Ceramic tiles can be applied to concrete, prepared wooden floors and worktops. When laying out the tiles be extremely careful not to damage them, it’s also very important to make sure the floors surface is smoothed and level this helps prevent any uneven tiles, if this step is not done right before you start working with the tiles, you will have tiles that are higher than others or areas that are raised.

(“IF your using handmade tiles or terracotta tiles no matter how even you may get the floor, we find that we can’t help but to have a few tiles that don’t seem to want to fit right, if you’re working with handmade tiles your eyes must be what you judge things with, a level just won’t go over them, due to the fact that most handmade tiles are not flat.”)

Another great place for ceramic tiles are the worktops in a kitchen, using commercial grade floor tiles here again can add a nice eye catching design, up the value of the home, and provide the best protect from the wear and tear a typical kitchen take, Plus they last a lifetime. However there Is one set back I can think of off the top of my head, and that’s the grout, it can gather some dirt so you’ll be washing it so make sure you use a very durable grout that can withstand the scrubbing. IF the grout is maintain it shouldn’t need replaced for a very long time.

At Marcus remodeling we suggest using a two part epoxy grout it’s what is used in commercial situations where food is prepared mainly because it doesn’t stain and is more resistant to bacteria, however this type of grout needs to be mixed and applied very quickly it sets up in around a half hour and once it’s been set the only way to get it off is by sanding.
However if you use cutting boards and are a do it yourself-er you can get away with using an acrylic grouts it’s a lot more durable and stain resistant then powder wall grouts, but it doesn’t last as long as the commercial grade, however when the time comes to replace it you only need to replace the top 2mm of the grout with new.

So when considering flooring for your home, don’t forget that each type has its uses and over look some of the start-up cost, when working on a budget it sometimes is good not to skimp of the pricier items, look at them as an investment on your money You could do the floor for 3 grand but then need to replace it every 10 years or do it for twice as much and never need to replace it. IF you plan on flipping the home and not live in it for the next 30-60 years you may thing cheaper = more profit that’s not always the case. Again think in return of profit and know the property value around you, and at the very least they become selling points.

For you do it yourselves look for my upcoming guide on how to prepare concrete and wooden floors for tiling.

If you live in the SW part of PA feel free to visit my Pittsburgh Contractors site for a free estimate.

One of the first things a home owner should do when considering to redo his or her flooring is to check the flooring in their home? Do you have laminate flooring that’s shows lots of wear? if so you may want to check and see what type of warranty sometimes it may still be under warranty, if not you may just need to replace it.

Do you have a wooden floor that looks old and damaged, well you may not need to replace it, you may just need to re finish the floor. Do you have a tile flooring? take these things into consideration and decide what to do. IF you do decide you need a new floor we suggest you focus on Four points when redoing your floors.

1. 1. What style?
2. 2. The cost.
3. 3. How does the floor effect my home?
4. 4. How does my flooring effect the ecosystem?

There are many different styles of flooring, Wood floors, laminate flooring, tiles,carpenting along with many other types.

IF you decide to use wood check into cork flooring its very durable and a lot better then having to cut down tree’s for your flooring, its a renewable resource that do not effect the ecosystem as much as hard wood floors.

If you decide on carpets remember that they lock in dirt,dust and pet dander, and that the carpet padding is not needed, it just helps lock in allergines and makes it harder to remove spills and dirt since it acts like a sponge.

Laminate flooring can look like any type of flooring since the top surface is made from paper and has a high quality image printed onto it, then laminated over. Its a good thing to use in area’s where water may be used.

Tile flooring is very popular in bathrooms and is very easy to maintain and if a part of it becomes damaged you don’t have to rip up the whole floor to replace that area.

Laminate floor and carpeting are rather cheap then your tile and wooden floor are usually on the higher end of the budget scale. So decide on the type of flooring you want then see if its in your price range.

As stated before carpeting acts like a magnet and locks allergines into itself, where the other floors don’t have much for the dirt to stick to. Carpeting also makes air floor worst in your home compared to a smooth floor. So if you have a lot of pets and allergies you may want to stay clear of carpets.

Like I said before hard wood floors are made from tree’s but today we have tree farms and limits to how much lumber we can cut down, so alternatives like cork flooring or bamboo flooring are becoming very popular.

I hope this gave you some idea’s about whether or not you should or shouldn’t redo your floors.

How ever by neglecting to coat the floor with some of the best epoxy you can buy, you’ll find that oil and water will damage the floor by seeping through the concrete and damaging it.

For a Do it yourselves you may want to lay down tile flooring, its a very simple product to install and clean up is easy. Just peel of the wax paper backing and stick it to the floor and cutting it when needed. The laminate on the tile helps protect the tile itself from the liquids and makes clean up of the liquids a lot easier. The tile is easy to remove as well for when your selling your home, you can show of the un damaged garage floor.

But today many people have been turning the garage into another room of their home, So you can use any type of flooring you wish if this is the case. Decide how your garage will function then decide on the type of flooring you need.

Engineered wooden floors has gain some popularity over the recent years do to the fact that they are cheaper and have qualities that natural wooden floors don’t have. They can resist moisture better and work better in high humidity area since they have room to expand and contract.

Natural wooden floors are made from a piece of wood, while the only wood on the engineered hard wood flooring is the top layer.The different types of wood used on the engineered flooring is usually pine,ash,teak and bamboo.Since the top layer consist of natural wood, they still have the beauty of a hard wood floor.The layer underneath the engineered hard wood floors can consist of 3 to seven layers and maybe more, the more layers to the core layer the more durable the engineered flooring becomes, The core usually consist of some type of ply board or fiberboard.

As I said before the engineered flooring have some play when it comes to expanding and constricting, where wooden floors will bulk if it expands and constricts to much. So engineered flooring is more tolerant to the weather then a natural wooden floor.So this property allows engineered flooring to be installed in more areas. Since it has room to expand and constrict it can be used in humid or damp area such as the basement where a w natural wooden floor would be a big no no to install.

Engineered flooring can be installed as a floating floor, this means you don’t have to use nails or glues when installing it however make sure you install a vapor barrier between the flooring and the floor. Engineered flooring uses a tongue and groove system so installing is rather easy.

So if you plan on installing a wooden floor in you home think about the type of climate you live in and decide if an engineered floor may suit you better.

Marcus Remodeling

Laminate flooring can come in many different designs then wooden flooring since the top layer is made from paper that then gets a high quality image printed on it, in reality you could print anything on this layer and therefor have any design you wish for the flooring.How ever the same pattern does start to repeat over and over on the laminate flooring, So if you choose a laminate flooring that looks like wood, it will still not totally look like a true wooden floor since the grains in a true wooden floor don’t repeat.

Laminate flooring is about a quarter of the price of wooden flooring, So if the cost of your flooring is an issue you could get a laminate floor that looks like a wooden floor for a small fraction of the price.

The installation of an laminate flooring is a lot easier compared to a wooden floor.Since it uses a tongue and groove system.Laminate flooring is also a lot easier to clean up after installation, and you can use the floor soon as its done being installed since you don’t have to wait for the finish and glue to dry.Also the installing is a lot faster then with wooden flooring.

Laminate flooring is more durable then wooden floor and is harder to scratch, In reality the laminate flooring is about 10 to 15 times stronger then wooden flooring.Laminate flooring also holds up to heavy traffic a lot better then wooden floors and don’t show wear and tear as easy.Laminate flooring usually comes with a longer warranty then wooden flooring, How ever wooden flooring can be sanded and refinished many different times so they tend to last longer then an laminate floor.

Laminate flooring is easier to maintain then wooden flooring and resist spills a lot better then a wooden floor, the daily maintenance for a laminate flooring can be done with a dust mop and it doesn’t need waxing every so often. Also the cleaning products for a laminate flooring is cheaper then the ones you use on a wooden floor.

So take these things into consideration when choosing a wooden floor over a laminate flooring.

Pittsburgh Handyman Shane Brunson

A lot of the times Laminate floors are displayed as to look like wooden flooring, how ever don’t mistake this to real hardwood veneer that is laminated to fiberboard that’s just not the case. The Laminate flooring that looks like wood in reality is paper printed to look like wood, and since its paper with a high quality photo image on it, it can look like any type of flooring on the market, one of the reasons it has gain so much popularity over the year. After the image is printed onto the paper it is then laminated to a high density fiber board base. Then the surface is sealed with a protective coating in most cases that is an aluminum oxide finish since it has scratch resistance properties.The idea behind laminate flooring is to get a very durable surface that is very inexpensive and easy to maintain.

Some of the advantages to using a laminate floor is that its cheaper and can look like any other type of flooring. Its easier to care for then other types of flooring.It tends to be durable to its counter parts such as wooden flooring. Its water resistance compared to wooden floors that can become damaged by water.They usually come with a lifetime warranty and can handle heavy traffic extremely well.

Some of the dis advantages to using laminate floors, the cheaper laminate flooring are not nearly as good as the higher priced ones and shouldn’t be used in the bathroom,kitchens because they usually do not come with water protection. the finish on them also wears down faster and many of the cheaper ones only come with a 10 year warranty.

So when choosing what type of laminate flooring take some things into consideration.

1.Does this room have a chance of water getting to the floor? IF so you may want to spend a bit of extra money to buy the higher end laminate flooring.

2.Is there a lot of traffic on the flooring? IF so again you want to pay a bit more for the higher end laminate flooring.

Remember even if you get a laminate floor its still not a wooden flooring, A wooden floor has that time tested beauty,elegance and warmth that is very hard to duplicate. How ever if you don’t want to dish out the type of money a wooden floor will cost you, then a laminate flooring may be a great alternative for you.

Pittsburgh contractors Marcus Remodeling