Flooring 101
Choosing The Best Flooring for Your Home
When renovating your home, it’s important to know what type of flooring works best for each area of the house. For instance, hardwood may be perfect for the den on the main floor, but did you know that you shouldn’t use solid hardwood in your basement? To help make your home renovation a little bit easier, we’ve put together a guide to choosing the perfect flooring for every room.
Great Room
We tend to spend the most of our time in the family room. Whether we’re watching TV, entertaining friends, or chasing the kids around to get them ready for bed, these floors get constant use. Do you want a hard floor or soft floor? Engineered Hardwood is resistant to temperature change, suitable for use over in-floor heating and can be installed on all floor levels. The reduced eco-footprint of engineered hardwood makes this flooring appealing for new home builds and renovations for any room of the house. Construction of this material consists of three to ten glued layers, including a moisture resistant top layer for durability, easy maintenance and scratch resistance. One of the most important strength properties for wood flooring is its side hardness, or resistance to wear, dents and marks.
Bedrooms
Carpets by Aspire Floors can create a quiet room that is soft on the feet and easy to clean. Every colour is available to match your home’s palette. Choose from new trends in soft greys to designs that add artistic elements to any room in the house. Our showroom will give you inspiration for your renovations and home design planning. Ask us about our Stainmaster – PetProtect Collection for worry-free carpet maintenance if you have pets in your home. This carpet can resist the most difficult pet stains and pet hair and dander is easy to vacuum.
Kitchen
The kitchen can be one of the most fun rooms to remodel. Do you envision a gorgeous tile floor? Tiles have been used in flooring since antiquity, and continue to be a popular choice for new home builds and commercial architectural design. Modern manufacturers have developed floor tiles in ceramic and natural stone that really pop. Each tile material has its own unique qualities. Tiles rely heavily on the expertise of skilled tile setters; we understand the techniques required for each tile product and have the experience to complete complex installations.
Bathroom
Vinyl plank is popular for kitchens and bathroom installations. Water and stain resistant, vinyl flooring is easy to clean, durable for heavy foot traffic, and economical to install. It also reduces noise and comes in a broad range of patterns to match your taste. Vinyl flooring can be installed over plywood or smooth concrete, making it a great choice for basement bathrooms. A rigid vinyl flooring provides a waterproof option that is incredibly easy to clean and maintain.
5 Questions to Ask Before Buying New Flooring
From weighing hard surface versus soft surface options, to style, colour and texture, you might consider the following. Then drop into our showroom to learn more about the flooring options that you will love!
How Will The Room Be Used?
Depending on your home life, some flooring options are better fits for specific rooms. Not all carpets are a good fit for high-traffic areas, but all residential carpets are a great fit for bedrooms. If you want new carpet in the room you are planning for but have kids or pets, you will want carpet with high stain resistance and durability. Tile is a great fit for rooms like kitchens and bathrooms that will see moisture and need water-resistant or waterproof flooring. Wood is a better choice than carpet for rooms that need to accommodate a wheelchair, walker or cane. The room and its use will be the first question you need to answer.
Are Allergies a Concern?
While allergens are everywhere, some flooring choices are better than others at helping diminish their presence. Did you know that carpet can actually improve symptoms of asthma and allergies? That’s because carpet acts as a passive air filter, trapping dust, pollen and other particles, removing them from the breathing zone. All you need to do is remember to vacuum those allergens out of your carpet on a regular basis to improve your home’s air quality. Your flooring can fight for you in the battle against allergies!
Style and Design
How will the new floor impact your current home? Remember that neutral colours will match the widest range of decor. You can always add style elements like bright area rugs or quirky, fun furniture pieces to change the feel of a room. If a room feels cramped to you, a lighter-coloured floor can make the same space seem larger and open. Similarly, a darker coloured floor can pull a room together, and make it feel cozy.
How does the new floor coordinate with the rest of the flooring in your home? Don’t shy away from a new surface just because the rest of your home has a uniform type of flooring. Your new floor can complement the overall layout even if it has a different texture or is a new category altogether. Work with one of our team to choose a floor that transitions well. Don’t be afraid to explore different patterns and choices that you may never have considered.
Care of the Floor
Is the new floor easy to maintain and care for? If time is tight, choose a floor that is hardwearing and easy to clean. With minimal upkeep you will get the most out of your investment. Solid hardwood floors are extremely durable but in high traffic areas might need to be refinished over time. Carpet needs to be professionally cleaned at least once a year and can be sensitive to UV light. If you have an active home and find yourself pressed for time, it might be better to choose a surface that cleans quickly like laminate or vinyl plank. When it comes to choosing flooring, durability is often a main consideration.
What’s Your Budget?
We will come onsite and give you an estimate. Some flooring products can be installed over irregular subfloors, but other types like rigid hardwood planks will require a precisely flat surface. Will the trim and thresholds need to be replaced once your new floor is installed? We will work with you to create the perfect plan for your home and budget.
The best approach to picking out new flooring? Have fun. These questions are a great starting point to help you choose flooring that balances your needs, wants and budget requirements.
Questions?
Flooring Types
Carpet
There are many different types of carpet out there that claim to be supremely durable and stain resistant. But how do you sort out what’s true and what’s false about these claims? First, it helps to know how stain resistant carpet works. Some carpet fibres are inherently more stain resistant than others. Nylon, for example, is commonly considered an easy-to-clean stain-resistant fiber, but it has limitations. Nylon can allow spills to permanently attach to dye sites in the carpet, making it difficult to remove some stains. Any carpet, no matter the fiber content, can also be chemically treated to become more stain resistant, but a truly stain-resistant carpet goes much deeper than just treated fibers. For the best stain resistant carpet options, look for fibers that are constructed without dye sites, like Mohawk SmartStrand carpets. Permanent protection is built into the carpet fibers, preventing stains from chemically bonding to the carpet, so the carpet is easy to thoroughly clean and resistant to even the most stubborn of stains.
Hardwood
Hardwood floors continue to be a popular choice. Choose a harder species of hardwood, like hickory or maple, which are more durable. The harder the wood, the more resistant it will be to staining or wear. Consider a rustic wood look for high traffic areas like a front hallway or kitchen.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is sometimes confused with laminate flooring, but it’s about as different as you can get. Although vinyl flooring may look like wood, it contains zero wood, making it inherently more water resistant. High-quality options, like rigid vinyl flooring is extremely durable, resisting scratches, scuffs and staining. Sheet vinyl comes in large rolls that are laid across the room and cut to size, whereas luxury vinyl planks and tiles snap together or glue down for easy installation.
Tile
The ultimate option in durability, tile flooring is almost impenetrable when it comes to moisture and other types of staining. Tile is fired at high temperatures during the manufacturing process, resulting in an extremely hard, scratch and stain resistant material. Tile’s exceptional ability to withstand staining from a variety of sources contributes to its popularity for use inside and outside of the home. Like vinyl flooring, tile is almost impervious to scratches and dents. Some tiles have enhanced durability technologies, like Mohawk’s Microban technology, that won’t ever wash off or wear away. It protects your tile against any mould or mildew that could possibly build up within your flooring.
Reasons To Shop for Flooring Locally
You have finally made the decision—you are ready to transform your home with new flooring. You may have even selected the type and style of flooring you need. But another important decision looms: Where is the best place to buy? Today’s shopping options are almost as varied as the number of flooring products, and choosing can be overwhelming. Luckily, the best option is often right around the corner at your local flooring shop.
- Community Benefits: When you shop local, more of your hard-earned money stays in your area. Local store owners generate more local taxes, provide more support for local nonprofit groups, create more jobs for local citizens and do more to encourage local entrepreneurship.
- Knowledgeable Salespeople: Independent flooring retailers like us focus on flooring. Flooring is our way of life, so we are true experts who thoroughly understand the benefits and challenges of every flooring type available.
- Wide Selection: Although many local flooring stores are small in square footage, we typically offer a larger selection than big box stores. National chains focus on volume, selling a few of the most popular items in each category rather than offering a wide range. And local shops usually have access to even more products than those displayed.
- Customer Service: The best part of shopping local is often enhanced customer service. We work hard to meet and exceed your expectations and provide professional services for a highly personalized shopping experience.
- Competitive Pricing: Shopping at a specialty flooring store does not mean you’ll pay more for the same product. We carry a wide selection of quality products to fit your flooring budget. Keep in mind that we regularly offer great discounts, too. Many stores sell flooring, but few offer all the benefits of shopping local. Visit us today to see how we can deliver the best flooring experience, whether you are renovating your office, or building a new home.