What Are the Differences Between Indoor And Outdoor Tiles?

Tiles can be used all over home, both indoors and outdoors. They add a versatile beauty as well as offer durability.

If you have been thinking about choosing tiles for your home, you are making a smart choice as they are more popular than ever.

What Are the Differences Between Indoor And Outdoor Tiles?While tiles add a modern touch, it can be difficult to know which tiles to use inside and which ones to use outside of your home. If you choose the wrong tile, your floor could be vulnerable to corrosion and damage because of the conditions. Not everything can take the drastic temperature changes our Denver weather brings.

So what exactly are the differences between indoor and outdoor tiles? Here are a few key points about them:

  • Though durable, indoor tiles are not made to handle things such as frost and direct sunlight. On the other hand, outdoor tiles have the ability to handle these conditions and more.
  • Outdoor tiles should have a texture on their surface that assists them in resisting slips. Some special outdoor tiles have a surface that is a little gritty, and this provides excellent traction if the surface gets wet. Slip-resistant tiles will accumulate more dirt and will naturally require more regular maintenance.
  • Since outdoor tiles must endure conditions such as weather and temperature, they need to able to withstand wear and tear, so they will look more rugged. They also have a tougher glaze than indoor tiles.
  • Outdoor tiles must be frost-resistant and unglazed in order to withstand the repeated freeze/thaw cycles of winters without cracking.

The most common indoor tiles include porcelain, ceramic, marble, and slate. The most common outdoor tiles include ceramic, stone and mosaic. Porcelain tiles are made from a fine-powdered clay tablet that is pressed under enormous pressure and heat, even hotter than ceramic. Porcelain tiles are generally denser than ceramic tiles.

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Greening Up Your Floors and Saving Money Too

If you are thinking about going “green” with your home’s flooring, you are making a great choice! “Green” flooring is more than just flooring made from renewable resources. It is flooring that can also be recycled and has a variety of other benefits that make it a wonderful choice for the environmentally-friendly home.

Greening Up Your Floors and Saving Money TooNot only will you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are lessening your footprint on the environment, you can also save a significant amount of money on energy costs over time. Here are some tips to help you go “green” with your floors and save money, too!

  • Cork flooring is made from the bark of cork oak trees, which means it grows back after it is removed. This type of flooring naturally repels bugs and mold. It also provides insulation from the cold and the heat of the different seasons.
  • Hardwood flooring comes from the hard wood of different trees. It can be recycled with ease when it is removed and used in other products. To ensure that your hardwood floors are “green,” make sure they come from forests managed by the Forest Stewardship Council.
  • Natural stone flooring is another eco-friendly type of flooring. The different types of stones are constantly being created by natural processes. This type of flooring can also be recycled when removed and used in other products.
  • Bamboo flooring comes from plants that have a harvest cycle of three to five years. This means it is a very renewable source. However, you must remember that formaldehyde is used in making some types of bamboo flooring, so ask your dealer about emissions before making your purchase.
  • Finally, eco-friendly carpeting, such as sea grass and wool, will provide you with the comfort of carpeting without the harmful toxicity of regular carpeting.

When choosing any type of “green” flooring, do your research and ask lots of questions to ensure that your flooring is as “green” as you can get!

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How To Choose Carpet Color

Once you’ve decided its time to lay new carpeting throughout your home, the decisions don’t stop there. In addition to style, kind, pile, you’ll also have to decide on color. After all, carpeting isn’t something you change out with the seasons; you’ll have to live with your decision for years.

Trends in color change throughout the fashion industry. Typically carpet coloring runs one to two years behind that of clothing, which means the most popular colors you see on the racks in your favorite stores today will make it to the carpeting section in a year or two.

How To Choose Carpet Color“But I won’t use bright blues or oranges in my carpets,” you might be thinking. And that’s true. But colors still affect the overall appearance and selection of carpeting. When you walk into a home with cool golds, shades of greens, silvers, mauves or grays, you’re likely to think the color choice is old and outdated.

Today’s colors lean towards solid earthy colors. You’ll find warm golds and greens that resemble the great outdoors. You’ll find light blues, neutral stone hues, khaki and suede shades. And through it all, beige is continued to be a popular choice that never shows age, no matter what the current trends are.

How should you decide what color is right for you?

Level of traffic – Carpets in a well lived in family room take more abuse than a guest bedroom. They are in more danger of spills, stains and tracked in dirt. And in hallways and other high entry points, they sustain wear and tear all day long.

Use of space – Each room is subjected to different treatments throughout the day. Will it receive harsh sunlight for a number of hours each day? Do you work in the room daily, such as a home office? While its easy to choose one carpet for the entire home, if you don’t keep in mind what each space is for – especially for high traffic rooms – you may be sorry down the road.

Personality – Just because you moved in to a home that used a forest green carpet throughout the main living quarters doesn’t mean you have to live with it. What are your preferences? Does it match your décor?

When all else fails, stay neutral and go with the beige. Beige is a universal color, and is a great color choice especially for investment purposes. If you’ll be moving soon, its one that will appeal to a wide variety of people, and will always work no matter what the situation.

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How To Protect Your Hardwood Flooring

Installing hardwood flooring in your home is a great way to add elegant beauty and additional value to your home. Hardwood floors provide aesthetic appeal and durability that is going to last for many years – provided, of course, that you properly maintain your flooring.

How To Protect Your Hardwood FlooringHardwood floors require a certain level of maintenance, just like any other type of flooring, to ensure its longevity and everlasting beauty. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you protect your hardwood flooring.

  • Protect your flooring from moisture. Moisture is one of the biggest dangers to hardwood floors. You must protect your flooring from flooding, spills, and humidity. All of these factors can lead to moisture damage, which can cause the planks of flooring to bow and buckle. Make sure you clean up any spills as soon as possible. Also, keep the humidity level in your home adjusted properly all year round.
  • When cleaning your hardwood floors, it is essential to remember that these floors must be protected from moisture. So, you should not slap a soaking-wet mop onto the floor. Instead, only damp mop your floor with a solution of water and vinegar. You can also buy various hardwood-cleaning products to clean your floor and maintain its shiny appearance.
  • Hardwood flooring must be protected from scratches to maintain its beauty. You can do this by using area rugs in high-traffic areas, as well as floor protectors under the legs of your large pieces of furniture, such as a couch. When moving furniture across the floor, you can use a blanket in a pinch underneath the furniture to protect your flooring.
  • Finally, take the time to know your flooring. If you feel any areas that seem to dip or rise in comparison to the rest of the floor, address the area immediately – it could be a sign of a bigger problem, such as a water leak.

For all of your Denver Hardwood Flooring needs visit our site today.

Interior Design Trends for Using Tile In 2014

Tile designs for walls and floors come in many different designs that can add gorgeous decoration as well as value to your home.

Tiles for flooring and walls have been popular for many years, and their timeless qualities enable them to shine for years to come. Not only are they universally appealing, tiles can create a one-of-a-kind interior design for many rooms of your home, including the bath and kitchen.

Interior Design Trends for Using Tile In 2014Modern tile designs have the capabilities to add lovely color, interesting patterns, and unique textures to the interior of your home. There are many types of and sizes of tile designs, and prices vary as well. To help you in your tile design selection, here are some interior design trends for using tile in 2014:

Retro tile designs- The 70s are coming back in the form of retro designs with tile. Bronze, gold, and marble tiles with natural stone and metal textures add to modern design and create a nostalgic feel.

Metal tile designs- Shiny metal tiles add a touch of glamour to the design of your home. They also reflect any kind of light, which adds a lovely shimmer to rooms.

Porcelain tile designs- One of the most popular interior design trends for 2014 is the use of porcelain tiles. Innovative processes result in porcelain that looks and feels like real wood or stone.

Patterned tiles- Another hot trend for interior design with tiles is patterned tiles, which can create geometric patterns. One particular patterned tile trend is reminiscent of Moroccan designs, as tiles are placed together in a patchwork configuration.

You have the power to make a statement with your tile selection, and you can also turn an ordinary room into a remarkably stylish home. And it’s all possible with the addition of a fabulous tile floor that incorporates the best interior design tile trends for this New Year.

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The Best Flooring Choices For Feng Shui

Feng shui is the art of creating the right balance of energies in a room to ensure health and good fortune.

There are many aspects to Feng shui that help create this perfect balance, including color, shapes, textures, and physical placement of items. If you are doing some remodeling with Feng shui in mind, you want to make sure you make all the right choices.

The Best Flooring Choices For Feng ShuiHere are some tips to help you select the best flooring to ensure the proper balance of energies in your home.

  • Renewable resources are always the best material to choose when shopping with Feng shui in mind. Bamboo and cork flooring are both good choices, as well as reclaimed hardwoods. However, there are no wrong choices for Feng shui – the balance of energies comes from colors and placement of the flooring, so choose the flooring that best fits your needs.
  • When it comes to color choices, try to choose flooring that will provide a seamless look within your home. You want the energy to be able to flow freely – sudden changes in colors will stop the flow of energy. Choose colors that are more “earthy,” such as various shades of brown.
  • As for the placement of the flooring, it is important to remember that Feng shui deals with flowing energies – so place the flooring in such a manner that will keep the energy flowing within your home. For instance, avoid placing wood planks across the length of narrow hallways that end in doorways or windows.
  • If you are ever in doubt about your flooring choices, discuss Feng shui with your interior designer. A professional designer will be able to help you make the best choices to ensure the proper flow of positive energy within your home for good fortune, health, and an overall better sense of well-being.

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3 Planning Tips To Consider Before Replacing Your Floors

What’s the first step in upgrading your flooring throughout your home?

It actually begins in your home. Before you fall in love with a new kind of flooring, its important to figure out what you already have in place and what it will take to remove it to install your new floors. By doing your homework early, you’ll face less anxiety as installation gets under way.

3 Planning Tips To Consider Before Replacing Your Floors

1. Your current flooring may be a health hazard

You loved the quirkiness when you bought your urban home. But now its time to replace that old vinyl or asphalt flooring and put in something a little more modern. While its good to upgrade and get a more modern, efficient flooring, be aware that any flooring installed before 1978 may contain asbestos. This includes flooring that’s been covered up previous installs.

If a floor containing asbestos has tears, breaks or wear marks, it may be releasing asbestos particles into the air. And since asbestos can cause serious diseases of the lungs and damage to other organs – most of which will not appear for years – its important to eliminate the problem as soon as possible and by using contractors that understand how to remove it safely.

2. Consider resale value

You love your home and aren’t planning to move anytime soon. Yet what if your job is transferred to another state? What will you do once the kids leave home? Yes, as much as we love our homes, sudden events can cause us to uproot and call a new place home. Which means as you are shopping for new flooring, it may also be a wise decision to think about resale value as well.

Look around your home. What flooring choices have always bugged you? Chances are your potential buyer will think the same things as they tour your home. People love hard surface flooring – tiles and hardwoods. If you ever plan on selling, this is where your advantages lie.

3.Take your time

Its easy to get sucked into the first choice you see. But remember, flooring isn’t something you’ll replace every day, so its important to be sure of your options, and ultimately your choices. Don’t shop a store and make a selection instantly. Instead, consider several options, and bring samples home. See how it fits in with the rest of your décor. How does it look in different times of the day? The surer you become of your choice, the happier you will be with the final product.

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Add Value to Your Home with New Flooring

If you are looking to enhance the look of your home without totally remodeling it, new flooring is a great choice.

Since the floors of your home are one of the first things people notice, it makes sense to upgrade or replace them. This is especially important if you are selling your home.Add Value to Your Home with New Flooring

What is the perfect flooring?

Generally, the best flooring will give your home a great new look while boosting your home’s ROI. Additions such as Berber carpet, hardwood flooring, and bamboo floors are all beautiful choices when it comes to the perfect flooring. Of course, it depends on the existing style of your home as well as your budget.

Types of flooring that can boost your home’s value

When you want to upgrade or replace the floors of your home and your budget is wide open, there are many types of floors available for you to choose.

  • Hardwood- The interior of your home can really shine with the addition of polished, shiny hardwood floors. They have the potential to add some serious value to your home, and buyers love the shiny look of hardwood.
  • Concrete- Concrete floors are another sustainable flooring option that can have natural beauty and are easy to care for. When the concrete is sanded down and polished, it can add a gorgeous look to any room of your home.
  • Bamboo- A modern flooring option, bamboo is sustainable and provides excellent durability. It is moisture and bacteria-resistant as well, making it a great option that adds value.

You can add value to your home when you choose flooring that is visually impressive and sustainable. The condition of your house can be appraised as above average if you invest in new flooring. Buyers can be particular when it comes to the floors of a home, so make the right choices to ensure maximum investment for the cost.

For all of your Denver Hardwood Flooring needs visit our site today.

The Pros and Cons to Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is quickly becoming one of the most popular types of flooring today, and for good reasons. Not only is it friendly on your budget, laminate flooring is easy to install and looks great too.

But, like any building material, laminate floors are not perfect. Do the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to choosing laminate flooring for your home? Let’s take a look

The Pros and Cons to Laminate FlooringPros of laminate flooring

It’s durable. One of the most durable floor choices, laminate flooring is known for its toughness. It boasts scratch-resistant qualities and it will not fade if it is exposed to sunlight.

It is stain resistant. Laminate floors are resistant to most stains, and they are also water-resistant if spills are quickly wiped.

It’s easy to install. Laminate flooring does not require any nailing or gluing to a subfloor. Most flooring planks can be easily attached and snapped together.

It looks great. Because laminate flooring looks like real wood, it can give your home a polished look that can’t be beat.

It’s available in many designs. Modern laminate flooring comes in tile and hardwood designs, and there is sure to be one that fits your home’s style.

Cons of laminate flooring

It is difficult to repair. While real wood floors can be refinished many times over, laminate flooring is more difficult to repair because it can’t simply be sanded. Instead, a damaged or worn laminate floor needs to have its damaged planks removed and new ones installed in order to restore the appearance of the floor.

It’s prone to damage from moisture. Laminate is more susceptible to moisture damage than wood. If laminate wood is exposed to standing water, it can break down and expand. The floor will then require a replacement.

For all of your Denver Hardwood Flooring needs visit our site today.

Which Is Right For You: Glue Down or Floating Hardwood Floors

Making the decision to install hardwood floors means that you will soon have gorgeous flooring in your home.

Which Is Right For You: Glue Down or Floating Hardwood FloorsHowever, simply making this decision is not all that you have to do. Now that you know you want hardwood flooring in your home, you have to decide between glue-down floors or floating floors. Understanding the difference between both types of flooring will help you decide which one is right for you.

Glue-down floors are just that – they are the kind of floors that must be glued down in order to secure them. These types of floors cost a bit more than floating floors. They are thinner and require a moisture barrier to keep moisture at bay.

With this type of flooring, you lay the planks down and glue them to the underlying floor. If a plank ever needs replaced, you only have to remove the damaged plank and replace it with new.

Floating floors differ from glue-down floors because they are not attached to the underlying floor. You will not need any glue or nails with floating floors. Instead, the planks attach to each other and the floor “floats” above the underlying surface.

These types of floors are cost-efficient, so if you are on a budget, this might be the best choice. However, if one of the planks ever needs repaired, you will have to remove a large section of flooring to replace the damaged plank.

When deciding between floating floors and glue-down floors, it is important to keep your budget in mind, as well as your long-term usage. You want a quality floor that will last for many years. With glue-down floors, you can sand and re-finish the floors after a few years of use. With floating floors, you do not have that option, but they are more affordable than glue-down floors up front.

Ultimately, choose the type of flooring that best fits your needs and personal preferences.

For all of your Denver Hardwood Flooring needs visit our site today.