The Pros and Cons of Hardwood Floors For Your Home

Hardwood floors have become one of the most popular features that new buyers look for in a home. Although there are many people who want hardwood floors in their home, there are some definite advantages as well as disadvantages for these types of floors. 

There are many different types of hardwood floors that are available, from different makes of wood to different patterns and installations. There are even unfinished hardwood flooring planks that allow for the individual to pick out the exact stain they want on the floor instead of simply choosing a pre-made color. When it comes to choosing this type of flooring, one must look at all the pros and cons that comes along with it.

Pros of Hardwood Floors

One of the biggest pros about hardwood floors is the look. Almost every homeowner will agree that hardwood flooring is beautiful and much more attractive than carpet or tile. As mentioned, you can buy flooring in a variety of different woods such as oak, cherry, and even bamboo.

It’s much easier to match furniture to hardwood than carpet as wood is a neutral that goes with any type of style of furniture that you may want for a room. Also, if you do decide to redecorate a room with hardwood floors, you can easily change the style and the floor will still match unlike some carpets and tiles that may only match with certain themes and styles.

Another pro about hardwood flooring is that it is very low maintenance when it comes to cleaning. A simple vacuuming or sweeping with a duster every few days will help to keep them clean. Once a month or so, you can take a wood cleaner to the floor and use that as well if you want them to keep their shine. Also, if anybody in your home has allergies, hardwood floors are much cleaner than carpet and can cut down on allergies.

With hardwood floors being so popular, it may be easier to sell your home if you have hardwood instead of mostly carpet. Most home builders and contractors consider hardwood floors an upgrade, so you may find that you can increase the price of your home simply by having hardwood.

Cons of Hardwood Floors

The biggest drawback that stops people from putting hardwood in their homes is the price. Real hardwood flooring, not the laminate stuff, is expensive. If you do not know how to install the flooring yourself, you will also have to call a contractor to install it, which can cost you a great deal more.

If you have pets, you may want to think twice about hardwood flooring in your home. It can easily be scratched by a cat or dog’s claws. There is nothing worse than having a beautiful hardwood floor and having scratches all over it from your pet. This goes for high heeled shoes as well since they can leave dents and scratches in the floor too.

If your hardwood floor is on the ground level of the home and your house is on a slab, you may find that that hardwood flooring is much colder than carpet. This is a con for those people who live where the winter months get cold. You can work around this by placing rugs over the hardwood, but then you don’t get to see the beauty of the wood as much.

Lastly, if you have small children or babies who may be playing on the hardwood floor, you may want to think twice about the flooring as a play area. This type of flooring is much harder than a soft carpet and can be tough on crawling babies and those attempting to walk and will be falling quite often.

Like any type of flooring, hardwood has both pros and cons. It is up to the homeowner to access their own situation to see what the best choice is for their house.

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3 Tips on How to Clean Tile Floors in Less Time

Have you wondered about how to clean tile floors in less time than what it takes you to clean them now? Many people make it a long and dreading experience when it does not have to be. They also forget the small things that they can change that will make their tiles last longer. This does not have to be you because if you follow these three easy steps, you will learn that it is easy and not as bad as we thought. 

Step One

Sweeping and moping is the number one thing that if you are not used to, will have to get used to. Make sure that your floor is free from dirt and other debris. This simple cleaning should be exercised on a regular basis to maintain cleanliness and brightness of your floors. Sweeping at least every other day and moping at least once a week will help maintain your floors clean and filthy free. There are so many solutions that are being sold today, so basically you can pick any that you like.

The problem is not the solution, it is usually more like the time between this clean and the last one. When you do these two things more frequently you are removing build up and will not have a huge mess to clean up like if you would if you went weeks without sweeping or moping.

Step Two

A lot of people dismiss the reality that they can help maintain the floor and have it looking its best by taking some preventative measures. You can be conscious of keeping certain things off of your floors so that they not just look good, they last longer. Being mindful to not wear sharp shoes all over your floors is a start.

Many women walk around the home in their heels and sometimes mess up the tiles as well as the grout, so removing your pointy shoes that are digging in the tile is a great idea; Likewise, when moving furniture around it is best to use moving pads that will help with sliding large, heavy furniture across your tile.

Step Three

Placing rugs in common areas is sometimes forgotten. You don’t just want rugs for decorating your home, but you can use them to help your tiles as well. Placing them outside your front door or any other place where people are in an out will help from getting debris on your tiles.

If you were wondering how to clean floors and maintaining them you should now see that it is not that hard. Just a little dedication to sweep and mop more consistently and taking some preventative measures will allow you to have beautiful, clean floors, dent-free.

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Choosing Ceramic Tiles – What to Know

If you are going to buy ceramic tiles for a ceramic tile backsplash, floor tiles, wall tiles or even ceramic tiles for ornamentation there are specific factors to know in choosing which tile is best for your application. Not all tiles are created equal and the differences can determine if your ceramic tiles will hold up to the use you are putting them. 

For example, low fire tiles or tiles that have only been through a bisque firing are generally less expensive but not nearly as durable as high fired tiles. Even if the tile has been glazed, it may still have only gone through one firing and very possibly only a low firing so the fact of it being glossy and colorful is no indication that the tile has the durability of a high-fired tile. Greenware – ceramics that has dried but not been fired, can be glazed with a low fire glaze and fired to a comparatively low temperature.

Such a cermic tile would not be suitable for certain applications. For example if you intend to use the tile for a backsplash, counter top or tabletop you will need a very durable tile that will hold up to frequent cleaning and in the case of a countertop or tabletop, some hard use too. Stoneware clays are the most suitable for this sort of use. Stoneware is normally fired to about cone 6 (around 2200 degrees F) and is very strong.

But in your inquiry, don’t stop with what kind of clay the tiles are made from. Glazes vary enormously and even so-called ‘food-safe’ glazes can leach out chemicals, stain and lose their color. Many manufactured tiles are poorly made and will not hold up to the uses they are marketed for. Of course, there are many quite excellent manufactured tiles too so you need to inquire to be sure. That information however may or not be readily available.

The kind of ornamentation of the ceramic tile is important too. For a ceramic countertop or tabletop, the tiles should be flat. For a backsplash the tiles can have low relief but high relief will be difficult to clean and is not generally advised.

Fireplaces, murals, mosaics and facades can be either flat, have low relief or high relief and low fire glazes are OK in these applications. Be careful though with areas that will get much use, such as around a fireplace where logs will be placed or fireplace tools will be used. Low fire tiles and glazes can crack or chip much more easily than stoneware and high fire glazes. Also, if it is an area that will require frequent cleaning, high relief may prove troublesome.

For ceramic walls in dry areas not subject to much physical contact most any type of tile and glaze is adequate. For wet areas flat tiles, low relief tiles or even high relief tiles can be used so long as they are not in a hazardous place that a body can inadvertently come into contact with them. A large frog leaping out from your shower wall at body height is probably not a good idea.

Obviously, porous tiles are not good for wet areas. So long as the tile is vitreous – has been fired to maturity such that the crystalline structure is unified – the tile or glaze is OK, however the joints between the tiles will need to be sealed. Again, the best bet here is a high fired stoneware tile with a dependable glaze.

Flooring presents other challenges, and opportunities. Clearly floor tiles must be durable so high fire stoneware is the best choice. Any kind of relief is not advised as uneven surfaces can be difficult to walk on, especially for the aged. An additional consideration with flooring tiles is slickness. A glossy glaze on a floor is not recommended. A heavily textured glaze or a matte glaze is best.

Outdoor use in cold climates demands high fired tiles and dependable glazes, especially if on horizontal surfaces. Low fire and even porous tiles can be used outdoors in cold climates if on or in a vertical surface. But you are still better off with a frost proof tile in cold climates.

Finally, there is the issue of a ceramic tile being food-safe. Many decorative ceramic art tiles are used as serving trays for a variety of hot and cold foods and it is important that these not leach out chemicals. Even a glaze said to be food-safe often is not.

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