Author Archives: admin

Story By: Diane Lowenberg
Interior Design Park University
Belmont Floor Covering

Sources:
Shaw Flooring
Mannington Flooring
The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA)
Photos coutesy of Shaw Floors

As an interior designer for more than 20 years, I like to start building my rooms from the floor up. Once again in 2012, hard surfaces -
hardwood floors, ceramic tiles, laminate, luxury vinyl planks, tiles, cork, bamboo- and the list goes on, are dominating the residential flooring options according to the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). Flooring is the most used surface, second only to walls or ceiling in size. There are a plethora of floor coverings available in the marketplace with carpet trends continuing to move toward softer, textured and more luxurious looks. The new trend in bold design and color in area rugs not only add warmth and comfort to a room, but are creating dynamic focal points.

The success of any design lies in the planning, details and professional installation. Have you ever had a situation where you spent good money on something and it did not perform as expected or was installed wrong? Me too! How do you decide what is best for you? Here are some questions I use to help clients navigate through the choices.

Questions to ask
What style or feel do you want? Would you prefer an eye-catching design or a more neutral quiet backdrop? How much wear and tear will the floor get? Dump trucks or house slippers?

Develop your budget including the cost of the product, floor preparation, furniture removal, replacement and professional installation
Does it need to have special qualities, such as being waterproof or pet proof? See Spot go!

Now grab your pad and pencil, a picture of the room(s) a quick sketch with dimensions and lets go shopping!

Pre-finished vs. On-site Finish
Pre-finished hardwoods are treated with state-of-the-art factory finish. Clear urethane finishes are sprinkled with aluminum oxide—microscopic metal crystals—to increase durability. Several coats are sprayed on and dried under ultraviolet lighting. The finish is about 10 times harder than is possible with a site-finished floor. With prefinished, you’ll also avoid the odorous off-gassing, labor and the time required for finishing a floor in place. The moment after prefinished flooring is installed, it can be walked on. Instant gratification.

Not sure yet; let’s keep digging!

Engineered Wood
Most engineered flooring comes pre-finished and goes down with relative ease. Engineered floors are constructed of three or more thin sheets or “plies” of wood cross laminated together to form a single stable plank. Each plank is made like a sandwich, with stable, low-cost woods providing the foundation and the prettiest, more costly showpiece woods as the top surface. Most engineered flooring comes pre-finished and goes down with relative ease. Engineered wood flooring can be used virtually anywhere, even over concrete or below grade.

Sounds great for the lower level Guest Room!

Laminate floor can be installed on, above or below grade, making it a great choice for bedrooms, basement rooms, attic rooms or playrooms. Laminates selling features: creative design , but add to that durability, ease of installation and maintenance, and the unbeatable combination of value, aesthetics and performance. I recently used the hand hewn look in an installation with an incredibly authentic looking result.

The “Wood Look” porcelain tile provides style and durability with tile. Porcelain and ceramic tiles that mimic plank wood, parquet, and other looks are available. This is a fabulous choice for a front entry, kitchen, mud room, rich, woody tiles create a luxurious feeling while handling messes that you track in, water, mud, snow or in our house a wide variety of fishing hunting and manly messes! Porcelain or vinyl may be the perfect choice for Spot!

With the sophisticated technologies of today, the realistic patterns in Ceramic-Look Vinyl to beautiful stone and wood looks are strikingly real. There is great variety in finish colors, and seamless sheet goods put up a strong defense against moisture. Kitchens and bathrooms are safe with this flooring. Fiberglass-backed vinyl may even allow you to become the expert in putting the floor down as a weekend project.

Going Green
Concern for forests and the environment are making an impact on how wood flooring is produced. Governments, environmental groups and industry leaders are adopting certification programs and tracking systems to validate the sustainability of wood supplies.

Cork
You want different? You get different with cork. Not new but not like any of the other wood products either. It comes in wonderful textured looks and colors.

It is important to understand that though cork flooring originates from cork trees, it comes from the bark of the tree rather than the actual wood. This is a great advantage as the tree does not have to be uprooted for obtaining cork. A single tree can last for as long as 200 years and the bark from this same tree can be used again and again for purposes of cork flooring. The best part about cork flooring is that it is elastic in nature which makes walking on it a pleasure. Its waterproof qualities also work well in blocking sound; want some peace and quiet, then this cork flooring is the one for you.

Bamboo
Bamboo grows as strands because it is a grass, not a wood. This also allows frequent harvest. While it takes decades to grow hardwood trees that can only be harvested once, bamboo can be harvested every three years without need for replanting. The roots are still in the ground, so the plant just grows again.

I have not had a lot of call for bamboo here in the Northland. I called one of our major suppliers and was told they had dropped it (translation it isn‘t selling well enough for them to invest in sampling it).

The design effect is similar to Scandinavian style but with an Asian influence, it is appealing in a contemporary setting. I personally LOVE IT and am looking forward to the opportunity to use it more.

Hopefully these 2012 will get you inspired for your creations-remember the sky is the limit, create a space that is reflective of you and your family and if it works incorporate some of these remembering, your flooring can last for years.