Rubber Floor Mats Do More Than Just Keep Your House Clean

Do you ever notice the rubber floor mat by your front door? If you are like most people, you probably do not even remember all the times that you've used a rubberized floor mat in your life in order to clean off your feet. Many people do not appreciate the wonderful ability that rubber-floor-mats have to help keep your house clean.

The majority of rubber-floor mats are relatively inexpensive and do a great job at keeping homes clean, businesses clean, and are able to minimize the amount of dirt and other substances that get tracked into a building. It has become very popular for most people to have some kind of rubber floor "welcome" mat outside of their front door. This is because seeing a rubber-floor-mat encourages people to wipe the dust and grime from the bottoms of their shoes before entering your home.

Businesses make use of industrial-sized rubber-floor mats for the same purpose: To keep the workplace flooring clean of all debris. Most blue-collar jobs that require a lot of physical labor actually mandate that rubber floor mats be placed throughout the building in order to help keep their workers safe. If you ever inspected the work area of most fast-food restaurants, you would have noticed that there are plenty of rubber floor mats. The reason that rubber-floor mats are used by most fast-food restaurants is to ensure the safety of their workers.

Often times people will have a rubber-floor mat in their kitchen area in order to ensure stability. You surely do not want to slip in your kitchen while carrying a hot dish or pan of food. Therefore, in order to help prevent yourself from slipping up, it is recommended to lay down some rubber flooring. Not only does a rubber floor mat provide good accident-prevention in the kitchen and help keep work-spaces clean of debris, but it also has the ability to help you from getting your car dirty.

If you have ever taken the time to look down at the flooring of your vehicle, chances are that you quickly were able to notice the rubberized floor mat near the driver's side, as well as in the co-captain seat. The reason that automotive manufacturers give you a vehicle with multiple rubber-floor mats inside is because they want you keep the inside of your car clean. Having high-quality rubber floor mats added to your car can really help maintain your vehicle and prevent dirt granules, pebbles, and mud from ruining the interior of your carpeting.

There are certain types of rubber-floor mats that are more effective at trapping dirt than others, so it is recommended that you look into buying the most effective and durable floor mats for your home, business, and vehicles. Since rubber floor mats are very low-cost, you can buy a lot of good quality ones for a fairly low price. Do some internet research and read up on the latest reviews in order to find a rubber floor mat to best suit your needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hampton_Jackson

Super! You've Chosen Bamboo Flooring, But Here is What You Don't Know

You've decided to use environmentally-friendly bamboo flooring in your home, and you've made a great choice. After all, everyone is going green these days, and bamboo flooring is an excellent step in that direction. You can, however, take your decision just a little further by opting for strand-woven bamboo flooring.

Now if you're wondering exactly what strand-woven bamboo is, you aren't alone, because the material is relatively new to the market. It is made from bamboo strips being woven together and then covered with a special adhesive. The bamboo product is then put under extreme compression until the adhesive dries and the material becomes stablized. Once that happens, this eco-friendly material can be cut into desired sizes of boards and planks. Since it's made of the pieces of bamboo that are left over in the making of standard bamboo planks, you're actually using flooring that's been made of what would have been wasted bamboo.

Why Strand-Woven Bamboo?

If you take the time to do some research about strand-woven bamboo, you'll find that it makes an exceptionally-sturdy material for floors. It is so tough that you'd be hard-put to find anything else that could meet its durability in high-traffic areas of your home. Since bamboo plants grow so quickly, there's no danger of the supply of the material becoming depleted. It cleans up so easily that generally all you'll need to do is run over it with a dust mop. When it does need to be cleaned more thoroughly, all it takes is a solution of vinegar and water which means you won't be introducing chemicals into the environment to maintain it. Strand-woven bamboo also has a longer lifespan than regular bamboo flooring, because it is more resistant to moisture.

Other benefits of installing strand-woven bamboo flooring include:
* It's free from allergens.
* It can be sanded down and re-stained just like the more-expensive hardwood flooring.
* It's a money-saver in that it will retain its finish longer than more traditional types of flooring.

What Makes Strand-Woven Bamboo Flooring Last So Long?

To start with, bamboo is a durable, water- and damage-resistant material. By processing it into strand-woven bamboo, both the these qualities are multiplied. Bamboo also has the ability to expand and contract well in heat and cold which helps your flooring stay in top condition for many, many years.

After you install your strand-woven bamboo, it will only take a bit of elbow grease to create truly awesome-looking floors for your home. Another point worth mentioning is that many brands of strand-woven flooring are made without formaldehyde, and that's what you want to look for. Otherwise, if your home doesn't have adequate ventilation, you have the potential for becoming ill over a period of time. However, when your floor is finally finished, you'll be able to relax and be proud of what you've accomplished. The new look will amaze even you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smith

Concrete Floor Paint And Vital Preparation

Preparation is important when applying floor paint. You can only expect a surface to stay in place, if its substrate is permanent. If the substrate crumbles or moves, your surface and floor paint will move with it. After 40 years of application practice, flooring experts have developed application preparation procedures that minimize the risk of substrates moving. Floors that are new are especially vulnerable and require extra preparation before painting the floor. While a new concrete floor is dusty for the first couple of years while the latent of concrete on the surface are kicked, walked, or driven off. The latent must be removed before quality topcoats are applied; or the topcoats will move with the latent as they break free from the substrate.

Cleaning first with a high pH or alkaline degreaser attacks oil and grease contaminants while moving the floor pH higher will do wonders for the floor paint finish. And afterwards you put on a low pH acidic cleaner that attacks minerals, rust and other particles. That makes your pH jump 10 points or better to shock contaminants loose from substrates. An acidic cleaner should have detergents, rinse agents and water softeners blended into it so that it is formulated to do the best job possible. It is very important to bring the pH back to normal 6.5 or 7 pH after cleaning, using a scrub rinse.

If you have ever tried to run your fingers across your car after pressure washing it; you know that it still has a thin layer of road film on it. That is because surface tension holds even high pressure from penetrating the road film. You must break the surface tension with contact during all three steps of cleaning. The more aggressive the contact the better for removing concrete latent, small particles of concrete that are ready to break of to become that endless dust coming off unquoted concrete floors.

You should be careful relying on retail store clerks alone, to help you with a floor that will be used for the next 10 to 20 years. Now a day’s factory-direct kit of materials including step-by-step instructions and a 24/7 online help are now on hand. With these resources, you can put quality floor paint down in your garage that will last for many years. Like with a car finish, you may get some scratches and marks, but likewise a car finish, a little touching up can keep the floor paint looking good for many years.

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Engineered Hardwood Flooring Can Save Money Without Sacrificing Style

Hardwood floors are a look that never goes out of style. It is something that adds immediate value and class to your home. Of course, this new rich look is going to cost money, but there are ways to trim some of these costs, especially if you are going to do the installation yourself. One such measure is to use engineered hardwood flooring.

If you are thinking that engineered hardwood flooring is the laminated flooring that you sometimes see in restaurants, you are way off base. These are real wood planks that have already been finished and are ready for installation.

Two things that take up a lot of time when you install a floor are the sanding down and the staining and finish application. These are also the two areas that a lot of DIY'ers can make the most mistakes. Avoid wasting time and money by using the engineered hardwood flooring instead of the standard flooring.

Using this product also eliminates the need to hire a professional. If you have ever laid down flooring before, you should have some basic knowledge and can look on the internet for some quick lessons on the best way to lay down hardwood floors. Something else to consider is that you can use the floor right away instead of having to wait days for the finish to properly dry.

If you have an area of the house that you are going to be installing hardwood floors and it is prone to mild exposure to moisture, engineered hardwood flooring is a much better choice than standard hardwood floors. Because of the way it is treated, it is more likely to hold up to these conditions over say a Maple wood floor that you install and finish yourself.

When you are deciding how to install the floor, you can do it normally where the nails will show but be flush to the floor or you can choose to hide them since the floor is already finished and you do not want to risk harming the finish during installation. To do this, you will need to use a technique called blind nailing or even possibly gluing them down. Either way will allow you to keep the pristine look of the wood.

While this product itself will have a higher price tag on it than unfinished product, you need to take the time and error factors into consideration of the pricing. You are saving a ton of time and run no risk of messing up the finish and having to bur more wood or make costly repairs.

As you look at the small mistakes that can cost significant money in replacement or repair, engineered hardwood flooring starts to make more and more sense. Think about a bubble popping up because you didn't stir the solution properly. A small mistake, but it can cost you a lot of money when you do it. If you have little experience in this type of work you are better off playing it safe and using the prepared product to work with.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Lewis

How to Find High Grade Flooring Material at Discounted Prices

There are some wonderful ways to find discount flooring material, if you're looking to add a new look to a playroom or spare bedroom. The great thing about finding discounted flooring is that you can actually find high quality grade material if you know who to contact. This article will highlight some possible ways on how you might be able to get a great buy on high-grade flooring material.

Local contractors
The first place to start is with your local phone book. If you browse through the various different carpet installers or contractors in the Yellow Pages - You just may find that they have high-grade overstock flooring material that they have ordered from a previous job that they're willing to sell at a very nice discounted price.

Local retailer
Another great way to find high-grade flooring would be to contact your local flooring retailers and see if they have any closeout items for sale. Sometimes the higher end stuff does not move as quickly so you may be able to find some older stock that they're willing to discount.

Color selection
The main drawback in buying overstock flooring material is that you may not find the exact style that you are looking for. This is probably not the best way to go if you're looking at a main living room. However if you are looking to redo a spare bedroom or playroom, yet would like some high-quality product at a price that may even be better than lower to medium grade material this is a great way to go.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Turner

What Type of Flooring Would Be Perfect For Your Home?

There are many choices when it comes to flooring for your home. You can choose from carpeting, rugs, hardwood floors, laminate, and tile. The style you pick depends largely on your personality and the room it will go in as there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Carpeting is a great, traditional flooring choice for any home. It's great because it can have a lot of your personality. There's different styles, like shag, and it comes in any color under the sun. Carpet is also soft and inviting, making it wonderful in a bedroom or living room. Carpet, however, can be very difficult to clean and maintain. You'll need to vacuum often and shampoo the carpet when it becomes dirty. Too bad a stain and it may have to be replaced. Carpet obviously is a bad choice for kitchens and bathrooms where water damage and spills will destroy it.

Hardwood floors are all-around a great choice for homes. They're durable, easy to clean and easy to install. They look wonderful in any room. The main disadvantage of hardwood floors can be the price, although it's usually worth it considering the long-lasting quality.

Rugs are a nice way to accent the floors in your home and can be laid down over hardwood, tile or carpet beautifully. Rugs at plenty of personality and can accent a room, adding charm, warmth or sophistication. Rugs also help to cover up damage on the floor underneath, such as stains. They're also fairly affordable.

Laminate floors are becoming very popular and can be ordered to look just like authentic hardwood floors or tile. Laminate floors are affordable, very easy to lay down and can give the look of a more expensive floor. They're also very easy to maintain. The downside of laminate floors is they don't last very long.

Tile floors, lastly, are great in bathrooms because they won't be damaged by water and are easy to mop up.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Sorrow

Eliminate the Challenge of Finding a Flooring Contractor

If you're considering a remodel on your home or office then you may be faced with hiring a flooring contractor in the near future. This article will look at a couple of things that you might want to consider before you go out and get that first set of bids.

The first thing that you want to do when hiring anybody to install flooring in your home or office is to put together a good plan. The more homework that you do before you start calling flooring contractors the better off you're going to be in the long run in getting quality and competitive bids.

If you know what type of flooring material that you want to install in your home or office you're on your way. Now that you know what type of surface you're going to be installing you can get equal bids from each contractor. If you're not sure what type of flooring that you want to install in your home or office you can always visit a local home improvement store and get some great suggestions.

Word-of-mouth is always a great way to find a reputable flooring contractor, however, you want to make sure that the person you're asking for the reference does not have any kind of commissions or anything built into the referral.

Just because your friend or neighbor down the street happened to use one certain person for their last job does not mean they'll be right for you. You also want to check with that contractors other references, as they may be friends or have some sort of connection with that neighbor or friend that they did the job for.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Turner

Anderson Flooring Versus Laminate

Hate laminate? You are not alone. So does The Anderson Company. Anderson hates laminate for good reason - it's in the business of producing beautifully polished, hardwearing hardwood floors. Laminates fake the appearance of wood, at the expense of misled consumers who have no idea of the many benefits they are missing out on.

Not Anderson.

The company originally collaborated with the U.S Navy; and it's first innovation was a method for devising plywood so flexible and strong it can be used for boat hulls. After the company came up with parquet blocks that can be fitted over concrete (a feat that was unheard of in the day), it started producing full-length planks that performed just as well as parquet under damp conditions, and are equally durable. From there, the company perfected its construction of engineered floors.

Enter Anderson flooring.

Hardwearing and effortlessly beautiful, Anderson flooring is famous for being produced under one of the tightest quality standards in the industry. Anyone who has ever used the material can easily distinguish it from the other names on the market. Why? Well, the company uses solid oak core, instead of softer woods. And, while solid oak is much more expensive, it's also more durable and is exceptionally harder. The difference pays off because in a Janka Ball Hardness Test, the company's planks beat oak lumber in all meters but one.

So the next time you get any renovation or construction work done, skip laminate. Why fake it when you can easily get the real thing? With Anderson flooring, you get real hard wood that's soft on the pocket.

Considering your Anderson flooring options? Wendy Hubble is an expert on Anderson flooring and a contributing writer of Flooring Central. Check out the website for more info on how you can slash 80% off the price of your discount hardwood floor

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Harrelson_Hubble