Floorings by Marcus

Ceramic and stone floors are great materials to use in your home on floors that will see a high volume of traffic, yes they do have a higher upfront cost but they won’t need replaced as soon as the other materials, if installed correctly some of these floors will last a lifetime. And as a added bonus in most cases will help raise the property value along with giving an eye stunning effect to the room.

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.

Laminate vs Hard wood by 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