Archive for the ‘Flooring’ Category

Learning the Maintenance of Stone Flooring

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

The one thing that scares many people away from the idea of having natural stone floors installed is the maintenance.  For some reason, stone floors have gotten the reputation for being hard to take care of. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.  Think about how difficult it is to hurt a rock.  It only stands to reason that a natural stone floor would be pretty hard to mess up once it’s installed either.  Maintenance of stone flooring is really pretty simple.  There may come a time when you have to call in the professionals for help.  Here are some of the basic care routines you can expect to need with this attractive and durable flooring type:

Maintenance of Stone Flooring

The one thing you should understand about natural stone flooring is that unlike the other materials, like carpet, vinyl, or laminate, stone should last for several lifetimes as opposed to a few years.  It’s worth it to take a few minutes and learn how to care for your stone flooring.  The maintenance of stone flooring starts with sealing it.  When it is installed and about once a year after that, stone floors need to be sealed.  While some homeowners try to take this chore onto themselves, it’s really better to leave it up to the professionals.  A contractor will notice potential scratches or blemishes that need attention better than you will. 

Of course, there is the daily and weekly maintenance to think about as well.  If your stone floor is in a high traffic area, it might be best to run a mop over it 2 or 3 times a day. It sounds like a lot, but it really won’t take that much time and protects your floor from the scratching effect of dust and dirt.  Be sure to use a stone soap mixture to clean the floors at least once a week regardless of the location. 

If you do notice a scratch or gouge in your floor, be sure to get help for it as soon as possible.  The good maintenance of stone flooring is directly related to how good it will look and the life of the flooring. 

For more information on maintenance of stone flooring

The Benefits of Green Bamboo Hardwood Flooring

Friday, April 18th, 2008

There comes a time in the life of every floor that it is simply no longer what it once was and needs to be replaced.  It can be a difficult event, except that it gives you a chance to redo your home’s floors anyway you like.  One new type of flooring that is getting more and more attention is the green bamboo hardwood flooring.  There are few things as elegant and easy to pull off as a hardwood floor.  With the bamboo version, you can also feel good knowing you are doing something good for the environment as well.  Take a look at some of the advantages of this product.  Before you know it, you’ll be looking at your own gorgeous bamboo flooring.

You learned in basic science how long it takes the average tree to reach maturity.  It’s certainly more than a growing season.  When you choose to use bamboo flooring, you are dealing with a material that can be easily and quickly grown.  With traditional hardwood floors, it will take years to replenish the wood used.  With bamboo, it might take a growing season and that’s unlikely.  Especially if you are concerned with doing good things for the environment, this is a major selling point.

Green Bamboo Hardwood Flooring

In addition to treading lightly on the environment, you want flooring that is easy to take care of, and ideally you’d want something that accomplishes both.  It doesn’t get much easier than bamboo.  This stuff is less likely to need to be refinished like some of the more traditional flooring materials.  You can also count on the bamboo product being more resilient and stronger than woods like pine and man made products like vinyl.  Another bonus is that they look great as well.  You don’t need a whole lot more than that. 

From its benefits to the environment, to its easy care, and finishing up with its various stains and attractive finishes, green bamboo hardwood flooring is certainly worth looking into for your next flooring project.  This is an excellent material to work with for do it yourself installation, even if you don’t have any previous flooring experience. 

For more information on green bamboo hardwood flooring