Yarik YML, Author at Quality Floors 4 Less

How to Install Laminate DIY

Posted on 05/28/2019 by Yarik YML

DIY: One Room in One Day!

Set down a new floor in no time at all. Do you really think so? Laminate flooring is easy to install and can be walked on the same day. Can you believe that? You should know how to install laminate DIY to prove that!

Laminate flooring is easier to install than hardwood flooring and offers the same appearance. The planks consist of medium-density fiberboard sandwiched between plastic laminate. The top laminate looks like random-grain wood, but its plastic composition makes it scratch- and stain-resistant. It also leaves room for options like gray laminate wood flooring or dark wood laminate flooring. The precision-milled tongue-and-groove edges make accurate installation a snap. The whole floating floor assembly is glued together at the edges and floats on a thin, closed-cell polyethylene foam pad.

This is probably the main laminate advantage! How about installation?

Pro

Laminate installs fast and easy. Fast: you can install 300 square feet in one weekend. Older types of laminate flooring required you to glue pieces to each other. Today’s types of laminate flooring have a click/lock or fold/lock design that allows planks to fit together like puzzle pieces. Easy: since the planks are constructed of soft particleboard, they can be cut with a hand saw or even a utility knife.

Con

While designed to be easy, the click/lock or fold/lock design often does not work as well as it should. Sides of the boards can be especially difficult to join with adjoining sides. Also, if you force boards into place, you risk curling up the top wear layer, compromising the floor’s ability to resist moisture. That’s why you need a guide!

WHAT YOU NEED TO INSTALL LAMINATE DIY

Tools:

Pry bar, tape measure, pencil, table saw, spacing blocks, tapping blocks, hammer

Materials:

Laminate flooring, underlayment, shoe molding, finishing nails

HOW TO INSTALL LAMINATE DIY

STEP 1

Acclimate the Flooring

Your laminate wood flooring should sit in the room for at least 48 hours prior to installation, giving it time to expand or contract in relation to the room’s temperature and humidity. It is especially needed in the cold weather. This prevents buckling and other problems after installation.

STEP 2

Remove Baseboard

Remove existing baseboard molding. Use the pry bar to remove baseboard from the wall; set the pieces aside for re-installation. Floating laminate planks should be installed over a hard, smooth surface, such as vinyl. If existing flooring is damaged, remove it to reveal the sub-floor. Don’t install laminate on the damaged basement.

STEP 3

Install Underlayment

Install the underlayment to your floating laminate floor. Clear the floor of staples, nails, and other dirt. Roll out the underlayment. Do not overlap adjoining strips. Use the utility knife to cut pieces as needed. The foam underlayment deadens sound and helps the floor feel more resilient and durable.

STEP 4

Plan the Layout

To decide which direction to lay the planks, consider which wall is the longest and straightest. Avoid a narrow strip against the focal-point wall. Planks in the last row should be at least 2 inches wide. Figure on a 1/4-inch gap at each wall. Note: If the last row will be less than 2 inches wide, add that width to the width of a full plank and divide by 2. Cut planks in the first and last rows to this width. This is the secret you should know.

STEP 5

Cut First Row

Depending on your layout, you may need to rip, or cut the first row of planks lengthwise. If using a power saw (better table saw), cut with the finished side down; if using a handsaw, cut with the finished side up. Use clamps to steady the planks as you cut them.

STEP 6

Leave a Gap

Laminate wood flooring kits come with space chips. Wedge these between the wall and the planks to leave an expansion gap of 1/4 inch. We’ve already mentioned about it. The won’t be visible once the baseboard is attached.

STEP 7

Install the First Row

Install the planks with the tongue side facing the wall (some manufacturers recommend you cut off the tongue edge of planks that face walls). Connect one plank to another by connecting the tongues and grooves. You may be able to snugly connect the planks by hand, or you may need to use a pull bar from the installation kit and a hammer to pull them together or a tapping block to tap the joints together. Cut the last plank in the row to length (save the scraps if they’re at least 12 inches long).

STEP 8

Install Additional Rows

Install additional rows. As you snap on new rows, stagger the seams at least 12 inches in adjoining rows, much like you’d see on a wood plank wall or a brick wall. You often can start a new row with the scrap from the plank you cut to end the previous row.

STEP 9

Install the Last Row

You’ll need to slide the planks into position at an angle, then gently pry them into place with the pry bar. Be sure you leave a 1/4-inch expansion gap between the last row and the wall. Don’t forget about it!

STEP 10

Cut Around Casings

Cut around door casings. Don’t try to cut planks to fit around door casings. Instead, it is better to use the jamb saw to cut the door casing about 1/16 inch above the height of the flooring, giving the plank room to slide under the casing. Rest a piece of flooring with underlayment on the floor and against the casing. Rest the jamb saw on top and cut the casing to the desired height.

STEP 11

Reinstall Trim

Reinstall the trim. After the planks are in place, reinstall the baseboard molding using the hammer and finishing nails. Then install shoe molding over the expansion joints and use transition strips to connect the laminate to adjoining surfaces, such as tile or carpet. Do not nail through the floor, just through the trim and wall.

But now…waiting for your flooring to arrive, you are pretty intimidated when this showed up in your driveway! If installing area is big, you can receive about 50 boxes or even more of brilliantly packaged and prepared laminate flooring! Don’t forget to leave it in the house for some time to acclimate the flooring! And the only thing standing between you and your new laminate is your installing skill! Read our tips again and remind how to install laminate DIY.

Please checkout full video on how to do laminate waterproof floors by Youdoit

Cleaning House Carpet with Pets

Posted on 04/14/201904/14/2019 by Yarik YML

How to keep your house clean with pets? What a popular question!

Of course you love your furry family members! Is it possible cleaning house carpet with pets? It can be rather difficult to have dogs and cats and keep your house clean and healthy. Don’t worry about it! There are a few simple steps to manage everything. All you need to do is learn a few tricks, put in some regular effort, and stick to the routine. Read the article carefully and at the end you’ll see the way out.

PREVENTION

Fur: It’s not difficult to brush your cat or dog every day. Typically animals love this and it helps you bond with your pet, a win-win! You’ll be surprised at how helpful it is! Spending five minutes brushing your pet will cut down on the hair that floats around your home. Daily brushing also gets rid of dead skin and you’ll notice that your pet looks and smells better after. So, you probably need to buy a brush if you don’t have it yet!

Specific Odors: Put a fabric softener sheet in your favorite scent under the sofa or chair cushions where your pet likes to hang out.

Dirt: Cleaning house carpet with pets is impossible without placing mats at both the outside and inside of every door. Why? It will cut down the dirt that their paws track inside the house. Make sure these mats are washable so you can throw them in the wash as needed.

It would be also useful to coat surfaces in dark paint. Obviously, the best thing you can do for your kitchen is to paint all your lower cabinets in Gloss Black! Dark paint does an excellent job of hiding smears from wet noses and mud from wagging tails. It is easy to wipe down. You can take the paint to cabinets and walls in other areas of the house, too.

Emergency clean-up kit: To avoid messes getting out of hand, keep the following must-haves handy: a bucket with spray stain removers, rags, paper towels, and disposable disinfectant wipes. It often happens that you have no time for professional cleaning right now, so, the clean-up kit is needed for cleaning house carpet with pets!

YOUR HOUSE FLOOR CLEANING

Regular vacuuming: Pets will always shed, so it is important to vacuum often. If it’s just you and one pet, you can get away with vacuuming once or twice a week. But, for every other person and pet you should add another vacuum to the routine. If you have a big family and more than one pet, it is recommended to vacuum your carpet every day. Don’t worry! It doesn’t take much time! To save time you can also swiffer wood surfaces and minimize time that your pets spend in carpeted rooms.

Professional carpet and rug cleaning: Between routine cleanings it’s important to give your carpets a deep clean. Can you do it on your own? Don’t think so! You are not going to take professional cleaning equipment for rent, aren’t you? Pet dander, hair, mites, etc. in bed deeply into the fibers of your rugs and carpets. If you are prone to allergies, it’s even more important to invest in a carpet cleaning at least once or twice a year. Just call for the cleaning company and spend a couple of hours for walking with your pets while professional cleaners are cleaning your house carefully.

Fur busting tools: Run a rubber or latex glove over carpets, rugs, furniture, etc. to collect pet hair quickly. Lint rollers are also a must to have on hand to collect hair in a hurry.

Odors: Baking soda is natural ingredient that gets rid of pet odors without any toxic concerns. Sprinkle on carpets, couches, pet beds, etc. Let sit for a couple of hours and vacuum up. You’ll notice the difference of your fresh smelling home. You can also make a baking soda and water spray and mist the air or fabrics easily. Spraying vinegar into the air is another way to beat pet odors. Of course, it doesn’t sound professionally. This method is good to use regularly but professional cleaning is recommended.

Cleaning products you need for your floor: Always clean up pet messes right away, and when choosing a cleaner, make sure to use those that are non-toxic for animals. Pets are very sensitive! So, you need a cleaner that stores only safe formulas for pets, but you can also make your own cleaners from baking soda and vinegar that are safe. You can find the recipes of a few DIY cleaners in the web. They are non-toxic for cats and dogs. Remember to never use ammonia to clean, as it’s is similar to the scent of animal urine, which can send mixed signals to your pet.

Removing stains: It is impossible to have pets without stains! A big part of cleaning house carpets with pets goes for removing stains. If your pet has accidentally made a mess on your floor, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Have you ever tried adding some shaving cream to your cleaning kit? You could spend a ton trying out every last “miracle” pet stain product, but shaving cream works best, even on the toughest stains such as dog vomit and cat pee. Make sure to use foam, not gel! Simply spray the stain, let it sit and foam for a minute, and then wipe with warm water.

You have dogs and cats. You also have carpet. Sometimes these two things don’t go together very well, especially when messy dogs stain your carpet. There are many tips to follow. But if you want to start, remember this: CLEAN PETS=CLEAN CARPETS. This is where to start. Bathing your dogs regularly can keep that dog smell out of your carpets. Keeping up with brushing avoids clumps of hair all over the house as well. All the rest leave for professionals! These prevention tips and cleaning tactics should make your home feel as clean as it was before you added your furry family members.

Take a Challenge By Installing Hardwood Flooring Yourself

Posted on 03/01/201903/01/2019 by Yarik YML

Do you have a couple of unfinished bonus room above your garage? What do you think about installing the oak hardwood flooring in there? So, and what do you say about installing hardwood flooring yourself? Well, it wouldn’t terribly difficult, but it would have its challenges. So, for anyone else, who might be taking on the task, here’s a rundown of what you can do.

CHOOSING YOUR FLOORS

First off, why hardwoods? What if wall-to-wall carpet is much better? Carpet can be a good easy option. Besides, hardwood is a good choice for a cozy bonus room. Let’s find out WHY.

Engineered vs. Solid Wood Flooring

As it was discussed in different internet guides, the two main types of hardwood flooring—solid and engineered—differ significantly.

Engineered wood flooring is often thinner than solid wood flooring. It is manufactured with a thin surface layer of hardwood and a core that’s more like plywood. If you intend to install the floor yourself, engineered-wood flooring is usually the best bet because it is pre-finished, eliminating the need for sanding and finishing the floor, which dramatically simplifies the job.

In addition, because engineered-wood flooring is made from layers of wood sandwiched and bonded together, it is more stable than solid wood and resistant to changes caused by extreme temperatures and humidity. Engineered flooring, at best, can only be sanded and refinished once or twice because its finish layer is very thin (from 1/16″ to 3/16″). Engineered-wood flooring (or other flooring materials, such as tile or vinyl) may be installed above or below grade. This often plays an important role.

Solid wood flooring is a traditional favorite. It usually is thicker than engineered flooring and is clearly cut from a single board of hardwood. Solid-wood flooring has a tendency to warp, twist, expand, and contract with changes in moisture and temperature. On the flip side, solid flooring can be sanded and refinished multiple times. Bathrooms and kitchens are another story. Though moisture is present in both areas, you can protect the surface of a solid-wood floor with a sturdy, protective finish.

PREPARING FOR HARDWOOD FLOORING

Because installing hardwood flooring is usually a major, expensive home improvement, it pays to ensure a quality, durable result. If you are going to install hardwood flooring yourself, it needs proper preparation. You can find a lot of helpful videos and reading materials about hot to install and what instruments you need.

New wood flooring should be laid on a clean, smooth, level, structurally sound base. Depending on the particular flooring, this base may be a previous floor covering, an existing wood floor in good condition, a new plywood subfloor, or even a moisture-proofed concrete slab.

By installing wood over an existing floor, you bypass the messy job of removing the old flooring, and you gain instant soundproofing and insulation from the old floor. A disadvantage to leaving old flooring in place is that you must correct any irregularities in it. Also, the new floor will raise the flooring level, making the transition to a hallway or an adjoining room awkward.

REMOVING DOORS AND BASE MOLDING

Whether or not you’re installing over old flooring, the first step in preparing floors for hardwood is to remove doors and base shoe molding. Number the molding pieces so you can easily replace them when you’re finished. Make sure that the use and conditions of the room won’t have a negative impact on the flooring during installation. Thus, too much foot traffic on a new floor or excessive temperature or humidity swings can diminish the quality of—and sometimes even ruin—wood flooring. Proper preparation techniques depend upon the type of flooring you’re installing and the conditions of the base that will be beneath it.

PREPARING SUBFLOOR FOR HARDWOOD FLOORING

Most wood flooring goes on a typical raised, wood-framed subfloor that is surfaced with plywood or OSB (oriented-strand board) subflooring panels. The subfloor must be clean, dry, flat, structurally sound, squeak-free, and clear of any surface bumps or fasteners. Use a long, straight board and a carpenter’s level to check for any dips or rises. Sand down bumps and fill dips with leveling compound.

BEFORE HARDWOOD FLOORING IS DELIVERED

The conditions of your house must be ready for hardwood flooring before the material is delivered. In fact, wood flooring is typically one of the last installations during a remodel. To avoid physical damage to the surface, be sure it goes in after all construction and completed installation of any fixtures and appliances that will not sit on top of it. Heat and humidity can dramatically affect expansion and contraction of hardwood flooring.

HOW HEAT & HUMIDITY AFFECT HARDWOOD FLOORING

Wood flooring—especially solid wood flooring—is very susceptible to moisture problems. Unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise, wood flooring must be allowed to adjust to the house’s normal humidity level before installation to prevent expansion and contraction that can spoil the final job. This means any packaging should be removed and the wood should be stacked for several days in the room where it will be installed. Do not store it in the garage or an exterior patio.

HOW TO CUT & FASTEN HARDWOOD FLOORING

The instructions given here are generic for nailing solid-wood flooring to a plywood or OSB subfloor. Before beginning, read the manufacturer’s instructions for your particular flooring.

CUTTING HARDWOOD FLOORING

A power miter saw makes smooth and straight cuts.

Of course, you need special instruments to do that. To rip flooring, use a power saw that has a fence, such as a job saw or table saw. For crosscuts, equip a power circular saw with a carbide-tipped 40-tooth blade or, even better, use a power miter (“chop”) saw with the same type of blade. Cut the boards face down with a circular saw or face up with a job saw, table saw, or power miter saw. Be sure all end cuts are precisely square (at a 90-degree angle).

For making curved or irregular cuts, you can use a portable saber saw (jigsaw). The blade on this type of tool cuts on the upstroke, often splintering the top surface. So, if the cut will not be covered by molding, be sure to turn the flooring face down during cutting. If the cut won’t be visible, it’s usually easier to work with the flooring face up.

Once all the boards are in, it is just a matter of cleaning everything up. Then it is on to installing the baseboard, quarter round, and window molding. So if you’re about to undertake a hardwood floor installation, just ready yourself for some heavy box hauling, tedious hand-nailing, and exhilarating mallet smacking. So, do you still think of installing hardwood flooring yourself?

How to Restore Laminate Flooring

Posted on 10/30/201810/30/2018 by Yarik YML

If you are a homeowner, you have a lot of pain about your new responsibilities. Of course, some of these responsibilities are universal to anyone, who wants to keep their home clean and fresh. Even apartment dwellers must clean their floors occasionally. So, let’s start from your floor! With this in mind, it is absolutely essential to learn how to clean and maintain your laminate floors properly. Do you want to know how to restore laminate flooring? The process isn’t fun, but there are a few tips, which can make it easier and more effective.

Here is What You Need to Restore Your Laminate.

Speaking about laminate floor, you cannot just scrub it. This will help, but you’ll also need some supplies and cleaning products. If you want you can make your own cleaning solution. Here what you need for cleaning your laminate floor.

Steam mop
Cleaning supplies
Paper towels or rags
Broom
Vacuum

Prevent Pollution!

If you really want to know how to restore laminate flooring, prevent pollution! In order to keep your laminate floors looking great, you should first take steps to prevent them from being dirtied in the first place! Although laminate isn’t as easy to dirty up as carpet, you should still make sure that always take your shoes off, before entering your home. This simple jest will prevent tracking mud, dirt and other debris onto the laminate. You should also realize that sand and stones could get stuck in your shoes as much as your high heels. So, don’t forget to take your shoes off!

Also, you shouldn’t forget to place a rug or matt at the front door. It’s for your guests who aren’t going to be so responsible and clean their shoes. Giving them a rug will encourage them to wipe off their feet, before entering your home. Finally, you should make sure to protect your floors, by using runners or rubber stoppers on the bottom of furniture.

This will help to prevent your laminate from being scratched or damaged in any way.

Clean It!

When wiping up a spill, you should make sure to use a homemade natural cleaner. This combination will not only keep your home clean of dirt, but it’ll also prevent exposing your family and pets to harmful chemicals. Also, you should consider using a microfiber pad, NOT A BRUSH when cleaning your floors without chemicals. The microfiber cloth will be extra soft and will not damage the laminate. When forced to dry clean the floors, you will usually be able to get by with using a vacuum.

See, it is not difficult to keep your laminate floors perfectly clean, you should make sure to get into the habit of cleaning them every day! Vacuuming and sweeping is absolutely possible!

Just be careful! Using a flat cloth mop and a very mild spray cleaning solution each day is highly recommended. This will help to lift the dirt and debris from the laminate, without difficulty. Also, you might want to find and utilize the best vacuum for hardwood floor! This will give you the ability to quickly clean up food crumbs and other items, when needed.

Restore It!

Restoration needs special skills. Do you want to know how to restore laminate flooring? If you want to do it quickly you can hire a professional service or try to do it on your own. Let’s see!

In order to take the task on your own shoulders, you’ll need to equip yourself with the appropriate supplies. Although you can rush out to your local store and purchase some type of floor cleaner, you might want to consider making your own. Don’t worry, because you won’t need a lot of supplies. In fact, it is possible to throw together some water and a small amount of vinegar. This magic combination can be added to a spray bottle and can effectively clean your laminate floors.

Once you’ve finished cleaning the floor with the mop, you will want to make sure to clean the floors with a soft cloth or microfiber cloth. Make sure that you remove all of the standing water, because it could cause damage to your laminate.

Another effective chemical for restoring your laminate floors is hand soap and even baby shampoo! This might sound like a joke, but the baby shampoo can work perfectly and will make your laminate floors look bright and clean! This is one of the best pieces of advice you could ever find for proper laminate floor care! Try it!

Make It Shine!

Eventually, you’ll have your floors looking great, but you’ll want to give them a great little shine too. In order to make this happen, you need to vacuum the floor first to remove dirt and dust. It is very important to begin by removing the dirt and dust from your floors. Once you’ve gotten them free of debris, you’ll want to begin removing any residue that has attached itself to your laminate floors. You also need to grab some vinegar and mop-on floor wax. Through repeated cleaning with the vinegar, you will eventually be able to uncover the shine that has been hidden, by dirt and residue.

Once you’ve gotten this completed, you need to top it off, with the mop and wax. Make sure that you take your time and generously spread the wax thoroughly on your floors. This will help to make your laminate floors shine bright, as if they’re brand new!

As you can see, the process of cleaning and restoring your laminate floor doesn’t need extra steps from you. You don’t need specific equipment and ingredients. From the other hand, the process isn’t fun or exciting! Thus, the tips that you’ve just read will undoubtedly be able to help you. Remember that proper care for your floors begins with prevention. Taking off your shoes and encouraging your guests to do the same is absolutely vital! From there, it is all about persistence, patience and using the right supplies! Again, looking for how to restore laminate flooring, you can always ask for professional help. Professional cleaning team does everything they should to restore your laminate, but twice faster than you can do that DIY.

Install Wood Laminate Flooring

Posted on 09/17/201809/17/2018 by Yarik YML

If you like laminate floor and want to have it in your home, you can try to install it! Sounds scaring? Oh, don’t be afraid! You can install wood laminate flooring in a weekend. It’s all because of snap-together fastening system that simplifies laminate floor laying. No glue, no nails. It’s so easy to install that you can lay a beautiful, yet durable hardwood floor in a weekend. It’s pre-finished too, so no dusty sanding and painstaking finish work. Read the article and see how to prepare your floor and then lay the boards. Be sure, this is a sort of DIY project you can cope with, even if you have no more than some simple carpentry skills.

Minimum Tools You May Need to Get the Job Done

Of course, if you are professional, you can install laminate flooring without any tool. But still, you’d better have something for help. The tools you may use for installing laminate flooring are similar to snap-together plastic laminate floors. By the way, the 5/16-in. thick flooring has specially shaped tongues and grooves that interlock to form a strong tight joint without glue or nails. Once assembled, the entire floor “floats” in one large sheet. You leave a small expansion space all around the edges so the floor can expand and contract with humidity changes.

The cost of wood laminate floors (often called engineered wood floors) varies. It mostly depends on the species and thickness of the top wood layer. There are a few types of snap-together floors but you can pick the best variant from your local flooring retailer. It is also possible to buy flooring online!

So, if you want to make the best choice ever, you should draw a sketch of your room with dimensions. Ask your salesperson for help choosing the right transition moldings for these areas. You’ll need a few special tools in addition to basic hand tools like a tape measure, square and utility knife to know how to install wood flooring. A table saw and power miter saw would make your how to install laminate floors job easier but aren’t necessary.

Prep the Room First

Make sure your floor is dry. Don’t install wood laminate flooring over damp surface or damp crawlspaces. Check it for excess moisture. It’s not a difficult to do with the help of the plastic mat test. One more thing, professional installers don’t advice to install wood laminate flooring in all areas where they might be subjected to standing water.

Then prepare your room for the new laminate flooring installation. Make sure the existing floor is smooth and flat. You can clear the old floor and smooth it by scraping off lumps and sweeping it. If you have wood floors, now’s the time to fix squeaks and tighten loose boards by screwing them to the joists with deck screws.

Roll Out Underlayment and Seal Together

It is always recommended to put down underlayment before laying the laminate. Why? This thin foam helps to absorb sounds; provides a thermal barrier; makes it easier to walk on the laminate, and helps the flooring bridge minor gaps and bumps. Underlayment is always a default choice. However, if your subfloor is flat and will always remain as dry as a bone, underlayment is not needed.

Laying the First Row of Laminate Flooring

Cut the tongue from the wall-side boards with your circular or table saw. Begin your first row along the longest wall, with the former tongue side against the wall. Start on the right side and work leftward. Otherwise, planks will stay in place well enough without spacers. After you have a few rows down, the flooring will be so heavy that it won’t slide.

You may consult flooring instructions for having some recommendations about expansion gap widths. Most guides tend to overstate the width needed. If your gap width is too much, you will end up causing yourself frustration down the road when you install baseboards.

Laying the Floor: Move Cut Piece to Next Row

Once you reach the end of the first row, the last plank will be too long. Measure the length needed and transfer that measurement on a full-size plank, measuring from the right to left side. This is important so that you don’t cut off the tongue end of the plank. You want to preserve the tongue so that it will lock into the end of the first row. The cut-off piece will get shifted to the next row down.

Laminate Plank Layout Process

This diagram shows the process for laying your laminate floor. Moving from right to left, your last row piece will always be cut off. That cut-off piece will be shifted down to the next row, moving it all the way to the right to start that row. You can find the picture in the internet to check it out. Pay attention!

Stagger Your Laminate Planks

Your rows of laminate planks should have this type of staggered, sawtooth appearance. Seams in one row should never meet up with seams in an adjacent row because this is structurally unstable. It’s possible to keep cut pieces no less than 16 inches long. If you have a good, stable, flat subfloor, you can probably push this length down to under a foot-but only in a pinch, no more.

Tilt Planks at 45 Degree Angle to Place Them

Laminate planks, the most of the modern brands, often have a locking mechanism that requires you to first tilt the board up at around 45 degrees. It’s easy to do! You’ll feel the plank ever-so-minutely shift into place into the lower plank.

Close Up Shows Gap in Laminate Planks

Laminate is one type of flooring where gaps between planks are anathema. If you want to make your laminate stable to water damage you will need to seal this off by making sure the planks are tightly fitted. If you have a gap, the reason is almost always because you hadn’t tilted the plank up high enough in the previous step.

As you can see, it is not a problem to install wood laminate flooring with your own efforts. Unlike porcelain or ceramic tile, laminate installs dry (no grout, no mortar) and does not need difficult cutting with a special saw. Unlike solid hardwood floor, that needs to be nailed down. Laminate installation is much like putting together a large puzzle. There is no reason why you should not be able to install one room in one day. Try!

Easy Ways to Clean Hardwood Floors

Posted on 08/01/201808/01/2018 by Yarik YML

Hardwood floors are what you need for your house and always needed! Of course, this is a coveted item for any new home. This is the first renovation you should invest your money in. The rich, warm, earthy tones of ash, cherry or maple hardwood are pleasing to the eye and give a room a classic aesthetic. Hardwood floors make every room stylish and atmospheric. But there’s some debate about the best way to clean them. Cleaning hardwood floors is a weekly task to ensure your investment is still a beautiful part of your living space. You should read the information below and find all possible easy ways to clean hardwood floors.

Forget about your headache! Here is a brief guide on how to clean hardwood floors in three easy steps. But before cleaning, you should investigate and learn some information about your flooring.

Determine The Finish Of Your Hardwood Floors

Before you grab a bucket of water and a mop, it’s best to find out how your hardwood floor is sealed. Are you surprised? Don’t be! The finish, not the wood type, will determine how you clean and care for the floor.

Surface-sealed floors: Most new wood floors are sealed with urethane, polyurethane or polyacrylic. Surface-sealed floors are stain- and water-damage resistant and easiest to clean: just sweep, mop and you’re done!

Penetrating seal-treated and oil-treated floors: A penetrating seal or oil finish will soak into the wood grain and harden. This type of floor must be pampered and protected with liquid or paste wax.

Lacquered, varnished, shellacked or untreated floors: Although technically surface finishes, lacquers, varnishes and shellacs are not as resistant to moisture, spills and wear as the other sealants mentioned. Treat floors with these finishes (or floors with no finish) with liquid or paste wax.

Not sure what kind of finish you have? If you want to know the truth, just rub carefully your finger across the floor. If there are no smudges, the floor is surface sealed. If you do create a smudge, the floor has been treated with a penetrating seal, oil finish, shellac, varnish or lacquer.

Common Hardwood Floor Cleaning Mistakes

Wearing your shoes at home

If you still believe that taking your shoes off as soon as you come in the door, you save your floor from the tracked-in dirt that can wreak havoc on a wood floor’s finish, you are right. Dirt and grit are abrasive and over time these particles leave behind fine scratches that make your floors look dull.

Not vacuuming often

Goof vacuum cleaner helps you to remove dirt and fine debris from the cracks and crevices of a wood floor. This is the easiest from all easy ways to clean hardwood floors. Vacuuming with its long brush, you can get all the smallest dirt out.

Waiting too long to clean up spills

Don’t let spills and spots dry on the floor. Blot spills immediately with an absorbent cloth. The worst thing you can do is let water puddle on the floor. Follow up with a damp paper towel to remove any residue and buff dry.

Three Easy Ways To Clean Hardwood Floors

Simple Mop Technique

Let’s keep things simple. You can clean your hardwood floors with 3 steps:

Clear the floor
Vacuum the floor
Mop the floor

It is also important to understand what type of hardwood floors you own because polyurethane floors are capable of taking water, so mopping technique is appropriate. If your floors are lacquered or shellacked, don’t use water, water can stain the wood and cause buckling.

Step one: clear your hardwood floor of furniture. If you have much larger furniture then you may need to just need to stick to the ones that are easy to move. Your family or friends can help you with the process. Group efforts make things better. Once you have cleared the floor of all visible furniture, you can proceed to step two.

Step two: vacuum the floor to clean all the surface debris from your hardwood floors. This helps take away what is visible to the eye like dirt, lint, dust, and fallen scraps.

Step three: get a mop and a bucket of water mixed with some liquid dish soap. Before you start mopping, make sure you ring the mop thoroughly before you use it on the floor. Proceed to mop the floors clean until satisfied.

Dusting Mop Technique

Speed up the cleaning process by dusting the floor with a mop that has been treated with a dusting agent (or use a microfiber dusting pad with fringe) to pick up dust, dirt, and pet hair that might scratch the floor’s surface. For routine cleaning (at least once a week) use a vacuum with a floor-brush attachment or opt for an electric broom. It’s not difficult to go to the nearest grocery and buy disposable electrostatic cloths for immediate dusting. You can use both sides of the electrostatic cloth when used for dusting.

Swiffer and Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Do a full sweep with a Swiffer – special mop for dry cleaning. Start at one corner of the room and move your way down, and side to side. This is the way to clean your room of all visible dirt and debris. Next take out some commercial wood floor cleaning sprays. These can be found at your local grocery store or hardware store also. Spray down the floor with the cleaner and use a flat mop to mop as you spray. It is important to note that if you are used to using your own formula, be aware that vinegar and hardwood floors do not mix well. You can damage your floor easily!

If cleaning hardwood floors still feels like it is outside of your comfort zone, or you simply don’t have time to put in the necessary care and maintenance with your busy lifestyle, don’t hesitate to contact an expert. The experts at your location have years of experience to help to make your hardwood floor look and feel brand new. Don’t hesitate to contact them and provide cleaning weekly, following the easy ways to clean the hardwood floors given above.

Reno Carpet Cleaning Service

Posted on 05/16/201810/04/2018 by Yarik YML

The winter is far away, but your carpet still leaves you cold. Of course, you dry and clean it every week or even day, but there is no effect you are waiting for. You should keep in mind, if your wall-to-wall hasn’t had a deep cleaning in a while; it is a good time to call to professional carpet cleaning service in Reno, NV. To find out which services are best you should compare advantages of the leading firms you have on your territory. You should evaluate:

Customer service when making the appointment
In-home experience with the technicians
How clean the pros got the carpets
And the Winners Are…
Reno carpet cleaning service came out tops in your tests.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning

Carpet is now the number one floor covering in most commercial settings. This is true! Carpets may cover many businesses from floor to ceiling. It’s a big investment that needs to be protected. Carpet cleaning methods uses the natural cleaning power of carbonation to lift dirt and grime to the surface of the carpet, where you can easily extract it. Their modern technologies are good for commercial carpet cleaning because the cleaning process uses 80% less water than typical steam cleaning, so your carpet will dry in 1-2 hours instead of 1-2 days so you can get back to work and you won’t have the risk of mold and mildew growth that often comes with using an excessive amount of water.

With commercial carpet cleaning from Reno, carpets stay cleaner longer and promote a healthier working and business environment for your customers and employees. The processes are rich and complex, but all of them are professionally done by Reno experts. So, the main of them are:

Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning

Commercial area rug cleaning are a great addition to your lobby, halls and other uncarpeted spaces that make the style of your office or hotel and help protect the floors. However, they are usually placed in heavily traffic areas and can become dirty quickly. Reno professionals are trained to clean virtually all types of rugs, including Persian.

Professional cleaning team uses specialized tools and equipment designed for whatever kind of rug you have, including synthetic, wool, cotton, silk and many other types. Don’t worry about carpet safety! The effective but gentle rugs cleaning and drying process preserves the dye within the fibers of your rug, leaving the colors of your rug vibrant and fresh. And because modern cleaning products don’t leave any dirt-attracting residue, your rugs stay cleaner longer.

Upholstery Cleaning

Commercial upholstery cleaning includes the process of cleaning desk chairs, sofas, partitions and other commercial upholstered furniture. It can be in a business environment or at home. Carpet cleaning is able to make your corporate furniture looking and feeling like new. The certified cleaners are ready to help with all kinds of upholstery, including some of the finest natural fibers and the hardiest synthetics. Upholstery cleaning process is similar to carpet cleaning and rug cleaning process. The newest dry cleaning technologies are used. This means that your corporate upholstery dries faster and stays cleaner longer.

Leather Restoration and Cleaning

Leather furniture is very popular. This is a good investment for your business that one way or another requires proper care to prevent premature aging and drying. The leather care specialists have the expertise to clean and restore your company’s leather furniture to protect it against spills and dirt, replenish the moisture it needs and restore its clean, healthy luster.

Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning

Commercial tile and stone cleaning can be easily renewed to shine longer. Cleaning technicians use specialized cleaning solutions as well as powerful deep-cleaning extraction equipment to remove the dirt and build-up, increasing its longevity and refreshing the look of your environment.

Granite Countertop Renewal

Granite countertops have always been popular for use in businesses because of their upscale appearance, durability and natural shine. But these surfaces can lose their luster over time, especially in high-use areas of your business center. Of course, it needs special care. Specialized cleaning solutions are used to be a part of a unique, multi-step process to penetrate deep inside granite surface. It makes your granite shine! The cleaning process like this removes an average of 98.4% of bacteria from granite countertops. What a great result!

Water Damage Cleanup Service

Burst pipes, flood damage and other leaks can do extreme damage to your carpets and the floor underneath. The professionals at cleaners can extract the water to remove excess moisture from the carpet and pull the carpet back to dry out the padding. They are able to restore your floor and carpeting to stay in safe. Modern cleaning solutions are used for all of the surfaces of your business area or home. Well-trained, professional commercial carpet cleaning providers are able to provide a customized quote and are committed to being your healthy workplace provider. Check it on the web!

What Does Clean Really Means!?

Whether you go with a national or a local company like RDCarpetClenaing.com, there are a few basics to expect. What should you know to expect from your cleaners?

Services may require a two-room reservation or a minimum dollar amount, and costs can vary based on floor size and extras like stain-protection application or odor treatments. During the in-home cleaning, the technicians should offer to move furniture (small stuff for sure; larger or delicate pieces, like a china cabinet, won’t be moved) or at least put protectors under furniture legs. They should also pretreat stains, tell you how long before you can walk on the carpet (often immediately or within an hour or two), and explain what to do if stains reappear (which can happen if the pad or backing is also stained and the unremoved matter wicks up as the carpet dries).

If your carpets are very dirty or haven’t been cleaned for ages, don’t expect miracles. Of course, Carpet cleaning specialists should say what results are realistic before they start. To keep carpets looking their best, you are recommended deep cleaning every 12 months, or more often in homes with kids or pets.

Engineered Wood Flooring Manufacturers

Posted on 03/18/201803/18/2018 by Yarik YML

If you’ve already started making search for the reviewing wood flooring market, then you can clearly see that engineered hardwood flooring is an increasingly popular and available product now. It is usually very competitively priced compared to solid hardwood flooring. But how do you find the best engineered wood flooring and is it any good, you ask?

Well, the answer depends on many factors. If you’re an architectural purist and want to renovate a vintage home, you may balk at the idea of installing what is effectively a composite wood product. However, for the most people who just love the look of wood floors, engineered wood flooring is often difficult to differentiate from solid wood once. But, engineered flooring is allowed with a tighter budget. What a good new!

What about the quality? Higher-end, best quality engineered hardwood that has a good 2-6 mm thick top veneer layer that can be sanded and refinished over time (similar to solid wood) and can last between 40-80 years. The engineered hardwood with a thinner veneer layer cannot be refinished and generally will not last longer than 30 years. To find the flooring of a high quality, you should learn about the popular engineered wood flooring manufacturers, available from the constructors.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring Reviews

Here is the short review of some of the most popular engineered wood flooring manufacturers you can meet online.

EXPO FLOORS

Hand scraped engineered floors are represented. You will be impressed the quality of wood, rigorously stabilized (A, B, C, D grade), naturally air dried and scientifically kiln dried with certified moisture values between 7% – 10%. Their distressed line is scraped by hand. It makes your floor look naturally and realistic to the touch. Of course, hand scraped floor is distinctively different from machine scraped floor. The variety of colors, grain, characters are impressive. The goods are shipped in microcorrugated carton boxes laminated with 100 microns plastic foil. This ensures against moisture and damage to the flooring.

URBANFLOOR

Urbanfloor is a real expert in producing stylish and quality hardwood floors. Whether you prefer a smooth finish, a hand scraped finish or even a heavily distressed floor, Urbanfloor has what you are looking for. Their depth of experience and expertise in the wood flooring industry allows offering the right combination of prompt delivery and accurate service. This is the leading engineered wood flooring manufacturer provider to Distributors and Retail businesses. The company is focused on superior customer service. That’s why the product is absolutely interesting and high quality. The variety of collections is impressive to give you a good choice.

TROPICAL FLOORING

Tropical Flooring provides the full selection of hardwood, engineered, LVT and WPC flooring. It boasts the wide range of natural finishes and textured surfaces of different colors and wood design. Tropical Flooring treats its product composition with care and precision to offer uniquely crafted and truly hand-picked flooring. This respectable engineered wood flooring manufacturer produces floor covering to bring out the beauty in your home. Long lasting and elegant, it will make you fall in love with your floors every time you walk into the room.

ETERNITY FLOORING

At Eternity they offer coordinating trim pieces, MDF base boards, glue & underlayment to not only complete your design project, but enhance the beauty of your new floor, home. What can you take from them? You are impressed with the new trends, unique colors, and innovative designs and products. Their main benefits are quality and affordability. These two distinguishing traits set them an exceptional reputation within the flooring industry.

ANDERSON

Looking for the industry standard in engineered hardwood, pay attention to Anderson! It was the innovative team with the idea to construct engineered wood using their now trademarked Cross-Lock system that alternates the grain direction of five separate wood plies to create a plank that is as strong as steel and uses much less raw wood than solid wood flooring. The idea was great to use it today! The point is the all engineered hardwood brands and manufacturers use this same method, but Anderson were the first, and are still very highly regarded as one of the best.

Actually, Anderson currently offers two brands: Virginia Vintage and Anderson. Each of these brands has several different collections of both solid and engineered hardwood. Anderson is also of particular interest as it is one of the few flooring brands on the market that does its plank texturing (such as hand scraping, wire-brushing). As you can see, the humans’ work is opposed to machines, giving each plank a truly unique character.

COLUMBIA

The Columbia Flooring company is one of the three brands that form Unilin, which is a big part of Mohawk Industries. The history is ling but it’s not about the history! But, confusion aside, this interwoven web of flooring companies has a very good reputation and benefits from combining technological advances. For example, both Mohawk and Columbia use the Uniclic locking system on some (though not all) of their floors.

Want to see the collection from Columbia? They are not extensive (currently there are just 15 engineered hardwood collections), but they are all rather attractive. This is popular fact. Often when the choice is not big, you can pick the right type of floor faster. Too much choice can actually just be too much!

HOME LEGEND

Here is one of the most attractive engineered wood flooring manufacturers. Why? It is budget and the same high quality! If your budget is extremely tight, then your best option is to look at the Home Legend engineered hardwood floors that are widely available. Want to compare? The price can be $1.98 per square foot and with a fairly decent reputation and equally decent 30 year warranty. Home Legend floors give you a chance to get a good looking hardwood floor without breaking the bank. Another advantage is that most Home Legend floors use the Click Lock installation method. It is useful and helpful if you’re planning to go down the DIY route.

The list is not full. Every new company offers something special and up to date! Choose something from the qualities you are expecting to get from your floor.

Restoration after Water Damage

Posted on 03/18/201810/04/2018 by Yarik YML

After your business experiences water damage from a leaky pipe, rainstorm or flood, you naturally want to get things back to normal as soon as possible. It is naturally. As far as you cannot take the time back, you need to find the way out. So, the disaster is near here. What is the full size of the water damage?

If you’re dealing with anything other than a large incursion, you understandably may be considering handling the cleanup and drying yourself to save money or time. The problem is that restoration after water damage isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. So, here are 3 key things you need to be aware of when addressing water damage from a minor clean water (or Category 1) incursion.

1) Know What You’re Dealing With

The water damage can be caused by three different types of water, including:

Clean water (Category I)

Gray water (Category 2)

Black water (Category 3)

It’s important to understand the differences because Category 2 and Category 3 water present health risks to your employees and customers and need to be handled differently. The most likely sources of clean water would be water from a pipe, water heater, steam lines or even rainwater. The basic rule of thumb is that it should look and smell like tap water.

Recovering from Category 2 or Category 3 water damage or heavy flooding involves additional considerations that you shouldn’t do on your own.

2) Make Sure You Investigate All of the Damage

An important thing about restoration after water damage is finding the reason of it. Check the room to find something like a broken pipe or rainwater incursion. Usually, you can typically only see a small part of the actual damage. The majority of the moisture is often hidden in walls, and it’s critical to identify and dry all of the affected areas to prevent mold.

The methods for dealing with damage to walls depend on the type of materials and also what’s behind those materials. Drywall can often be salvaged, when you respond quickly to damage. If the wall has insulation, you will need to use flood cuts. If there is no insulation, then usually the best method is to create weep holes. You also need to pull and check your base molding and flooring materials. If you the floors are carpet, you may be able to pull back the wet area and dry it.

3) Establish Proper Airflow and Keep the Windows Closed When Drying

If you’ve found the moisture, your first instinct may be to open windows to help with the drying process. It is wrong. For example, if your building is mechanically ventilated, the systems need constant pressure levels to work correctly. You also want to avoid excess coolness or heat and humidity, or you may end up complicating the drying process.

Once you’ve taken away wet materials and established holes or cuts in the wall as needed, you’ll typically need one air mover for every 15 – 25 square feet of floor, unless the moisture load and density is particularly high, then you may need more. To prevent mold, make sure all of the layers and materials are dry before putting everything back together. You can take drying equipment for rent or call for professional cleaners. It is all about mold. It can be dangerous in case you’ve missed something.

The Process of Professional Water Damage Restoration

If the water damage has already happened in your house, you know how devastating it can be. If you’ve been trying to fix the situation on your own but there is no result, you need professional restoration after water damage.

Assessment and Inspection

The first thing that a restoration company will do is come to look at your flooded home. They will assess the water in your home or business and determine how much damage it did. It’s important to let professional water damage restoration company work in your home. Whether you have flood damage or a water pipe break, you may need more work done that you had thought. Parts of your building may need restoration and mitigation beyond what you can see, and professionals know how to assess these types of damage, too.

Getting the Water Out

The first step of water cleanup from flood damage or a water supply line break is to get the water in your home out. This means thoroughly drying out everything that got wet: flooring, walls, and even the foundation or the ceiling. The water cleanup process usually starts with vacuuming up as much water as possible. After that, the restoration company will work on drying up the water in your business or your home.

Cleaning Your Building

When you get water in your business or your home, whether it’s from a supply line break or is flood damage, you will need to clean everything affected by the water. Not only will it look dirty, but water can carry bacteria that you don’t want to keep around!

This means that, after drying, the next step in water mitigation is thoroughly cleaning anything that got wet. Your water cleanup restoration people will treat your carpets and walls with agents designed to kill all sorts of microbes. Depending on where you had water in your home or business, they may also use agents that will clean the air, so you can feel sure that you are breathing safely.

Finishing the Restoration

Once your water cleanup is complete, it’s time to restore your building. The process of restoration after water damage directly depends on the extent of the damage. If your flood damage as from a pipe break or a supply line break, you will need to be sure that your pipes are repaired, so you don’t face similar issues down the road. After all, you don’t want water in your business or home again! It’s important to make sure worthwhile to make sure that the work is completely done and your house is in safe.

Wholesale Hardwood Flooring

Posted on 03/12/2018 by Yarik YML

If you want to renovate your residential or commercial space, solid hardwood flooring is a reliable and attractive choice. Especially, if you purchase it wholesale. The benefits of wholesale hardwood flooring are given below. Firstly, it is better to speak about the hardwood flooring advantages.

Straight-forward installation for those with experience

Quality hardwood floors are specifically milled to ensure a uniform and stable fit. The choice between finished and unfinished hardwood floors is an important factor for every home owner.

Easy to clean

Hardwood floors are very easy to clean as they do not accumulate a lot of dirt, dust, and debris. A weekly cleaning procedure involves vacuuming, moping and keeping the floor dry. That’s it!

High quality look

It is elegant, high-end aesthetic. The hardwood floors offer the warmth, beauty, and value of wood, which never goes out of style. Hardwood floors are also said to enable a look of spaciousness wherever they are installed.

Strength and durability

High quality hardwood floors that are kiln-dried, manufactured, installed, and finished to certain standards can last for generations. They are good for active workspaces and heavy foot traffic, quality hardwood floors are tough, hard-wearing, and have long term durability.

A great long-term investment

Choosing hardwood floors increases the value of your property. It is a great long-term investment and can actually become a strong resale argument, exceeding the initial installation cost of the floors. Of course, the price of it is higher than lamination, but the quality is high too.

Variety

Hardwood floors offer a wide range of appearances. There are many colors, styles, textures available. In addition, you can choose between pre-finished and unfinished hardwood floors. No matter how diverse and unique your needs are, there are many hardwood flooring options available.

Better acoustics

A properly installed hardwood floor never gives you hollow sounds or vibrations.

Healthy indoor air quality

These floors are a healthy choice for interior environments. It has no fibers, grout lines, or embossing that can trap dust, pollen, particles, animal dander, and allergens that occur with carpets. They are the best choice of flooring with allergy sufferers and contribute to healthier indoor air quality.

Don’t Worry About the Price! Buy Hardwood Flooring Wholesale!

Wholesale outlets for hardwood flooring are increasingly popular in many parts of the country. Buying wholesale hardwood flooring is worth the effort of finding an outlet because of the money you can save. Check the phone book under hardwood flooring wholesale or search the internet for wholesale hardwood flooring. Nothing can beat the bargain of buying quality products for wholesale prices. You can be surprised.

Wholesale purchasing is an excellent choice because it provides the home owner with high quality hardwoods at a low, almost budget price. Wholesale hardwood flooring is flooring that is genuine hardwood but it is being sold at a wholesale price, or the price that the retailers will pay for it. The price is often significantly lower than that which you would pay at any other location. The most difficult aspect of the use of wholesale hardwood flooring is finding locations to purchase it from on your territory.

Wholesale Benefits

Wholesale hardwood flooring has many advantages to the user.

High quality

First off, it provides for people to have the high quality, the highly beautiful hardwood look. Don’t worry that the lower price makes the low quality. The product tends to be of the same quality as standard hardwood, the only difference tends to be the price. Hardwood wholesale is still the same in quality as that of the standard, or even over-priced, items. The difference is that it provides more affordability with that high quality.

Ageless Quality

Hardwood flooring has been used for years. It is a type of flooring that will last a lifetime or longer. When protected, it is durable, beautiful to increase the value of your home.

Saving Prices

The hardwood wholesale gives you one more great benefit – price savings. This is, probably, the most important and firstly visible benefit that you pay attention to. The drawback to hardwood flooring wholesale purchases is that they are hard to come by. Because the price of them is so outstanding, it can be purchased rather quickly. Or, it may not be available in all of the standard colors and types that the buyer would like to purchase. Hardwood wholesale is difficult to find and may mean that the buyer must purchase whatever it is that is being offered by the location. This may be a deterrent for some.

Wholesale Purchasing

There are a number of ways you can find wholesale hardwood flooring. First, you can check out wholesale outlets for hardwood flooring. These locations will provide you with hardwood flooring wholesale prices and often stock a good amount of the product. That means that you are likely to find what you are looking for and enough for your specific needs.

You can also look on the internet. You can seek construction projects that have been stopped or the customer changed their mind about their hardwood choice. What is important, you can read the clients’ feedbacks to be sure that the product you are going to buy is good and the constructor company is reliable. To find these wholesale outlets for hardwood flooring, simply do some basic research on the web. Know what the standard pricing plan is for the type of hardwood that you plan to purchase. Compare websites to find the wholesale hardwood flooring products from one website to the next until you find just what you are looking for in quality, price and desired look.

As you can see, there are many benefits for using wholesale hardwood flooring in your home or your business. It provides an affordable way for you to get the beauty and durability of hardwoods at the right price. It allows for the added value to the home or business because of the high quality of the flooring. When properly protected and maintained, it can last you for years. When you can get this all in a great price, what else is there to complain about? Wholesale hardwood flooring is an outstanding choice for now!

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DIY: One Room in One Day!

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