fancy-a-date

by Geoff S.

Mezzanine Floors and Flooring – The Advantages

Take a look at the wasted space in many business premises. How much of that valuable building space is actually being put to good use?  A mezzanine floor could be the solution.

If you think about lost volume, rather than simply thinking about the square footage you are trying to maximise the income from, the answer can be quite daunting. Who’s paying for all that non-working space – who’s heating and paying the rates?

Many mezzanine flooring manufacturers report that some of their customers have been using less than 20% of the cube of their building. With gas and electricity constantly on the rise and the increase year on year of business rates, the full area of the premises needs to be used.

Mezzanine platform applications and systems can make this space work a little harder for you. You can increase your productive footprint without the hassle of moving. 
The right premises are not always available, coupled with the fees involved with moving and the hassle of changing address, means maximising a current building is far more practical.

What are the benefits of Mezzanine Floors and Mezzanine Flooring?

1.    A mezzanine floor is a low cost way to create extra floor space, saving the money, time and disruption of relocation.
2.    Sweat the asset by utilising the mezzanine floor to use headroom to release valuable ground floor space – several storeys can be built, not just one.
3.    Create an additional office, canteen, showroom, storage space or a combination of these with our mezzanine flooring.
4.    Set up a more spacious, appropriate working environment to boost efficiency and productivity.
5.    Flexibility – can be moved, modified or dismantled.
6.    A rapid and easily installed solution to your needs, with minimal disruption to your business. Mezzanine flooring is quick to assemble and can be in use within weeks. Some small floors can be installed in a day.

Here’s an idea – if you don’t need all that extra space, make money from someone who does! Why not look at installing offices or storage facilities over your existing operation and rent them out? A few points need to be considered though:

•    Building Control issues and the submission of Building Control Applications need to be carried out.
•    The design of a layout that best suits the business needs. This includes designing the placement of mezzanine flooring columns that are not in productive parts 
of the operations below (sometimes existing building structures can be used as support).
•    Minimal disruption to current.
•    Does the business need access to part of the floor to work on and so the mezzanine floor installer will come back to build the rest at a later date.
•    What weight of goods/machinery etc will be used on the floor?

In most commercial applications mezzanine floor planning permission is not required, providing there are no issues that alter the external look of the building surrounding the project (e.g. additional external windows to bring light to the new floor). In retail applications, or other areas affecting an increase in vehicular traffic, mezzanine floor planning permission may apply.

by jeffwilcox

Laminate Wood Flooring

Laminate wood flooring is a versatile flooring type that gives the appearance of hardwood flooring. With natural looking designs in durable finish, laminate wood flooring can complement any home or office décor.

Designs and Patterns that Fit Every Interior

Laminate wood flooring is suitable for any room including family room, hallway, kitchen, and bathroom. Designed to withstand in heavy foot traffic areas, it is perfect for families with children and pets. Whatever your interior style – warm, light, energetic, playful, elegant or casual – a wide array of laminate wood flooring styles and colors are available. You can choose from smooth, textured, square edge, hand scraped, bevel edge, narrow plank and other interesting varieties.

Although laminate wood flooring patterns resemble original wood flooring, no solid wood is used in its construction. The realistic wood plank flooring patterns are created through advanced computerized technology. Laminate flooring can be installed on any flooring surface, concrete or wood.

Construction with Authentic Wood Appearance

Laminate wood flooring has a layered structure. The inner core layer is made using a high density, moisture-resistant fiber board. A high resolution image of natural hardwood flooring is glued and attached on the top of the fiber board. The backing layer is made using saturated paper which acts as a moisture barrier. The flooring is then finished with a clear coating to protect from stains and fading.

Laminate wood flooring is available in different installation formats – click-lock, glue down, and floating type. Floating type flooring does not fix directly to the sub floor. The most preferred type is click lock flooring that easily snaps together without glue or nails.

A Popular Flooring Option with Cost-saving Features

Laminate wood flooring enjoys high demand due to its affordability, simple installation, durability and easy maintenance. Most of the flooring manufacturers provide a long-term warranty for laminate floors. Dealers of laminate wood flooring also provide installation and maintenance services.

by timber_floors

Importance of Environmental Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is one of the most preferred forms of flooring due to its exotic and classic looks. It is used both in commercial as well as the residential sector for its elegant look. It adds the missing aesthetic sense to home and office décor.

But hardwood flooring also poses a threat to the environment. Most environmentalists fear the reduction in the number of trees due to the growing demand of hardwood flooring in Vancouver and other parts of British Columbia. But there is always a counter solution!

Hardwood flooring specialists in Vancouver have identified an environment-friendly way of hardwood flooring. The use of sustainable hardwood flooring is appreciated by the environment-lovers as well. This form of hardwood flooring uses wood only from sustainable trees. The trees and plants which are sustainable in nature find acceptance for the environment-conscious form of hardwood flooring.

There are several hardwood flooring experts who offer sustainable hardwood flooring solution as a highlight service. They also promote the sustainable hardwood products to initiate the use of naturally-sustainable hardwood products than the non-sustainable natural wood products like Solid Hardwood, Laminate flooring and Floating floors.

For environment-friendly flooring, there is use of sustainable wood like Cork and Bamboo. They are available for both commercial as well as the residential sectors. This form of hardwood flooring is equally attractive much like its other counterparts. It also imparts the beauty and luster of any other hardwood flooring and adds elegance to your home or office décor.

Moreover, these natural wooden floors are more advantageous than their other counterparts. Cork floors are more heat and sound insulating and can absorb any amount of impact easily than its other counterparts. Similarly, Bamboo is better than other general forms of hardwood flooring since it is very hard, durable and has unique grain patterns.

by RobandSheila

Laminate Flooring – Things You Need to Know

INTRODUCTION TO LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminate flooring is a great alternative to hardwood when you want the warmth and beauty of wood flooring without the installation and maintenance hassles. This attractive flooring solution is available in a wide range of prices, colours and grains. It’s also more scratch and dent resistant than hardwood flooring, which makes it the perfect choice for homes with active children or pets. Laminate flooring is the one of the most versatile, durable and well-constructed types of flooring on the market today.

HOW TO CHOOSE LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminates warranty range from 10 years to lifetime. Entry level laminates come with a 10 to 15 years warranty but they are designed for light traffic areas. Used in a high traffic area, they will begin to show wear and tear usually within 3 to 5 years. Remember that choosing the right laminate flooring is not as easy as it seems, but by doing that, you will save money in the long run. Just think of things like the amount of time you are planning on staying in that house or the amount of traffic, because there is no point in buying really expensive laminate flooring with extended warranty if you know that you are moving sometime in the near future. Also consider buying laminates with Paraffin wax impregnated joints, as this wax acts as a water repellent and prevents water from penetrating down to the core.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Laminate Flooring is made up of six layers, and comes in varying sizes of either planks or squares with a tongue and groove interlocking system. The surface layer of laminate is the melamine wearlayer, which is a tough clear melamine layer with aluminum oxide particles. When fused together with heat and direct to the core the wearlayer becomes an incredibly hard, durable finish. The resin-filled wearlayer is so dense it becomes extremely difficult to stain, scratch, or burn. The second layer is the Print Layer, which is the decorative layer giving the flooring its appearance of real hardwood or tile. The third layer is a clear thin plastic sheet that floats freely above the substrate before the laminate floor is floated. Melamine is a plastic-type resin used throughout the construction process to add durability and stability to the laminated planks. The thickest layer is the core, consists usually of high-density fiber board (HDF), particle board to add resistance and form the tongue and groove locking system. Melamine plastic resins are used to improve moisture resistance of the core by some manufacturers. A thing you should consider when buying laminate flooring for bathrooms or kitchens is it’s core. A thicker core is more stable, less vulnerable and sounds more like the real hardwood floor when walked on. Quality laminate cores are treated with water repellent chemicals. The melamine plastic backing is used to add more structural stability and moisture protection to the planks.

INSTALLATION

As glueless locking mechanisms has been introduced to the market, laminate flooring has become the perfect choice for households because it has a quicker installation, it’s easier to repair and it can be installed by people without experience or specialized tools. This will save you a considerable amount of money. Installing laminate floors eliminates the need to nail or glue your floor in place. It is also a very attractive, low cost and long lasting flooring option. With an easy to clean surface, impact and dent resistance, laminate flooring can be installed over many different types of subfloors and on all grade levels, making it a versatile flooring choice. Installing laminate floors can be used in any room in the house and in most commercial areas as long as they are flat and in solid condition. Installing laminate floors can be done over concrete, wood, ceramic tile and even your existing linoleum floor. Even though laminate floors can be installed in any room in the house, they should not be installed in garages or on outside porches. The biggest reason for this is moisture. Moisture and laminate floors do not mix. On a scale from one to ten, installing laminate flooring requires a skill level of about a four. The most challenging part of the installation process will be clearing your schedule for a couple of hours. The easy to follow instructions and simplified interlocking clicking system mean that most do-it-yourselfers will be able to install an entire floor in one afternoon. A laminated floor that is properly installed, protected and maintained will go a long way to help your laminated floor last as long as your home.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminate Flooring is available in one of 2 types, planks and tiles. Flooring planks can be interlocking or tongue and groove where flooring tiles have tongue and groove edges. There are many different manufactures of laminate flooring and as the laminate flooring producers continue to expand colors, styles and increase quality, the growth of laminate flooring industry will continue.

REASONS TO CHOOSE LAMINATE:

A laminated floor is tough and durable.

A laminated floor is chemical resistant and harsh household chemicals and cleaning agents will not harm your laminate flooring surface.

A laminated floor can resist dropped cigarettes for a time without burning the floor.

A laminated floor will keep its color or design for years. The surface will not fade even when exposed to direct sunlight.

A laminated floor is hypoallergenic, it doesn’t contain any hazardous PCB’s, dioxins, plasticizers or chlorines. It repels dust, dustmites and other allergy causing particles.

A laminated floor is stain resistant and can be easily cleaned. Cleaning up a spill on a laminated floor is as simple as wiping up the mess. Also, scuff marks can be easily cleaned off a laminated floor.

Installing a laminated floor is quick and easy. It can be floated over your existing K-3/lino, wood, concrete, tile or even low grade commercial carpet saving value time and expense. There is no need to wait, you can walk on your floor immediately after installation is complete.

A laminated floor comes in many different designs and colors.

A laminated floor is easy to care for.
 

If you are interested in Toronto Laminate Flooring, please visit Contractors Toronto – Toronto-Contractors.ca: Home Improvement and Renovations

Related Laminate Flooring Articles

by Wonderlane

Buying Hardwood Flooring in Toronto

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you are looking for the right material of hardwood flooring in Toronto, there are so many options, making it very hard to choose one. There a couple of things that you may want to consider to help you with finding the right hardwood flooring. You need to know what you are looking for first, you don’t want them to lead you into something you are not interested in, and then you have to do your research. It’s important that you are well informed before you go into the store or distributor, so you get the best material to match your needs.

There are many different hardwood floor materials, adding to the complication of the purchase. There are softer and harder hardwood flooring materials, and you need to consider where the flooring will be installed. It all depends on the location of the room, the humidity of the atmosphere around, and the use of the room itself. You may want sturdier wood for rooms which get a lot of traffic, or if you are looking for a very nice look for an area which will not get so much traffic you may want to consider bamboo, it’s beautiful, but very soft wood. Online there are plenty of distributors offering images of hardwood floors and materials, if you see something you like, look up the material and its quality. Read up on the upkeep, longevity, and overall strength of the wood.

Once you have decided on one or a couple of different materials, it’s time to get a feel for them. Head to your local hardwood flooring store or distributor. You don’t necessarily have to purchase from them, you just want to get a feel for the material. Most distributors and stores have samples of just about every material out there. Ask specifically about the materials that you were interested in and see if they have any suggestions of similar materials. Ask questions and really explore your options. You want to be completely informed about what you are getting yourself into.

At this point you should have chosen, or at least be close to finding the right hardwood floor material you want. If you don’t plan on installing the flooring yourself, hire a professional, which in most cases will be able to find and have the material you have decided on ready. Make sure that you speak to them about their opinion on the material you have chosen and if it’s the best choice for you. Hear them out, and if necessary do your research again should they say that it’s not appropriate for your needs. In most cases the specialists that actually install the hardwood floor are best informed as they have direct and personal experience with the material.

As you can see, there are hardwood floors for different uses, locations, and traffic, and you need to be aware of the material best suited for your needs, and of course, your style. The material is easy to find, and being aware of the kind of the choices will make it easier to find the kind of hardwood flooring in Toronto you want to install.

Tips for installing Karndean flooring for stunning look of the floor

Karndean flooring is a type of vinyl flooring but is not available in the form of sheets as other vinyl flooring materials like commercial vinyl flooring. You get this material either in form of tiles or floorboard. This material is good to lay on the surface where you cannot imagine implementing the natural resource. For example, you want to give your bathroom floor a look of natural timber, which is possible to do but not suggested, because implementing wood in bathroom floor is not practical, as its touch with water will be more due to which the floor’s durability will be reduced.
Karndean flooring is suitable to implement over any kind of surface like wood, concrete, slate, stone, existing vinyl flooring, etc. You just need to have little knowledge about how to implement it at the desired place. There are lots of colors and patterns available in Karndean flooring that help you make your home dashing and good looking even when the surface does not allow implementing natural resources. When you are about to lay down Karndean flooring at your home, you shall take care about some important facts for effective and successful implementation of the floor. Mentioned below are those facts that you must consider:

Leave the material at the place where you want to implement it for at least 24 hours. This is because in that time the material will acquire the climate of that particular area and will not compact or expand after installation.
After that clean the surface completely so that you can apply the adhesive equally and effectively on the surface. If the surface will not be clean then adhesive will absorb the dust and dirt available on the floor leading into poor and weak implementation of Karndean flooring.
Depending on which Karndean flooring material you have purchased, select the correct adhesive according to that material.
Evenly spread the adhesive on the surface using trowel that you will get when purchase the adhesive. After that lay tiles or planks (whatever you have purchased) on the surface.
Now, you need a 100lb roller to roll it on the floor.

After rolling the roller on the floor let the flooring stick on the surface for few hours and again use the roller if specified on the adhesive container. You shall also read the warnings and suggestions given on the container of the adhesive so that you do not use it wrongly.

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Karndean Flooring: Adding a sense of admiration

Installing the desired flooring is basically meant to catch hold of the attention of the audiences. Generally, the homeowners use the Karndean flooring as it adds in the beauty of your house as well as due to its popularity among the residential and commercial areas.
Professional contractors for construction usually suggest using the Karndean flooring both for home as well as office. People are getting influenced more and more by the different attractive and eye catching features of the aforesaid flooring and are making its use for different parts of home and workplaces.
Unending features of the product have been adding more and more popularity to the Karndean flooring but only few and the special ones retains its natural shine, warmth, easy to clean & care, mixing factor, safe to use and easy to install. Homeowners generally, love to beautify their desired and favorite areas with this Karndean flooring basically because of its eye-pleasing attributes. Its natural shine can easily attract any of the visitor and one gets bound to touch it at least once. The stylish and trendy look of home and personal cabin at the offices can be added up with the said flooring designs.
The floor installation is basically meant to add the elegance and durability look to specific areas of your home and office. So as far as the warmth of the flooring is concerned, one would surely love to walk on the floor barefooted anytime. Simple to use factor of the Karndean flooring means that one won’t find any type of problem in placing the heavy weight furnitures over the floor. No matters whatever the concerned area is, one can easily install this flooring to their drawing room, bed room, terrace or any other desired area of the house.
Another attractive feature of the Karndean flooring is of easy installation in any area and that too in a cost-effective manner. It comes in the cost-effective and luxurious types of the floorings. Number of other features as well as low priced installation can easily make one to make their home or offices more and more beautiful with the mentioned kind of flooring. They come with an advanced quality of tools and installation equipments, so as to in the customer’s satisfaction. And hence, the Karndean flooring installation is a good idea for adding in the grace of your house.

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by Christopher_Hawkins

Versatile Wood Flooring With Click Technology For Easy Installation

Wood flooring is becoming increasingly popular amongst homeowners due to its versatility, low maintenance and high quality appearance. Unfortunately, installation can be reasonably difficult; this often puts people off opting for wooden flooring.

For individuals that are new to DIY, this can be particularly daunting, especially if they choose to purchase their new flooring from an online retailer. However, there are specialists that have a solution to this problem, click wood flooring. This innovative product is simply clicked into place with no need for nails or glue.

The click wood flooring that they supply is incredibly easy to install yet it offers the same look and feel as standard wooden flooring. They even provide solid wood click flooring, so customers do not have to compromise on quality.

What’s more, as they are primarily based online they are able to keep costs low, meaning that customers do not have to pay over the odds for their wood flooring. Prices start from just £26.79 m², almost half of the usual retail price.

Wood flooring can add a touch of luxury to any home; it can add a traditional look to new-build homes and enhance the appearance of older properties. Their click wood flooring is available in both lacquered and oiled varieties, and in rustic forest or brown oak.

In addition to click wood flooring these specialists also offer a range of flooring to suit many different styles and budgets including engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring, karndean and solid wood flooring.

If you are looking for a stylish new floor that is relatively hassle free to fit, even if you are a DIY novice, take a look at the wood flooring available from online suppliers, or give them a call to discuss the products that will suit your home best.

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Maintenance tips for Amtico flooring!

Amtico flooring is a system of engineered flooring which is extremely durable. Moreover, it comes in a wide assortment of finishes copying exactly all conservative forms of flooring including stone, timber, marble and various other modern flooring alternatives of glass and metallic’s. As far as the construction of amtico is concerned, it is made by mixing together six layers of PVC which makes it a perfect and suitable option for any dry room of your house to wet regions such as bathrooms and kitchens.

The tiles not only provide individuals with a wide variety of designs but also offer choice in terms of patterns and textures as well thus providing an efficient solution for almost every need of a person. Moreover, the fact that Amtico tiles are all manufactured at the same thickness provides individuals with the ability to mix up and match any combination in order to generate their own exclusive flooring design. It will provide an artistic beauty of natural flooring materials. The best part is that the tiles do not get damaged easily. Moreover, it also does not undergo damage from stiletto heels.

It is very easy to take care of the Amtico flooring as the process takes very small effort and time to keep clean and look brand new. Habitual sweeping or vacuuming is one of the best ways of keeping these floors clean thus maintain their charm for a longer time period. It helps in removing dust and grit from the floor which is a basic step to care for floor. In addition to this, a regular weekly wipe with a moist mop is also compulsory depending upon the color of your flooring and your family’s standard of living.

The weekly cleaning command for any of the finishes or textures of Amtico flooring comprises of sweeping or vacuuming. Thereafter, Amtico Cleaner diluted 1:30 either with a spray bottle or a damp mop is applied. Finally, the floor is mopped with a dry mop. Always, wash your mop regularly and also keep changing the solution in your bucket whenever it gets dirty. Rub with a scouring pad designed for non-stick cookware in order to remove any scrape marks.

If you want a semi gloss finish instead of standard matt finish, you should consider dressing of new Amtico floor. Thus, it becomes clear with the above discussion that the process of cleaning and maintaining these floors is extremely easy and hassle-free as well. One only needs to keep some of the major points in mind in order to achieve better results in this regard.

How to professionally clean tile grout and hard surface flooring. From the Turbo Hybrid, to the Cobra detail tool, Turbo Force is the leader in tile and grout cleaning technology. We truly are Innovators not Imitators.
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by timber_floors

The Solid Oak Wood Flooring – Attractive, Striking and Durable

Hardwood flooring is anything that is not new to the people as this type of flooring has been in use for centuries. Wood floors are available in wide ranges and all of them have their own beauty and characteristics. Each type is unique in its qualities and features and solid oak wood flooring is also one of the types of hardwood floors. Oak wood floors are considered as popular flooring options because when it comes to buy the flooring that is eye-catching as well as durable then many people go for the solid oak wood flooring. This flooring can surely make just the excellent choice as it is quite hard plus it also works well in the high traffic areas. However, let us tell you some important things that you need to know before you buy the oak wood floor.

Why to consider an engineered hardwood floor?

One may still have the striking hardwood warmth and beauty with the engineered flooring. The process of manufacturing that type of floor is that the manufacturers bond a number of layers of wood under high pressure.

The engineered flooring would offer you the warmth; appeal and charm of hardwood as it consists of several plies of wood bonded in a sequence to get the strong piece of floor.

There are lots of benefits that you can enjoy after installing the engineered oak flooring in your home. So let us discuss a few of them.

One of the main advantages for a man who buys the oak wood flooring is that it offers the consumers an affordable price and this makes it an ideal option for a person who is concerned about the price issue.

Straightforward installation is another merit of the oak wood flooring. You can find the planks in a number of sizes, which are interlocking and are very helpful in installing the floor.

When you prefer the high quality oak wood flooring that is of high quality then you may avail the benefit of solid and appealing look.

Another feature of the oak wood floor is that it offers stability and also shows resistance in different temperatures and humidity.

Besides lots of benefits the engineered solid oak wood flooring also has a few drawbacks as well. It can be easily spoiled by scratches that can harm its finishing, as such floorboards are plywood they do not have the real stability coupled with the hardiness of oak wood flooring.