Selecting the right hardwood floor color for your home is never as easy as it looks. One color may look amazing at the store, but the lighting and interior design in your home can make it appear completely different. Once your hardwood floor color and finish have been installed, it will be years until they are changed. Due to this, it is important to choose the right hardwood floor color before you spend the time and effort installing hardwood flooring.
The first step in the process is to decide if you want light or dark floors. While both options are beautiful, they have different requirements in terms of maintenance and cleaning. In addition, you will want to make sure that the hardwood flooring matches the interior design and ambiance of your home.
Dark Hardwood Floor Color Options
In recent years, dark wood floors have become a major trend in new properties. The refurbished flooring and vintage material fads have made dark wood highly sought after. From old plantation floors to rich, heart pine boards, dark flooring is coming back in style.
The nice thing about dark woods is that they can work with a number of other colors and designs. You could mix them with earth tones for a bohemian or a natural look. Combined with bright, vivid colors, dark wood floors contrast beautifully for a vibrant living room or dining room. No matter what type of color pallet you want, dark woods can match just about anything.
While many people believe that dark wood is inherently formal, it can actually be used for a comfortable, relaxed interior. If you stain your floors with a darker color, it will make them appear aged like vintage wood. When choosing dark wood flooring, you can use a wood that is naturally dark like walnut or cherry flooring. It is also possible to choose a light-colored floor like oak and stain it to be darker. Basically, you can choose whichever wood fits your budget and style and stain it to match the color that you want.
What Are the Downsides to Darker Floors?
Depending on how sensitive you are to cleanliness, you may want to choose different types of flooring. Throughout the years, children, dogs and general wear can cause scratches to appear on the floors. This process is entirely normal, but it will cause your dark wood flooring to look scuffed up over time.
Fortunately, the scuff marks only affect the hardwood floor finishes that you use. Unless the finish has worn away or something heavy scratches the floor, the scuff marks are unlikely to affect the wood. Due to this, your best option is to choose a flooring that is easy to touch up. There are pre-finished flooring options available that allow you to touch up the finish without having to sand the floor. This simple product makes it easy to remove the dirt, wear and tear that normally happen in daily life.
Places Where You Should Never Use Dark Hardwood Floor Colors
Dark woods have a tendency to make a small room appear even smaller. As a rule, you will want to use a wood that is at least 8 inches wide. In addition to having fewer seams, the wider board will help to balance out the dark color. You may also want to avoid using dark hardwood flooring next to cabinets or furniture that contains dark wood. It can be difficult to get the woods to match up perfectly, and too many dark colors can overwhelm the room. Instead, it may be better to pick cabinetry that contrast with the flooring.
Light Hardwood Floor Color Options
Another option for hardwood floor colors can be found with light wood floors. Strip oak floors have been one of the most popular light wood solutions for the last three decades. These colors work with a variety of interior designs and can be modified to create different looks. In general, floors that have a white finish will match almost any décor. For a different option, light burlap-colored floors can give you the same ambiance without having to install a floor that is actually white.
Beautiful oak and maple floors are some of the most popular light hardwood floor color options available. While these may be the most common, hickory is a gorgeous alternative that is reasonably priced. Unlike dark wood flooring, you will have to select a wood that is already light in color. While you can try staining the wood, it is much easier to start with a hardwood that is already light-colored.
What Are the Downsides to Light Hardwood Floor Colors?
If you want a very light, white finish, it can be difficult to achieve. In some cases, you may have to stain light floors, paint them and add a custom sealer to make sure that the flooring maintains a white color. In addition, you have to be careful to use the right finish to get a whiter tone. Eastern white pine and maple floors should use a clear-based finish to get a light color. If you use an oil-based finish on these floors, they can end up looking yellow.
Places Where You Should Never Use Light Hardwood Floor Colors
In reality, there are very few places where you cannot use a light wood. Light wood floors make it harder to see dust, dirt and debris, which makes them ideal for high traffic areas. In terms of maintenance options, you will want to apply the right sealer to your floor. As long as you have a sealer on your light woods, they will be protected from any spills or scuff marks that occur during daily life.
There are numerous wood types, stains and colors available for your home. Ultimately, your decision is determined by the type of ambiance you want and the lifestyle you live. While light floors hide dust and dirt better, dark wood floors provide a vivid contrast within your home. Take some time to consider the type of wood that matches your interior design because the hardwood flooring could be in your home for decades.
If you’re in the market for new flooring for your home or business and try to lead the most environmentally friendly lifestyle possible, it’s well worth it to explore today’s many stunning, eco-friendly, flooring options. It’s easy to add flooring to the home that is not only sustainable and environmentally responsible but attractive and affordable to boot. Happily, you no longer have to compromise between aesthetics and environmental consciousness when selecting flooring—and you don’t have to spend a fortune to upgrade to green flooring, either.
Eco-Friendly Flooring: The Basics
Like anything that is labeled “green” or “eco friendly,” green flooring is flooring that is healthy for the environment. This may be because it is made out of reclaimed materials, thus preventing them from ending up in landfills. It may also mean being made out of sustainable, renewable materials that don’t have as negative of an impact on the health of the environment. Additionally, green flooring doesn’t contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which off-gas into the air and reduce indoor air quality. As a result, it can help improve the overall health and well-being of everyone in the home.
Why Go Green with Flooring?
Replacing flooring in the home gives you the opportunity to make earth friendly choices for whatever you do next. Classic Floor Designs is a major proponent of green flooring, and we offer a wide array of options. Going green with your flooring brings many advantages to the table. By opting for flooring that’s made out of reclaimed or recycled materials, you keep non-biodegradable materials out of landfills. When you choose flooring that’s made out of sustainable materials, you can feel good knowing that the plants that were used to make them will regrow in a timely manner, preventing ongoing damage to the environment. Beyond these benefits, green flooring enhances indoor air quality in a home by eschewing VOCs.
Types of Eco-Friendly Flooring
Now that we’ve got you all excited about eco-friendly flooring, you’re probably ready to learn about the most popular green options. Happily, there are more options than ever when it comes to this type of flooring. Consumers have become increasingly conscientious about carbon footprints and their impact on the environment, so demand has grown significantly for flooring that’s made out of green materials. Some of the most popular options include:
Carpet – Sure, carpet’s been around forever. It can be made out of many different materials, however, and many of them happen to be remarkably good for the environment. If you want carpeting that is easy on the environment, choose a style that is made out of natural materials. Such materials include jute, wool, cotton and sisal—all of which are available in a dizzying array of colors, styles and designs. There’s also polyester Berber, which is made out of recycled plastic bottles. Recycled carpet tiles are another way to go and have the additional advantage of being highly customizable. If one tile becomes damaged, you can easily swap it out for a new one. Hardwood – There’s no denying the beauty and elegance of hardwood flooring. Hardwoods are non-toxic, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, so they are excellent options for environmentally conscious people to consider. Another increasingly popular option is to use reclaimed or salvaged wood from old buildings and the like. It is then re-milled to ensure optimal quality and beauty. New lumber from dead trees is also a great way to go, as it keeps dead wood from being burned up and contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Bamboo – People often mistake bamboo for a hardwood, but it’s actually a very fast-growing grass. Bamboo for flooring can typically be harvested within five to seven years while hardwood typically requires 50 to 150 years to grow before its ready. It’s available in a variety of colors and grains, so it’s easy to find a unique look to suit your home. As an added bonus, bamboo is naturally resistant to termites and is quite affordable when stacked up against hardwood.
Cork – We’re often greeted with looks of surprise when we recommend cork as an eco-friendly flooring choice. Indeed, many folks are unaware that cork makes for a great flooring material, but that’s undeniably the case. Cork oak trees aren’t destroyed to produce cork. Rather, only the bark is stripped away, and it can then regrow in as little as three years. Cork is comfortably soft to walk on, provides great sound insulation and lasts for 10 to 30 years. It’s also naturally resistant to mold, fire, mildew and termites.
Tile – The previous options aren’t usually suitable to areas of the home that are subject to moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms. Luckily, tile can be every bit as green as the other options; you just have to buy the right thing. Terrazzo tile that’s made out of recycled materials like stone, glass, masonry and concrete is available. It lasts an average of 40 years and is resistant to mold, mildew and stains. When purchasing, make sure that few—if any—VOCs were used in the epoxy to avoid inadvertently introducing them to your home and degrading its indoor air quality.
Go Green with Classic Floor Designs
Enhance the environmental friendliness of your home with green flooring from Classic Floor Designs. We strive to provide our valued customers with the finest flooring options that are available today, and we are the go-to authority for green flooring. As such, we stock a huge array of eco-friendly flooring options, including bamboo, natural carpeting materials and even leather, which is ideal for small, less heavily trafficked areas and is prized for its longevity, elegant aging and green qualities. Our team can help you select the green flooring option that’s perfect for whatever remodeling project you are undertaking, whether it’s in the kitchen, the master bedroom, the bathroom or elsewhere around the home. With so many beautiful eco-friendly flooring options available and so many affordable choices, green flooring is a natural choice in more ways than one.
Hardwood flooring enhances the appearance of any room in your home, but these rugged surfaces represent a big investment. Like any investment, you want to be sure that you get the highest returns possible. When it comes to flooring, proper cleaning of hardwood determines your ability to enjoy their beauty for many years without worrying about damage or repairs.
Here at Classic Floor Designs, we recommend a regular cleaning regimen to maintain the original appearance of your hardwood floors. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about what products to use, what methods to avoid and how often to clean. We hope that these tips will help clear up any confusion and guide you in preserving the floors you love.
Know Your Floor Type
There are two types of wood flooring: solid and engineered. Both offer the beautiful appearance that makes hardwood so attractive, but the materials differ slightly when it comes to routine cleaning and long-term care.
Solid floors are made from single pieces of hardwood that are generally about three-quarters of an inch thick. Most come finished with a protective coating that creates a reflective “high gloss” look. Solid wood is available in many common and exotic varieties that can be sanded and refinished up to ten times over the life of the floor.
Engineered flooring is pieced together from three to five layers of high- or medium-density fiberboard with a thin hardwood veneer on top. Because of the minimal amount of hardwood used, these floors can only undergo one to two rounds of refinishing. However, they tend to be more durable than solid floors when it comes to handling high foot traffic and varying levels of humidity.
Invest in Mats and Rugs
Preventative maintenance cuts down on the amount of dirt and grime that comes in contact with your floors. Place a heavy-duty mat outside your front door for people to wipe their shoes on, and position another mat just inside the threshold. Have visitors and family members remove their shoes before stepping inside. Use a boot or shoe tray to keep footwear organized and away from the wood surface.
Area rugs are perfect for high-traffic spots or rooms where kids spend a lot of time. Rugs keep messes off the floor and are generally easier to clean than the wood itself. Use rugs with backings to reduce the risk of slipping, but make sure that the backing material is something that won’t damage the floor.
Grab a Broom
Quick cleaning on a daily, bi-weekly or weekly basis can be done using a soft-bristled broom and a dustpan. This removes superficial dirt before it becomes ingrained in the floor surface. Small brooms and handheld vacuums are useful for cleaning in corners. To get rid of even more dust and debris, try a sweeper that uses electrostatic dust cloths. Pay special attention to areas where dirt is most likely to build up, such as the kitchen, the front hallway and the bathroom.
Take Care With the Vacuum Cleaner
Opinions differ on how often you should vacuum hardwood floors. For high-traffic areas, daily vacuuming may be necessary to remove deeper dirt. In other rooms, bi-weekly or weekly vacuuming should suffice.
One thing that everyone agrees on is to never use a beater bar. The harsh bristles can damage the finish and leave it looking dull. Instead, use the hardwood floor setting or a floor brush attachment to lift away dirt. Electric brooms are also gentle enough to use for frequent cleaning. Don’t be tempted by the “deeper clean” that floor buffers claim to offer. The abrasive pads can ruin the surface of the wood.
Be Smart About Deep Cleaning
Even with preventative maintenance and routine cleaning, wood flooring still winds up with grime, oil and stubborn dirt on its surface. That’s why it’s important to clean the floor more aggressively once or twice a year. However, you have to use the correct kind of cleaning products and tools. Your goal should be to leave no standing water at all and avoid harsh substances that can scratch or dull the finish.
The best cleaning solutions are mild and include mixtures of dish soap and water; a solution of water, olive oil and lemon juice; hot water and borax; and lukewarm black tea. Apply your chosen cleaner using a damp mop by dipping the mop into the solution and wringing it out until it’s almost dry. Finish off by buffing the floor with a towel. Alternatively, you can place the cleaner in a spray bottle and mist the floor as you go.
Never use any of the following cleaning methods or solutions on a wood floor:
All of these can cause damage or result in slick floors that pose a hazard to you and your family.
Spot Cleaning
Diligence in regular cleaning will prevent the most serious messes, but it’s impossible to completely avoid scuffs, marks and spots. If you discover any blemishes on your wood floor, sprinkle the area with baking soda and clean it with a damp sponge. The dirt should lift right off.
Drips, spills, sticky streaks and food that can dry onto the floor should be cleaned up immediately. If you miss something and find an unidentifiable substance stuck to the wood, use a cleaner formulated to remove tough dirt and wipe with a gentle cloth. Deep stains and spots may require sanding and refinishing to remove.
Following these tips may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth the effort when it comes to maintaining your hardwood floors. As you begin to incorporate each step into your regular cleaning regimen, you’ll see the true beauty of the wood begin to shine through. All it takes to continue enjoying that beauty is to devote a little extra time each day to proper floor care. In our opinion, it’s time well spent.
Photo Credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/38906013@N05/3577027339/”>Revolution Mills</a> via <a href=”http://compfight.com”>Compfight</a> <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147″>cc</a>
https://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/3577027339_7f2cf736c8_o.jpg576864Mitch Nydishhttps://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ClassicFloorDesignsLogo-Header2-300x138.pngMitch Nydish2016-04-21 20:05:502016-04-21 20:25:31Tips for Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Unless you’re going with a completely eclectic design, decorating your interior living space is all about adhering to a theme (and indeed, eclectic designs can be considered a theme in of themselves). Many times, a theme has a lot to do with color: the floors, the paintings, the furniture, and so on. So with that in mind, what are the best color options to match your hardwood flooring with your walls? In this article, we will talk about the easiest and best ways to make your living space really mesh between the walls and floors.
The great thing about wood, other than its elegance and its ease of maintenance, is that there is a wide abundance of colors to choose from. There is no such thing as a “standard” color of wood floor: you can pick from a wide variety of tree species, undertones, and stains. Indeed, there are so many options that it can even be overwhelming when trying to match a floor to a wall, but that’s what we’re here for!
The simplest thing you can do to coordinate color between the floor and wall is to pick a neutral tone of paint for the walls. Virtually any color of wood pairs nicely with a neutral wall (white is a very popular option). Even mixed wood floors will do well when put against a neutral background, allowing you a bit of creative freedom when it comes to installation. If you’re worried about the space not having enough personality, throw in some colorful furniture and/or rugs to make it vibrant.
For some people, however, neutral colors are boring. So many people have white or similarly-colored walls, so perhaps you want to break the mold and do something off-kilter. Perhaps you should consider choosing a wall shade comparable to your floorboards. If your wood has golden or reddish undertones going for it, paint your walls a warm color as a complement. Orange flooring pairs nicely with rust-colored or terracotta walls, and rich, red woods look gorgeous next to a wine or burgundy paint. Pair gray or ashen woods with cool colors like blue or green.
Now, what if you want to take it one step farther and go for an off-the-wall, bold look? That’s simple, as well: play up the contrast. Find out what shade of wood you have, look opposite the color wheel, and bam, there’s the color of your walls. As an example, if your wood has a warm color like orange or gold, paint the walls a cool blue or gray. Both surfaces end up popping when you go with such a paint scheme, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
https://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/painted-livingroom-walls-trim.jpg6831024cotc_adminhttps://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ClassicFloorDesignsLogo-Header2-300x138.pngcotc_admin2016-03-16 02:18:022016-03-10 02:22:18Household Color to Go with Hardwood
We talk a lot about the various points in your house that are covered with flooring: the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and so on. Have you ever thought about the flooring options that are available for your stairs, however? It isn’t something that is often covered, so without further ado, here are some suggestions for your staircases regarding safety and design.
First of all, let’s talk about that safety aspect. No one likes to think too hard about it, but the cold hard facts show that falls on stairs are one of the leading reasons that Americans have to visit emergency rooms. That is why it is critically important to consider the overall safety of any flooring option you decide to go with, especially if you have children or elderly people living in the home that may have to go up and down stairs.
Now let’s talk about the various types and styles of flooring that you have at your disposal. We’ll talk not only about the visuals, but the safety concerns as well. There are two very common options that homeowners will go with when flooring their staircases:
1) Hardwood flooring. Everybody loves the idea of hardwood: it’s elegant and lends a fine aesthetic to any household. It can be installed in any variety of patterns and colors, further modified by stains. It is easy to clean and hard to mess up, ensuring that it will last for a long time with a minimum of upkeep. On the con side of things, it is often slippery, especially when one is wearing socks. It is important to make sure that your stairs are not too tall when considering hardwood. For added safety, think about installing safety strips every couple of steps.
2) Carpeting. This is especially great if you can get it to match whatever carpet you have on the adjoining levels and adjacent rooms. It does require a bit more maintenance and cleaning than a floor such as hardwood, but it has the benefits of being quiet underfoot, feeling nice on the soles of your feet, and serving as a cushion in the event of a spill down the steps. Another note: you can combine carpeting over hard wood if your bottom or top floors do involve wood; a strip of wood on either side of carpeting will make sure that your stairs don’t look out of place!
For more information regarding other types of flooring such as tile, laminate, or cork, give us a call!
https://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/traditional-staircase.jpg750500cotc_adminhttps://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ClassicFloorDesignsLogo-Header2-300x138.pngcotc_admin2016-03-12 02:37:552016-03-10 02:41:14Flooring for Stairs
The last time we talked about flooring, we dug all the way back through human history to the days when a floor was little more than a simple patch of dirt. Over time, humans developed the technology and know-how to turn these dirt surfaces into something more, going from primitive straw-and-cow-dung cement to wood planks to heated stone floors within a few millennia. Carpets and rugs began to pop up around the known world in Asia and the Middle East, eventually being brought back to Europe and beyond. But where did we go from there?
Interestingly, a lot of the flooring options other than stone and hard wood came to us largely by accident. You likely either have or know someone who has linoleum flooring in their kitchen. This material was developed in England by a man named Frederick Walton in the mid-1800s. At the time, rubber floors had fallen out of favor and had been so for two centuries. Walton was a rubber manufacturer and noticed that linseed oil formed a flexible skin when it solidified, not unlike rubber. Once he perfected the process of manufacturing sheets of this skin, we had our first linoleum flooring.
Along with Walton’s linoleum, materials such as cork and asphalt became popular in tiled floors in the late 1800s and continued to be so until the early 20th century. It was at this time that an American inventor named Waldo Semon accidentally created what we now call PVC, or vinyl. He was attempting to bond metal with rubber in the year 1926 and in the process, invented PVC. At first, his material was used in shock absorbers, synthetic tires, and wire insulation. After the end of World War II, however, it became a popular flooring material that you can still buy and install to this day.
The truly remarkable thing about floors these days is that nobody is limited to a single type of floor, and indeed, I’m willing to bet that you have multiple materials in your own home. What kind(s) of flooring materials are you interested in or do you already own?
https://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lino-flooring-2.jpg250650cotc_adminhttps://classicfloordesigns.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ClassicFloorDesignsLogo-Header2-300x138.pngcotc_admin2016-03-08 02:47:502016-03-10 02:56:27Flooring 101: History of Floors, Pt. 2
Hardwood Floor Color Options
/in Uncategorized /by Mitch NydishSelecting the right hardwood floor color for your home is never as easy as it looks. One color may look amazing at the store, but the lighting and interior design in your home can make it appear completely different. Once your hardwood floor color and finish have been installed, it will be years until they are changed. Due to this, it is important to choose the right hardwood floor color before you spend the time and effort installing hardwood flooring.
The first step in the process is to decide if you want light or dark floors. While both options are beautiful, they have different requirements in terms of maintenance and cleaning. In addition, you will want to make sure that the hardwood flooring matches the interior design and ambiance of your home.
Dark Hardwood Floor Color Options
In recent years, dark wood floors have become a major trend in new properties. The refurbished flooring and vintage material fads have made dark wood highly sought after. From old plantation floors to rich, heart pine boards, dark flooring is coming back in style.
The nice thing about dark woods is that they can work with a number of other colors and designs. You could mix them with earth tones for a bohemian or a natural look. Combined with bright, vivid colors, dark wood floors contrast beautifully for a vibrant living room or dining room. No matter what type of color pallet you want, dark woods can match just about anything.
While many people believe that dark wood is inherently formal, it can actually be used for a comfortable, relaxed interior. If you stain your floors with a darker color, it will make them appear aged like vintage wood. When choosing dark wood flooring, you can use a wood that is naturally dark like walnut or cherry flooring. It is also possible to choose a light-colored floor like oak and stain it to be darker. Basically, you can choose whichever wood fits your budget and style and stain it to match the color that you want.
What Are the Downsides to Darker Floors?
Depending on how sensitive you are to cleanliness, you may want to choose different types of flooring. Throughout the years, children, dogs and general wear can cause scratches to appear on the floors. This process is entirely normal, but it will cause your dark wood flooring to look scuffed up over time.
Fortunately, the scuff marks only affect the hardwood floor finishes that you use. Unless the finish has worn away or something heavy scratches the floor, the scuff marks are unlikely to affect the wood. Due to this, your best option is to choose a flooring that is easy to touch up. There are pre-finished flooring options available that allow you to touch up the finish without having to sand the floor. This simple product makes it easy to remove the dirt, wear and tear that normally happen in daily life.
Places Where You Should Never Use Dark Hardwood Floor Colors
Dark woods have a tendency to make a small room appear even smaller. As a rule, you will want to use a wood that is at least 8 inches wide. In addition to having fewer seams, the wider board will help to balance out the dark color. You may also want to avoid using dark hardwood flooring next to cabinets or furniture that contains dark wood. It can be difficult to get the woods to match up perfectly, and too many dark colors can overwhelm the room. Instead, it may be better to pick cabinetry that contrast with the flooring.
Light Hardwood Floor Color Options
Another option for hardwood floor colors can be found with light wood floors. Strip oak floors have been one of the most popular light wood solutions for the last three decades. These colors work with a variety of interior designs and can be modified to create different looks. In general, floors that have a white finish will match almost any décor. For a different option, light burlap-colored floors can give you the same ambiance without having to install a floor that is actually white.
Beautiful oak and maple floors are some of the most popular light hardwood floor color options available. While these may be the most common, hickory is a gorgeous alternative that is reasonably priced. Unlike dark wood flooring, you will have to select a wood that is already light in color. While you can try staining the wood, it is much easier to start with a hardwood that is already light-colored.
What Are the Downsides to Light Hardwood Floor Colors?
If you want a very light, white finish, it can be difficult to achieve. In some cases, you may have to stain light floors, paint them and add a custom sealer to make sure that the flooring maintains a white color. In addition, you have to be careful to use the right finish to get a whiter tone. Eastern white pine and maple floors should use a clear-based finish to get a light color. If you use an oil-based finish on these floors, they can end up looking yellow.
Places Where You Should Never Use Light Hardwood Floor Colors
In reality, there are very few places where you cannot use a light wood. Light wood floors make it harder to see dust, dirt and debris, which makes them ideal for high traffic areas. In terms of maintenance options, you will want to apply the right sealer to your floor. As long as you have a sealer on your light woods, they will be protected from any spills or scuff marks that occur during daily life.
There are numerous wood types, stains and colors available for your home. Ultimately, your decision is determined by the type of ambiance you want and the lifestyle you live. While light floors hide dust and dirt better, dark wood floors provide a vivid contrast within your home. Take some time to consider the type of wood that matches your interior design because the hardwood flooring could be in your home for decades.
Photo Credit: SuperiorFloors via Compfight cc
Eco-Friendly Flooring Options
/in Uncategorized /by Mitch NydishIf you’re in the market for new flooring for your home or business and try to lead the most environmentally friendly lifestyle possible, it’s well worth it to explore today’s many stunning, eco-friendly, flooring options. It’s easy to add flooring to the home that is not only sustainable and environmentally responsible but attractive and affordable to boot. Happily, you no longer have to compromise between aesthetics and environmental consciousness when selecting flooring—and you don’t have to spend a fortune to upgrade to green flooring, either.
Eco-Friendly Flooring: The Basics
Like anything that is labeled “green” or “eco friendly,” green flooring is flooring that is healthy for the environment. This may be because it is made out of reclaimed materials, thus preventing them from ending up in landfills. It may also mean being made out of sustainable, renewable materials that don’t have as negative of an impact on the health of the environment. Additionally, green flooring doesn’t contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which off-gas into the air and reduce indoor air quality. As a result, it can help improve the overall health and well-being of everyone in the home.
Why Go Green with Flooring?
Replacing flooring in the home gives you the opportunity to make earth friendly choices for whatever you do next. Classic Floor Designs is a major proponent of green flooring, and we offer a wide array of options. Going green with your flooring brings many advantages to the table. By opting for flooring that’s made out of reclaimed or recycled materials, you keep non-biodegradable materials out of landfills. When you choose flooring that’s made out of sustainable materials, you can feel good knowing that the plants that were used to make them will regrow in a timely manner, preventing ongoing damage to the environment. Beyond these benefits, green flooring enhances indoor air quality in a home by eschewing VOCs.
Types of Eco-Friendly Flooring
Now that we’ve got you all excited about eco-friendly flooring, you’re probably ready to learn about the most popular green options. Happily, there are more options than ever when it comes to this type of flooring. Consumers have become increasingly conscientious about carbon footprints and their impact on the environment, so demand has grown significantly for flooring that’s made out of green materials. Some of the most popular options include:
Carpet – Sure, carpet’s been around forever. It can be made out of many different materials, however, and many of them happen to be remarkably good for the environment. If you want carpeting that is easy on the environment, choose a style that is made out of natural materials. Such materials include jute, wool, cotton and sisal—all of which are available in a dizzying array of colors, styles and designs. There’s also polyester Berber, which is made out of recycled plastic bottles. Recycled carpet tiles are another way to go and have the additional advantage of being highly customizable. If one tile becomes damaged, you can easily swap it out for a new one.
Hardwood – There’s no denying the beauty and elegance of hardwood flooring. Hardwoods are non-toxic, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, so they are excellent options for environmentally conscious people to consider. Another increasingly popular option is to use reclaimed or salvaged wood from old buildings and the like. It is then re-milled to ensure optimal quality and beauty. New lumber from dead trees is also a great way to go, as it keeps dead wood from being burned up and contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Bamboo – People often mistake bamboo for a hardwood, but it’s actually a very fast-growing grass. Bamboo for flooring can typically be harvested within five to seven years while hardwood typically requires 50 to 150 years to grow before its ready. It’s available in a variety of colors and grains, so it’s easy to find a unique look to suit your home. As an added bonus, bamboo is naturally resistant to termites and is quite affordable when stacked up against hardwood.
Cork – We’re often greeted with looks of surprise when we recommend cork as an eco-friendly flooring choice. Indeed, many folks are unaware that cork makes for a great flooring material, but that’s undeniably the case. Cork oak trees aren’t destroyed to produce cork. Rather, only the bark is stripped away, and it can then regrow in as little as three years. Cork is comfortably soft to walk on, provides great sound insulation and lasts for 10 to 30 years. It’s also naturally resistant to mold, fire, mildew and termites.
Tile – The previous options aren’t usually suitable to areas of the home that are subject to moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms. Luckily, tile can be every bit as green as the other options; you just have to buy the right thing. Terrazzo tile that’s made out of recycled materials like stone, glass, masonry and concrete is available. It lasts an average of 40 years and is resistant to mold, mildew and stains. When purchasing, make sure that few—if any—VOCs were used in the epoxy to avoid inadvertently introducing them to your home and degrading its indoor air quality.
Go Green with Classic Floor Designs
Enhance the environmental friendliness of your home with green flooring from Classic Floor Designs. We strive to provide our valued customers with the finest flooring options that are available today, and we are the go-to authority for green flooring. As such, we stock a huge array of eco-friendly flooring options, including bamboo, natural carpeting materials and even leather, which is ideal for small, less heavily trafficked areas and is prized for its longevity, elegant aging and green qualities. Our team can help you select the green flooring option that’s perfect for whatever remodeling project you are undertaking, whether it’s in the kitchen, the master bedroom, the bathroom or elsewhere around the home. With so many beautiful eco-friendly flooring options available and so many affordable choices, green flooring is a natural choice in more ways than one.
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Tips for Cleaning Hardwood Floors
/in News /by Mitch NydishHardwood flooring enhances the appearance of any room in your home, but these rugged surfaces represent a big investment. Like any investment, you want to be sure that you get the highest returns possible. When it comes to flooring, proper cleaning of hardwood determines your ability to enjoy their beauty for many years without worrying about damage or repairs.
Here at Classic Floor Designs, we recommend a regular cleaning regimen to maintain the original appearance of your hardwood floors. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about what products to use, what methods to avoid and how often to clean. We hope that these tips will help clear up any confusion and guide you in preserving the floors you love.
Know Your Floor Type
There are two types of wood flooring: solid and engineered. Both offer the beautiful appearance that makes hardwood so attractive, but the materials differ slightly when it comes to routine cleaning and long-term care.
Solid floors are made from single pieces of hardwood that are generally about three-quarters of an inch thick. Most come finished with a protective coating that creates a reflective “high gloss” look. Solid wood is available in many common and exotic varieties that can be sanded and refinished up to ten times over the life of the floor.
Engineered flooring is pieced together from three to five layers of high- or medium-density fiberboard with a thin hardwood veneer on top. Because of the minimal amount of hardwood used, these floors can only undergo one to two rounds of refinishing. However, they tend to be more durable than solid floors when it comes to handling high foot traffic and varying levels of humidity.
Invest in Mats and Rugs
Preventative maintenance cuts down on the amount of dirt and grime that comes in contact with your floors. Place a heavy-duty mat outside your front door for people to wipe their shoes on, and position another mat just inside the threshold. Have visitors and family members remove their shoes before stepping inside. Use a boot or shoe tray to keep footwear organized and away from the wood surface.
Area rugs are perfect for high-traffic spots or rooms where kids spend a lot of time. Rugs keep messes off the floor and are generally easier to clean than the wood itself. Use rugs with backings to reduce the risk of slipping, but make sure that the backing material is something that won’t damage the floor.
Grab a Broom
Quick cleaning on a daily, bi-weekly or weekly basis can be done using a soft-bristled broom and a dustpan. This removes superficial dirt before it becomes ingrained in the floor surface. Small brooms and handheld vacuums are useful for cleaning in corners. To get rid of even more dust and debris, try a sweeper that uses electrostatic dust cloths. Pay special attention to areas where dirt is most likely to build up, such as the kitchen, the front hallway and the bathroom.
Take Care With the Vacuum Cleaner
Opinions differ on how often you should vacuum hardwood floors. For high-traffic areas, daily vacuuming may be necessary to remove deeper dirt. In other rooms, bi-weekly or weekly vacuuming should suffice.
One thing that everyone agrees on is to never use a beater bar. The harsh bristles can damage the finish and leave it looking dull. Instead, use the hardwood floor setting or a floor brush attachment to lift away dirt. Electric brooms are also gentle enough to use for frequent cleaning. Don’t be tempted by the “deeper clean” that floor buffers claim to offer. The abrasive pads can ruin the surface of the wood.
Be Smart About Deep Cleaning
Even with preventative maintenance and routine cleaning, wood flooring still winds up with grime, oil and stubborn dirt on its surface. That’s why it’s important to clean the floor more aggressively once or twice a year. However, you have to use the correct kind of cleaning products and tools. Your goal should be to leave no standing water at all and avoid harsh substances that can scratch or dull the finish.
The best cleaning solutions are mild and include mixtures of dish soap and water; a solution of water, olive oil and lemon juice; hot water and borax; and lukewarm black tea. Apply your chosen cleaner using a damp mop by dipping the mop into the solution and wringing it out until it’s almost dry. Finish off by buffing the floor with a towel. Alternatively, you can place the cleaner in a spray bottle and mist the floor as you go.
Never use any of the following cleaning methods or solutions on a wood floor:
• Wet mopping
• Steam cleaning
• Vinegar solutions
• Ammonia-based cleaners
• Furniture polish
• Wax- or oil-based cleaners
All of these can cause damage or result in slick floors that pose a hazard to you and your family.
Spot Cleaning
Diligence in regular cleaning will prevent the most serious messes, but it’s impossible to completely avoid scuffs, marks and spots. If you discover any blemishes on your wood floor, sprinkle the area with baking soda and clean it with a damp sponge. The dirt should lift right off.
Drips, spills, sticky streaks and food that can dry onto the floor should be cleaned up immediately. If you miss something and find an unidentifiable substance stuck to the wood, use a cleaner formulated to remove tough dirt and wipe with a gentle cloth. Deep stains and spots may require sanding and refinishing to remove.
Following these tips may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth the effort when it comes to maintaining your hardwood floors. As you begin to incorporate each step into your regular cleaning regimen, you’ll see the true beauty of the wood begin to shine through. All it takes to continue enjoying that beauty is to devote a little extra time each day to proper floor care. In our opinion, it’s time well spent.
Photo Credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/38906013@N05/3577027339/”>Revolution Mills</a> via <a href=”http://compfight.com”>Compfight</a> <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147″>cc</a>
Household Color to Go with Hardwood
/in News /by cotc_adminUnless you’re going with a completely eclectic design, decorating your interior living space is all about adhering to a theme (and indeed, eclectic designs can be considered a theme in of themselves). Many times, a theme has a lot to do with color: the floors, the paintings, the furniture, and so on. So with that in mind, what are the best color options to match your hardwood flooring with your walls? In this article, we will talk about the easiest and best ways to make your living space really mesh between the walls and floors.
The great thing about wood, other than its elegance and its ease of maintenance, is that there is a wide abundance of colors to choose from. There is no such thing as a “standard” color of wood floor: you can pick from a wide variety of tree species, undertones, and stains. Indeed, there are so many options that it can even be overwhelming when trying to match a floor to a wall, but that’s what we’re here for!
The simplest thing you can do to coordinate color between the floor and wall is to pick a neutral tone of paint for the walls. Virtually any color of wood pairs nicely with a neutral wall (white is a very popular option). Even mixed wood floors will do well when put against a neutral background, allowing you a bit of creative freedom when it comes to installation. If you’re worried about the space not having enough personality, throw in some colorful furniture and/or rugs to make it vibrant.
For some people, however, neutral colors are boring. So many people have white or similarly-colored walls, so perhaps you want to break the mold and do something off-kilter. Perhaps you should consider choosing a wall shade comparable to your floorboards. If your wood has golden or reddish undertones going for it, paint your walls a warm color as a complement. Orange flooring pairs nicely with rust-colored or terracotta walls, and rich, red woods look gorgeous next to a wine or burgundy paint. Pair gray or ashen woods with cool colors like blue or green.
Now, what if you want to take it one step farther and go for an off-the-wall, bold look? That’s simple, as well: play up the contrast. Find out what shade of wood you have, look opposite the color wheel, and bam, there’s the color of your walls. As an example, if your wood has a warm color like orange or gold, paint the walls a cool blue or gray. Both surfaces end up popping when you go with such a paint scheme, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
What colors do you like on your walls?
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Flooring for Stairs
/in News /by cotc_adminWe talk a lot about the various points in your house that are covered with flooring: the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and so on. Have you ever thought about the flooring options that are available for your stairs, however? It isn’t something that is often covered, so without further ado, here are some suggestions for your staircases regarding safety and design.
First of all, let’s talk about that safety aspect. No one likes to think too hard about it, but the cold hard facts show that falls on stairs are one of the leading reasons that Americans have to visit emergency rooms. That is why it is critically important to consider the overall safety of any flooring option you decide to go with, especially if you have children or elderly people living in the home that may have to go up and down stairs.
Now let’s talk about the various types and styles of flooring that you have at your disposal. We’ll talk not only about the visuals, but the safety concerns as well. There are two very common options that homeowners will go with when flooring their staircases:
1) Hardwood flooring. Everybody loves the idea of hardwood: it’s elegant and lends a fine aesthetic to any household. It can be installed in any variety of patterns and colors, further modified by stains. It is easy to clean and hard to mess up, ensuring that it will last for a long time with a minimum of upkeep. On the con side of things, it is often slippery, especially when one is wearing socks. It is important to make sure that your stairs are not too tall when considering hardwood. For added safety, think about installing safety strips every couple of steps.
2) Carpeting. This is especially great if you can get it to match whatever carpet you have on the adjoining levels and adjacent rooms. It does require a bit more maintenance and cleaning than a floor such as hardwood, but it has the benefits of being quiet underfoot, feeling nice on the soles of your feet, and serving as a cushion in the event of a spill down the steps. Another note: you can combine carpeting over hard wood if your bottom or top floors do involve wood; a strip of wood on either side of carpeting will make sure that your stairs don’t look out of place!
For more information regarding other types of flooring such as tile, laminate, or cork, give us a call!
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Flooring 101: History of Floors, Pt. 2
/in News /by cotc_adminThe last time we talked about flooring, we dug all the way back through human history to the days when a floor was little more than a simple patch of dirt. Over time, humans developed the technology and know-how to turn these dirt surfaces into something more, going from primitive straw-and-cow-dung cement to wood planks to heated stone floors within a few millennia. Carpets and rugs began to pop up around the known world in Asia and the Middle East, eventually being brought back to Europe and beyond. But where did we go from there?
Interestingly, a lot of the flooring options other than stone and hard wood came to us largely by accident. You likely either have or know someone who has linoleum flooring in their kitchen. This material was developed in England by a man named Frederick Walton in the mid-1800s. At the time, rubber floors had fallen out of favor and had been so for two centuries. Walton was a rubber manufacturer and noticed that linseed oil formed a flexible skin when it solidified, not unlike rubber. Once he perfected the process of manufacturing sheets of this skin, we had our first linoleum flooring.
Along with Walton’s linoleum, materials such as cork and asphalt became popular in tiled floors in the late 1800s and continued to be so until the early 20th century. It was at this time that an American inventor named Waldo Semon accidentally created what we now call PVC, or vinyl. He was attempting to bond metal with rubber in the year 1926 and in the process, invented PVC. At first, his material was used in shock absorbers, synthetic tires, and wire insulation. After the end of World War II, however, it became a popular flooring material that you can still buy and install to this day.
The truly remarkable thing about floors these days is that nobody is limited to a single type of floor, and indeed, I’m willing to bet that you have multiple materials in your own home. What kind(s) of flooring materials are you interested in or do you already own?
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