No comments

Regardless of the fact that it is the most difficult to keep clean and maintain, and does not last as long as tile, hardwood, or vinyl flooring, carpeting is still, today, the biggest selling type of floor covering for the home or office. When it comes to comfort and warmth, nothing, it seems, comes close. Aside from beach sand, most of us would probably choose carpeting as the most preferred surface in the world to walk on when barefooted.

It’s no wonder that we are willing to sacrifice money in our pockets to replace them every few years.

The list of reasons for choosing carpeting is about as long as a parade route. Carpeting, with its typically installed foam padding underneath, provides a flooring that helps emit much desired warmth on those cold days. For employees in positions that require standing during a considerable portion of the work day, carpeting greatly reduces the onset of fatigue. Carpeting reduces the sound of foot traffic to practically nil when compared to any other flooring.

Furnishings stay in place, not sliding around or becoming accidentally relocated by the mere touch of a hand. Families, especially with young children, may even choose to “throw themselves” down on the carpet instead of on furniture for relaxing, watching television, playing video games, and sometimes even a quick nap or full night’s sleep. (Solid floors are never, it seems, as inviting for doing any of that).

Pet owners would already know from experience and observation, and from clearly understand a pet’s expressions and reactions, that dogs or cats, for example, will prefer carpeting as a haven when lounging around the house; which only goes to prove that animals, while sometimes accused of being lazy, aren’t as dumb as some may think.

There is also incredible versatility in the world of carpeting.

Whether the carpet is for a child’s playroom or an entrepreneur’s place of business, there are many different styles, designs, and textures to fit every need. The World Floor Covering Association lists the “basic six” types of carpeting as “textured, Saxony or plush, frieze, cable, looped, and cut & loop”. Different kinds of carpet may have tight or thickly woven twists of wool, polyester, nylon, or other yarn.

The yarn or fiber in carpet will also range in various pile heights (the term used in the carpet industry for length or height of the yarn). Carpets are available in almost any color, combination of colors, or can be custom-ordered using the design of one’s masterful work of art.

Frequent and laborious mopping, wiping, scrubbing, or shining is never necessary with carpeting.

A vacuum cleaner is usually all that’s needed, and the possibility of shampooing it a few times a year, when that carpet has been subjected to high foot traffic on a daily basis. Shampooing machines can be rented from many local supermarkets or department stores, or one can pay a little more and hire a professional to have the carpet shampooed. Quite often, the carpet looks almost as good as new after a good shampooing.

The difference in price between carpeting and hardwood or tile flooring can be significant, with carpeting a few rooms instead of tiling them lowering one’s expense from several thousand dollars to several hundred. With all the benefits that carpeting has to offer, maybe it’s not much of a sacrifice at all of the money in our pockets.

Mira Floors and Interiors is Greater Vancouver’s premiere floor and window covering specialist for both home owners and commercial spaces. Mr. James Alisch and his team can assist in all aspects of floor installations, carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl and tile. For further information about your flooring options go to Mira Floors and Interiors

Things To Consider When Choosing A Carpet

February 11th, 2010 No comments

You can easily install carpets on your floor. You have to consider your lifestyle and type of home when buying your carpet. There are a lot of tips in this article to help you in selecting the best carpet to buy.

Know the dimensions of your house before buying a carpet. It is up to you to determine if what you will cover with carpet will include just a portion or the whole floor. If you just portion of the carpet, this will be cheaper. It will also help you to purchase the same set of carpets for your whole house. Will it give you a good feel and look if you purchase different designs or colors for your carpets? The decision lies upon you.

Speaking of types, next thing to consider is the type of carpets you are going to purchase. There are different kinds of carpets. Some of these selections include knotted pile, woven, tufted, hooked rug, needle felt or some other types of carpets. These carpets serve different purposes, some of which are good for people walking on them constantly, while others serve as design, especially in the bedroom. Whatever you choose will depend primarily on what you want to use it for.

The color of your walls should match your carpet to avoid any contrasting colors. As much as possible, avoid selecting a dark colored carpet because if it is stained with a light colored stain, it will be more visible. The best is to go with neutral colors.

The most important thing in choosing a carpet is to find the best price that suits your budget. You might end up with a cheap carpet, but in the end you’ll end up spending more because it will not last for long. If not, the most probable thing to happen is that you will only be able to use it for a little while and then need to buy a replacement in a short span of time. In contrast, consider if you want to have one that is expensive that may last longer.

In closing, you should always remember that selecting carpets will depend primarily on two things, which are durability and cost. The best possible carpet would be something that is very durable and may last for a long time, and something which is very easy to keep clean. After all has been selected or chosen to your preferences, the last thing to do is to call the professional installers who will be installing your carpets for you.

You can expect quality service with us at San Diego carpet cleaning. Quality service guaranteed at carpet cleaning Carlsbad company.