Flooring: Installing Ceramic Tile

Ceramic Tile brings a texture, richness and color to a room that Linoleum has yet to truly mimic. Tile floors can be installed in any room, however they are most frequently seen in Bathrooms and Kitchens. I particularly like them in entryways, where they serve as a transition point from the outside to large carpeted or hardwood floored rooms. They make for easy clean up and are impervious to water damage.

Before actually installing the tile, it is best to lay it out in the room to see how it will look. Pay close attention to how it runs out toward the walls, in the corners and next to cabinets, tubs and toilets. The trick is to lay the tile out such that stubby tiles do not show up in highly visible spots. Once you have completed this, make two marks with a pencil outlining the most centered tile. These lines should be perpendicular to each other. Also take note of the wall that is most visible from all the others. Now remove the tiles. Next draw or snap a line perpendicular to this wall that is in line with one of the marks you made on the floor.UnderlaymentCeramic tiles come in two basic types. Glazed and Porcelain. Glazed holds up the best for heavy traffic areas and porcelain works well in bathrooms. Porcelain is typically more expensive, so consider your budget and the size of the area you want to tile. Tiles also come in many shapes and sizes. For flooring, however, I would suggest using larger tiles up to 12� x 12�.Preparing the SiteOnce the grout has been applied, immediately wipe the tile of excess grout, using a wet sponge and a bucket of water. Wait 30 minutes and again wipe the tiles down of any residual grout. Wait another 60 minutes and repeat. If grout is left on the tiles to dry, you will have a great deal of elbow work scraping it off.For proper installation the base foundation or the underlayment is critical. Typically it consists of �� to 1 �� of plywood. Tiling over Linoleum or existing tile is also feasible, as long as it is solid. I also recommend when Tiling over Linoleum that you first apply ring nails or screws 6� on center over the entire area. Tiles can also be installed directly over Concrete. Make sure in all cases that the floor is level and free of dust and debris prior to installation. There are leveling compounds that you can apply before applying tile if necessary.Once the adhesive has been applied, begin installing the tiles working from the center outward. On larger tiles you should back butter them. Basically, apply a thin coating of mastic to the back of the tile prior to laying it on the floor. This will help ensure a good bond.Installing the TileAs you near the walls or edges of cabinets, tubs and toilets, you will need to cut some of the tiles. I highly recommend the use of a Wet-Saw. A Wet-Saw will allow you to make very accurate cuts, both large and small. You will also save money, as you will waste many fewer tiles with bad cuts or broken tiles. Wet-Saws are not that expensive and once you see your finished product you will certainly be installing more tile. Wet-Saws can also be rented as a cheaper alternative.Again, make sure the area is free of dirt and dust. Next apply the ceramic adhesive or mastic to the flooring, starting in the center, where the two perpendicular reference lines intersect. Apply enough material to cover 6-10 square feet, if no cuts are required. If cuts are required limit the amount of mastic application to about 2-4 square feet. When applying the mastic, first spread it with the flat end of the trowel. Lay it on relatively thick, approximately 1/8� to 3/16�thick. Then turn the trowel around and run the notched edge over it. This creates ridges in the mastic that helps to hold the tile down more securely. The larger the tile, the larger the notches should be. For example, I use a �� notched trowel for 12� x 12� tiles.GroutingWhen applying Tiles, you may want to use Lugs. Lugs are effectively spacers that come in various thicknesses. I typically like to have no more than a �� space between the tiles. Employing Spacers will ensure uniformity with your tile spacing.Note: Only make up enough ceramic adhesive for 30 minutes, as this material has the tendency to harden up rather quickly.Tile TypesAfter the Tile has been completely installed, allow it to sit for 24-48 hours before applying grout and walking on it. Grout comes in many different colors and is very easy to install. Simply mix the grout with water or a special bonding agent and apply with a rubber trowel. Run the trowel on a bias when going over tile corners.Let the grout sit up for 24 hours and it is ready for use and admiration.

Let the grout sit up for 24 hours and it is ready for use and admiration.

Author: Mark J. Donovan

Should You Purchase a Steam Mop?

Not long ago very few individuals knew that they could clean their floors with a steam mop. Now, when you turn on the television, you see infomercials promoting them. If you pass through your favorite store, you are likely to see a couple of different models sitting on the shelves.

* Standard Flooring � Standard laminate flooring is installed by using glue to affix the flooring to the sub floor. Standard laminate flooring installation is both cost-effective and secure.1. Using either tap or distilled water, fill the water tank.The Quality of Laminate Flooring* Snap and Lock � There is no glue required for a Snap and Lock laminate flooring installation. The floor boards are instead linked by a locking mechanism on the underside of the wood. Snap and Lock flooring is very easy to install, but may be more expensive that laminate flooring installed with glue.* Direct Pressure � Direct Pressure lamination consists of a one-step process to bind the flooring layers into a single cohesive unit. DPL flooring that has been bound is then treated with melamine resins to increase the strength of the core. This final step also allows notches and grooves to be evenly cut into the pieces to facilitate the process of laminate flooring installation.2. The machines will come with a cleaning pad that must be attached to the base of the mop before powering it on.They can be used on several types of flooring surfaces, such as ceramic tile, linoleum, and sealed hardwood flooring. Many even have an extra accessory which allows them to be used on carpet. They are not recommended for use on unsealed hardwood floors. In addition, no-wax floors may be damaged by the hot steam emitted by these machines. The hot steam is also potentially harmful to the glue that adheres certain types of flooring.Once you�ve decided on the design and product you want to use, you�re ready to begin the process of laminate flooring installation. The various laminate products currently on the market offer several different options for laminate flooring installation. The type of installation you choose will depend on your budget, your commitment and ability to execute the project and your preference in design. When shopping for laminate flooring, you can expect to find products the require the following laminate flooring installation techniques:Whatever type of commercial flooring is selected, all it matters is the effect that you get after applying the flooring. Perfection is what is needed in the matters of interiors of a commercial complex. It is because interiors will indirectly get you more and more customers. Just think of this case that fits in the matter of a restaurant. If the combination of ambience and food is perfect, then you would be a hit in among the crowds. Moreover, commercial flooring applied to the commercial complex reflects your taste. It shows that how concerned and particular you are in the matter of choosing best commercial flooring.6. Turn off the mop and unplug it when you are through, as well as when the water tank needs refilled or when the cleaning pad needs replaced.* Pre-Glued Flooring � You may also come across laminate flooring products that have been treated with glue prior to sale. To complete the laminate flooring installation, water is applied to the underside of the board to activate the glue.

Overall, the steam mop is a handy little appliance which makes the chore of cleaning floors more tolerable.

Author: D. Michelle Hall

Designer Commercial Flooring Adds Grace to Perfect Ambience

Flooring is an important part of the interiors of any commercial complex. Be it your office, a restaurant or a discotheque, commercial flooring is meant to adorn every place and inch of that area. If the commercial flooring is of your type, then nothing can be best than this. The basic idea of applying any form of commercial flooring is to lend a meaning to the ambience of a place. Apart from giving a basic meaning, it is meant to glorify the commercial area so that it becomes inviting to visitors. Many people visit a restaurant or any other commercial complex because of its interiors.

5. Slide the mop head across the floor, adding more steam as required. To sanitize, read the manufacturer's instructions. Most recommend that you leave the unit in place for a set amount of time (for example, 10-15 seconds) for sanitizing.Nothing can be best than the thing that you get the best commercial flooring at a budgeted rate. It is not just you, but most of the people likes that their work should be done in less money. You will be a lucky chap, if you get designer commercial flooring within your allocated amount. Variety of commercial flooring manufacturers is present in the market, who offers designer commercial flooring at affordable rates. You just have to take care that the commercial flooring should be designer, classy and elegant at the same time.Make certain you read the instructions that come with your steam mop. However, here is a standard overview of how these machines work:

Nothing can be best than the thing that you get the best commercial flooring at a budgeted rate. It is not just you, but most of the people likes that their work should be done in less money. You will be a lucky chap, if you get designer commercial flooring within your allocated amount. Variety of commercial flooring manufacturers is present in the market, who offers designer commercial flooring at affordable rates. You just have to take care that the commercial flooring should be designer, classy and elegant at the same time.

Author: Stephen Robins

Laminate Flooring Installation Guidelines

The Beauty of Laminate Flooring

Selection of the commercial flooring is all the more important. You are required to do a market search for best commercial flooring manufacturer and a commercial flooring contractor. These two people will be responsible for transforming the looks of your commercial complex. Commercial flooring manufacturer would have a variety of commercial flooring and in different colors. You can choose the color according to your preferences, so that it can give a wholesome feeling. Grey, cocoa, brown shades, green, pistachio, blue, cherry, black and golden oak are some of the colors that can fit your preferred choice.If you are concerned about the safety of using a steam mop on your floors, there are a couple of steps you can take. One measure is to contact the manufacturer of your flooring and ask. Second, you can test the machine on a small area that is in a low visibility area.If you�re planning to redecorate your home including laminate flooring installation, there are some decisions you need to make about the type of laminate flooring that will work best for you. It is commonly thought that the harder the HDF core, the higher the quality of the laminate flooring. The second mark of laminate floor quality is the means by which the core is bound to the pattern and protective layers. There are two basic types of laminate flooring to considerLaminate Flooring Installation TypesEverything has to be best for your commercial area, as more and more visitors to that place means you will reap benefits. You would want that commercial flooring applied to your place should be of excellent quality, long lasting and looks beautiful with the other interiors of complex. It is quite natural that everyone wants to have the best and settling for the next is out of question in this case. As far as the commercial flooring is concerned, you are required to carefully select the type of flooring needed that can match up with the interiors. A variety of commercial flooring is available in the market. Hardwood, vinyl composite tiles, carpeted, linoleum, luxury solid vinyl, ceramic tile, granite, marble and solid vinyl are some of them.* High Pressure � High pressure lamination produces a more durable end product by binding the flooring layers over several steps. First the top layers are joined to each other and then glued to the HDF core. After this, the melamine resins and glued flooring are submitted to a high pressure press that completes the process and makes the product ready for laminate flooring installation.Overall, the steam mop is a handy little appliance which makes the chore of cleaning floors more tolerable.One way to add value to your home is to consider laminate flooring installation. Laminate floors combine the beauty and elegance of hard wood, or tile floors with the easy maintenance of linoleum or vinyl flooring. Constructed from a high density fiber (HDF) wood board topped with a wood or stone pattern, laminate flooring is incredibly durable. Resistant to scratching, scuffing and burning, the beauty of laminate floors will last a lifetime. With today�s constantly changing interior design trends, the easy installation and variety of laminate flooring is a popular choice for home designers.7. Pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions when it is time to put the mop away. Most recommend taking particular steps, such as emptying the water tank and taking off the cleaning pad.

* Snap and Lock � There is no glue required for a Snap and Lock laminate flooring installation. The floor boards are instead linked by a locking mechanism on the underside of the wood. Snap and Lock flooring is very easy to install, but may be more expensive that laminate flooring installed with glue.

Author: Paolo Basauri

Kitchen Flooring Options

Currently, anything goes concerning kitchen floors. In the old days, there were basically two choices, tile and linoleum. Today, we see hardwood, linoleum, cork, laminate, and many different types and style of linoleum.

These floors are installed like other hardwood floors. They are most often nailed or glued to the sub floor. Newer products are made to work like laminate flooring where the pieces lock together and create a floating floor. These don�t need to be nailed or glued in place.Marble tiles are beautiful but still a better choice for bathrooms. Smooth / or polished marble is very brittle and not durable. Marble is a rock, but most people don't realize how brittle it is, and at up to $15 per square foot it's too expensive to replace if something happens. "Tumbled marble" looks great, but it's far too porous for the kitchen. As you could actually spill coffee and wine on polished marble, it's not a good idea for tumbled marble that does not clean up as well and can absorb stains. Breadcrumbs would find their way into every nook and cranny too.More people are becoming concerned about the depletion of the hardwood forests on our planet. Many tree species take generations or may years to grow, such as walnut or oak. There is not enough replanting and even when new trees are planted, they can�t grow fast enough to satisfy the demand. Efforts are being made to prevent the deforestation of the rainforests.The old stand-by, tile. Most tiles are either ceramic or porcelain. "Porcelain" does not mean the tile looks like your smooth white toilet. It comes in all the shapes and sizes of any other tile. All you need to know is porcelain is much more durable that terra cotta or ceramic tile and will pass the bowling ball test. If you drop a bowling ball on ceramic tile, several will crack and need to be replaced, where porcelain will probably be just fine. You will find porcelain to be about 25% more expensive than most ceramic tiles though.Let's start by looking at what does NOT work well for most people's kitchen floors.Laminate flooring used to get a bad rap, but it is highly improved today. Laminate, actually a "picture" of real wood, will fool quite a few people today, and the layman cannot distinguish between laminate and real hardwood. Laminate is absolutely our # 1 choice for large families and those with pets. Your kids can slop jelly bread on the floor, the dog can overturn it's dish, and your husband can drip paint all over the floor and most laminates will laugh it off. Before you turn you nose up at laminate, go out there and see what's available. You will be pleasantly surprised.Finally, let's look at linoleum flooring. OK, a top New York City interior designer still will not be caught dead using laminate, and it gets a bad rap. However, like laminate "hardwood" flooring, it is very much improved. Unlike laminate, linoleum won't fool too many people, often designed to look like ceramic tile, but noting beat's it in terms of cleanup and durability. If you are putting your money into a granite countertop and new appliances, a linoleum floor is just fine, and will last for many years with minimal effort. As the cheapest option, it will be there for you if your budget is squeezed.We are putting hardwood in both categories because some will work in the kitchen. 3/4 inch hardwood, or engineered hardwood can work just fine in the kitchen if the seams are very tight and you don't mind a few inevitable scratches and nicks. The final word on hardwood is its "hardness." Most hardwoods are compared and ranked against "oak" or "red oak" as a measure of hardness. Make sure you buy a hardwood that is no softer than oak if you have an active family. For example, dog scratches will plague all but the hardest of hardwoods.Unlike when working with concrete your goal is to not remove 100% of the adhesive. Attempt to do so on hardwood floors and you will probably end up damaging the wood. Simply remove what you can without forcing the rest then clean the area by vacuuming or sweeping the debris. Depending on how much of the adhesive backing remains you can proceed by lightly sanding or removing the remaining portions with damp mopping using mineral spirits or a similar product to prepare the floor for its new refinish.

Finally, let's look at linoleum flooring. OK, a top New York City interior designer still will not be caught dead using laminate, and it gets a bad rap. However, like laminate "hardwood" flooring, it is very much improved. Unlike laminate, linoleum won't fool too many people, often designed to look like ceramic tile, but noting beat's it in terms of cleanup and durability. If you are putting your money into a granite countertop and new appliances, a linoleum floor is just fine, and will last for many years with minimal effort. As the cheapest option, it will be there for you if your budget is squeezed.

Author: Nick DAlleva

Benefits Of Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is a beautiful alternative to hardwood. This type of flooring is becoming very popular for its decorative value and because it is one of the most environmentally friendly materials currently used. Major manufacturers, such as Armstrong flooring, Columbia flooring and Mohawk flooring offer a bamboo product.

Some types of hardwood; Be mindful of the seams between the hardwood planks. Wide seems and gaps will collect crumbs which may be cleaned via shop vac, but heaven forbid something sticky gets down in the cracks. If you are looking at hardwood for the kitchen, choose hardwood that goes together with the smallest seams possible.Floors can be made of solid bamboo or be an engineered product. This means the bamboo is combined with another type of wood. Most often, engineered materials contain a bamboo surface with a plywood core. The bamboo can be stained and given a coat of urethane, as you would with any other hardwood.If you are working with hardwood floors, that you are worried about damaging, you can try to remove the adhesive and remaining backing with a hair dryer or heat gun. Try a test area such as in the pantry. Simply use the hair dryer to heat up the adhesive and then scrape it. Make sure you are not scraping against the grain of the wood. As this method will result in hot and sticky debris make sure you have a heat resistant container ready for the clean up. If you choose to use a heat gun make sure you do not apply to much heat and burn the wood. As always, it is best to work in a small section, applying the heat in a moving motion versus static and scraping each area as you go.The best tip when removing linoleum is to work in small sections. You can cut the linoleum in workable sized strips or squares as you go and then peel them off. Not only will you remove the majority of the surface layer of linoleum but it will assist you in getting to the adhesive as well. You can further attack the adhesive using a paint scraper or razor blade scraper. The razor blades ones will work much easier just keep in mind when working with hard adhesive or on concrete floors you will likely go through several blades.Bamboo is nearly as strong as steel. It is much stronger than any other material used in discount wood flooring. This durability makes bamboo perfect for use on floors. It is stronger than linoleum flooring and more comfortable to walk on than stone flooring. The weight, feel and density of this material are nearly the same as real hardwood.If you prefer not working with chemicals a low cost method of adhesive removal involves just boiling water. You can pour the boiling water directly on the remaining adhesive, in small sections, allow it to set a bit, and then proceed with scraping it.What selections work best in the kitchen:Remove dust and dirt with a broom or dust mop. You can clean the floor using a water and vinegar solution containing 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. To do this, use a barely damp sponge mop. Dry the floor right away with a towel. Don�t allow the floor to become soaking wet, as this can damage the bamboo.Bamboo Flooring: Environmentally Friendly

Use a damp cloth for occasional spills or sticky spots. After you wipe up the spill, dry it with a towel right away. If the floor becomes dull, you can buff it with a buff sander to restore the shine. With proper care, your new floor will last for many years to come.

Author: Ken Morris

Tips On How To Remove Linoleum

Wish you knew how to get rid of your existing linoleum? Like all things renovation wise, it can be a tough job, but it is still something that you are capable of doing. How difficult your particular linoleum will be to remove depends on its age and how it is fixated to your sub floor. If the linoleum is currently in good shape minus cracks, and soundly affixed to your sub floor, you may be able to leave it in place and add your new floor materials over it. Most people, however, prefer to remove the linoleum and start from scratch when installing new flooring.

The removal of your existing linoleum will involve some sweat equity on your part. Removal of your linoleum is a multi step process. Once you get the linoleum up you will have to deal with its adhesive material. Also, you may not even know what lies beneath the linoleum until you remove it. The underlying floors could be wood or concrete. Concrete being easier to work with as it is more durable.Tile cleans up very well with the exception of the grout lines. Grout lines are a stain and dirt magnet. Make sure you double seal your grout lines, and clean and reseal them every 2 or 3 years. Unlike your tile, your grout will eventually absorb stains. Clean grout lines will give the kitchen a very clean and polished feel while grungy grout can be a dark cloud over your kitchen.The sub floor needs to be level prior to installation. If it isn�t level, asphalt shingles can be used to level it out. Make sure the sub floor material is completely dry and there is no moisture, which could damage the new floor.Cork flooring is all the rage today, but it's not a very good choice for kitchen floors in most cases. Although its surface is treated, it is just too porous, and if you have kids or a dog rummaging through the kitchen on a regular basis, forget about it. It is not durable. In other parts of the home cork flooring is very popular and it's very easy to install. In most cases, snapping squares together is all that is involved.Bamboo grows much faster than any tree used in manufacturing wood flooring. Plants only take five years to become mature. After they are harvested, new shoots begin to grow almost immediately. This happens automatically with no need for replanting.

Unlike when working with concrete your goal is to not remove 100% of the adhesive. Attempt to do so on hardwood floors and you will probably end up damaging the wood. Simply remove what you can without forcing the rest then clean the area by vacuuming or sweeping the debris. Depending on how much of the adhesive backing remains you can proceed by lightly sanding or removing the remaining portions with damp mopping using mineral spirits or a similar product to prepare the floor for its new refinish.

Author: Beverly Kane