Flooring comes in all shapes, sizes, types, colors
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Saturday, May 03, 2008
A selection of cork flooring samples are shown at Magic Carpet & Drapery. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
The days of women waxing floors or cleaning carpets are long gone.
"Our lifestyles are just too busy," insisted Debby Engel, who with husband Greg has owned Magic Carpet & Drapery for almost 10 years. "People are looking for flooring that is easy to take care of."
Flooring is defined as material used to cover the cement or plywood sub-flooring in your home. But despite that broad categorization, Engel said that flooring selection is a very personal decision and should fit your lifestyle.
"You have to take into account the comfort, cleaning and appearance you want in each room in your house," she said, "because flooring has an impact on how your home looks and feels ."
Carpet still remains the No. 1 purchase for most consumers, Engel said.
"Carpeting has changed so dramatically and wears so much better," she said. "The Mohawk SmartStrand line is created out of a corn-based product; it has the feel and luxury of corn silk."
She continued, "Environmentally, the Shaw Clear Touch line is producing carpets out of a recyclable material. Some day soon, even the carpets made out of recycled materials will be completely recyclable."
Laminate is another option when shopping for flooring.
"With laminate, you can get every look ranging from wood to stone," she observed. "It's especially hard to tell the difference between laminate and hardwood floors because the laminate really parallels a hardwood floor."
Jon Otto of Custom Wood Floors is in his 25th year of installing and refinishing hardwood floors. Customers tell him they're sold on that type of floor because nothing else is quite like the beauty of a hardwood floor.
"It's also versatile because I can stain the wood, sand it and finish it to a homeowner's specification," he said.
The challenge with encouraging people to embrace a hardwood floor are the misconceptions that accompany them, Otto said.
"People think they're harder to keep clean, but that's not the case," he stressed. "In fact, we install a lot of floors for people with allergies because a hardwood floor doesn't hold the dirt and allergens like a carpet would."
New urethane finishes that are available for hardwood floors have eased upkeep, Otto added.
"There's satin, semi-gloss and gloss finishes that will allow a floor to hold its shine much longer," he said. "All you need to do is damp mop them or use a terry cloth and vinegar water to keep them clean."
A floating floor system that resisted scratching, denting, staining and fading has always been of interest to consumers. Its biggest advantage was that it could be installed over existing vinyl, linoleum and wood flooring by anyone.
"Customers prefer laminate and luxury vinyl tile now," Engel said. "The quality is much better."
Although Magic Carpet still sells "rolled" linoleum, stiff, tight-yarned and shag carpeting, Engel said those interior design and makeover TV shows have emboldened customers to look at other options.
"People want style in their rooms and that includes the floor," she said. "Lots of times when they come in here, they're not sure what they want. But after we talk to them about their lifestyle and their homes, we can quickly come up with what will fit best for them."
Television has affected hardwood floor choices as well, Otto said. Traditional oak has been replaced.
"We've done hickory, which is very similar to oak, but works is more of a "country-ish" look," he said. "Maple is very popular and has a very modern look to it. Cherry is another one that carries a richer, more elegant look to certain decor."
Harvest gold, rust and avocado -- although known as carpet colors of the past -- are resurfacing with "new" names, Engel said. Customers aren't shying away from bright colors, like pink or green.
"They're using them in kids' rooms or area rugs," she said. "Those television programs are showing them it's OK to use color."
With society seeming to embrace environmentally friendly products, cork has become a bit more popular, Engel said.
"Cork really fell out of favor and for about 30 years was not readily available for most customers," she explained. "Maintaining it was labor-intensive. Cost was an issue as well when it didn't last well."
New finishing techniques and improved technologies have changed all that. Though still a small fraction of the floor covering markets, consumers have rediscovered some of the positive aspects of cork, Engel said.
"Pre-finished natural cork flooring is protected with five coats of UV cured acrylic finish, so maintenance requires routine sweeping and wiping up spills right away," she said. "You treat it much as you would a wood floor."
"Cork also provides a comfortable cushion, or give, to it," she continued. "Customers say it has a real 'floating' factor when you walk on it."
Engel emphasized that although installation is not as cumbersome (the segments can be jointed together), a cork floor is not a do-it-yourself project.
"You need to hire a professional," she emphasized. "Cork is a medium to upper-end costing floor and you wouldn't want to install it incorrectly."
Engel attributed the interest in cork at the moment is driven by the "green" campaign.
"Whereas wood floors come from the lumber of the trunk, cork comes from the bark of the tree," she said. "The tree can be kept alive while the bark is 'harvested' for the flooring."
One consideration with a cork floor would be a family's lifestyle, Engel cautioned.
"I have six kids and two dogs and I don't think I'd have a cork floor," she bantered. "Sure, it's tough and resilient, but even if you like the cork, you may want to look at the care it needs for your household."
And if you can't imagine walking into a kitchen -- the most popular room for cork -- and seeing a cork board look on the floor, think again, Engel said.
"For as varied as a hardwood floor or laminate can be in color, so can a cork floor," she said. "We have green tones, brown tones and one customer put a gorgeous cork floor in that had beautiful, deep red highlights."
Warranties on natural cork are typically 15 years, but Engel said a customer recently came into the business thinking to replace her floor after 25 years. She actually chose not to and decided to restore it.
"It has the potential to last almost as long as a wood floor," she mused. "It's cork, but just don't put thumbtacks into it!"
"Our lifestyles are just too busy," insisted Debby Engel, who with husband Greg has owned Magic Carpet & Drapery for almost 10 years. "People are looking for flooring that is easy to take care of."
Flooring is defined as material used to cover the cement or plywood sub-flooring in your home. But despite that broad categorization, Engel said that flooring selection is a very personal decision and should fit your lifestyle.
"You have to take into account the comfort, cleaning and appearance you want in each room in your house," she said, "because flooring has an impact on how your home looks and feels ."
Carpet still remains the No. 1 purchase for most consumers, Engel said.
"Carpeting has changed so dramatically and wears so much better," she said. "The Mohawk SmartStrand line is created out of a corn-based product; it has the feel and luxury of corn silk."
She continued, "Environmentally, the Shaw Clear Touch line is producing carpets out of a recyclable material. Some day soon, even the carpets made out of recycled materials will be completely recyclable."
Laminate is another option when shopping for flooring.
"With laminate, you can get every look ranging from wood to stone," she observed. "It's especially hard to tell the difference between laminate and hardwood floors because the laminate really parallels a hardwood floor."
Jon Otto of Custom Wood Floors is in his 25th year of installing and refinishing hardwood floors. Customers tell him they're sold on that type of floor because nothing else is quite like the beauty of a hardwood floor.
"It's also versatile because I can stain the wood, sand it and finish it to a homeowner's specification," he said.
The challenge with encouraging people to embrace a hardwood floor are the misconceptions that accompany them, Otto said.
"People think they're harder to keep clean, but that's not the case," he stressed. "In fact, we install a lot of floors for people with allergies because a hardwood floor doesn't hold the dirt and allergens like a carpet would."
New urethane finishes that are available for hardwood floors have eased upkeep, Otto added.
"There's satin, semi-gloss and gloss finishes that will allow a floor to hold its shine much longer," he said. "All you need to do is damp mop them or use a terry cloth and vinegar water to keep them clean."
A floating floor system that resisted scratching, denting, staining and fading has always been of interest to consumers. Its biggest advantage was that it could be installed over existing vinyl, linoleum and wood flooring by anyone.
"Customers prefer laminate and luxury vinyl tile now," Engel said. "The quality is much better."
Although Magic Carpet still sells "rolled" linoleum, stiff, tight-yarned and shag carpeting, Engel said those interior design and makeover TV shows have emboldened customers to look at other options.
"People want style in their rooms and that includes the floor," she said. "Lots of times when they come in here, they're not sure what they want. But after we talk to them about their lifestyle and their homes, we can quickly come up with what will fit best for them."
Television has affected hardwood floor choices as well, Otto said. Traditional oak has been replaced.
"We've done hickory, which is very similar to oak, but works is more of a "country-ish" look," he said. "Maple is very popular and has a very modern look to it. Cherry is another one that carries a richer, more elegant look to certain decor."
Harvest gold, rust and avocado -- although known as carpet colors of the past -- are resurfacing with "new" names, Engel said. Customers aren't shying away from bright colors, like pink or green.
"They're using them in kids' rooms or area rugs," she said. "Those television programs are showing them it's OK to use color."
With society seeming to embrace environmentally friendly products, cork has become a bit more popular, Engel said.
"Cork really fell out of favor and for about 30 years was not readily available for most customers," she explained. "Maintaining it was labor-intensive. Cost was an issue as well when it didn't last well."
New finishing techniques and improved technologies have changed all that. Though still a small fraction of the floor covering markets, consumers have rediscovered some of the positive aspects of cork, Engel said.
"Pre-finished natural cork flooring is protected with five coats of UV cured acrylic finish, so maintenance requires routine sweeping and wiping up spills right away," she said. "You treat it much as you would a wood floor."
"Cork also provides a comfortable cushion, or give, to it," she continued. "Customers say it has a real 'floating' factor when you walk on it."
Engel emphasized that although installation is not as cumbersome (the segments can be jointed together), a cork floor is not a do-it-yourself project.
"You need to hire a professional," she emphasized. "Cork is a medium to upper-end costing floor and you wouldn't want to install it incorrectly."
Engel attributed the interest in cork at the moment is driven by the "green" campaign.
"Whereas wood floors come from the lumber of the trunk, cork comes from the bark of the tree," she said. "The tree can be kept alive while the bark is 'harvested' for the flooring."
One consideration with a cork floor would be a family's lifestyle, Engel cautioned.
"I have six kids and two dogs and I don't think I'd have a cork floor," she bantered. "Sure, it's tough and resilient, but even if you like the cork, you may want to look at the care it needs for your household."
And if you can't imagine walking into a kitchen -- the most popular room for cork -- and seeing a cork board look on the floor, think again, Engel said.
"For as varied as a hardwood floor or laminate can be in color, so can a cork floor," she said. "We have green tones, brown tones and one customer put a gorgeous cork floor in that had beautiful, deep red highlights."
Warranties on natural cork are typically 15 years, but Engel said a customer recently came into the business thinking to replace her floor after 25 years. She actually chose not to and decided to restore it.
"It has the potential to last almost as long as a wood floor," she mused. "It's cork, but just don't put thumbtacks into it!"
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Amy of the Lakes wrote on May 4, 2008 10:43 AM:
gerlach wrote on May 3, 2008 7:41 PM: