Caring for Luxury Vinyl Flooring

.A few easy steps and regular maintenance will help keep your luxury vinyl tile and planks looking great for years to come!

Learn maintenance tips in this video.

New Year, New Floor?

Looking for new carpeting for your home? Choosing the best carpet is really about knowing the right combination of characteristics, aesthetics, performance and budget that best fits your lifestyle.

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Should You Choose Laminate or Hardwood Flooring?

Shaw Floors Laminate

With today’s technology, laminate flooring is a strong alternative to hardwood. While the look of laminate and hardwood flooring may be similar, knowing the differences between laminate and hardwood flooring will help you make the best choice for your home and budget.

Here are some quick comparisons.

Laminate Flooring

Construction. Wood materials are pressed together to make a plank. The top layer is a photographic layer made to mimic various surfaces like wood and stone. It can be installed in basements.

Cost. Less expensive

Repair. Minor scratches can be repaired, but new flooring needs to be installed for major repairs. Since laminate is made of composite wood, it cannot be refinished.

Lifespan. Average of 15-25 years

Hardwood Flooring

Construction. This flooring is made of solid wood. The look of the wood comes from the natural state of the wood itself. The grain and color are unique. Installation of hardwood flooring below-grade is not recommended.

Cost. More expensive

Repair. Minor and major damage can be repaired. Hardwood floors can be refinished multiple times throughout their life.

Lifespan. 100+ years

Cleaning Hardwood Floors and Laminate Floors

Even though the materials vary, cleaning hardwood and laminate flooring is basically the same. You’ll want to set up a maintenance routine of daily dust mopping, weekly cleaning with a vacuum/wet mop and a deep clean/polish every few months or as needed. A proper maintenance plan will help keep your floors looking great for as long as you own your floors.

Source: Bona

Design With Light

We all know how light affects our moods. What if you could design with light, preserve your fantastic view and protect your floors from harmful UV rays? We say “No Problem!”

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Photo: Shaw Floors

Some allergens are more common outdoors, like pollen and mold spores, while others are more common indoors, like dust mites and animal dander. All allergen sources, however, can be present anywhere at any time. And because the cost of air-borne allergy-related illnesses can be staggering – up to $17.5 billion in health care costs and more than 6 million work and school days lost each year – it is in your best interest to prevent and minimize allergy triggers whenever possible.

While outdoor allergens can be hard to control, there are ways to minimize the impact of allergens that occur indoors. Frequent dusting, vacuuming and washing will minimize many indoor allergens, but these activities also can stir them up as well. One way to prevent allergens altogether is to eliminate many of the areas where they can gather. Flooring is one example.

Flooring is one area of the indoor environment where the amount of indoor allergens can be controlled. Certain types of flooring, such as carpet, are simply better gathering places for allergens. Small microorganisms, pollen, dust, dust mites, mold, animal dander, and other substances tend to accumulate in carpet fibers. Other flooring types, such as wood, tend to minimize the accumulation of allergens because there are no fibers to trap these substances. Taking steps to minimize these kinds of allergens can result in improved indoor air quality.

When it comes to flooring, the Environmental Protection Agency finds that hardwood floors improve indoor air quality. This is because hardwood floors do not harbor microorganisms or pesticides that can be tracked in from outdoors. In addition, hardwood floors also minimize the accumulation of dust, mold and animal dander. Both of these findings result in improved indoor air quality.

Source: National Wood Flooring Association

Revitalize Your Hardwood Floors

Clean floors last. It’s best to clean rooms from the top down so that any dust and debris won’t find their way onto a newly-cleaned floor.
Dry mop/dust floors. Use a microfiber dusting cloth or a vacuum to remove the initial layer of dust and debris on floors. If you are using a vacuum, avoid using the beater bar so the vacuum’s brush doesn’t damage the floor.
Spray mop floors. Use a cleaning solution designed for your floor type. Avoid DIY vinegar solutions or steam mopping your floors since they both can damage your floor’s finish leaving it to look dull and cloudy. If your mop doesn’t have a spray function, fill your cleaning solution in a spray bottle and spray floors a bit at a time to avoid an excess amount of liquid on your floors.
Apply a new coat of polish. Now that your floors are clean and dry, applying a coat of polish is a great way to revitalize your floor’s finish. A coat of polish can even out a floor’s look, filling in any small scratches and adding a new protective layer on top of your floor.

Here are some tips that can help protect your floors even more.

• Use floor mats and area rugs to protect high traffic areas. If using mats and rugs, try to get rugs and mats with a natural rubber backing since some materials can discolor floors after extended use.
• Protect floors from sun damage. Rearrange furniture or use curtains to protect floors from fading and UV damage.
• Protect furniture legs with appropriate pads and covers. Felt or rubber pads can help avoid scratches from accidental dragging of furniture on your floors.
• The best way to revitalize your floors is with a deep clean. A good deep clean can get into the seams of the floor where normal spray mopping can’t.

Source: Bona

Get a Jump on Holiday Decorating

Are you ready to blow the dust off those holiday decorations stored in your attic or basement? Cooler weather reminds us that Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings are just around the corner. How will you gain inspiration for decorating your home this year? Here are a few events around the metro Atlanta area to check out.

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 10^th Annual Home for the Holidays  (Nov. 15-Dec. 9, 2018)

Located on a 1.5-acre lot in Buckhead, this year’s showcase is a new English country home with a locally sourced limestone and brick exterior, five bedrooms and an expansive loggia with a fireplace and separate grilling terrace that overlooks the pool. Tour proceeds benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Roswell Woman’s Club 2^nd Annual Holiday Home Tour (Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018)

This holiday-themed event includes five beautiful homes in Roswell. Tickets are $35.

Grant Park 38^th Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes (Dec. 8-9, 2018)

Imagine being greeted with the warm glow of candles and holiday lights at every stop. Founded in 1885, the neighborhood consists largely of original Victorian, Queen Anne and Craftsman homes that were constructed between 1885–1910. The Grant Park neighborhood became Atlanta’s largest historic district in 2000. Since its conception, the tour has grown and evolved into a fundraiser for three community organizations: St. Paul United Methodist Church, the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool and the Grant Park Parent’s Network.

Georgia Governor’s Mansion Holiday Tours (Various dates)

The holiday season kicks off with a Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. Holidays tours are scheduled Dec. 3-8 (9:30-11 a.m.); Dec. 9 (2-4 p.m.); and Dec. 10-14 (9:30-11 a.m.). Admission and parking are free.

What other holiday events do you hope to attend?