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Pet Friendly Tips

My kids and I had been desperate to get a puppy for years but our old house wasn’t suitable for a dog, so we’d always told them when we got a new house we’d get a new puppy. And I admit, as soon as the frames went up on that new house I started searching for our third family member before the paint had even gone on!

The plan was to move into the house and then get the puppy. Well, that was my husbands plan at least. Little did he know I’d found the most beautiful dog who was having a litter and we’d been promised one, so all our plans went out the window. We brought home our gorgeous little ‘Bessie’ right before we moved in. Talk about piling on the pressure! A new house which I wanted to keep pristine and a new puppy that wasn’t toilet or house trained. Eeek!

I’d already been warned by well meaning people that dogs could scratch floors, chew furniture and pee on carpets, but I wasn’t fazed. I believe a house should be a home so a few scratches or spills wouldn’t be the end of the world. However, I do want my house to look as good as possible, so it’s all about how you deal with those accidents that matters.

We decided to put carpet only the main bedroom, with both messy puppy and messy children in mind, and the plan was that the dog wouldn’t go in there.

Ha!

Are you getting the sense that we don’t really stick to plans?!

That little dog well and truly ran the joint from the moment she came into it and most definitely goes in the bedroom (lets not even talk about the no sleeping on beds rule) So there have been a few spills along the way, but as long as you get to them quickly with a micro-fibre cloth and blot the stain they come out pretty easily. I am also going to steam clean the carpets every six months to get out any stains you miss along the way.

However, when it comes to the rest of the house the Plantino Engineered Oak floors have been a dream and I haven’t noticed any scratches she’s made. Spills can be quickly wiped up and now the toilet training days are over I can happily say the floorboards coped with it beautifully. Bessie does shed hair however a quick go over with the stick vacuum deals with that.

Having said that, if you have a lot of pets and are worried about scratches and spills I think your best flooring choice would be luxury vinyl. It’s so hardwearing and totally waterproof, so it would definitely be the easiest option for animal lovers. And with the range now available in luxury vinyl your home can be both stylish and durable, and who doesn’t want that?

Whichever flooring you chose, I think the love of a pet is totally worth the occasional spill and scratch. Just make sure you always have a micro-fibre cloth handy and keep those toe nails clipped!

For more information call me. I’m here to help 305-776-3584

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Having THIS flooring inside your home can add THOUSANDS to your property’s value

ADDING value to your home can help when it comes to selling it, and having a certain type of flooring inside your property can do just that.

Installing new flooring across your home can increase your house’s worth, depending on what material you use. 

Out of vinyl, carpet and wood flooring, which can add the most value to your property?

Discount Flooring Depot suggests the types of floor you should avoid, and which one you should invest in to up your property’s price. 

The retailer suggests that low quality vinyls and laminates will drag your value down, and it seems most homes are leaning towards wooden floors rather than carpeted floors. The best floor to invest in is a wooden floor – which is better than carpet – as it provides “extra equity” in your home. 

Plus, a high quality floor will last for much longer than a carpet, giving you life time value, as well as increasing house worth. 

Hardwood flooring is ideal, as it’s a luxury that many people associate with money and class. 

But if real wood flooring is out of your price range, you can get high quality laminates. 

Top of the range laminate floors have realist V-Grooves to mimic the feel and appearance of a real board, and they have a wealth of grain variation and knots throughout, just as you’d expect from real wood. 

When it comes to bathrooms or kitchens, hard wood flooring generally doesn’t go – but you don’t have to settle for vinyl. 

You can get water resistant laminate, and it’s not that expensive. 

Discount Flooring Depot’s Hydro Guard Range or laminate floors look like real wood, but without the problems that mixing real wood in a wet environment will often bring.The retailer says spending around £400 to £600 could increase your home’s value by £1,300. 

The colour of your front door can also have a big impact on your home’s sale. So what shades should you go for, and which should you avoid? 

Research carried out by Westbury Windows and Joinery’s found that white was the most popular colour for wood front doors or entrance doors in the UK. 

Natural stained and/or varnished finishes were the second most popular choice with black in third place. 

Original source 

How to Refinish Hardwood Floors

​Renew a wood floor in half the time and at half the expense of sanding. The secret is to screen the old finish. Read on to see if screening will work for your floor.

Sanding vs. screening

When a wood floor loses its luster, the usual solution is to sand it down to raw wood and completely refinish it. But often, that’s the wrong solution. Refinishing hardwood floors is the right solution.

All wood floors are protected by a clear coating that eventually becomes scratched, scuffed and dull. Refinishing hardwood floors can help you get rid of those unsightly scratches and marks. But as long as the damage is shallow—in the coating and not in the wood itself—you can renew the floor by adding a new coat of polyurethane right over the old finish.

This article will show you how to do just that. As with any wood-finishing project, 90 percent of this job is preparation. You have to thoroughly clean the floor, touch up any deep scratches and roughen the existing finish with sanding screens so the new finish will adhere well. Expect to spend at least one full day on this prep work. The recoating itself usually takes less than an hour.

Recoating takes a lot less time, skill and money than full-scale sanding and refinishing. And although roughing up the existing finish creates plenty of dust, it’s still much less messy than sanding down to bare wood. There’s another advantage: Every time you sand a floor down to bare wood, you remove some of the wood. A solid wood floor can be sanded several times before that’s a problem. But laminated floors (glue-down or floating floors) have only a thin layer of good-looking wood veneer over a plywood-like base. The veneer can be sanded once or twice—after that, sanding will expose the plywood core beneath.

Where recoating won’t work

The type of flooring you have doesn’t matter. Recoating works on solid wood, laminated wood and parquet floors alike. But a new coat of polyurethane may not stick to your existing finish.

If your floor’s finish was applied before the 1970s, it’s probably wax, old-fashioned varnish or shellac. No new finish will stick to a wax finish or any other finish that’s ever had wax applied to it. Polyurethane might adhere to an old, unwaxed varnish or shellac finish. But these finishes do wear out, and since they’re probably more than 30 years old, it’s best to sand them off and start over.

In fact, if you have an old finish from the days before polyurethane, your only alternative to sanding is wax. If the floor is in fair condition, wax can restore the shine. A wood flooring dealer can recommend a suitable product. Wax is easy to use, but not very durable. You’ll probably have to rewax every six months or so.

Even if the existing finish is polyurethane, good adhesion isn’t a sure thing. Residue from all kinds of household chemicals, such as furniture polish, glass cleaner, insecticide and wallpaper paste, can interfere with adhesion. Since you can’t know for certain all the potions that have landed on your floor, you must test for adhesion before you recoat your floor.

Original source

For more information call me. I’m here to help 305-776-3584

Why choose laminate?

​Laminate. It looks like hardwood. It’s inspired by hardwood. So, why not just buy hardwood? You certainly could, but laminate has a long list of benefits you may not be aware of.

First of all, there’s the price. Laminate is considerably more cost-effective than buying hardwood, and yet its authentic, inspired-by-nature look makes it nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. If you want the hardwood look on a budget, laminate is the perfect pick for you.
Laminate is also known for its versatility. Our design team can simulate the look of any number of natural hardwoods, just by snapping the perfect picture and transferring it to the floor. We can also simulate natural textures and patterns, creating a look so natural no one will ever know the difference. 
Finally, if DIY is your thing, laminate is right up your alley. The simple click-and-lock installation method is so easy you can do it yourself – no need to glue every single plank!
Convinced yet? The advantages to choosing laminate are many. As the expert in all things flooring, we’re here to help you make the best choice.

Original source

For more information call me. I’m here to help 305-776-3584

Why waterproof laminated floors are ideal

Water proof laminated flooring is ideal for humid environments.

Easy installation, is one of the main advantages on this material. It can go on top of pre-existing floors. Saving you time and money.

The colors don’t fade with the exposure to sunlight.

Compared to any type of hard flooring the cost vs benefit is evident. This easy to maintain material can last approximately 20 years. Its resistance to cracks and scratches make it the best option for the money.

These floors are manufactures by compacting 4 layers. The top layer is melamine. It acts as the decorative layer. The asfiberboardalong layer is a high density material designed to absorb the impact.

and the other three support this layer. [Fab: what are the other 2, what is their function?]

Technological advances were made to improve the material durability and water resistant factor. Making it an ideal choice for your next project. Waterproof laminated flooring has become a very safe choice for all your flooring needs.

Original source.