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Before you install hardwood flooring in your home, check for moisture. Always check your sub-floor, to make sure the conditions are right before installation. A High moisture content in you sub-floor can create problems. These problems range from cupping issues in solid hardwood, to finish blistering of engineered floors. These problems are explained in more detail further in the post. A moisture meter is the most common tool used for moisture testing. When testing concrete slabs; test several areas to make sure the job-site is within tolerance. If you find a high reading in one area, but not another you need to investigate further. Moisture testing is almost always done by the flooring contractor, so make sure he is checking the job-site properly. Grading issues, plumbing leaks and insufficient insulation are other issues that may need to be addressed. Moisture problems can damage floors and cost you thousands of dollars, so make sure all appropriate measures are taken. If your floori

If you are tired of replacing carpet, try replacing it with tile. Tile is a very functional type of floor covering that can be used in many different applications. Before you make your tile selection you need to consider a few things. The size and type of tile are the two main things to consider. The types of tile to choose from are: porcelain, ceramic, travertine, marble and natural stone. Most tile is made from fired ceramics, porcelain (usually either glazed or through body). Travertine and marble are natural stone. Ceramic tile is going to be the most affordable option and can be purchased in a variety of sizes and patterns. Ceramic usually has a red body (which means the back of the tile is red) or a white body, this generally depends upon where the material was made. Most people tend to buy a white bodied tile because of chipping. When a red bodied tile is chipped, it is more noticeable than a white bodied version. Ceramic is rated by the PEI scale (porcelain enamel institute) th

If you are considering purchasing new carpet, there are many different types to choose from. There are some things you should consider before purchasing carpet. In this article I will try to explain the different styles of carpet and the fibers by which they are made. Let me begin by going over the fiber type from which carpet is made. Carpet is made from nylon, olefin (polypropylene) and polyester (essentially the same as olefin) and wool. As far as durability goes, wool is the most durable fiber; nylon would come next with polyester and olefin being the least durable of the fibers. As you can well imagine, the more durable the carpet, the more expensive it will be. If you want to get your money out of your carpet I recommend buying the best padding. A denser pad will extend the life of your carpet. A dense pad acts like a shock absorber to your carpet fibers. There are also many different types of padding as well. The three main types of carpet padding are re-bond, rubber, (waffle pa

If you are interested in purchasing hardwood flooring there are many things to consider. What species of hardwood to buy, engineered vs solid, exotic or domestic and many others. For the purpose of this article I am going to talk about types of hardwood. There are three main types of hardwood flooring. All of which have different applications. There is engineered, floating and solid nail down. Engineered floors are typically glued down to a concrete slab or stapled to a plywood sub-floor. Engineered floors are made of a cross ply construction (made like plywood) with a wood veneer laminated to the top (these floors also come unfinished). Most engineered floors can also be floated. Typically the thicker the top veneer, the more expensive the product will be. Floating floors are installed over an under-layment or a pad. This type of flooring is not adhered to the sub-floor at all. It basically floats over the sub-floor. Both engineered and floating hardwoods can be installed above grade,