Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "How to Care for Your Hardwood Floors" has been reviewed by our editorial staff to ensure that it is appropriate for this blog. We hope you enjoy it.

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A beautiful hardwood floor is an asset to almost any home, and more and more homeowners are using hardwood floors to bring warmth and style to their home. But once you have a beautiful wood floor installed, what can you do to make sure that it stays looking gorgeous for years to come?

The very first thing you should know about hardwood floors is that water is one of its worst enemies. So if any spills take place, be sure to clean them up as soon as you possibly can. In fact, it may be a good idea not only to wipe out the spill, but also use a wet/dry vacuum to make sure that you get all of the moisture out of the floor.

That also means that when you are cleaning your floor with a mop, it's best to use a very dry damp mop that will not leave any excess water on the floor that can seep into the seams and cause problems.

To avoid the moisture problem, most often it's best to either sweep your wood floors or vacuum them instead. Sweeping should always be done with a very soft bristle broom, and whenever you vacuum be sure that it is set properly for use on would floors. Do not try to use the same setting for your carpet on your wood floors too.

Much damage can also be inflicted on a wood floor from moving objects across the floor. From time to time we all move furniture around, but on a wood floor you have to think very carefully before making the move. You never want to drag furniture across the floor, as this is an excellent way to badly damage and mar your floor. If you have to move furniture in the room where your wood floor is located, be sure to take the furniture up off the floor when moving, or use special furniture pads that will allow you to glide the furniture across the floor without leaving a mark.

Keeping dirt, sand, and grit off your floor will be very important. So the proper use of carpeting can really help extend the life of a wood floor. Using a floor mat at each entrance will help catch dirt and grit as a person walks into the room instead of depositing it on the hardwood floor. In addition, using area rugs and runners can be another very effective first line of defense against harmful abrasive materials that can wear down the beauty and shine of even the best wood floor. And be sure to keep your rugs and runners well vacuumed.

If at all possible, try to keep family and visitors from wearing shoes, or especially high heels on hardwood floors, as these can easily do damage and cause dents.

Finally, a good practice is to install furniture pads underneath the legs of any chairs or tables that are placed on your wood floor. They are usually readily available at most home improvement stores or hardware stores and are very inexpensive. That they can go a long way toward protecting your wood floors from unnecessary damage.

None of these suggestions are hard to follow, or will cost very much to implement. But if you put them in practice on a regular basis, you can expect to see your wood floors continue to look bright, shiny, and beautiful for many years to come.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find the best laminate flooring and cheap laminate flooring by visiting our Home Improvement website.

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Tags: hardwood flooring, hardwood floors, hardwood floor, wood floors, prefinished, oak flooring, engineered flooring, exotic flooring, unfinished flooring, hardwood flooring, bamboo, laminate, hardwoodflooring, maple, cherry, antique hardwood flooring

Today’s Feature Article. "You Can't Beat Oriental Rugs For Elegance" has been reviewed by our editorial staff to ensure that it is appropriate for this blog. We hope you find its contents enjoyable.

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Oriental rugs will add timeless beauty to your home, will coordinate with any décor, and enhance any room, hallway, or entrance. They are also a favorite option when decorating home offices, and are a particularly good choice for high traffic areas because of the intricacies of their designs, which hide wear and tear. The term "oriental" refers to rugs produced on the continent of Asia, such as Persian (from Iran), Indian, Chinese, and Turkish rugs. Imitations of the popular oriental patterns are also available and produced by manufacturers such as Nourison in the USA, and Sphinx, also in the USA but with its parent company in Egypt.

Making rugs by hand is an ancient art and the old designs reflect the religious and ethnic structures of the times in the countries or areas of origin. Many of these ancient designs are still produced today, sometimes hand-woven and hand-knotted, other times woven by machine. The most traditional patterns are those with a floral or garden motif, or geometric or curvilinear designs around a central medallion or a central painting-like scene. Oriental rugs used to be constructed only with such natural fibers as wool, cotton, silk, or goat and camel hair, or blends of these materials, but now you can find them made with less expensive synthetic materials such as olefin (polypropylene), nylon, polyester, and acrylic. Wool rugs remain the first choice in durable, soft, dirt-and-fire resistant, warm rugs, but synthetic reproductions make oriental area rugs more affordable. They come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes – round, oval, rectangular, and, of course, the popular runner.

How to Choose Oriental Rugs for Your Home
Decide on how you are going to use each area rug. Is it going to define furniture groupings or unify all the elements in the room? Is its primary use to protect a floor or a carpet? Is its prime function to add warmth and comfort? The use of the rug will dictate its size and shape. As well, you should keep these points in mind:
· The colors should be harmonious with other colors in the room.
· If the center of the carpet will be visible, medallions or central scenes are good choices, but if the center will be fully or partially hidden under a table or other furniture, it is better to go with a repetitive design or an elaborate and interesting border.
· A family with health problems will appreciate rugs with natural fibers since they have the advantage of not releasing chemicals into the air as synthetics do.
· Very colorful and busy designs can make an oriental rug the focal point in a room, but if the room is already colorful with intricate drapery and upholstery fabric designs, choose simple designs and subtle colors.
· If you are going to use two different rugs in one room, make sure the colors and patterns blend and complement each other.

Important Cost Considerations
It is not as difficult as you may think to find good quality, cheap area rugs with oriental designs. When you shop online, you deal directly with online retailers who can offer discount and warehouse prices because there are no storefront costs and no middlemen to pay. As well as shopping online, here are other considerations that can make the oriental rug of your dreams affordable:
· An antique rug is the most expensive and should have documentation attesting to its authenticity; imitations are much less costly.
· Natural fibers are more expensive than synthetic.
· Hand-made, hand-woven, and hand-knotted rugs made by weavers are more durable and much more expensive than machine woven and knotted.
· The number of knots per square inch indicates its quality, and a higher number means a higher cost.
· Very intricate and rare designs are the most expensive.
· The country or area of origin affects the price.

Whether you spring for a genuine antique oriental wool rug that has been hand woven and hand knotted in Iran, or you choose a polypropylene machine woven rug with an oriental design manufactured in North America, you will be adding beauty, warmth and comfort to your home. Enjoy!

About the Author: Laura Gray is currently a freelance writer and enjoys providing tips to consumers who are in the market for all types of cheap rugs and contemporary rugs.

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on childrens area rugs, sisal area rugs or area rugs. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: area rugs, wool rugs, contemporary area rugs, braided rugs, afghan rugs, persian rugs, oriental rugs, handmade rugs, round rugs, custom rugs, tribal rugs, persian carpets, runners, turkish rugs

Today’s Feature Article. "Laminate Flooring , A Floor For All Seasons?" has been reviewed by our editorial staff to ensure that it is appropriate for this blog. We hope you find its contents enjoyable.

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Real wooden floors can bring warmth and comfort to a room, turning ordinary dwellings into cozy cottages, gray office quarters into lounge-like spaces, and a house into a home. But with the current shortage of trees, and with forests disappearing all over the world, hardwoods will be harder and harder to come by.

There is a substitute, however, for hardwood floors. Laminates are sold as planks or panels, and are fashioned to look like wood, stone, or tile. These planks are made of thick, water-resistant material, and are shaped so that they fit together like snug, interlocking pieces. They are fitted through the floating installation method, where they rest on top of a subfloor, which may be made of plywood, concrete, or existing flooring.

Laminates can be made to look exactly like your hardwood of choice, be it mahogany, oak, or cherry. Because they aren’t made of real wood, they can withstand extreme impact, scratching, cigarette burns, and exposure to sunlight, all without fading or being heavily damaged. Not much is needed to maintain a laminate floor: all that laminates need are regular vacuuming, or a wipe-down with a damp mop or rag, and with no wax or polish at that.

Because laminates are stress resistant, they can be engineered for use most anywhere in the home, including wet areas such as the kitchen. They can also be built over heated concrete slabs – an advantage when laminates have to be fitted in countries with very cold climates. Laminates can be easily installed, and as they don’t need much cleaning or protection, need not be covered with carpets or rugs, which can carry dust mites or allergens. Thus, laminates are not only beautiful and cheap, they can contribute to healthy living as well.

Laminates, however, also carry their disadvantages. They can be scratched if heavy objects are dragged across them, or if large domestic animals – such as big dogs or cats – trudge or paw their way through them. They may be largely resistant to sun and scratches, but laminates might not be able to stand moisture. The laminate inner core is made up of a special strong material which is not especially resistant to excessive moisture. If moisture does seep into a laminate floor, the planks may be deformed, and may no longer be as scratch-proof and burn-ready as before.

Since laminates are installed above a subfloor, they can be noisy if walked on. As such, laminate manufacturers also provide special paddings to be installed in between the subfloor and laminate – not quite an advantage if you don’t want to spend more for a cheap, but nature-friendly hardwood finish.

Despite the fact that laminates are considerably cheaper than hardwood floors, and can be installed by most anybody who wants to fix their home up, any damage done to them is not easily fixed. Laminates are maintained through touch-up kits, or chip repair kits, but these kits are difficult to find, and are only designed to maintain the floor, not repair major damage.

Laminates have their goods and not-so-goods, but in the end, the decision all comes down to you. If you think you can install a floor on your own with minimal cost, and if you don’t have large animals for pets, then a laminate floor may be the best for your needs. However, if you aren’t quite sure what animals might come in the future, and if you are concerned about floorboards creaking, or getting misshapen from heat and moisture, then maybe cutting down a few trees won’t hurt.

Whatever the case, wherever you may be, laminates or not, hardwoods or floorboards, a house won’t be a home if the ground you walk on doesn’t appeal to your tastes.

Joyce Dietzel writes articles for-flooring.info a website providing information on the decision to use wood or laminate

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Tags: laminate flooring, laminate floor, laminate floors, laminated flooring, laminate wood floors, laminate wood flooring, laminated floor, laminated flooring board

Today’s Feature Article. "Laminate Floors" was chosen only after one of editorial staff read over it and considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you find its contents enjoyable.

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Laminate flooring has been very popular in Europe for quite some time. Now it is emerging in the United States as one of the most popularly used wood coverings for floors. The cause for its popularity can be attributed to the fact that it provides the hardwood look. Though it looks grand, hardwood flooring is expensive too. So, people often settle for laminate floors to get that effect at a lower price.

Moreover, laminate flooring is very durable. It can be suitably used in a variety of places - from a simple home bedroom to a showroom of automobiles. Laminate floors can be made upon just about any flat surface - be it plywood or concrete slab or hardwood flooring or sheet vinyl flooring.

Laminate floors are constructed of different layers. From the top downward as constructed, these layers are: the wear layer, the pattern or image layer, medium/high density fiber board (a processed wood core), and the balancing layer with a moisture barrier.

It may be noted that laminate is also widely used in kitchen work surfaces. However, the difference between laminate on floors and laminate on kitchen work surfaces lies in the capacity to take stress of people walking on them everyday.

A wide range of colors and patterns are available for laminate floors. The quality of these floors is also improving day by day. Laminate floors have become close imitations of real wood floors.

The dense laminate floors are not difficult to clean. They require the simplest maintenance - dust sweeping or vacuum cleaning or maybe light mopping is required. Even with minimum effort the floors look good for many, many years. A 10- to 25-year residential warranty is also often provided against staining, wearing and fading.

Laminate Floors provides detailed information on Discount Laminate Floors, Hardwood Laminate Floors, How To Clean Laminate Floors, How To Install Laminate Floors and more. Laminate Floors is affiliated with how to install laminate flooring.

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Here is today’s feature article - Happy reading!. "Oriental Area Rugs - Know Before You Buy an Oriental Rug" has been reviewed by our editorial staff to ensure that it is appropriate for this blog. We hope you find this information useful.

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Did you know that you can usually tell the country from which an Oriental rug originated from its design and style? While we often think of 'Oriental rugs' as having an overall defining style, the truth is that there are many styles of Oriental rugs, most of them growing from traditional patterns and materials common to the country or area in which they originated. Experts in Oriental rugs spend years learning the variations of patterns, materials, colors and weave that are characteristic of the different areas of the Orient.

Persian Rugs - These are the rugs that most people think of when they hear 'Oriental rug'. Persian rugs are easily the most recognized style of Oriental rug. Now known as Iran, Persia has a reputation for producing some of the most beautiful and high quality rugs throughout history. The traditional designs bear the names of the tribal regions where they are made - Tabriz, Kerman, Sarouk and others. The intricate floral and geometric patterns are a hallmark of Persian designs, which make them among the most sought after and valuable Oriental rugs.

Indian Rugs - Most Oriental rugs sold in the United States nowadays are made in India. The rug industry is one of the mainstays of rural workers in India. Indian rug producers keep a finger on the pulse of the market, so you can find rugs made in India that are made in designs that originate in nearly every other country. Oriental rugs from India are generally less expensive than from other countries. The one rug produced in India that did originate in that country is the traditional Indian dhurrie rug, a flat-weave rug of cotton, wool or other natural fibers created in a variety of traditional and contemporary patterns.

Turkey - Turkish rugs are prized not only for their beauty, but because most Turkish Oriental rugs are between 50 and 75 years old. World War I disrupted the Turkish rug industry, and it has taken nearly 50 years for the industry to begin to regain its footing. The Turkish government now encourages and supports Oriental rug weaving as an industry, and the rugs produced are striking in their rich use of color and traditional design.

Tibet - Tibetan rugs are among the most prized of all rugs. Entire villages and families are involved in the art of Oriental rug design. A Tibetan rug can take up to 3,000 hours to complete. They are made from the wool of Himalayan sheep, which is generally regarded as the best wool fiber for rug making because of its high lanolin content. Tibetan rugs feature rustic patterns and rich colors, with variations in the wool texture and coloring that increase the value and uniqueness of the finished products.

To view our list of recommended sources for the highest quality rugs online, visit: Recommended Online Rug Stores.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of eZerk, an informational website with articles and the latest news about various topics. Visit the website to read more about decorating and rugs.

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on childrens area rugs, contemporary area rugs or kitchen area rugs. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: area rugs, wool rugs, contemporary area rugs, braided rugs, afghan rugs, persian rugs, oriental rugs, handmade rugs, round rugs, custom rugs, tribal rugs, persian carpets, runners, turkish rugs

Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring" was posted only after being thoroughly reviewed by one of our editorial staff who considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you enjoy it.

Here’s the legal stuff: - we cannot guarantee the 100% accuracy of it’s contents. Related articles on "hardwood flooring" can easily be found for your viewing pleasure on the articles category page.

Please contact us if you feel that there is anything within todays article that is inaccurate or misleading. Please use this reference: "How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring".

Hand-scraped and Distressed hardwood floors are becoming a popular choice in today’s upscale homes and commercial buildings. These floors are a newer trend but are rooted in history. Before today’s modern sanding methods, floors were hand scraped on site to make the floors flat. Today’s hand scraping is done to add texture, richness and uniqueness.

Distressed hardwood flooring is done by machine or by hand. In an effort to reduce high labor costs, manufacturers have created machine-made distressed/scraped looking floors. These are cheaper imitations of the real thing. The problem with machine distressing is repetition of the pattern. As you look across the floor you see the same pattern repeating across the floor. This lacks a natural feel to the floor.

True hand scraped is exactly that – done by hand. When properly done this method creates a truly unique floor. These floors differ greatly in the amount of the texture added to the floor and the skill of the person scraping the floor.

Some manufacturers are just denting, scooping, or roughing the floor. Others are sanding the floor unevenly to create a worn look. Still others are scraping the entire surface of the flooring creating the most unique hand made look. Some product lines allow the customer to choose between heavy, medium and light scraping. True artisans can create a reclaimed look complete with wormholes, splits and other naturally occurring character markings.

The labor used in hand scraping varies greatly. Some floor installers simply have their crew scrape the floor after it is installed in the home. Results vary widely based on the skill of the person or persons doing the scraping. Lack of control and expertise can lead to disastrous results. Scraping is a plant environment is also varied. Some are using illegal immigrants for the scraping labor; one company uses the federal prison system, smartly not advertised as such. Yet another uses Pennsylvania Amish craftsman to create their Amish Hand-Scraped collection.

Some homeowners are buying scraped floors unfinished and applying the finish on site, but most are choosing prefinished. These floors require special methods to prepare the floor for finishing. Regular on site sanding can destroy the texture of the floor that the customer is paying for. The most expensive lines are being finished by hand sometimes referred to as “hand rubbed”. Most of the prefinished floors are excellent and create convenience and speed of installation for the contractor and homeowner alike.

One of the great benefits of a prefinished floor is the ability of each plank to move independently with the changes of humidity in the home. On site finishing bonds the finish between planks requiring the finish to split as the floor contracts at dry humidity levels. These cracks rarely create a problem and are natural in hardwood floors, they are less noticeable in prefinished microbevelled floors.

Scraped floors that have darker finished tend to show the scraping more than natural finished floors. This is due to the finish pooling in the scrapes causing shadows drawing your attention to the character in the floor. Most hardwood flooring manufacturers have web sites showing the consumer what the floors look like. Many have displays at dealers near your home so you can actually see and touch what you are buying.

Hand scraped floors are not cheap. They are for those looking for a truly unique look. The cheaper machine made distressed hardwood floors material can retail around $10 per square foot. You will pay $15 and up per square foot for hand scraped. With most things in life, the real thing is hard to imitate and most people know a fake when they see it. A true hand scraped floor will give a unique, warm, rich look to your home and will be an absolute guaranteed conversation piece with your friends and guests.

About The Author

Doug Bolton is the owner of Homerwood Hardwood Flooring, located in the heart of the Pennsylvania hardwood region - Titusville PA. You can learn more by visiting their website at http://www.homerwood.com.

dbolton@homerwood.com

Additional Resources

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Tags: hardwood flooring, hardwood floors, hardwood floor, wood floors, prefinished, oak flooring, engineered flooring, exotic flooring, unfinished flooring, hardwood flooring, bamboo, laminate, hardwoodflooring, maple, cherry, antique hardwood flooring

Here is today’s feature article - Happy reading!. "Add Beauty and Elegance to Your home with Oriental Rugs" was posted only after being thoroughly reviewed by one of our editorial staff who considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you find its contents enjoyable.

The legal stuff: - We are not able to guarantee 100% accuracy of the article’s contents. Similar articles on "oriental rugs" can easily be found for your viewing pleasure on the articles category page.

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Oriental rugs can be purchased in a great variety of colors and patterns, and will add beauty and elegance to your home décor. When you decide to decorate a room, consider choosing one or more of these exciting and durable area rugs as a cornerstone for your color and design choices. If you are adding a rug to an existing decorating plan, you will have no trouble finding one that complements the choices already made. Although oriental rugs are found most often in living rooms and dining rooms, they are also a popular choice as runners for high traffic areas, for foyers, and even for bedrooms. Your home decorating scheme can include them throughout the interior of your house if you really love them.

What is an Oriental Rug?

When the term "oriental" is used in reference to rugs, it means those rugs produced anywhere on the continent of Asia, and includes:

• Persian rugs – made in Iran (formerly Persia), the country that produces more handmade rugs than all other rug-making countries combined, and are considered by many to be the finest

• Afghanistan rugs – still woven mainly by nomadic tribes

• Indian rugs – mostly imitation of Persian designs, but of coarser wool

• Pakistan rugs – from the country that is the fourth largest rug producer in the world

• Caucasian rugs – from the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and characterized by bright red, rust, or burgundy colors, bold geometric designs, and narrow borders

• Rugs from Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Tibet, and a host of other Asian countries

Each country produces its own distinct style and quality of rug, although many are imitations of Persian designs, as well as modern Tibetan and Indo-Persian designs. Making rugs by hand is an ancient art, and the designs reflect the religious and ethnic structures found in the history of the countries of origin. These designs are still produced today, sometimes by hand and sometimes within a modern rug-weaving industry. The common patterns are traditional floral or garden motifs, often with a central medallion, or a geometric or curvilinear design, or central scenes that look like paintings.

How to Choose Oriental Rugs for Your Home

To decorate with oriental rugs, it is important to take both color and design into consideration. The color should be harmonious with the other colors in the room in which the rug is to be placed and should repeat the dominant or accent colors, or include shades of one or more of them. If the colors are compatible with other colors in the room, even a modern home can be enhanced by the popular traditional designs in oriental rugs.

When choosing an appropriate design, consider how you are going to use the rug. If the center of the rug is going to be very visible, a medallion or central motif or scene is a happy choice. If, however, the center of the rug is going to be under a dining room table or under a bed, it would be better to chose one with a repetitive design or one where the most detail and interest is in the borders.

As well, very colorful rugs with very busy designs can bring a subdued room to life; simple designs and a limited color palette are better in a room that is already colorful and busy. Geometric designs work best in new or modern homes, and curvilinear designs are more appropriate for old and traditional homes. It is most important that the rug does not clash, in either color or pattern, with any other fabric in the room in which it is to be used.

How to Find a Good Buy

A reputable dealer or outlet will give you the "good buy" oriental rug for which you are shopping. Before you go to the store, give some serious thought to the color, design and size of rug you need, and how much you are willing to pay. If you have clear ideas of what you want and have made some decisions beforehand, it will reduce the dizzying number of choices facing you when you have to make your selection.

An antique oriental rug is the most expensive rug, of course, and even if cost is not an issue, authenticity is. Documentation for an antique rug, including the appraised value, is sometimes available, but if not, you can ask for an independent appraisal or a guarantee if you don’t know the dealer.

Most people, however, are not buying an antique, and are simply interested in choosing a beautiful rug and getting good value for their money. It is possible to find a discount oriental rug, or a wholesale buy if you shop around. Whether the carpet is cheap or expensive from your point of view, it is important that you understand the factors that affect the cost.

These are:

• Natural or synthetic fibers

• Method of production – handmade or machine woven

• Intricacy and rarity of design

• Region of origin

Wool is the most expensive fabric, but it is warm, durable, dirt-resistant, fire-resistant, and easy to clean, and has become the standard by which all rugs are judged. Other natural materials used in oriental rugs are cotton and silk, and blends of wool and silk. These materials are more durable than synthetics and never release chemical gases into the air, which is significant to people with health concerns. If you are looking for a less expensive rug, synthetic fibers rather than natural are the answer.

The knots per square inch (kpsi) in an oriental rug is a good indication of its quality, and a high number of knots is usually an indication of durability as well as higher cost.

Expect slight inconsistencies and at least one imperfection in a hand-woven rug originating from a country in the Middle East. The philosophy, from an Islamic point of view, is that only God is perfect, and, therefore, nothing man makes should be perfect. A flaw will be carefully woven into each rug.

"Handmade" means that the rug has been constructed by hand, but it does not necessarily mean that it has been hand-knotted. "Hand-hooked" means the yarn has been inserted into a backing with a hand-held tool. Handmade, hand-knotted rugs are superior in quality to those made by machine made because a rug is more durable when each knot has been individually tightened. Expect to pay more for them.

You can beautify your home with oriental rugs if you give some careful thought to the colors and designs that will work best with your style preferences. By taking time to shop around and make sure that you are buying a quality rug from a reputable dealer, you will be able to enjoy your beautiful rugs for many happy years.

Scott Gray is currently a freelance writer and enjoys providing tips to consumers who are in the market for all types of cheap area rugs, contemporary rugs and persian rugs.

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on oriental area rugs, large oriental rugs or antique oriental rugs. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: oriental area rugs, arak rugs, ardabil, bakhtiari, gabbeh, heriz, isfahan, kashan, kashmar, mashad, nain, qum, sabzevar, serapi, shiraz, sultanabad, tabriz, oriental rugs, persian carpets, runners

Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "Hardwood Versus Laminate Flooring - The Truth!" was chosen only after one of editorial staff read over it and considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you enjoy it.

The legal side: - Sorry but we cannot guarantee the content as 100% accurate. Similar articles on "laminate flooring" can easily be found for your viewing pleasure on the articles category page.

Please contact us if you feel that there is anything within todays article that is inaccurate or misleading. Please use this reference: "Hardwood Versus Laminate Flooring - The Truth!".

Don’t be fooled! No matter what you have heard or people say nothing matches the richness of a real hardwood floor. Laminate flooring is a photograph of a hardwood floor laminated (glued) to a composite material made up of compressed paper and glue.

Laminate flooring does not look like real hardwood nor does it feel like real hardwood underfoot. No two hardwood floors are the same, grains vary on each and every board. It is the inherent imperfections in the lumber that creates the richness that can only be found by using hardwood flooring.

Why then has laminate flooring become so popular, you might ask? The reason is two fold. The first, cost per square foot for the material. Laminate flooring can be purchased for as little as $0.80 per sq. ft., with a top end price of $3.00 per sq. ft. The second reason is installation, laminate is very easy to install and can be done by most home handymen, it requires little in special tools (a power saw with a carbide tipped blade is really the only required tool). Laminate can be laid over any flat surface including carpeting, an underlay of thin foam is recommended to reduce floor movement, comfort and sound transmission. Even contracted out, a laminate floor, complete with foam underlay can be had for less than $3.00 a sq. ft.

A quality oak, tongue and grove hardwood flooring material will cost at least $4.00 a sq. ft. and some of the exotic hardwoods can take the cost to more than $20.00 a sq. ft. Installation will cost another $3.00 to $5.00 a sq. ft. Hardwood generally, should not be used below grade or on a concrete slab floor because of dampness rising from below the boards and producing a warping effect. Hardwood should be installed by a professional, to ensure that subtleties in grains and colors are taken into account as each board is laid. As well, on delivery of the hardwood boards some will be warped and it takes some expertise to straighten them during installation. Installation is usually accomplished using a tongue and grove nailing machine, either pneumatic or manual. Although this is a simplistic tool, it takes some practise to utilize it properly and not damage the hardwood boards during installation.

Falling in between hardwood and laminate (although it really is much closer to hardwood than laminate) is an “engineered hardwood floor”. An engineered hardwood is a piece of hardwood, anywhere form 1/16” to 3/16” glued to a plywood. The engineered floor can be floating, similar to laminate where it is not glued down to the sub-floor or it can be glued down. Engineered hardwood is approximately the same price per sq. ft. as regular hardwood the difference is in the cost of the installation. It is easier to install because the boards are all flat and there is usually a high grain and color consistency. Installation of an engineered hardwood floor is around $1.75 a sq. ft. The engineered hardwood can also be used below grade and on concrete slabs because it is the plywood that is in contact with the sub-floor rather than the hardwood itself.

For additional information on flooring products for your home or information on other renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on laminate flooring, glueless laminate flooring or laminate hardwood floors. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: laminate flooring, laminate floor, laminate floors, laminated flooring, laminate wood floors, laminate wood flooring, laminated floor, laminated flooring board

Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "Wood Floors - All About Wood Floors" was chosen only after one of editorial staff read over it and considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you enjoy it.

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Wood floor installation

Wood is a superior floor covering in all but wet locations. Wood flooring is available in strips, planks and tiles, either solid or laminated. Made of hardwood, generally maple, cherry or oak; the strips and tiles have tongue-and-groove joints for secure laying. Most types are available finished or unfinished, and rough planking can be up to one foot wide, although rarely used because wide boards are more susceptible to curling and cupping.

Laminated wood flooring

Laminated wood floorings are normally comprised of a hardwood veneer over a solid pine core, or several layers of hardwood glued together under pressure, much like plywood. They are available in a variety of sizes and designs, and sometimes parquet tiles will be attached to a fabric backing, to facilitate faster, easier alignment. Laminated wood flooring is usually glued in place, and can be laid over any clean, dry sub-floor. Special methods and precautions must be observed when installing hardwood flooring on concrete, especially in basements where potential humidity levels may be sufficient to cause the wood to swell and buckle upwards.

If your sub-floor is rough or uneven, an underlay of 1/4" plywood properly installed, will aid in the installation, appearance and longevity of your hardwood floor. It will also help reduce squeaks and the potential for cracking. If the new floor is higher than any adjacent floors, the edges (especially in doorways) should be finished with rounded or tapered hardwood mouldings.

The underlay can be covered with 15 lb. felt (sometimes known as tar paper, roofing felt, or building paper) which will further reduce squeaking and add to the life of the floor. Handling and storage is extremely important, and wood flooring materials should be allowed to rest for a minimum of one week in the area in which they are to be installed. This will allow the moisture content of the wood to reach some equilibrium with it's surroundings; otherwise the floor boards may shrink or swell, sometimes quite drastically. The flooring should parallel the room's long dimension, scattering the end-to-end joints, and leaving a perimeter gap equal to the thickness of the boards. Experienced flooring people will know just how tight to lay the boards, depending on the moisture content of the wood, and the relative humidity level in the room(s) on the day of installation.

Nailing hardwood

The choice of nails, or other fasteners, is also critical to the successful installation of your floor. With unfinished flooring, the fasteners must be properly set, to facilitate sanding prior to finishing.

FLOATING FLOORS are made of laminated floor panels, laid over 1/8" high-density foam Floating wood floor system, over concrete slab.underlay, and glued at the joints. For basement floors, 6-mil polyethylene vapour barrier can be laid under the foam. Consult with your materials supplier and/or other experienced people before attempting to install a hardwood floor in a basement.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Selecting, installing and finishing a hardwood floor can be a rewarding experience, but do your homework first! If you have minimal experience working with wood, or you're unsure about the particular installation, you should consider hiring a professional. The cost of the materials is quite high as compared to other floor coverings, and a professional installation will guard against damage, and guarantee satisfaction with your new hardwood floor.

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on exotic hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring or laminate hardwood flooring. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

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Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "Steps in Maintaining a Laminate or Tile Flooring" was posted only after being thoroughly reviewed by one of our editorial staff who considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you enjoy it.

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Tiles and laminated flooring are becoming a preference these days. These are chosen over similar products because it is economical and gives out the same effect as their counterparts.

Laminate or tile flooring needs some care and attention for it to last a lifetime. Although cleaning these types of flooring is as easy as pie, there are still some things to consider and to remember before proceeding with cleaning it.

Here are the things you should do or not do when cleaning laminated or tiled floors.

1. Never wax nor polish the floor. Some waxes have ingredients that could destroy the outer layers of the tile. This layer is its protective layer against dust and moisture. If it is removed, then dirt could creep in and stick.

2. Vacuum will do for normal cleaning. For your everyday cleaning requirements, you would just need to vacuum the laminated floor or tile and that’s it. Sweeping should always be done prior to vacuuming.

3. Use a mop with soft cloth. So as not to scratch the surface, always use mops with soft materials attached to it. Also, make sure the mop is not dripping. Always wring it out because excessive water is not necessary.

4. Do not use abrasive cleaners, scrubbing pads, or scouring powder. As stated earlier, laminated floors have protective coverings. Abrasive materials will not help clean the floor, it would ruin it.

5. Use floor protectors or pads under furniture legs, especially chairs. Chairs are always moved from place to place. Always check if the furniture legs and chairs are not causing scratches on the floor.

6. Place doormats at entryways. Doormats would collect dirt and grit stuck in the shoes. It would also absorb moisture off it. Placing one on every door is a good idea so that people coming in won’t leave irremovable dirt sticking to the floor.

7. Use only recommended cleaners for your laminated floors and tiles. Each manufacturer will suggest to you a cleaner that works well with their products. It is a smart idea to go with these cleaners than to try others that could be harmful to the floor.

8. Learn how to use flooring touch-up kits. There are repair kits available for tiles and laminated flooring. Better know how to use it so that minor problems can be easily repaired before it become worse.

9. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when replacing a single board. There are times that the damage on your floor cannot be repaired and replacing the whole board is necessary. When doing so, check out what the manufacturer’s instructions are. If you are not sure about it, better ask a professional to do the job.

10. Keep your warranty. Laminate floors and tiles have manufacturer’s warranties upon installation. These would ensure that your floor is protected from any defects and would perform to the maximum. Always conform to the warranty conditions.

These are few ways you can do to lengthen the lifespan of your laminated floors and tiles. Although these can be easily replaced and is relatively cheaper, it is not wise to just let it be and not take care of it.

Your home will look new and appealing if its floor is clean and well-maintained. Always leave a good impression with your guests. Start with a shiny, beautiful floor!

Joyce Dietzel writes articles for -flooring.info.html a website dedicated to Wood and Laminate floor care info. for you

http://www.for-flooring.info/wood-flooring.html

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on vinyl tile flooring, marble tile flooring or tile floors. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: floor tile, flooring tile, tile flooring, ceramic floor tile, tile floor, tile floors, vinyl floor tile, bathroom floor tile, vinyl tile flooring, marble floor tile

Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "Oriental Rug Care - Making Your Investment Last" has been reviewed by our editorial staff to ensure that it is appropriate for this blog. We hope you find this information useful.

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When you finally find the oriental rug you have dreamed of and purchase it, you obviously want the rug to last. You put it in your living room to be admired by friends and acquaintances. The worst thing that could happen is that your beautiful rug deteriorates with time because of lack of proper care.

Oriental rug care is something that you should consider early on in the life of the rug. If you are careful early on, the rug will look nice and only need a little care. If you let things slip and don't care for your rug, you will have to pay the price of repairs, professional cleaning, and permanent stains. Keeping a rug looking natural and beautiful is like maintaining a classic car. There small yet important things that you need to do periodically for your oriental rug.

Oriental Rug Care in a few simple steps.

The sun is actually one of the rugs worst enemies. Many times a rug is placed in a room with lots of natural light to bring out the colors and beauty of the rug and the rest of the room. Over time the sun can damage your rug beyond repair. The best solution to sun damage, which causes the rug to fade, is to remove the rug from direct sunlight. If you don't like that option, consider flipping the rug around from time to time to even out any wear on the colors from the sun. Make sure that if you are not using the area to keep the sun from shining directly on the rug.

Another unfortunate cause of damage is uneven wear. Uneven wear is where one part of the rug looks rather used while the other side looks perfectly new. This happens because of the traffic that goes over the rug. The people in the household walk over the same part of the rug over and over. Again like the sun damage issue this can be partially resolved by making sure the rug is flipped around every few months.

Vacuuming a rug can keep a rug lasting much longer because it takes away the deeper dirt that can tend wear a rug over time. Make sure that you vacuum both the front and the back of the rug. Vacuuming is not just about keeping the rug clean. When a rug is vacuumed, it allows weaving on the rug to straighten out. Be careful when you vacuum a rug though. Although it can be a preventative measure, it can cause alot of problems. Make sure that when you vacuum that you try to use a vacuum extension such as the hose. A vacuum which is made for thicker carpets can sometimes be too harsh on the rug because of the power brush. A hose is better for the rug. It is easier to maneuver especially if you have fringe on the rug. One of the worst things is to have your fringe twisted into your vacuum.

Using a rug pad can also extend the life of a rug. It might not be considered an absolute necessity but will help greatly. A pad can extend the life of the rug and once it is in place it does not really take any extra maintenance.

For more simple steps in Oriental rug care please visit our site - Oriental Rug Care. If you have enjoyed this article and would like more tips and insights on area rugs, please visit our website Inexpensive Area Rugs

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on large area rugs, cotton area rugs or childrens area rugs. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: area rugs, wool rugs, contemporary area rugs, braided rugs, afghan rugs, persian rugs, oriental rugs, handmade rugs, round rugs, custom rugs, tribal rugs, persian carpets, runners, turkish rugs

Today’s Feature Article. "Hardwood Floors : Beautiful, But a Pain to Keep Clean" was chosen only after one of editorial staff read over it and considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you find this information useful.

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Hardwood Floors are beautiful to look at and expensive to install. But keeping them clean is not necessarily the easiest thing to do. Growing up in a house with hardwood floors, I know how hard it was for my Mom to keep the floors shiny, especially with four kids. With two boys and two girls constantly running in and out of the house with various forms of the “outside world” caked to our shoes, I believe my Mom finally just gave up. If she had followed even the basic rules for keeping a hardwood floor clean with the four of us tracking Mother Nature in on a daily basis, she wouldn’t have had time for anything else.

Dirt and dust is your hardwood floor’s worst enemy. Though microscopic in size, the minute granules scratch your hardwood floor’s finish and over time transforms your mirror-finished floor into a floor more reminiscent of the floors of the log cabins inhabited long ago by our ancestors. Following are some tips to keep your investment shiny and new for years to come.

Though there are many manufacturers of hardwood floors to choose from, and they all have their own rules for keeping your floor clean and grit-free, there are some basic rules you can follow to keep your floors looking good.

For surface finishes:

Always use the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning products. If the manufacturer is not known, use a generic cleaning hardwood floor cleaner.

When little Junior spills his soda on a daily basis, wipe it up immediately with a damp cloth.

For stubborn stains, lightly dampen a cloth with the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner and apply directly to the stain. Do not use petroleum-based cleaners on water-based finishes.

And when the floor loses its luster and shine, it’s time to recoat. Unless you yourself are a professional floor cleaner, hire someone.

For wax finishes:

Dry mop regularly with an untreated dust mop. Vacuum, sweep or dust mop regularly to remove grit from the floor.

Junior can spill his soda on waxed floor as easily as he can on a surface finish. Follow the same instructions.

To remove water spots, use a fine steel wool and a small amount of mineral spirits.

Floors should be cleaned, stripped and rewaxed once or twice a year depending on traffic.

Preventative maintenance for all finishes:

Floor protective pads on the bottoms of furniture. Scatter rugs at entrances will help trap the grit from shoes that is your hardwood floor’s worst enemy. Sweep, vacuum or dust mop both the floor and rugs on a regular basis.

To put it simply, cleaning hardwood floors is not rocket science. It just requires a little effort on the consumer’s part. Dirt, grime and dust, though small and almost naked to the human eye in most cases, are your hardwood floor’s worst enemy. Keep these enemies of your floor cleaned on a regular basis and you will enjoy a lustrous, shiny floor for years to come.

You may use this article on your site as long as you hyperlink the 2 URLs.

Allen Shaw is a successful author who provides tips and information on hardwood flooring and wood flooring in general.

"I am the news director at USA News Network and have been working as freelance writer for 2 years. I've been published in a few magazines, newspapers and websites and my specialty up to this point has been movie and music reviews."

Additional Resources

Check out the closing Ebay bids, or see what Amazon has to offer. You could also try these sites for information on prefinished hardwood flooring, prefinished hardwood flooring or oak hardwood flooring. Finally wikipedia is always a good resource

Tags: hardwood flooring, hardwood floors, hardwood floor, wood floors, prefinished, oak flooring, engineered flooring, exotic flooring, unfinished flooring, hardwood flooring, bamboo, laminate, hardwoodflooring, maple, cherry, antique hardwood flooring

Here’s today’s article - enjoy!. "Oriental rugs add elegance to your home" was chosen only after one of editorial staff read over it and considered it suitable for our blog. We hope you find this information useful.

Here’s the legal stuff: - we cannot guarantee the 100% accuracy of it’s contents. Similar articles on "oriental rugs" can be found on the articles category page.

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Have you ever thought of decorating your home with a oriental rug? Oriental rugs are beautiful. They have intricate designs and colors. They can be considered as pieces of art perfected through 2,500 years of know how. Where does oriental rug come from ? They come from many locations and countries. Countries that make them include Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, India, Iran, Pakistan, China, Vietnam and Nepal. They were brought to the West during the Crusades and have fascinated the West ever since.

The quality of oriental rugs is such that it can last for decades. There is demand for antique oriental rugs nowadays. Some people even display their oriental rugs on the walls. You can even sell your oriental rug bought many years ago for a higher price than your original purchase price . If you are fanatical about oriental rugs you can start your home decor with the oriental rug first then you choose the rest of the furnishing to complement the oriental rug. Nowadays oriental rugs are made for the modern home in mind so you can easily find rugs with colors that match your room. The range of colors available include black, yellow, pastel pink, red, peach, apricot, green, and blue.

Oriental rugs are characterized by borders. There are different types of design of borders. Oriental rugs fall into two types of design. The geometric and the curvilinear designs. The geometric design consists of straight lines or angular patterns while curvilinear designs have floral motifs and curved outlines. Geometric designs go well in informal setting while curvilinear designs are at home in formal or opulent setting.

Oriental rugs that feature a central medallion are placed in the middle of the room. These rugs would not be suitable for dinning room where the rug is placed under the dining table.A better choice for the dinning would be an oriental rug with repeated motifs. The color of the rug should match the color of the room. It could be the wall color or perhaps chairs and doors of the same color. Oriental rugs go well with classical furniture. You could have Queen Anne chairs placed in the room. Another good idea is to have similar fabric design on the chairs or benches that match the theme of the oriental rug. How do you determine the size of the rug? There is no hard and fast rule. Some people put their furniture such as sofa on the oriental rug while others place their furniture on the floor itself. If you are getting an oriental rug for the dining room, make sure it is big enough to allow for the sliding movement of the chairs without the chairs moving out of the rug.

How do you determine the quality of an oriental rug? Look for natural materials such as wool, silk and cotton. The quality of synthetic fibers is not as good as natural fibers. The next thing you need to check is whether the rug is handmade or machine made. The uniqueness of the design and the intricacy of the design also determine the value of the rug. Lastly, the country of origin also determines the price of the rug.

Fancy oriental rugs that would make great family heirlooms? Get these Persian rugs for your home. The writer is a webmaster at http://www.home-decor-shop.net

Keywords: furnishing, rug, carpet, interior design, home deocor, persian rug

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ian tham,
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More Details about carpet and rug here. The writer is the webmaster of digiteevee.com which covers the use of technology in your daily life.