Products

Hardwood Flooring Overview

The elegant look of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room in a home. The natural characteristics of wood ad depth and visual appearance that many other types of floors try to duplicate. As the consumer demand for hardwood floors has grown so has the manufacturer's ability to reproduce better quality finishes and superior construction techniques. With these advancements wood floors can now be installed throughout the home and over a wide variety of subfloors.

Today, homeowners looking to use wood floors have the option of purchasing three different types of wood flooring. Although the end results may look the same there are distinct advantages for using each type under different situations.

Once installed it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between a solid wood floor and the other wood floors. Both the engineered and the lengthier have thin layers of wood that are glued together. By gluing the plies together you get better dimensional stability within the plank itself, which allows these floors to be used on job sites that have a higher percentage of moisture content than normal. This includes basements and over concrete slabs where solid strip wood floors are considered off limits.

Another choice you have today is whether to go with a pre-finished wood floor, or an unfinished wood floor. The pre-finished floors offer a wider variety of wood species and saves hours of labor and cleanup. While the unfinished wood floors allow you to have a custom job-site finish and the chance to level the surface of the entire floor after it has been installed. You also get an extended factory finish warranty with pre-finished floors, but not with most job site finishes.

Warmth and comfort under foot

Carpet is still the primary flooring choice for many. After all, it's relatively inexpensive, comfortable, easy to install and replace and offers more fashion options in colors and textures than any other floor covering option on the market.

There is no doubt that carpet offers homeowners more warmth, softness and is much quieter than any other floor covering. Today's carpet styles, colors and textures blend well with any home decor and with a variety of other flooring products. From traditional, to country, to formal you can always find a carpet that will enrich any interior setting and give you years of performance.

Listed below are a few advantages to using carpeting in your home:
Carpet adds warmth and is soft under feet and easier on children's knees.
Carpet is much quieter than hard surfaces floors.
Carpet comes in a wide variety of color tones and hues.
Carpet is easy to decorate with an offers many solid color tones for rooms with patterned wall coverings.
Carpet can hid many subfloor irregularities that would not be permitted with hard surfaces floors.
Carpet can go over a variety of substrates and on all grade levels, even concrete slabs in basements.
Carpet is economical and the installation costs are much less than some of the hard surface products.

Glazed Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile has been around for centuries and with today's technology manufacturers have created new design and application possibilities that were not available a decade ago. If you have never used ceramic tile before or it has been a long time since you have done so, you will be amazed at the wide selection of colors, sizes, shapes and new textures that are now available.

Ceramic tile is a natural product made up of clay, a number of other naturally-occurring minerals, and water. Glazed ceramic tile has a ceramic coating applied to the tile body, which gives the tile its color and finish. Glazed ceramic tile is the natural choice for your interior floors and walls. It is:

Durable - a properly installed ceramic tile will outperform and outlast nearly any other floor covering product created for the same application.

Easy care - glazed ceramic tile resists stains, odors, and dirt and can be cleaned up with a damp mop or sponge or common household cleaners such as Mr. Clean, Top Job or Spic and Span.

Scratch resistant - Grade III and Grade IV glazed ceramic tiles are extremely resistant to scratching and you never have to worry about a cut or tear like you do with some other types of floors.

Environmentally friendly - ceramic tile is manufactured using natural materials and does not retain odors, allergens, or bacteria.

Beautiful and Versatile - modern ceramic manufacturing technology has created virtually an unlimited number of colors, sizes, styles, shapes, and texture that will add rich beauty and character to any room decor.

Fire Resistant - ceramic tile doesn't burn nor emit toxic fumes. A lighted cigarette, when dropped on the floor, even if allowed to sit, will not do any damage to ceramic tile. Even hot kitchen pans or skillets will not scorch or melt the surface of glazed ceramic tile.

Water Resistant - most glazed ceramic tile has a dense body that permits little or no accumulation of moisture. This means spills from common liquids found in a kitchen are not a big concern.

In summary, ceramic tile is a practical, functional choice for your floor, walls or countertops that offers you a unique opportunity for self-expression because of its beauty, versatility and design potential. The extensive range of colors, textures, sizes and styles will allow you to reflect your personal style, to create a living space that is a true reflection of you.