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The state of the flooring industry is quickly changing due to environmental concerns. Many manufacturing and construction companies are starting to use "green" products to help clean up the environment. Agencies Such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have developed certification programs to ensure "green" building practices. In 1998 the USGBC developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points system. This point system allows builders and construction companies to obtain tax credits and grants for their projects by accumulating points when using "green" products The LEED certification has four different levels. These four are: Certified, silver, platinum, and gold. In order to obtain a LEED certification for building projects, certain requirements must be met. To learn more about the requirements needed to become LEED certified, please visit this website: www.usgbc.org/LEED . The Fores...

In this article I will discuss the pros and cons of both laminate and hardwood flooring. By the end of this post you should be able to decide what will best fit your needs. First I will cover hardwood flooring. Pros: (1.) Hardwood flooring can be refinished (2.) Hardwood flooring ads real value to your home. Adds approximately 15% of value to your home. (3.) Hardwood flooring is ecologically friendly. Many manufacturers must abide by strict guidelines when harvesting lumber. More trees are being replanted more than ever before. (4.) Hardwood flooring is easy to maintain. Suppliers such as Bona-Kemi have made cleaners that will not damage the floor. (5.) Hardwood is timeless and never goes out of style. Wood floors can truly last a lifetime. (6.) Hardwood is hypo allergenic. Dust mites, mold, mildew and animal dander cannot grow and hide in hardwood. (7.) Hardwood is affordable. While the cost of raw materials to make nylon carpet is going up; hardwood pricing is going down. (8.) Hardw...

In the early 1900's the Lacey act was enacted to prevent the illegal transportation, exportation, importation and sale of any wildlife into, or out of this country. In the summer of 2008 there was an amendment made to this act. The act now covers certain types of plants and plant products, as well as illegally harvested lumber that are made into wood flooring. Those who are found taking part in these illegal acts are subject to a 500,000 penalty and up to 5 years in prison. In order for wood flooring suppliers to bring in exotic hardwoods into our country, they must abide by the regulations and have all materials declared to be free from illegal harvesting practices. Approximately 18% of all exotic hardwood floors brought into this country have been illegally harvested and milled overseas. Suppliers who have been practicing good stewardship have been hurt by this 18%. It costs a lot of money to have products declared Eco-friendly. Those suppliers that are not abiding by the Lacey a...

If you are shopping for new flooring, I suggest you buy from your local retailer. In this article I am going to give you a few good reasons why you should not buy flooring online. If you do choose to buy your flooring off the internet, make sure to do your homework. The first problem you will come across when purchasing flooring online, is the availability of samples. Most internet floor stores will only send you a small sample piece of the material, which is not truly representing the product. In other words, what you see is not always what you get. The material once shipped, may or may not be first quality. You should also be aware of the fact, that many manufacturers will not warranty products that are purchased over the internet. If you do have a problem with the floor, good luck getting someone to come at look at it. Another issue one must deal with is shipping. Most times the truck driver that delivers the material will unload the flooring at the end of the driveway and leave y...

There are a few things you should know before you have new carpet installed in your home. In this article I will discuss the process of installing new carpet, as well as consumer and installer expectations. If you follow these guidelines, you will find that the end result will be a positive experience. First lets talk about the flooring contractors expectations. Before the flooring contractor comes into your home to install new carpet, there are some things that need to be done first. Number one; all knick knacks and breakables must be moved by the consumer. The installer is there to install carpet, not to move expensive collectibles. Number two; Computers and electronics should be unplugged and disconnected. Some flooring contractors will refuse to move or disconnect these items, others will be more accommodating. It is preferable to have the home owner move these items. If this is not possible, a family friend or neighbor will most likely be able to help. These are two large liabilit...

If you are considering purchasing new flooring, take the time to learn as much as you can about the products, but don't get caught up in the warranties. If you are buying a particular product because of its warranty, you are buying for the wrong reason. In this article I will attempt to explain the types of warranties and what they do and do not cover. The three types of flooring warranties I am going to cover are: Laminate, hardwood, and carpet. There are also warranties for manufacturing defects, most of which cover a one year period and will not be covered in this article. These warranties are the least important, primarily because defects are found at the time of installation. First lets cover hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring typically has two types of warranties. the first is a finish warranty. The finish warranty means that the finish will not wear through to the wear layer from normal use, for X amount of years. A finish warranty does not cover scratching, or gloss reduc...

If you are considering financing your new floor, I suggest you read this article. There are many companies out there today who offer long term financing. Companies Like Wells Fargo, GE Consumer credit, Citi Financial and more. All of these companies charge the retailer a percentage for offering you special financing. I'm sure you have seen offers that range from 90 days to over two years. There is no charge from the credit companies for offering 90 days sames as cash. There is a slight charge for offering six months, but it is not enough to worry about. The retailer will most likely absorb the cost of these two terms, however they will not absorb the cost of long term financing. The finance company will allow you to make payments over the terms, or you may choose no payments and elect to pay the entire balance at the end of the financing period. Waiting till the end to pay is to risky. I suggest that you go with the monthly payment option. The problem with financing a floor, is tha...

No matter what kind of flooring you have in your home, it is important to know how to properly maintain them. In this article I will attempt to explain the various types of floors and how to care for them. For simplicity sake, I will cover the maintenance of hardwood, laminate, tile, natural stone and carpet. There are many different types of flooring to maintain, however these are the most popular. Laminate floors are gaining popularity, because they are easy to maintain, very durable and are cost effective. To take care of laminate properly you first need to vacuum the floor regularly and clean the floor with a laminate floor cleaner. Gently spray the floor cleaner over the floor, in a four by four foot section. Next, take a swiffer mop and remove the cleaner. If there is any gum or other contaminates on the floor remove them first before cleaning. Laminate floor cleaner is widely available through your local flooring retailer. I suggest using the cleaner that is recommended by t...

Before floors are installed in your home floor preparation must be done. Floor prep consists of many different things. In this article I will attempt to explain the different methods that are used to prepare your floor for new floor covering. First off let me begin by giving you a definition of floor prep. Floor prep is the process by which the sub-floor is cleaned, leveled, scraped, grinded, patched or sanded. Prep work must be done so it is within the specifications for the floor. Each type of floor covering will require that a certain amount of preparatory work be done prior to installation. Let me give you a few examples. Carpet generally requires the least amount of prep work. Scraping to remove old padding and adhesive is required, as well as sweeping or vacuuming of the sub-floor. When installing glue down carpet, patch work may be required. Most of the time flooring installers will not charge for this extra work. Vinyl or linoleum almost always requires floor prep. The slab for...

Bamboo flooring has been a "hot" product in the market for the last couple of years and is quickly becoming the favorite choice by those inspired by the green movement. There is some concern however that deforestation is happening across China so that bamboo can be planted and harvested, because it grows quickly and is such a valuable economic resource. There is also a concern about the adhesives used to glue the products together. Many toxins are released in the atmosphere during the manufacturing process, which cause environmental concerns. I believe the exact opposite of green is deforestation and the release of chemicals into the atmosphere. So before you decide to purchase bamboo you might consider reading this post in its entirety. If you do decide to purchase bamboo flooring you have many options. In this article I'm only going to focus on 3 different products and the problems you may incur with them. The products I'm going to talk about are natural, carbonized...

This February, the floor of the month award goes to DuChateau's hand-scraped white oak. This time inspiring floor takes us back to centuries ago. The warm look and feel of this floor will fit almost any decor and will be certain to create a design statement. DuChateau has been made by exceptional craftsman who know how to recreate the style from years past. This product is designed in Holland from European white oak, which is impregnated with all natural products such as, sunflower oil, linseed oil, thistle oil, and hard waxes such as carnauba and paraffin. The oils and waxes in this product allow the floor to breathe, brings out it's natural color and requires very little maintenance. If you have a project that requires an awe inspiring floor try this one. This floor is sure to perform well in both residential and commercial applications and can be tailor fitted to one's own taste. Du Chateau is stocked in the United States in both Georgia and California for Quick deliver...

Have you ever had some type of floor covering installed in your home, only to have to pay a contractor to come back to repair your floor after a year? Whether it be a hollow spot in your wood floor, a wrinkle in your carpet, or a loose tile, warranty work can be costly. Well it shouldn't be. It is common practice in this industry for contractors to give the consumer a one year labor warranty, on all floor covering materials after installation. All too often installers in this industry like to shirk their responsibility and charge the customer for mistakes that were made during the original installation. If more consumers knew a little bit about business law, they would find that there are statutes that protects them from these deceptive practices. In Florida there is a statute called the statute of repose. This statute was enacted to protect consumers from designers and contractors who make improvements to real property. Many states in the union have adopted similar laws, so make ...