Floor Care and Cleaning

With all this time being spent at home, it’s given a whole new level of meaning to “high-traffic areas.” Office chairs can have quite the effect on your floors, as you probably have noticed. Thankfully, these days, there are a lot of great options to choose from when it comes to finding floors you love for the high-traffic areas of your house. Although hope is on the horizon for getting things back to normal, many of us will likely still be spending more hours at home.

Long-Lasting Luxury Vinyl

Both hardwood floors and engineered wood floors are beautiful and elegant flooring options—and, it’s true, more durable than ever. (For instance, Aquadura H2O now has a hardwood option that is waterproof.) But if you’re looking for the best durability possible (hello, pets and kids), luxury vinyl flooring is hard to beat. Mimicking the look and feel of hardwood—but both less expensive and able to withstand much more wear and tear—many homeowners love luxury vinyl floors for the heavy traffic areas of their homes, such as kitchens, mudrooms, and entryways. Still have your heart set on hardwood? No problem. Just lay down some area rugs—and tell your kids to take their soccer cleats off by the front door!

Carpet’s Come a Long Way

Carpet has come a long way over the years, and now it’s a great option for the rooms in your home where your friends and family love to gather regularly. Think about your living room, basement, or den, for example. And when it comes to peace of mind for high-traffic areas, nothing can beat a stain-proof, spill-proof, and pet-proof carpet option like Stainmaster, or brands such as Hearth & Home that design carpets that are both cozy and durable. Now you don’t have to stress out about that spilled drink at a party or everyone in the house running amok. Comfortable carpets that are also perfect for your family’s busy lifestyle are within reach.

Time-Tested Tile

Tile is another great, long-lasting option for active families that don’t want to stress out about the wear and tear on their floors. Tile is waterproof, scratch- and dent-resistant, not to mention beautiful. Another great idea for the high-traffic areas of your home, especially if you’re watching your budget? Laminate flooring. Laminate flooring looks better than ever these days and comes in many eye-catching styles that can even mimic natural stone tiles. Our brands, like Floorcraft, are super durable, holding up extremely well to heavy traffic, stains, and general wear and tear.

Flooring America Understands Your Home

As you decide on flooring for your home, it’s safe to say that you and your busy family likely want long-lasting floors that are as stress-free as possible. The experts at your local Flooring America understand this, and are here to offer suggestions and helpful tips as you decide on the best new floors for you. Whether you’re looking to redo your kitchen or bathroom, or you’d like to give your entire house a flooring overhaul, look to Flooring America to help you find the perfect floors that will literally support the life you want to live.

Many of us are on the lookout for ways to save—both time and money. And when it comes to your home flooring, the same mindset often prevails. As a result, many people wonder how easy a DIY flooring install job could be. Tackling an install job of new tile in your kitchen or a new carpet in the basement should be no problem, right? Turns out, the steps to a DIY floor install can actually be pretty complicated. Thankfully, there are many great options for easy-to-install flooring that professionals can get done in no time.

Low-Key Luxury Vinyl

Luxury Vinyl flooring continues to gain popularity, and this is not just because of its durability, great price point, and beautiful styles. Luxury vinyl flooring is also one of the best types of flooring for an easy install process. Since many luxury vinyl floor styles come in planks, they can easily be installed with a click-and lock-system over your floor’s sublayer; it’s what’s known as a floating layer. However, even though this install process is somewhat easier than installing, say, real hardwood floors, the professionals at Flooring America not only can do the job well for you, they can do it much faster!

Tile and Carpet: For the Pros

Tile is one of the most stunning and durable floor choices to have in your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. Tile is waterproof, long-lasting, but, as it turns out, not the easiest flooring for a DIY job! When installing tile, one must keep in mind the issue of perfecting grout, too, which is no easy task. Carpet is another flooring option that is best left to the pros. This plush, beautiful stand-by for your living room is no joke when it comes to installation, as the tools and steps required for carpet-installing can be especially complicated for flooring newbies.

Peace of Mind—And Time

When it comes to purchasing new floors, it can be tempting to want to take on the install job yourself. But unless you’re truly the handiest (and most patient) person you know, it’s an experience that is best left to the professionals!

Thankfully, the folks at your local Flooring America are here to answer any questions you might have about the install process and their approach to getting your new floors installed as quickly and reasonably as possible. Give them a call or stop by in-store today!

When you’re installing new wall-to-wall carpet in your home, there’s one thing you can’t forget about: carpet padding. Carpet padding (also called carpet cushion) has an array of important functions, impacting both your carpet’s appearance and its long-term performance. If you’ve ever wondered what goes under your carpet, or why it’s critical to have carpet padding in general, here’s what you need to know.

Protecting Your Carpet—on Both Sides

One of the most critical aspects of carpet padding is the protection it provides. Simply put, carpet padding will help your carpet last longer. Carpet cushion or padding works to protect the under layer of your home’s carpet from wearing against the base floor the carpet lays on top of. It also protects the top layer of your carpet from furniture indentations and the wear and tear of foot traffic. Without a carpet cushion or padding underneath your carpet, you’ll end up with a frayed and worn carpet—on both sides. And you will need to replace it much sooner.

Softer Feel

Another important benefit of carpet padding is the key insulation it provides. This is not only a great benefit when it comes to retaining heat in your home—carpet padding really does help with those pesky heating bills—but it’s also an important factor when you’re considering sound insulation, too. Are you thinking of re-doing a basement, or turning a den into a game room? Make sure to put a carpet pad under that carpet, and your teenage daughter’s drum kit won’t be quite so loud anymore. Even better? Carpet padding creates a great soft underfoot-feel.

So, What Is Carpet Padding Made Out Of?

Carpet padding is made from rubber, foam, or fiber—forming a sponge-like material. It’s usually purchased in a roll or pad, and laid out underneath your carpet; sometimes it will be cut into shapes to fit specific corners of your home. Another benefit to a good carpet pad? Further protection—and waterproofing—for your floors. Though many carpets on the market today such as Stainmaster, offered at Flooring America, are very durable and waterproof, a big leak or flood in your home could be costly. Having that extra layer of padding underneath your carpet as a moisture barrier can pay off in a big way.

Do I Need to Buy the Thickest Carpet Pad?

One might assume premium carpet padding must mean buying the thickest carpet padding on the market, but this is not always the case. Thickness in carpet padding definitely pays off in rooms where kids will be playing on the floor a lot, or if you plan to be doing a lot of hosting and standing up in your carpeted room. However, too much thickness can be a pain if you want to move furniture around frequently, or if someone in your family uses a wheelchair. It all comes down to finding the right fit for your lifestyle. 

Is Carpet Padding Expensive?

Considering how important carpet padding is to the longevity of your carpet, it’s a relatively inexpensive (dare we say essential) investment for your home. Carpet padding is usually $3 or $4 per square yard, and sometimes a bit more for professional installation. However, with all the benefits that carpet cushioning brings to your carpet’s overall performance and your enjoyment of it, you’ll be glad you said yes.

Need More Help?

Elegant and comfortable carpeting makes a wonderful addition to your home. So whether you’re thinking of adding a new carpet to your living room, bedroom, or basement (or perhaps all three!), be sure to check out the amazing selection of beautiful and budget-friendly carpets at your local Flooring America. The experts at Flooring America are here to offer their insights and advice into not only the best carpet for your home, but the best carpet pad for your new flooring.

With the modern—aka very busy—lifestyle we all live today, the last thing most homeowners want to do is stress out about cleaning their floors. Yes, beauty matters, but so does the peace of mind of a floor that’s not high-maintenance. With that in mind, here are some of the best flooring choices to look into for the life you want to lead.

Tile Is Tidy

Keeping tile clean is pretty easy, which is why it’s such a popular choice for kitchens, where frequent foot traffic and plenty of spills are simply a part of every day. Regularly sweeping up loose debris, and then mopping your tile floors—whether your tile floors are in your kitchen, bathroom, or entryway—should get it done in no time, and, of course, any major spills on tile should be wiped up right away with a paper towel or cloth rag. Heavy duty mopping and scrubbing are usually only required on tile floors when stains have been allowed to set in the grout for too long.

Hardwood Makes It Look Easy

The enduring popularity of hardwood floors is for good reason. Not only are hardwood floors timeless and versatile, but they are also easy to clean. Most hardwood floors are sealed with a finish, meaning a good dusting or vacuuming, followed by dry mopping, is all you need to clear away residue and leave your hardwood floors gleaming. Flooring America offers a great variety of hardwood options, including top-sellers like Floorcraft—hardwood floors known for being scratch-, scuff-, and stain-resistant so that care and maintenance is kept to a minimum.

Luxury Vinyl Cleans Up Nice

Luxury vinyl flooring continues to boom in popularity, and it’s not just because luxury vinyl floors can so easily pass for real stone and hardwood these days, at a fraction of the price. Cleaning luxury vinyl floors is also quite easy! Much like tile, your upkeep of luxury vinyl floors will usually be just a matter of sweeping or vacuuming to pick up any dust or residue, followed by a good mopping or dusting job. Flooring America carries an assortment of beautiful, durable luxury vinyl flooring options like Galvanite so be sure to check them out if you’re looking for stunning yet practical flooring.

Carpet Comes Clean

When it comes to cleaning, carpet can get a bad reputation for being a high-maintenance flooring choice, but as long as you stay on top of your vacuuming-game, carpet can be a cinch to take care of. Regularly vacuuming your carpet—multiple times per week for high-traffic areas, and less often for areas of the house that see less family action—means that the long-term upkeep is minimal. Worried about stains? Flooring America carries a variety of low-maintenance carpet brands like Stainmaster carpet, which is the perfect option if you’re seeking a carpet choice that is spill-proof, pet-proof, and kid-proof—aka a lot less stress about keeping things clean!

Laminate = Low-Maintenance

Laminate flooring, similar to vinyl flooring, is also a great option if you’re in the market for floors at a reasonable price that also offer cleaning ease. Sweeping your laminate flooring, followed by mopping, is usually all that’s required to keep things spic-and-span. However, as laminate floors are made partly out of fiberboard, you’ll want to avoid cleaning laminate flooring with water, as this can occasionally cause laminate floors to warp. For a laminate floor owner, a dust mop is your best friend. And if you get a scratch on your laminate floor? Try using some mineral oil to buff it out.

Need More Flooring Help?

Beautiful new floors should capture your attention but not take all your time to keep them looking great. Thankfully, no matter what type of room or flooring you’re in the market for, Flooring America has plenty of options that will meet your needs for low-maintenance, easy-to-clean floors. Visit in-store or online today with any of your thoughts and questions; the folks at Flooring America are here to help.

While the winter season can sometimes have its drawbacks (Does the sun really set this early each day?), it’s also a special time of year for so many. From more time spent indoors with family, to fun outdoor activities—that can often track in some extra wetness from outside—there is something for everyone to look forward to during the winter months. And, if you’re looking for winter-friendly flooring, there are a lot of great options for this special time of year.

Tile with a Twist

Beautiful ceramic tile in bathrooms is many a homeowner’s dream, but once the colder months hit, the feeling of cool tile on one’s feet can be anything but soothing! Investing in heated floors can be the perfect solution. While this can sound like an expensive project, radiant heat systems, once installed, are actually quite cost-efficient in the long term. And once you start with a smaller project like a bathroom and see (and feel!) the results, you may end up wanting to install radiant heat floors in other areas, too.

All about Layering

Colder temperatures mean more long sleeves and sweaters in one’s wardrobe, and the same theory goes for your wood floors. This is a perfect time to experiment with laying a series of rugs or decorative carpets across your wooden floors. Not only does this create visual texture and coziness, your feet will thank you—especially if you’re not wearing socks!

The Perfect Time for New Carpets

If you’ve been holding out on purchasing a new carpet—or are thinking about making an upgrade to an existing one—there’s no better time than the winter months to make it happen. A soft and cozy new carpet is a great way to make a room even more inviting during the winter months. Whether it’s for a bedroom, living room, game room, or den, consider how comforting a brand-new carpet could be in your home during the year’s chilliest season.

Winter Wear and Tear

If you happen to live in an area of the country where snow, slush, and general winter debris is the standard (including those ever-fun rock salt stains), having durable floors is a must. Whether you go the route of long-lasting laminate floors or durable luxury vinyl, there are so many flooring options. They make a great fit for homes with lots of damp, dirty shoes trudging about. And, of course, many hardwood floors are now waterproof, too. Just remember, no matter what flooring option you choose, maintenance during the winter months is key to preventing long-lasting damage from moisture and seasonal wear and tear.

Explore Your Winter-Friendly Flooring Options

The winter season brings forth an abundance of weather to different parts of the country, but no matter where you are, it often means more time spent indoors—and that makes it a wonderful time to connect with those you love. Contact your local Flooring America to learn all about their wide selection of options for winter-friendly floors so you can bundle up this season and stay cozy.