Let's Talk Floors

What to use especially in a kitchen? We all want the best of both worlds - a really nice look with lots of durability to handle all the household traffic, even the family dog. I will help you know what you need to look for when you are floor shopping for all your rooms
Linoleum or vinyl floors are by far the most popular. They wash up nicely and leave no traces of most common household spills. There are many colors available and some styles even mimic the look of tile and marble. So far so good! Here is what you need to know if you are considering vinyl. The different grades of vinyl will have different depths of the pattern. Inexpensive grades will show the black backing where there is wear or where a gouge has occurred. Higher grades of vinyl have more depth of the pattern so as wear and tear occurs; there are more layers of the pattern underneath before the backing layer starts to show. Good subflooring is a necessity to avoid cracks and bumps. This type of flooring is expensive to install properly but will ensure you many years of use.
Hardwoods and laminates are becoming very popular for kitchens as well as the rest of the home. The look of wood can warm a kitchen and goes with all styles. Hardwoods have all the wonderful variations and grains nature provides. They must be properly sealed by a professional for use in the kitchen and have their own variety of cleaning and care products. This is a value added product for your home. Laminates are a faux wood with a huge variety of widths and stains available. They install right over an existing floor. The one thing you must be careful of is dropping blunt and sharp objects on the laminate. It will leave a gouge. Clean up is a breeze and the look is really nice!
Let’s talk about maintenance for your flooring choice. Remember that grit from outdoors sticks to the soles of shoes and can be very abrasive to a floor. Use lots of washable, rubber-backed rugs at all entrances to your home to catch most of that grit. High traffic areas in the home benefit from rugs also. Everyone go and check now to see if you are using leftovers from wall to wall carpeting as little rugs. If you find it, get rid of it as soon as possible! The hard woven backing of carpet is abrasive to all floor types, even carpeted ones.