How to Pick the Perfect Kitchen Floor

The heart of your home. One of the most commonly used rooms in your home, bringing family and friends together all year round. Those abnormally large family dinners or those “a cup of tea can fix anything” moments all take place in your kitchen. This is why it’s so important to have a kitchen you’re proud of, filling it with the things you love and that bring joy to your day to day life. With this in mind, the question that lingers is how do we pick the perfect kitchen floor? Before choosing the perfect kitchen floor for you, you may wish to identify some floors which are loved by the nation.

Solid Wood Flooring

High traffic areas need a floor which is built to last. Solid wood flooring is the answer for you. Timeless, elegant and unique are just three words that pop to mind when we think of solid wood flooring. The warm, comfortable atmosphere that a solid wood flooring provides is enough to make anyone feel at home.

Available in a variety of shades there is something you’re sure to love. If you wish to achieve that traditional, contemporary style, you’re sure to love solid wood flooring. One main benefit to solid wood flooring is its durability. When continued to be treated with the correct oils and varnishes, there’s no need to worry about those spilt drinks or messy children. With a quick mop, you will be able to remove those spillages without worry about those pesky stains. The darker the wood the easier it is to hide dirt, so if you don’t have a lot of time to spend cleaning you can reduce the amount of visible dirt with darker flooring. Replicating natural beauty.

Laminate Flooring

If you wish to achieve that solid wood flooring look but your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, laminate flooring may be the perfect option for you. Whilst looking identical to real hardwood flooring, laminate provides many other benefits.

The authentic wood pattern is applied to the top of the laminate boards, then a layer of transparent melamine is applied over the top. This helps to keep the planks scratch proof, shatter resistant and waterproof. Keeping your floor looking good for longer. This also means that laminate flooring can be made in a large array of colours and finishes, so you’re sure to find something to your taste and style.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Achieve that wood or stone style of flooring with luxury vinyl flooring. Providing your home with that style, comfort and endurance. Here at QC Flooring, we ensure all our luxury vinyl tiles are produced from high-quality materials to create that perfect wood or stone effect in your kitchen. Capture that classic, contemporary style in your home, impress even the most judgemental guests.

Our main focus on quality and that is something we most definitely deliver. When it comes to maintaining the luxury vinyl’s good looks, you don’t need to lift a finger. When producing our luxury vinyl tiles we apply a good layer of PU on top, this helps to maintain it’s stylish, modern looks whilst protecting your floor from scratches and stains. With a stocked range of colours, shades and designs available you are sure to find something you love!

Choosing the Best Floor for Your Kitchen

When it comes to choosing the right kitchen floor for you it can be difficult to imagine what it’s going to look like. Well, no more. We can now provide some samples of the flooring to help you make this important decision. It’s helpful to see what the flooring looks like in your kitchen before making that big purchase. Get a glimpse into what it will look like with your already existing furniture and the light in your kitchen.

At the end of the day, it’s all down to you and your needs. Here are a few things to ask yourself before making that big decision;

• What level of care is required after I purchase the new floor?
• What is my budget?
• How much traffic will my new floor get?
• What style and colour should I go for?
• What finish am I looking for?
• How will my new floor impact the current design of my kitchen?

If you have any question or queries please get in touch today on 01908 378270 or visit our contact page where one of our friendly team members will get back to you as soon as possible. Do you have a spare hour or two? Why not head down to our store in Milton Keynes where we can start to understand what you want in more detail.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/how-to-pick-the-perfect-kitchen-floor/

What is the Best Flooring for Soundproofing?

Unfortunately, apartments in multi-story buildings have a very low level of noise insulation. This is especially true of buildings built of reinforced concrete panels. Not only do the wall interior panels themselves have a very small thickness, but their structure does not contribute to the absorption of sound, and some of their components are even its conductor, for example, fittings. Therefore, insulation of the floor in the apartment has become an urgent need for many.

Yet not so long ago, it is very difficult, and at times – it was almost impossible to buy materials for sound insulation, an apartment or flat owners came up with different ways to protect their home from the thundering music, footsteps, or conversations of neighbours. Old carpets, remnants of foam packaging and even egg trays were used.

Today there is a huge selection of various soundproofing materials available, and expert flooring fitters offer numerous ways to set up a noise insulation system. To choose the option that is more suitable for a particular room, you need to consider the characteristics of some of them, and how they are arranged on the floor. Soundproofing your floor can be a brilliant way to reduce the amount of noise coming into your home. It is very useful if you are in an apartment or flat and have noisy neighbours above.

 

Soundproofing flooring

Laminate flooring has become increasingly popular in the past few years due to it being very affordable. Modern products are looking better than ever, and you can effortlessly get a wooden effect or a tile effect. However, this becomes questionable when it comes to soundproofing. Therefore, with laminate flooring, you would have to put down rubber mats to make the flooring soundproofing. These go underneath the laminate flooring and can be very easily installed. There is also something similar available for carpet this also underlies but this comes in separate pieces and interlocks with the other pieces. This is installed underneath the carpet and also makes the floor/carpet when its all laid more spongey and comfortable to walk on.

Soundproofing your apartment is no small task but is worth your time and effort if you have those noisy neighbours or would prefer a little bit more privacy and not as much sound to leak out as it does at present.

 

Reduce the amount of sound travel

 

To decrease the total noise travel in your flat or apartment attempt to make sure that there are no breaks among your soundproof flooring and the wall. If you would like to be extra safe you can even have your carpet or underlayment come up your wall a little bit so that will make the soundproofing even more intense.

That concludes our blog we hope that you found this informative and will help you when considering soundproof flooring. If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to give us a call 01908 378270 or visit our website.

 

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/what-is-the-best-flooring-for-soundproofing/

The Benefits of Carpet Tiles

Tips & Tricks: How to Decide on the Perfect Carpet

How to remove stubborn stains from your carpet | Best tips and tricks.

New carpet? Nothing can ruin a decent carpet like a stain. Whilst at the time it’s very frustrating, there are many possible kinds of stains that you can deal with and get out with ease. Whether there’s a previous stain your needing to fix or you are being prepared for a future scenario, there are many resolutions available to make sure that in your household, carpet stains are a thing of the past.

Coffee and wine stains are 2 of the most troubling stains out there, as a result of this, it’s important to attend to them as soon as possible. It’s a must that you must try and refrain from rubbing them or applying weighty pressure to the stain.

Tips for using solvent.

When cleaning stains with diluters, always work from the outside of the stain towards its middle. This averts you from spreading the stain and doing more and more damage to the carpet or rug. The procedure should involve applying the solvent, blotting it with a cloth, rinsing, eliminating the solvent and repeating the procedure until the stain has completely vanished. Always make sure that you don’t leave any remains behind and let the carpet dry as soon as you are done cleaning. If the stain has gone deeper in the carpet fibres, dry it rapidly with a fan or hair dryer to prevent any leftover stain from working its way up to your carpets surface.

Coffee or tea stain

Getting that coffee or tea stain out of the carpet may seem like a mission, however, if you pour a bottlecap of beer on to the carpet or rug and rub the beer lightly in circular motions with a cloth into the carpet and the stain should disappear. Not to worry if the stain doesn’t go straight away just repeat the process again it may just be it’s sunken a bit deeper into the material. With coffee and tea stains you can also combine equal parts white vinegar and water and blot the stain.

Wine or ketchup stain

Spilt red wine on your lightly coloured carpet. While the red wine is still wet, pour some white wine on it this will make the colour a lot less vibrant, then clean with a sponge and cold water after, sprinkle the area with table salt and wait about 10 minutes then vacuum up the mess.        Ketchup spill on your carpet? once this one dries, it will be nearly impossible to get out.  Spread salt all over the spill, let sit for a few minutes to draw out the colour of the stain, and vacuum. Sponge up any residue and continue salting and vacuuming until the stain has totally disappeared.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a hero in terms of stain removal and cleaning in general! Try these different proven formulas for homemade carpet stain removers:

Light carpet stain? 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in ½ cup of white vinegar. Let the solution dry, then vacuum and the stain should be cleaned without effort.

For much larger stains add 2 tablespoons of borax to the mixture and use in the same way as the above method.

For the tough ground in dirt and stains make a paste of 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 tablespoon corn-starch and rub into the stain using a dry cloth, let the paste set in for 2 days and then vacuum.

Been decorating? Spilt paint? Use 1 ½ teaspoon of vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoon fabric conditioner and 2 cups water sponge away the paint before it sets in rinse away with cold water.

Juice stains

Your little one spilt juice on the carpet – no worries remove the stain with no elbow grease at all just a little bit of shaving cream. Blot the stain with a wet sponge, squirt some shaving cream on to the cloth and blot until the stain is gradually coming out then wipe clean with a damp sponge. Shaving cream also works great with grease and oil stains. You can also get shot of fruit and fruit juice stains by mixing 1 tablespoon fabric conditioner with 1 ½ tablespoon white vinegar and combine with 2 cups of water. Get a sponge and work the paste into the stain.

Baking soda

Need to clean up vomit or urine? Look no further than your kitchen cupboards baking soda will remove the stain effortlessly. Wipe up what you can with tissue, the pour baking soda over the affected area and pat with a paper towel. Let the baking soda dry completely before vacuuming up the residue. Baking soda will clean, sanitise and deodorise the messy stains. Baking soda can also be used to get rid of grease stains when combined with equal parts of salt. Baking soda is also very helpful for cleaning your oven glass!

Conclusion

We hope that these tips have helped you and now you can tackle those tough stains with confidence.

 

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/how-to-remove-stubborn-stains-from-your-carpet-best-tips-and-tricks/

How to Clean Laminate Flooring

As much as laminate flooring has the same look as a hardwood floor, it doesn’t mean that they need to be cleaned in a similar way. The most suitable way of cleaning the laminate flooring is very different. This type of floor needs to be cared for in a special way. This is because, unlike hardwood, you can’t just refinish the surface when it’s damaged or stained. It can be very costly having to replace even a portion of your laminate flooring. So, it’s critical that you treat and care for your floors with a lot of care. Here’s how to clean and care for both new and older laminate floors:

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

The very first thing to do during the process of cleaning your laminate floor is to read the manufacturer’s instructions with a lot of care. Depending on the material used for your specific brand, there may be specific recommendations. Manufacturers mostly provide product guides which are rather detailed on their websites and give instructions on how to go about cleaning the laminate floors.

2. Deal with spills the moment they happen

Stains on laminate flooring result from spills that are left to stay too long on the floor and therefore become difficult to clean. To avoid your floor developing stains as a result of spills, ensure you tackle them as soon as they occur. Do this by wiping the spills immediately. Laminate floors don’t really do well with liquids and it’s necessary to minimize how much they’re exposed to the liquids.

3. Clean with soft tools

Laminate flooring can get scratched as a result of cleaning if enough care isn’t taken. To avoid scratching your floor, sweep debris up using a dust mop or a soft-bristle broom. When vacuuming the floor ensure you use an attachment without a rotating brush or beater to avoid inflicting scratches.

4. Never use too much water

Laminate floors should never be mopped the traditional way because of the use of too much water. The water can damage the floors by seeping into the seams. However, by using a microfibre that has been slightly dampened, you can clean the floors.

5. Avoid using regular cleaning products

Avoid using regular cleaning products as they can leave residue and streaks on the floor and can also cause damage to the floor’s protective sealant. You may use a laminate cleaner but do it sparingly. Also, don’t apply the cleaner directly to the floor but rather to the microfibre cloth or mop. Polishes or wax should also never be used on these floors.

6. Use common household items for cleaning tough stains

Right in the house, you’ll be able to find the solution to removing tough stains on the laminate flooring. These stains include candle wax or ink. To the candle wax or chewing gum, apply a plastic bag containing ice. Then, use a plastic knife, credit card or scrapper once the stains have hardened. Rubbing alcohol can also be helpful for dealing with ink, tackle paint, crayon and nail polish.

7. Protect the floor surface

The laminate flooring surface should be protected from developing scratches and other forms of damage using appropriate means. It’s a great idea to add furniture pads under table and chair legs. This is very necessary if you frequently move the furniture. A great wear to prevent wear and tear, floor rugs and mats can be placed on the floor, especially at the entrances.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/how-to-clean-laminate-flooring/

Tips to help keep your carpet clean

There’s a whole of difference you can give to your home by ensuring that your carpets are always clean. Cleanliness of the carpets means they’ll smell and look good and generally, the ambience of the home will just be nicer. So, for any homeowner who loves their property and loves cleanliness, keeping the carpets fresh and bright is of great importance. If you’re looking for ways to help you ensure that you keep your carpets clean, here are 8 tips to aid you:

1. Allow no shoes in the house

If you have to ensure that your carpets stay clean, you must get every potential source of dirt out of the room. So, let everyone coming into the house get off their shoes before coming it. This should be the case for both family and visitors. Shoes being worn in the house are a source of mess and dirt. The no shoes policy will also protect your carpets from damage.

2. Add some Protection to the Carpet

By adding a presentable rug to your house in an area that experiences a lot of footfall, you’re making them stay clean. Though the rug will also require cleaning, it’s nothing compared to carrying out a deep clean of the whole carpet. Chair mats are also great for protecting the carpet from the legs of the chairs.

3. Vacuum Well and Regularly

For keeping the carpet clean for longer, regular vacuuming’s the simple way to go. But vacuuming thrice a week, you’ll begin to see a huge difference in the cleanliness of your carpet. When you vacuum regularly, dirt is picked and up and stopped from being trodden in. A tip for effective vacuuming’s to go slowly. Places with higher foot traffic should be vacuumed much slowly.

4. Before Vacuuming, Use Baking Soda

Appearing clean isn’t enough for your carpet; you also have to ensure that it has a clean nice smell as well. A great tip to help keep the carpet smelling fresh for longer periods is by sprinkling baking soda before vacuuming’s done. To do this, sprinkle the baking soda lightly and let it settle for a couple of minutes before you begin to vacuum in the normal way.

5. Ensure you Replace Filters and Bags Regularly

Keeping your vacuum itself in a perfect working state also contributes to keeping the carpets clean for longer periods. This should be the case with every type of vacuum, whether it’s a traditional, bag, upright or canister model. Ensure that the bag or filtered is changed regularly. Without this, it could lose suction and end up not picking up dirt effectively.

6. Carry out Deep Cleaning Two Times a Year

For keeping your carpet clean and protected like no other, proper deep cleaning is the best option. Don’t make it a habit to wait until the carpet clearly appears clean for you to have it deep cleaned. Plan to have your carpet deep cleaned twice every year. If you’re a DIY person, you can hire a deep cleaner. Alternatively, you can call in a professional to do it for you.

7. Deal with Stains the Moment they Occur

As a stain stays longer, it becomes harder to remove. It’s therefore, advisable to deal with stains and spills as soon as they occur. And the best way to deal with it is to blot it out and not by scrubbing.

8. Have an emergency kit close by.

There are certain items that you need to keep close by for cleaning stains that occur on an emergency. You should include commercial stain remover, club soda for the beer or wine pills, shaving cream, ice cubes for chewing gums, hydrogen peroxide and dishwasher detergent.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/tips-to-help-keep-your-carpet-clean/

How to choose wood flooring

Wood flooring is a beautiful feature to add to any home. By choosing hardwood flooring, you’re investing hugely in your home. Yes, their initial cost is relatively higher than that of the other alternatives; this shouldn’t a hindrance as they’ll prove worth the investment as time goes by. When properly taken care of, these floors can last a lifetime. It, therefore, calls for you to take a whole lot of factors into consideration before you finally decide to make a choice. It’s not simply deciding on the colour of the wood and nothing else. Presently, these flooring options are completely customizable. To help you make the decision, take the following into consideration:

1. The Wood Type

There’s a wide variety of wood species that you can choose from. Each of them has a different hardness and grain. Maples, cherries and oaks are the most common types of wood flooring due to their hardness. They’re very sturdy and can withstand a lot of harshnesses put on them in terms of use. Exotic woods like Brazilian cherry and mahogany have an incredible look but aren’t as durable.

2. The Colour

Wood flooring colours vary depending on the wood type chosen and the finish is done on the wood. There’s everything from black to luscious cherry colour to brilliant blond floors. Staining on wood floors can be done to achieve nearly any colour.

3. The Hardness

Those who have children and pets will need to invest in a flooring option that’s as hard as possible like the red oak floor. The wood species has the capacity to withstand wear and tear far much better than pine floors; softwood that often easily scratches.

4. Engineered or Solid wood

Today, there’s an option of engineered wood for flooring. Basically speaking, these come as thinner wood planks that have a hardwood layer that’s bonded to other composite layers. In solid wood flooring, there’re solid wood planks. Each of these two options has both advantages and disadvantages. These are:
• Sand scratching out of engineered wood isn’t possible because the top layer is way too thin.

• Engineered wood can be glued directly to concrete. Solid wood floors, on the other hand, are often installed on a layer or layers plywood. This makes it likely possible that the solid wood floors can interfere with baseboards or doors.

• The design of engineered wood ensures it prevents shifting and warping.

• Solid wood shouldn’t be used on floors that are underground because moisture from the ground can cause problems.

5. Width of Board

The different types of boards that are available make it possible to do a lot with wood floors. For a more traditional appearance, there are narrow strips that are less than 3 inches in width. Wider planks, on the other hand, have a rusty appearance causing a space to look more open. Geometric designs like rectangles and squares can also be used to make a place appear more formal.

6. The Texture

Whether you’re looking for a floor that looks rustic and lived in or shiny and brand new, you have the option of hand scraping the wood. This gives it an appearance that’s timeworn. This makes a floor to look incredible and allows one to disguise heavy use with time.

7. The Finish

The finish of the wood is its source of colour and protection. You have the option of either finishing the wood on site or buying a prefinished one. Prefinished wood often lasts longer. The site finishes give more options to choose from. Prefinished wood is also easier to replace in case of damages.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/how-to-choose-wood-flooring/

What is luxury vinyl tile flooring?

Luxury vinyl tiling is a flooring solution that serves as an alternative to other flooring solutions such as stone and wood. Though it’s different from other hard flooring surfaces like vinyl composite tile or laminate, a lot of people find it difficult to tell the difference which is very clear in the aesthetics. It’s quite an innovative flooring design that’s continuously becoming affordable and popular than the other hard surface flooring solutions. It has a realistic look of ceramic, wood or stone tile that’s very resilient to wear and tear and truly hard wearing. It can be used in any room in the house as it’s waterproof and resistant to scratches. Its structure is composed of multiple thin layers ensuring that the flooring is easy to maintain and quite durable but also flexible.

 

Another exciting thing about luxury vinyl tiling is that can be found in various effects. For instance, there are effects such as ceramic tiles, wood planks or even stone. Wood plank effect luxury vinyl tile flooring takes the form and shape of a plank of wood. It’s available with various wood species, grain patterns and colours all looking very authentic and realistic. To suit every décor and requirements for rooms, the wood plank effects are available in various lengths and widths of planks. The tile and stone effect is also very realistic. They’re available in tiles that are uninformed sized as well as style and colour choices like beige, cream and grey slate effect tiles.

 

Luxury Vinyl tiling is increasingly becoming popular among homeowners because of its ability to transform a home with hardwearing an authentic floor. It lacks the downsides and drawbacks that often come with natural products.

 

How Luxury Vinyl Tiling is made

Every brand of luxury vinyl tile floor is created and designed in a slightly unique way. However, in general terms, multiple layers are often compressed together to come up with a floor covering that’s durable, waterproof and high quality. These kinds of flooring in most cases have averagely not less than 5 layers to ensure the floor remains thin and flexible but still waterproof, durable and strong. The layer at the top is a protective coating with built-in technology for stain guarding and scratch resistance. Under this is a layer with a detailed design of a high definition photograph. It’s very high quality so as to give the authentic and realistic appearance of natural products. The design layer takes the picture of flooring style; either stone or wood. The rest of the layers are made of stabilizing fibreglass sheets, core layers resistant to impacts and backing layers for moisture resistance. The layers prevent any disfiguration or warping of the tiles. At the time of manufacture, a system of interlocking click fitting is added to the tiles to make their installation straightforward and easy.

 

 

Rooms where Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring can be used

This flooring solution is suited for any room in the house. Because of its durability and robustness, it’s a great choice for areas that are busy, including living spaces and halls. Due to its ability to reduce sound, it’s the best choice for rooms such as studies, bedroom and nurseries. These tiles are also waterproof, making them suitable for installation in rooms with a lot of water like kitchens, utility rooms, bathrooms as well as porch areas. It can also be fitted into orangeries, conservatories and underfloor heating systems since they’re able to cope with temperature fluctuations and humidity.

 

Conclusion

In general, luxury vinyl tiling is a resilient and versatile flooring solution with an additional benefit of having the look of natural products. It’s usable in any room in the house and has the ability to add character, charm and warmth.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/what-is-luxury-vinyl-tile-flooring/

What is Vinyl Flooring and how can it improve my home?

We are lucky to have a guest post written for us by Abbott Flooring, they go into the details of why vinyl flooring is so important to have in the house.

Vinyl flooring is a flooring solution that’s one of the most recent and more resilient the market. Flooring types that are considered resilient are those that are simply artificial and composite in nature. Such floors include plastic, rubber PVC, linoleum and vinyl. Of course, in this category, vinyl is the most recent addition as we’ve noted. These products for the floors are produced in many regions of the world. Vinyl tends to cost less, versatile, water and stain-resistant and relatively much more durable than the other flooring solutions. They’ve gained popularity for these qualities and are more commonly preferred for bathrooms and kitchens. Over the years since their inception and use in home design, they’ve become more economical and attractive.

How Vinyl Can Improve Your Home

If you’ve been wondering whether to consider vinyl flooring as a solution for your flooring needs, the following are the reasons you should opt for it if you want to improve your home:

How comfortable is vinyl?

Comfort underfoot is a very important aspect to consider whenever you’re looking to install a flooring solution in your house. With the wide range of solutions available, you need to make informed choices to achieve your goal. Vinyl flooring is one such solution for making your floor more comfortable. Compared to ceramic tiles or wood, vinyl feels softer on your underfoot and doesn’t get cold in the winter. Vinyl tiles and sheet may have an underlayer that’s padded to make walking on them more comfortable.

Is vinyl high maintenance?

Floor maintenance can be quite a hassle if you don’t select the best option of flooring. Taking care of vinyl floors is very easy. All is needed for maintaining the floor surface is to ensure that dirt and grit are swept and kept from being on the floor at all times. After sweeping the dirt and grit, stains can then be removed by using an approved cleaner for vinyl floors and a damp mop.

Will vinyl fit into my budget?

The average costs of a square foot of vinyl flooring often don’t exceed the cost levels for flooring solutions. Even materials that are high-end premium cost averagely less than the other choices of flooring options like stones. The price differences for products of vinyl are determined by material quality and the surface design options.

But is vinyl resistant to water?

Vinyl is the perfect material for use in the kitchen, bathroom or other spaces in the home that experience high moisture like the laundry room. This is because vinyl is nearly impervious to penetration of water if properly installed.

How difficult is vinyl to fit?

After ensuring that you have a subfloor level that’s completely dry, it’s relatively easy to install vinyl flooring. This means that you can install your floor by yourself having had the subfloor done by a professional.

How durable is vinyl?

Vinyl can make the floor of your home very durable if installed and maintained in a proper way. They’ll last for up to 10 to 20 years. This is, however, determined by the quality of material from which it’s made from and the way it was manufactured.

Is vinyl stain resistant?

Having flooring that has the ability to be resistant to stains is a great way to improve your home. Vinyl sheets and tiles that are printed a wear layer that protects the floor from spills and stains. This makes the vinyl flooring easy to clean and maintain.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve known what vinyl flooring is and how it can improve your home, it’s time to install it in your home to begin reaping the above benefits. You’ll definitely be thankful that you opted for them over the other materials available. Why not contact us today to arrange a consultation.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/how-vinyl-flooring-can-improve-your-home/

What is laminate flooring and what can it bring to your home?

Originally, laminate flooring was a type of flooring solution that was mainly for commercial purposes. However, this type of flooring material has become a stable for a large number of homes. This is due to the fact that it has a better appearance, better performance and feels much better under the foot than when it was originally introduced. So, to the definition; laminate flooring is a floor covering of a hybrid nature and is made from particleboard wood. It can be installed just like real hardwood since its boards are joined together.
Benefits of Laminate Flooring to Your Home

Now that we know what laminate flooring is and what it’s made of, let’s go deeper to look at things that it has the capacity to add to your home. The following are the benefits of this floor type to your home:

 

1. They are Easy and Fast to Install

The installation of laminate floors is fast and easy. Older laminate floor types required that the pieces are glued together. However, the types available today are easy to install as they feature fold/ lock or click/ lock design. This latest design allows a homeowner to fit planks easily just like the pieces of a puzzle. This feature makes them one of the materials for the floor that can be installed quite fast. What makes them easy to install if the fact that the planks are made from particleboard that’s very soft. Hence, they can easily be cut using a utility knife or a hand saw. Due to the ease and fastness in their installation, the cost incurred as a result of the installation is quite low.

 

2. They are Easy to Clean

Most flooring materials require an elaborate way of cleaning to ensure that they stay clean. The laminate floors, on the other hand, are exceptionally easy to clean. You won’t have to spend a lot of money looking for specialized materials and products to clean the laminate floors. All you need is a broom or a simple vacuum cleaner. They can be mopped with a laminate floor cleaner or a slightly damp mop. You don’t need to do floor waxing to clean them.

 

3. Can be installed in Semi-Moist Areas

This type of floor can be installed in semi-moist areas of the house such as kitchens, powder rooms and other places where there’s likely to be amounts of moisture. They have the ability to resist the moisture as long as the boards leave no avenue for it as they are installed tight together.

 

4. They are Durable and Easy to Maintain

Wood can dent, unlike laminate flooring which nearly impervious to scratches and dents. They have a layer known as the wear layer that protects the layer known as the photographic layer. They can, therefore, resist stains but if they do get stained, cleaning it off is very easy.

 

5. They have High Aesthetic Value

Laminate flooring has no defects. Each and every board that constitutes it is consistent in terms of appearance and quality. They can reproduce the look of stone, wood and other such natural materials. This makes it one of the flooring solutions with the highest aesthetic values.

 

6. They offer a high level of functionality

Without an underlayment, laminate floors can feel rather hard. However, most of them are installed inclusive of an underlayment. This feature makes them easier to stand on for long periods without feeling uncomfortable.

 

Conclusion

If you’ve never known the benefits you’d gain by installing laminate flooring at your home, then it’s great that you’ve just come across this blog. This flooring has the ability to bring all the above good to your house. Try it out and live to tell the benefits you get.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/what-is-laminate-flooring-and-what-can-it-bring-to-your-home/

The benefits of Vinyl Flooring

There are many options for flooring in the market today, making it almost always difficult to settle for the most appropriate for your home in all aspects. However, when you know what you’re really looking for, the options shrink and become fewer. This is because there are some that are quite unique to themselves in all aspects. One option that stands out from the rest is vinyl flooring. In the recent years, a lot of people have made vinyl their number one flooring solution due to a wide range of reasons. These reasons are the main benefits offered by this flooring solution. They are as follows:

1. Long-lasting and Adaptable

Durable is most likely the first and the most important benefit that people get from vinyl flooring. With the correct way of installation, they can last for extended periods of time without requiring a lot of maintenance. Due to its ability to withstand very high foot traffic and high resistance to stains, they are recommended for large families and homes that have kids.

2. Versatility

The range of available options is another important benefit of vinyl flooring. They come in a variety of designs and colours. Depending on your preference and the décor of your home, you can opt for the most suitable colour and design. They can also be made to look like other flooring options like tile, hardwood and natural stone. In terms of texture, you can get non-slip options and smooth among others. Depending on the look of floor you want, you can choose tile vinyl and sheet vinyl.

3. Ease of Cleaning

Vinyl flooring is considered to be very hygienic and is easy to clean. This is another top reason why people choose vinyl. They don’t stain easily and have resistance to water. Any kind of sanitizer can be used to clean the vinyl flooring without causing any damage to it. In terms of hygiene, these floors have no room for the setting of bacterial germs. They are also safe for those with any kind of allergy. This also means that kids can play on this floor without risking being attacked by germs.

4. Ease of Installation

Vinyl flooring is easy to clean since it’s available in both sheets and planks. These two options come in stick and peel method and this makes them an easy task for homeowners as it can be done by self.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

When compared to other types of flooring available, vinyl flooring is a cheaper option. Since they can mimic the other flooring types like stone, wood or tile, they help in cost-saving and maintenance. It’s also an economical flooring option because it’s not easily damaged and is very durable and hence won’t need frequent replacement.

6. Comfortability

Due to their resilient nature as a flooring solution, it’s comfortable on the feet and one can walk around on the flooring for long periods without getting their feet hurt. This makes vinyl good flooring solution for the kitchen where one needs to cook while standing or walking around for hours.

7. Moisture Resistance

Vinyl is one of the moisture resistant materials for floors. It can be installed in rooms where moisture can be retained like the kitchen and the bathroom.

Conclusion

You’re not likely to go wrong with vinyl flooring as it has a lot of benefits as we’ve seen here. When you try to compare it with the other solutions of flooring, it’s very likely that it will emerge as the best option.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/the-benefits-of-vinyl-flooring/

Engineered flooring vs Solid Wood flooring

Most of us who have used wood for flooring before never realize that there are two main types of wood flooring that their houses may have installed. All they want to see is that the choice they make of wood flooring has the ability to add some structure and value to the home. The two main options are the Engineered wood flooring and the Solid wood flooring. These two come in a variety of styles, stains, and species. In this piece, we want to get into the discussion of what each of these two flooring options is and how they compare with one another.

1. Engineered Flooring

 

The Engineered hardwood flooring is made to have layers in its structure. The layer at the top is made of completely natural wood. The natural wood can be in a number of species. The bottom layers of these floors are also made of wood. Between the top layer and the bottom layer is a core. This middle core is constructed from plywood layers that can be between 5 and 7 in number and are made to crisscross in various directions. This kind of construction core is highly stable and will rarely contract, shift, or expand under exposure to various conditions such as humidity, temperature, and moisture. This is the reason why it’s preferably used in rooms that are constantly subjected to moisture such as basements. Engineered floors can be installed over concrete subfloors as well as wood subfloors or just floating it by glueing the grooves and the tongs together. Certain Engineered woods can be sanded or refinished. This, however, is dependent on how thick the top layer is.

 

2. Solid Wood Flooring

 

This is the kind of flooring that most homeowners aspire to own for the reasons that it’s timeless, durable. This flooring option is made from a single plank of wood from bottom to the top. The kind of wood used may be of various species. Typically, these kinds of a floor are not installed on top of subfloors made of concrete. It’s usually stapled or nailed to the subfloor made of wood. In most cases, solid wood floors can be refinished or sanded multiple times in case of deep scratches or damages to the surface. This is considered one of the benefits of choosing this option for floors. However, if the floor is made of a handcrafted finish, refinishing or sanding will be removed. As opposed to the case with Engineered wood floors, Solid wood floors undergo cupping over time. In case of temperature and humidity changes in your home, you’ll be able to observe the individual planks of wood contracting and expanding. The boards will appear to come apart during cooler temperatures indicating that there is the contraction. This happens because of the subfloor shooting of the nails during installation.

 

Conclusion

 

In summary, the wood species that are used for installing Engineered flooring are fewer as compared to those of Solid flooring. Most of the engineered floors are pre-finished as opposed to solid woods floors that may be site-finished as well as pre-finished. The installation process of engineered wood floors is easier than that of solid wood floors. Solid wood flooring lasts longer than the engineered flooring option. In general, solid wood flooring is suited for those who need a floor that is highly durable and stable. Engineered wood floors don’t have as much longevity as the former. In terms of cost, the engineered types of floors are generally more affordable than solid wood floors.

 

We hope that this article helped answer your question. If you have any other questions you can .

 

 

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/engineered-flooring-vs-solid-wood-flooring/

Benefits of Karndean flooring

Karndean flooring is a fabulous option for those who want to look of more expensive materials (such as wood and stone) but without the hefty price tag and the material drawbacks. Read more about Karndean here.

 

So why choose Karndean over wood flooring?

Karndean is specially engineered to resist bacteria and germs building up on and within the surface, where they can eat away at the floor and cause problems. Karndean Design Flooring has a protective PU coating which makes it non-porous and acts as a protective layer – one that wood can’t compete with.

 

Karndean is easier to clean than wood flooring, needs minimal maintenance since it requires no sanding, staining or oil treatments, and extremely durable. Unlike wood, which is likely to be damaged by heels and heavy furniture, Karndean can withstand a lot more of the everyday scuffs, and even if the odd bit of damage does occur, the tiles can be easily switched for new ones as needed.

 

Don’t Get Cold Feet

Many of the drawbacks for other types of flooring, such as wood or stone, is that they are beautiful but inevitably cold. So one of the great benefits of Karndean flooring is that you can also install underfloor heating to all of their designs.

 

Quick To Install & Quick To Fix

Another benefit is that some of the Karndean options available, such as LooseLay and Korlok, have incredibly quick installation times due to the fact that they can be placed over existing flooring.

 

Huge Range of Designs & Customisation

Whatever effect you are looking for, Karndean have an engineered solution. You can also customise your flooring to have borders or alter them in other ways to suit the look and feel you are going for.

 

Benefits Over Tiles & Stone

Karndean is lighter and slip-proof, so a better fit for bathrooms, especially those upstairs. Planks or tiles can be individually replaced if one gets damaged rather than pulling up the entire set of tiles.
But these are just a few of the many incredible benefits of Karndean flooring, and some of the reasons why it is one of our flooring best sellers. For more information on the benefits of Karndean flooring visit the Karndean blog here where they compare it to an assortment of other tiles. Or to learn more about Karndean flooring, visit our Karndean page here.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/benefits-of-karndean-flooring/

Best way to clean carpets at home

Now you’ve finally got your hands on that beautiful carpet that you’ve always dreamed of. It’s already laid on the floor but there’s a challenge. You want it to stay as beautiful even after using it for long periods of time. The pets, kids, accidental spills, and stubborn stains keep you wondering how you’ll go about protecting your carpets. What if it gets stained? Will you be able to remove all the stains? Is there a way of dealing with these problems? Well, the good news is that with proper care and proper cleaning of the carpets, you can keep them clean and beautiful for long periods of time. Let’s dive into the best ways to achieve these goals:

1. Carry out regular vacuuming
The carpets are made of fibres which are easily invaded by dirt. If left to accumulate and last for extended periods on the carpets, the carpets will start losing their aesthetic value. So, by vacuuming, you keep the dirt away and ensure the carpets look as good as new and fresh. If you let the dust and dirt stay on the carpets, they will be stepped on as people walk on them. This damages the fibres and negatively impacts how light is reflected on the carpet. The reflection of light is what makes the carpets appear beautiful. Therefore, if the fibres don’t reflect the light as they should, the carpets start looking dull or dingy. However, when you carry out regular vacuuming, these particles don’t get a chance to accumulate to very high levels. This makes the carpets have a much longer lifespan.

2. Hire a professional to clean the carpets for you
A professional is the most appropriate person to have cleaning your carpets. They have the skills that we, the homeowners, may never have. They fill you with the confidence that nothing will go wrong when they do the job for you as opposed to yourself who’s not skilled enough. Even so, the people who hire professionals still make terrible mistakes regarding when to contact them for the cleaning services. They wait until they start seeing dust and dirt on their carpets. However, by the time you’re able to tell that your carpets are dirty; the damage will have already been done. This shouldn’t be the case. The manufacturers recommend that you get a professional clean your carpets every once or twice a year, even if they don’t appear dirty. The same goes for stain protection treatment. The regular maintenance of the carpets helps prevent crushing and dulling. Stain protection treatment keeps the fibres of the carpet from fraying and makes it easy to clean up spills.

3. Use runners and area rugs
Ideally, this is the first thing that you need to do if you want your carpets to be stain clear and beautiful for as long as possible. Identify the high-traffic areas in your house such as entryways, areas in front of chairs and couches, hallways, among others. Apart from providing beautiful colour accents to the home, these area rugs and runners minimize crushing and soiling around these areas. It’s important to note that high-traffic areas are not just the areas that are carpeted.

4. Never or sparingly use carpet powder products
Most people use carpet powders for eliminating odour in their carpets. What they don’t know is that these powders leave powder residue when overused. The residue may not be visible until the carpets are shampooed or steam-cleaned next. It’s advisable that these powders be used sparingly if they have to be used.

Conclusion
These four ways are the best for carpet cleaning if you intend to have them look as good as new and beautiful for longer. They are the surest way to have the carpets stay beautiful, comfortable, and soft for years.

source http://www.qcflooring.co.uk/best-way-to-clean-carpets-at-home/