Are these products first quality products? My local retailer says they are not because your pricing is so low.

Yes! This is definitely one of our most common questions we receive on a daily basis. The answer is quite simple, YES. Why wouldn’t they be?

Why would stores tell us that?

For some reason this is a scare tactic that some local flooring stores LOVE to use to scare you, the consumer, away from buying online. I’m sure that is works well on some consumers but the majority just don’t fall for it. When I was looking to buy a flat screen TV last year, the BEST BUY salesperson did NOT say that if I purchased it online it would be inferior quality or second grade. I just don’t understand this tactic by local stores, it’s just so obvious. I guess when selling products some business owners throw ethics out the door to keep the lights on.

So why is FloorMall.com cheaper?

As far as our pricing goes, I hope that is obvious also. If not then ask yourself this. Why is Wal-Mart so much cheaper than their competitors? Volume. The sheer volume of flooring that we sell can be staggering for a local retailer. In some cases we sell more flooring in our first hour of business than some retailers sell all month.

Why do you not display pricing on some of your products? Some of your online competitors do!

This has to do with Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP). Some manufacturers are starting to request and require that online dealers advertise a minimum price. Let’s not get this confused with Manufacturers Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP). They are worlds apart. MAP pricing is required where MSRP is suggested. Online sales, whether flooring or electronics, are so massive compared to any one local market it is hard to compete with companies like Floormall.com.

How does it affect Floormall.com to decline to advertise pricing on these products?

It’s simple, we WILL NOT gouge the customer with pricing. To be honest with you, from an industry insider, MAP pricing forces a retailer, local or online to mark up products, in my opinion, in excess of market value. In my opinion it is pure price gouging. We will not partake in overpricing products, EVER. Pricing has to be fair to the consumer. So, when you are shopping on our sites and see this “To accommodate Manufacturers and Local Vendors, we are withholding MAP Pricing for certain Product Lines. Call 888-932-3566 or click here for a custom quote on this product”, you will now know that we are protecting YOU, the consumer from overpaying on your next purchase.

Will I receive a Manufacturer’s Warranty if I buy online?

YES, why wouldn’t you? We hear hundreds of consumers weekly say, “I just left Manufacturer X’s website and they say they will not warranty a product that is bought online”. The real question is, is it legal for manufacturers to limit their warranties based on whom you buy from.

When put that way, it would make some consumers mad.

And rightly so! Will you get a warranty? Yes! Here is why. In 1975 the Federal Government enacted a law called the MAGNUSON-MOSS Warranty ACT. Section 108 of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act addresses this question directly by indicating that:

“Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty.”

Essentially, this means that the provision on your warranty which requires you to buy ONLY from a particular company or a type of company (i.e. online store or brick-and-mortar) as a condition to the use of the warranty is not allowed. Whether your point of purchase was from an online store or a retail establishment, the warranty can be used and applied as intended. You can find it here also: business.ftc.gov/documents/bus01-businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law.

Rest assured, we won’t sell you floors without reasonable warranty terms, this is part of our commitment to each and every customer.

Why is there a minimum order requirement?

This question can be a tricky one to be honest with you. It has to do with Shipping damages. Flooring, even though durable once installed can be very fragile during shipping. A great example is Ceramic and Porcelain tiles. Once laid down are virtually indestructible but on a pallet in the back of a semi-truck traveling 2500 miles can break like glass. This is usually NOT the case in orders above 200 sq ft.

Why is that?

When a customer orders 200 sq ft or more of product then the flooring must be banded and strapped to the pallet making the flooring more secure in transit. Anything under 5 boxes is usually shipped via UPS, DHL or FedEx, in single box format. What happens to these I’m sure I do not have to explain. With our volume and number of orders that are possibly under 200 sq ft, we would struggle to handle the damage claims that will definitely occur. We are always looking for new and improved ways to ship our products to our customers and this could possibly change in the future.

Why does my business have to be in a commercially zoned location? I.E. I run my eBay business out of my home. OR I’m a contractor and work out of my truck, can you bring it to my house?

These two question are quite common for us but both have the same answer. It is all about the freight companies. You see, when a freight company picks up your order from one of our warehouses or from the manufacturer they are usually picked up with a 53 foot long semi-truck. This truck will then travel the distance to your home with numerous stops along the way. These same trucks are NOT allowed in residential neighborhoods because of the length and weight of the trucks. Therefore the semi-truck must go to the nearest terminal and freight must be put on a smaller truck that is allowed into your neighborhood.

So this is really about money-saving techniques only possible for certain destinations?

That’s right! With this one extra step you now have extra man hours, fuel and time. With our FREE SHIPPING offer you can see how you must be in a commercially zoned location for us to keep your shipping process simple enough save you thousands on your order.

I just got off the phone with a sale representative and they offered me a special price. They said I have to buy within a certain time frame, like today. Why?

Another great question with an honest answer coming. A lot of our consumers are dumbfounded when we ask them “Are you in the market to purchase today?”. This might be the first time you have heard this and might even think it is an unorthodox way of doing business but we must do this simply to see if you are a serious buyer or in the beginning stages of buying.

How does my buying readiness help save money?

One way this helps us keep low overhead is by saving time. An example is when a customer calls to buy part number CB1211. Our site pricing currently is $4.07 per sq ft. If the customer is in the market to buy 2000 sq ft then we would like to extend a discount and do not mind it if YOU, the consumer ask for a special deal. Its OK!! Here’s where the tricky part comes in. This particular product is NOT a stocking item for us. It is actually sitting in the warehouse of the Manufacturer, essentially making this order a drop shipped order. For us to offer you a deeper discount we now have to make a phone call to request cheaper pricing for your order. As you can imagine we are asked the exact same question from the manufacturers sales rep. “Is the customer going to be purchasing today?”. This is why you may hear “are you in the market to purchase today?”

This whole issue may seem like glorified penny pinching but did you know that debit card swipe fees provide banks with 20 billion dollars annually? And now with the new cap it has been estimated that store owners and consumers will be spared $7 billion. The fee on a $100 transaction will be about 27 cents, which is a far cry from the $1.50 currently being collected. Establishing the new debit card swipe fees has taken more than five years and it looks as if the process will be well worth it.

If you’re looking for a retailer which doesn’t have any swipe fees to speak of, whatsoever, you should turn to FloorMall.com. You can find great hardwood flooring at incredibly low prices, without any of those pesky hidden fees!

You can receive FloorMall’s newsletter via the sign-up at the bottom of every page of their site.

Also, in celebration of the holiday FloorMall has added 8 special products to the top selling section of their homepage.

The writers here at Flooring Now wish everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Check it out

CLICK HERE TO GET IT
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For flooring stores, check your distributor pricing against our low Internet pricing.

For interior designers, get instant access to our giant flooring selection.

For homeowners, get it for a while and use it for your home improvement project.

For all these reasons and more, get it now!

In addition to exotics, the company has dozens of different product lines which coax familiar oak and hickory wood into showing every conceivable texture and surface across dozens of product lines. The same wood species may glitter with a serious purple and gold, or leap into the sunlight with a pale pink, or ground the room with a vintage Colonial gravitas.

Consider the three flooring varieties in the charmingly literal Anderson Floors Gnarly line. These indestructible oak planks are sold in variable width and length, presenting an engaging tangram puzzle that can be put together in a myriad different ways, each expressing the temper of the room and the personality of the owner. The wood texture is a resolute turbulence of dark growth rings over various shades of classic brown. These floors have enough character that one could compose a still life on them, and only cost $3.52 per square foot.

With their experience, skill and prices, Anderson will never disappoint you.

FloorMall.com has partnered with Brand Ambassador and mom blogger Crissy Page, of DearCrissy.com, to bring you an incredible opportunity to enter and win 500 square feet of beautiful Mohawk Engineered Hardwood Flooring, at over $1,200 in value, with free shipping to one qualifying winner!

“As a long-standing customer of FloorMall.com, I am beyond thrilled to have been selected as a FloorMall Brand Ambassador, and to be hosting the Step Into Summer Flooring Sweepstakes on my blog. My family and I adore the laminate flooring that we purchased from FloorMall in 2008, and I would recommend FloorMall.com to anyone seeking great flooring and a wonderful online shopping experience.”
—Crissy Page of DearCrissy.com

FloorMall.com offers a wide variety of trusted brand names in traditional flooring materials, as well as the latest trends and innovations in popular eco-friendly flooring options including cork and bamboo. Pair this unmatched selection with great prices, and FloorMall.com sparkles, clearly standing out as your best choice when buying flooring.

Summer is the season for home improvement, so whether you are a weekend warrior with a knack for DIY flooring projects, or plan to hire a local flooring installer, the FloorMall Step Into Summer Sweepstakes is a great way to enjoy premium hardwood flooring this summer, and for years to come.

Best,
Crissy

Crissy Page

http://dearcrissy.com

Are you sliding on your floors, even though you don’t want to?   Some floors become tilted due to earthquakes and settling.   Test your floors by carefully placing a tennis ball in several parts of the room.   If the ball rolls, there’s a tilt, and you can call in an expert to give you an evaluation.  They may have to level off your floors by jacking them up with concrete pylons.  This may sound horrendous but it’s not usually that bad.  Watch your roof though — some timbers become bowed up do the pressure.  Once your floor is level you will probably have to put some new flooring in.  Take a look at the floormall.com website and it can show you the wide variety that’s available.

Your subfloors need to be smooth and glue and nail free if you’re putting in some flooring.  Scrape off any old bumpy products and sweep them up.  Test the level of it by using the old tennis ball again.  Make sure that you have the proper adhesive or nails and the proper underlayment if required.  There’s new bamboo flooring out that snaps together and it already has attached cork backing to cushion your steps.  That’s one easy floor to lay down for the do-it-yourselfer.  Bamboo flooring is a great and very renewable flooring because it grows so fast and it’s not a tree.  Be careful of using a small office chair with hard wheels on it, because you can dent it.  A chair mat is a very easy solution.  There are all kinds of bamboo flooring options at floormall.com.

Old houses often settle quite a bit due to age.  Most of the time there’s not a problem but if you feel like it’s happening a lot you can get a professional to come out and evaluate your “tilt factor”.  Flooring choices depend on several factors.  If you want a cushiony feel then you may not want tiles.   If you want carpet, make sure that no-one in the family is allergic, as well as knowing how to clean it.  How many people walk around on which room’s floor every day, and how often.  It’s not easy to pass by the general versatility of real hardwood floors.   Take a look at some of the gorgeous colors and types of woods they show on floormall.com’s site.

Today, we can choose whatever we fancy in the way of flooring.  Materials can be imported from most any area of the world.  There’s exotics like Tigerwood or Mahogany, renewable resources like bamboo, beautiful marble and granite and manmade linoleum (part of which is often recycled), plus almost anything else you can think of. Some floors are made from polished concrete or glass.  Now, the latter is enough to make you dizzy because it seems like you are walking on air!  If you want to keep your feet on the ground, take a look at the floormall.com website and choose from some of the hundreds of different kinds of flooring they list for your shopping pleasure.

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Real antique hardwood can also be reclaimed.  There are barns in the country and even reclaimed or recycled lumber and hardware stores and lots.  People here take old wood that has a lot of life left in it and make it smooth and even and of a fairly consistent size, then sell it to people wanting the genuine article.  There are even companies that recycle timber which has been sunken at the bottom of a lake or river for a hundred years or more.  This is in logging areas that have usually been abandoned.  This wood has a beautiful sheen and texture to it because it’s been underwater.  A homeowner can install this wood into their homes and know that it is really old, and that it will add a fantastic look to their modern or period home.  At floormall.com they have a body of knowledge which anyone can access, and it has many tips on flooring and related products.

If you are refinishing your own hardwood floors, it’s good to see what thickness remains so you don’t find yourself buffing through to the back of the planks, and maybe even see daylight coming through!  If there’s enough thickness left for buffing and if you don’t own a floor buffer, then renting one is a great option.  After buffing and smoothing then you can seal and apply stain in the proper sequence and then finish as appropriate.  You may have a damaged section of flooring that needs replacing and this can be a little trickier.  Perhaps you have some saved sections of the flooring and then you can replace the damaged part, buff off and then re-stain the entire floor etc.  Check out what stain you want at floormall.com, as well as a huge selection of different hardwoods if you need to redo your entire floor.

Any which way you look at it, old floors, whether real or created, add ambience to any type of home.  Of course, you may decide on an entirely new type of floor for a brand new look.  See what floormall.com has to offer — and they have professional installers as well as all of the materials you could ever need!

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As we move into Summer, thoughts of the holidays may already be looming in the back of your mind.  If there’s always a large crowd over at your house for Thanksgiving or Hannukah or Christmas and New Year’s, consider re-doing your dining room.  The floors may need replacing, and the walls repainting, and perhaps you need a new dining table.    What type of flooring is best for a dining area?  A solid and non-porous surface is easier to clean.  It could be hardwood, laminate, tiles, linoleum, or something else.  If you have no idea what you’d like then looking through a virtual catalog, such as the ones they have at floormall.com, may inspire you.

Some flooring is easier to install than others.  Click and lock or floating floors are the easiest.  A piece of linoleum would be okay and it’s super-easy to put down, and there isn’t any worry that it’ll look old-fashioned, these days.  That would be good for an informal dining room but if you have a more formal one as well, then hardwood flooring or stone or ceramic tiles may work better.  They can be a little harder to install but a pro could be hired as well as getting more info on the process through floormall.com.  Spacers should be used and there are different placement patterns for ceramic or stone tiles. 

Sealing the floor that’s in a dining room is crucial because of spills.  Tiles and their grout can be sealed, as well as hardwood flooring.  Linoleum is already sealed and vinyl is as well. After you install your new dining room floor, or have it installed, get some advice on what type of cleaning products to use.   When the dining room has been refreshed you can decide on whether you want to use your old dining table and chairs, or get some new ones.   Whatever choice you make you’ll want your new floor to be showcased!  A homeowner may also want a rug (cleanable) under the dining table.  After everything is done you can work on the extra-fun part — a centerpiece.

Centerpieces can be seasonal and changed, or year round and an eclectic grouping of your favorite things.  If you have candles in your centerpiece and plan on burning them, then be aware of what’s touching their bases, as well as the fact that unscented candles need to be used around food.  Guests want to smell your good cooking and not orange blossom or another strong scent.  You can create a centerpiece from found natural objects or a few interesting flea market finds.  Don’t overpower the table and leave room for the dinner plates!  Themes around holiday time work wonderfully, but be sure that the decorations are in keeping with the rest of your house, and subdued rather than flamboyant.  For flooring tips about the rest of your house, check out the pages at floormall.com

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After you figure out your floors, and always be sure and calculate for a little extra in case of damage a few years down the road, and you’ve decided on how you want your walls to look, then determine what type of furniture you want, and if there’s room for a nice wet bar over in a corner.  If you have a larger room or basement you can put the bar against a back wall for that real pub look.  There has to be room for a big-screen TV so figure out where that’s going and if you have the right satellite or cable connections.   Allow space in case you want a bigger TV down the road, and look to make some built-in storage for the satellite receiver, PVR etc.  A rug is always nice on the floor and it can help define the seating area.   For some great alternative floor coverings, check out floormall.com.

If your home is a bit tight on space for guests, for instance, there’s furniture out there that can make you man cave into a guest room/office/media room, so it will be truly multi-purpose.  Murphy beds come in modern configurations and there’s one that, when it’s folded up, has a desk that you can use.  Bookshelves are available and putting one on either side could counterbalance your TV wall at the other end of the man-cave. Think about your sofas and chairs.  Arranging them on the floor in a shape that enables everyone to see the TV will create the right atmosphere.  Consider buying some carpet tiles from floormall.com and use them under your coffee table.  If you buy a few extras, there will be no worry about stains on the carpet, because you can just replace that piece. 

You can sketch you man-cave concept out first and then rearrange (in your head) anything that doesn’t work out.  If you reach a stumbling block then a visit to the “university” at floormall.com may help you over it.  Because your man-cave may be subjected to several parties, always be sure that your flooring and furniture are durable, attractive, and easy to keep clean!

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Stone Tile at Floormall.com

     If you live in the country, or an urban area that gets a lot of dust or mud or rain or snow, then the room or rooms that your family enters first, may need a new floor.  A solid floor may prove invaluable. Linoleum or vinyl tile could be put down in a mud room or a family room entered from the patio.   If entry is through a front door then a tiled entryway will work, which can then lead into your hardwood or other flooring in a living room.  A tiled foyer could also lead to carpeting or rugs.  If there’s a mat that is washable and put down right as people enter your home, then this can hold any dust or moisture.  Check out a few ideas for these critical areas, on floormall.com.

Stone tiles are also a beautiful addition to any room whether it’s subjected to dust and moisture, or not.  They come in many colors and can include slate, granite and even marble (for those mansions!)  Because natural stone tiles are not made in a factory and are cut to size, the measurements do vary quite a bit.  This will be noticeable if you lay them square-on in a checkerboard pattern.  These kinds of tiles need to be laid in a staggered pattern so any slight variances will blend right in, and you won’t see them.  To view a huge variety of stone and other tiles, check out floormall.com.

Sealed hardwood may also be used when there’s concern over “tracking in”.  Real wood is easier to keep clean than you might imagine, as long you don’t let any pools of water sit on it, there shouldn’t be any problems.  To clean hardwood floors all you need is a damp mop that was dipped in warm water and a little vinegar.  No need for that expensive balsamic kind — just the plain sort should work fine.  For cleaning up any of your other floors you can take a peek at floormall.com’s university of info.  There’s no tuition involved, which might be a relief now that the kids are out for the Summer!

Before you renovate or replace a section of your flooring, think about the use it will get and what may be walked in or spilt on it.  If you can tie in usage and purpose and how it looks to your floors, then they will last a lot longer.  If you want to compare colors or properties of stone tile, hardwood floors, ceramic tile, linoleum or any other kind of floor, look at the floormall.com website today.  The better the job at matching your floors to a room’s purpose, the more functional your home will be.

  Perhaps you have a picture in your head of linoleum or vinyl flooring that’s of a long ago kitchen floor in grandma’s kitchen?  It could have been grey or green or even yellow.  You don’t have to replace your floor with something like that.  Vinyl flooring and linoleum (and linoleum is now “greener” than ever) comes in a huge variety of gorgeous colors and thicknesses and designs.  They even have retro designed linoleum and vinyl if you really do like grandma’s style.  Vinyl flooring is enduring and very easy to install.  It usually comes in uniform tiles and they are easy to glue down, or even just rip of the backing and voila, they are down.  Taking a look online is useful for this type of flooring, because it does come in this huge variety.  Imagine trying to compare this flooring in a home store?  It would take hours.  Check out floormall.com and you’ll see how easy it is.

Vinyl flooring can be inexpensive.  There are even patterns that make these tiles look exactly like stone.  The normal size is 12″ x 12″ and the boxes are easy to handle.  If you get them sent to you after purchasing on the Internet, you can just stack them in a corner until you are ready to use them.  Because vinyl flooring can be placed on several surfaces or in several different climates, check out what glue is available.  If you are chemically sensitive then some glues offer low or no VOC varieties.  Prices vary as do amounts in the container.  Don’t buy more than you need as it can deteriorate, but just a little more than you estimate you’ll need.  Make sure that your subfloor is smooth and level before you lay the tiles or you could get buckling later.  Manufacturers’ recommendations for drying time are on the glue container, and adhesive suggestions always come with the tiles themselves.

Vinyl flooring can even be placed in your garage.  It just depends on what will be parked there, or what will be placed on it.  Usually, in a garage, homeowners install vinyl flooring in the workshop area.  Black and white tiles give an area a retro look, as they would in kitchens.  The 1950s is a popular era right know and people who have installed black and white checkerboard vinyl flooring could have colored appliances to go along with it.  Stainless steel is also good and that gives a retro, yet modern look, without being too kitschy. 

All in all, vinyl flooring is a great product because it’s durable, easy to install, and reasonably priced.  If you simply don’t have the time and inclination to do the vinyl flooring installation yourself, then there are a few excellent professionals out there.  Take a look at floormall.com.  Choosing your patterns and colors is fun, but get help if you need it.

 If your floor or floors are in disrepair then Summer fun plans may have to be put on hold.  Starting your renovation or floor repair now will get it done in plenty of time for barbecues and outdoor parties.  Hardwood flooring repairs can be as simple as renting a sander, buffing the old finish and scratches out of your floor, and then resealing.  Your flooring has to have a few years of life left in it for this to happen, though.  You can’t refinish what’s not there.  Floors must be made from solid hardwood and not be engineered, for you to be able to sand them.  Good hardwood flooring can be refinished several times.  Poor quality maybe only once.  If you have a period home then the floors are probably quite thick and you’ll do just fine refinishing them.  Grab some free advice from floormall.com and you can see what you may need to buy for your project.

Perhaps there are a few planks that have become damaged in your hardwood floors.  When hardwood flooring is first installed it’s always a good idea to save some pieces of the wood.  Of course, if your house was built a couple of centuries ago, that’s not going to happen.  If you have had your home built, or put in a hardwood floor recently, then  replacing those few planks is pretty easy.  Basically, you have to pry up the damaged ones, cut the new ones to size and then glue and nail them down.  All old glue and nails or staples have to be removed.  Refinishing with a stain and sealer can be a little tricky because it has to be matched and integrated into the old floor.  Some stores can color match stains and paint, because computers are used, so check that concept out if you don’t have a can of the old stain in your garage or shed. 

If you are going to be installing or have installed, an entire room of hardwood flooring, then the choices are many.   Do you have hardwood floors throughout your home or just in this one room?  If you have other rooms with floors like this and if there’s a room separation (perhaps this room has tiles etc.) then there shouldn’t be any problems.  If this room where you are installing or replacing the hardwood in butts up against another hardwood floor, then you may want to get as close to that one’s color and type of wood as you can.  If you have to match hardwoods with another floor, then look online at floormall.com and you can find hardwood flooring of all types.  You’ll be able to match up your old floors that way. 

Whatever way you go, hardwood flooring is an enduring, warm, durable and extremely attractive flooring choice.  Along with stone and ceramic tiles, it’s been around for a very long time.

Have you gotten tired of those funny sounds that floors sometimes make when you walk on them?  Old floors can get really waxy and gummy and look really, really dingy.  Perhaps it’s time to check out some new types of floors that are becoming popular.  Cork flooring is becoming an excellent choice for flooring.  It’s environmentally friendly (cork oak trees re-grow this inner bark in a few years) so it’s renewable, like giant bamboo is.  Although giant bamboo is cut down, it’s just a grass and it does get big really fast so that’s the feature that makes it very “green”.  Cork flooring usually comes in tile form and these do vary in quality and coloration, so checking out some samples online at floormall.com will steer you in the right direction.

One advantage to cork flooring is that you will not be sticking to it.  Cork can be sealed quite nicely so you won’t worry about the porosity very much.  Cork provides warmth and insulation and a certain “bounciness” to your floors.  It’s a new and quite in vogue flooring product for offices, especially.  There are some sound insulating qualities which make it a great choice for the home office.  Libraries, if you are so fortunate to have one of these book repositories in your home, or a den, also are good candidates for cork flooring.  A lot of homeowners can install cork floors themselves but the product may not be available in all home improvement stores.  You can look online at the various types, availability, and installation tips.  Visiting a good site like floormall.com will get you on the right track.

Cork is used for many other things in homes, and not just for the floors.  There’s every college student’s dream of a giant bulletin board where they can stick schedules and photos from home.  In the home office you can also make a section of cork on the wall in front of a desk.  To make this bulletin area more home-like, wrapping a few diagonals of ribbon so that it crisscrosses a bulletin board enables you to slip in photos and notes without having to use pushpins etc.  In fact, if you have a few cork tiles left over from your cork flooring project, you can make one of these as a unique gift.  Always save a few pieces or sections of any flooring you install, for repairs at a later date.  Store them where you’ll be able to get them out if needed!

If you want some information on any types of flooring products, cork flooring included, or any advice or tips for buying or installation, then take a look at floormall.com.  There’s a ton of info on this site that will help you.

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Well, your floor may not be literally blue (or maybe it is) but if it’s sad, then you might consider replacing it.  Sometimes, flooring such as tile flooring or any hard surface, can get stained or damaged and even if it’s a little corner of the floor, that may detract from your overall nice look which you have worked hard to maintain.  If your tile or other flooring has aged, the color difference between old and new tile can be striking.  You may need to purchase all new tile flooring, and there are many different types to choose from.  If you are looking for a bit of solid info on installing the floor yourself, then check out floormall.com.  They have a university section where you can learn all kinds of things about flooring.

Tiles have been around from ancient times and can be made from a host of different materials.  Today, they are ceramic or porcelain or vinyl or real wood (parquet tiles) or cork or leather or stainless steel, or even exotic woods and other substances.  A tile is a square, usually 12″ x 12″ for floors or sometimes 18″ x 18″ or even 6″ x 6″.  Tiles can also be rectangular.  Octagonal tiles can be used for tile flooring and they fit quite nicely together. Think about how a beehive looks inside and the honeycombs all lined up snugly.  Maybe you’d like a blue floor.  Really. 

Different shades of blue tile flooring can depict a sea theme, or lend a nautical air to a seaside cottage.  Be careful if you do blue tiles in a bathroom.  On the floor and on the walls and in the shower could become overpowering.  All one color and you’d feel claustrophobic.  Too dark a color on the floor would be hard to keep clean.  If you need any advice on what type of tile flooring to get, cruise on over to floormall.com.  They’ll offer plenty of great advice.  The ancient Greeks loved blue tiles.  The ancient Egyptians did as well.  If you have a small room, then laying large tiles diagonally makes it look much bigger. 

For our modern floors there are so many choices for tile flooring, or any other kind of floor.  Installation materials and temperature really do matter as to the end results you get when flooring is installed.  Always make sure your floor is level before performing any kind of tile flooring job.  There are cement-like levelers you can pour to make it even.  Installing a subfloor is also a great idea.  Grout is necessary for tiles after you have got them stuck down and this can be either matching, or a different color.  The grout should match the tiles as if it’s too stark a contrast, the tiles can look weird.  Be sure and place spacers between your tiles or your floor may look like a tornado hit it and wrongly laid tiles can be a real mess to get up.  If you need help installing your tile flooring, check out the pros at floormall.com.

If you are starting from scratch and either building a home yourself or having one built, then a first thought should be about what type of flooring you are going to install.  And, do you really want to do it yourself or call in the pros?  If you are replacing one or two floors inside of your already completed home, then that can be a little bit different as to how you will approach the problem.  There are so many floor types these days that a self-installation can be easy.  It depends on the flooring itself.  New homes are usually a combination of tiles (stone or ceramic) and hardwood flooring.  You may choose an easier to install high-quality laminate or engineered flooring, which comes in snap together planks. 

Also under consideration these days is whether your flooring is environmentally safer than some products used to be.  Bamboo, for instance, is a terrific, easily-renewable flooring product.  It can range from glue down planks to cork-backed (therefore already ready to go straight down), snap together planks.  Bamboo comes in light natural colors, or caramelized varieties that add interest.  There are also several ways that the bamboo strips can be placed and this also adds additional contrast.  Gluing down planks requires good knees if you are doing it yourself.  Planks and a high quality glue help.  If you aren’t very up n all of the products available, then a look at a variety of them, plus info on a few professionals, can be had at floormall.com. 

Tiles are a good choice for the home do it yourselfer.  They come in a vast range of materials and can be super easy (peel and stick vinyl) to large, natural stone tiles that can be quite difficult to install.  The thing with natural stone is that it’s always one of a kind because the stone it comes from (limestone, granite, marble etc.) is varied as to thickness and color.  With a truly natural stone tile you need to place the tiles staggered, like you do with a brick wall.  If they are placed in a grid pattern, then you will get quite off kilter at the end of your room.  There is always a variance in the size of natural stone tiles for your flooring, so be sure and use a high quality glue, grout and get a bit of advice from floormall.com.  Don’t forget the tile spacers!

Finally, hardwood floors are so loved and have been used for centuries.  Back in the day, wide planks were used for flooring and today, hardwood flooring comes in random widths and lengths, sometimes engineered (real wood but in layers) and even reclaimed or refinished wood.  Reusing wood taken from a house in another, or refinishing old barn wood or even wood that’s been in a lake for a century, is the ultimate in recycling.  And, you get a product that’s unique and beautiful.

Shaw Floors Brushed Suede Parchment is a lovely color and it’s done in an engineered hickory real wood.  Installation is by floating (snap it together) or nail or staple gun and/or glue.  If you need any installation tips, floormall.com has a ton of great info on just about anything to do with flooring.  The finish on these planks is ScufResist and the name says it all.  This is a great flooring for a family room or perhaps a breakfast area that leads out to the patio.  Keep your floors looking great throughout many Summers of backyard activity!  The width is a sturdy 4.5″ and it’s .5″ thick and there’s 18.30 square feet per box.

Shaw Floors Brushed Suede Buckskin is a gorgeous color.  As the name suggests, it evokes memories of Westerns and soft leather and cowboy boots.  Of course, it would look great in any style of home.  The planks are made from engineered hickory and they will install via a floating method (click and lock) or with a nail gun, staple gun and/or glue.  If you need any info on installation or about any other flooring topic, check out floormall.com and their “university” section.  You can get a real education there.  The finish on this flooring is ScufResist so it’s wonderful for those high traffic areas of your home, and the width of the planks is 4.5″, with a .5″ thickness and there’s 18.30 square feet per box.

Shaw Floors Brushed Suede Fedora is the most wonderful shade of soft grey.  It does remind you of those old films with detectives, in their fedora hats, taking on the case of a beautiful woman.  The color and style would really suit your home, no matter what era it’s from.  The planks are engineered Hickory and the finish is ScufResist.  You can use this flooring in a which traffic area such as a busy library or perhaps the family or media room.  Installation is by floating method (snap in) or via nail gun, stapler, and/or glue.  The planks are a hefty 4.25″ wide by .5″ thick and there’s 18.30 square feet per box.  Check out floormall.com if you need any help with installation or just have some questions.  Rent an old Humphrey Bogart movie and give an occasional glance to your new Brushed Suede Fedora floors as you sit on the coach, eat popcorn, and watch the movie!

Shaw Floors Brushed Suede Bison is a wonderful color for your new floor.  It’s made from engineered Hickory and the installation is by floating floor (snap it in) or by nail gun, stapler, and/or glue.  The finish is ScufResist so it will take the wear and tear of a family room.  The width is a nice 4.25″ and the thickness is a solid .5″.  These are not flimsy planks.  There’s 18.30 square feet in a box.   Seek out any help you need, or ask any questions you’d like, from floormall.com.

View more Shaw Flooring Products Here

Mohawk Rivermont Cherry Oak Strip is the most beautiful cherry color you’ll find in flooring.  This one is oak, and applied by means of nails or staples.  The finish is Aluminum Oxide and the planks are 2.25″ wide by .75″ thick.  There’s 18.25 square feet per box.  This would make an absolutely beautiful floor in your period or contemporary home.  If you’re library or den or dining room needs a new floor, then this could be the one.  If you need any advice on installation or finding a professional installer, then take a look at floormall.com.  They will be able to answer any of your questions, especially if you look through their university section.  It’ll be a great, instant education!

Mohawk Maple Ridge Ginger 2 ¼” is a superior flooring plank that’s made from solid maple and applied by means of a nail gun.  If you aren’t experienced at using nail guns then you can seek advice, or round up a professional installer at floormall.com.  The finish on these planks is Aluminum Oxide and the color is just gorgeous.  This type of flooring was used back in Colonial days so if you have a period home, then this would be the flooring to look at.  It’s 2.25″ wide by ¾” thick, so there’s plenty enough would for several rounds of sanding and buffing and re-staining.  This floor will last for generations.  There’s 18.25 square feet in a box and they do have matching accessories which you may purchase, such as baseboards an molding.

Mohawk Pastiche Uniclic Cherry Oak is as its name suggests — one click and it’s installed!   What could be easier?  It’s an engineered real wood product and the finish is Aluminum Oxide.  If you are looking for an easy install, then this one is absolutely worth a look.  If there’s more advice you need or just a few facts, then floormall.com’s university section will be able to answer any of your questions or concerns.  The width of these planks is 3.25″ and the thickness is 3/8″.  There’s plenty in a box at 29.25 square feet per.

Mohawk Hand-Sculpted Santa Barbara Saddle Oak evokes that beautiful small Spanish-themed city of Santa Barbara, right on the Pacific ocean.  This city has a huge range of homes from luxurious mansions to charming craftsman-style cottages and period Victorians.  Merchant seamen used to bring cargo loads of flooring into the harbor of Santa Barbara, and many large homes at the time overlooked the sea.   If you’d like to redo a few floors in your own home, then this engineered hickory flooring may be just the ticket.  You can install it by way of a nail or staple gun, and glue may also be used along with that.  Any advice needed on any kind of flooring topic, may be easily gotten from floormall.com.  The finish on these planks is Aluminum Oxide and they are a hefty (and very period looking ) 5″ wide by .5″ thick and there’s 19.69 square feet per box.  This flooring will last for many generations.

     If you are looking for some exotic flooring but don’t know quite what to go for, or what the prices and availability might be, then check out floormall.com.  They have a wide variety of flooring that will suit just about anyone.  Armstrong has a fantastic (and exotic) Global Exotic Brazilia Tigerwood floor, which is an engineered floor that’s 4-3/4″ wide.  As you may know, Brazilia is the capital of Brazil and this title certainly suits the color and style of these planks.  This flooring is dark and rich looking, and made from striped Tigerwood and it requires glue, staples and nail installation, depending on your subfloor of course.  The finish is Dura-Luster Plus and the width is 4.75″.  Thickness is 3/8″ and there 27.9 square feet per box.  If you have any questions  about flooring installation, be sure and look at floormall.com’s university section, where you’ll find a wealth of info on most any subject to do with flooring. 

On the other hand, if you like a lighter kind of flooring, there’s always Armstrong’s Global Exotic Brazilia Taupe engineered planks, which are also 4.75″ wide so the look is nice and sturdy.  You can compare colors and styles at floormall.com on this, and the other Armstrong floor types.  This taupe color is somewhat lighter than the other Tigerwood species, but it also has a Dura-Luster Plus finish for durability and the installation is the same — glue, nails and staples, depending on your subfloor.  There’s also 27.9 square feet to a box so it’ll cover a nice portion of your floor.

If you are looking for Mahogany, then floormall.com has that too, in the usual high quality of Armstrong.  Their Global Exotic Natural African Mahogany, in the 4.75″ wide engineered planks, is fantastic and would be superior looking in a library or den or period home.  The species of tree is an African Mahogany  and installation is glue, nail and staple, or a combo.  The thickness is hefty at 3/8″ and there’s the Dura-Luster Plus finish to protect your floors and keep them looking great for many years.  At 27.9 square feet in a box, you’ll be able to finish up your floors in no time. 

Armstrong’s Grecian Series American Cherry is deep and rich and warm looking.  The finish is Aluminum Oxide and at 36.62 square feet per box you’ll be able to complete your floors with just a few boxes.  This engineered flooring is installed by means of glue. Nail, staples or just clicked together, because it can be a floating floor as well.  The width is 3-9/16″ and the thickness is 13/32″.  If you need help in installing this lovely flooring, or just have a few questions, then check out floormall.com and their interesting and comprehensive section and the university pages.

Today’s bamboo flooring, for instance, is both attractive, very “green”, and wears well. If you have a pathway in your room, with newly laid down bamboo, it doesn’t hurt to protect against some of the “hard knocks” of life, such as children running inside with their sport shoes on, or large dogs playing, etc. If you have bamboo in a new office, and are using a small-wheeled office chair, for instance, protecting the area behind your desk protects the floor from dent marks if your large uncle Charlie visits and sits in that chair. Even the very sturdy hardwood or tile floors are protected from moisture after Summer pool parties, and some of the smaller area rugs are very easy to both air and dry out, and keep clean. They are also an anti-slip agent for the wet feet of little ones. If you are considering putting down a good quality of wood but are unsure about how to do it, free information can be found at the floormall.com university.

Choosing an area rug is really about two things — do you like it, and does it compliment your flooring and home? As there are so many floor colors, so are there colors of carpeting and rugs. Bamboo flooring, for instance, especially if it’s that lovely darker caramelized color (check out the many variations of bamboo flooring at floormall.com), takes well to a lighter tan carpeting with a nice border. Something in a natural pattern would be great and would suit the theme and airiness of bamboo. If you have a darker hardwood or laminate floor, a richer-toned color for your area rug will suit you. If there’s just a pathway through the room or an area in front of a sofa, for instance, then a carpet runner will be perfect. Many runners are regular area rugs, that is, no more of that indoor/outdoor weave in a solid bright blue or dark green. You can get that still, but it would probably not be for your living room.

All in all, pick out what type and color of flooring you need to install and take a look at floormall.com for inspiration, knowledge and supplies, then after it’s been laid down, grab an area rug or two and your new room or rooms will be finished off perfectly!

Independence Day is coming up in just a few months and you may want to start planning those parties and celebrations.  Besides the usual decorations and food, invitations and such, take a quick look at the floors in your home that may need renewal, refurbishing, or renovation.  Family rooms, certainly kitchens, patios and dens, basements and great rooms — all could be involved in the big July bash.  A site that can help you plan, or just learn about new innovations in flooring, is at floormall.com.  They also, besides the free advice, have a lot of information on ordering flooring materials and getting hold of a professional flooring installer, if you need one of those to help you out.

Because July is a big barbecue month, how does your patio look?  Are the stone or ceramic tiles chipped or cracked or faded?  Natural flagstones and other stone flooring, or even patterned or colored concrete, looks great as the decking for a patio.  It does need some maintenance and often, a few repairs are all that’s needed.  Perhaps the carpeting in your family room is past the point of no return and your kids can see themselves in the shiny linoleum underneath it.  Maybe a good flooring of real hardwood, engineered hardwood or a high quality laminate would serve you well in that area.  At floormall.com they have so many types of wood planks and also bamboo (a great flooring that can be easy to install) that the only choice could be what color and when can I get it installed?

Your kitchen may be in good shape or poor, but there are lots of things you can do to either refresh, or replace it.  If the real wood is scarred or dull, then stripping, buffing and then re-staining would make it look wonderful again.  Perhaps a new piece of the modern and eco-friendly linoleum would be a simple and durable solution?  Have you considered ceramic tiles or even porcelain tiles in there?  If you go to floormall.com and see what they have for your kitchen, then check out the handy info on their floormall.com university.  It’s free, and extremely informative.

Finally, don’t forget the guest bathroom!  It may be a small area, but all of the people at your party will be taking a look at the floor at one time or another.  Natural stone tiles look great in a bathroom and using larger ones, usually 18 inches by 18 inches, and laying them diagonally, will increase the space visually.  Take a quick look at floormall.com and perhaps a manufacturer has a small run of tiles which can be bought a little cheaper.  You won’t need many for a normal-sized bathroom.  Subway (ceramic) tiles can be used, plus even vinyl tiles (some look like real stone tiles).  Vinyl tiles could be a quick and easy fix and along with a vase of fresh floors, and some new towels and a shower curtain, the bathroom will be spa-like and ready for all of your guests. 

Hardwood Flooring

Why walk around on dingy old floors, when it’s almost Spring?  Some flooring installations take a little longer than others.  Many are super easy and others are a bit harder.  If you visit a site like floormall.com you can see what’s involved with each type of flooring installation, and make an informed choice.  The easiest flooring installation would probably be a nice new piece of “green” linoleum.  The next would be peel and stick vinyl tiles.  Don’t think of the old school vinyl tiles.  There are so many new varieties these days that some floors look exactly like natural stone or high quality patterned laminate.  You really can’t tell the difference and would have to get a magnifying glass out to be sure.

The next easiest would be a floating floor, or laminate.  These are snap together planks and only require cutting to fit, then interlocking like a jigsaw puzzle.  Underlayment (foam sheet for cement or paper for wood) is all that’s required, plus a small standing jigsaw.  You don’t need glue or anything else, but kneepads are a wise choice plus a small mallet and an extra piece of wood to tap the planks in place.  I’d say that hardwood planks would be the next type to consider.  Check out the variety and woods at floormall.com and see if this kind of flooring is for you.  Nails are required if your subfloor is wood and glue if it’s cement.  You can rent a nailer or get a professional flooring installer to do the job for you.  Consider lighter wood for those new Spring days or get ready for a cozy Fall and Winter with gorgeous darker woods such as mahogany or walnut.  Hardwood floors can be composed of only a certain type of wood, or engineered wood (top layer of the wood then other woods for the rest).  Engineered woods can be in many different stains and colors and types, such as the antique look. 

Tiling is perhaps a little harder than most other floor installations.  If you study a few details as to what type of materials to use for sticking the tiles to your floor, how to space the tiles and what pattern to use for which type of tile, how to grout when they are dry, what types of tiles wear better than others, etc., then the job will be made much easier.  There’s a storehouse of knowledge on flooring at the floormall.com university online.  See what suits you to DIY or perhaps hire a professional flooring installer.  Look at what’s available in tiles, which would be good for your space, and go from there.

Looking through the online varieties of tiles at floormall.com and seeing what appeals to you, is fun and saves a lot on gas and wear and tear on your shoes.  Patience may be a virtue but if you have to traipse all over town in order to see what’s out there, then it can wear a little thin!  Save your precious free time and do other Spring things, like stopping to smell the roses. 

Cork Flooring

No — not unless you want them to look really old, really, really fast.  But, there are special dance floors you may buy, especially if you take a look at floormall.com.  Professionals use them — they are like a very sturdy linoleum.  But, if you only feel the urge occasionally, and can restrain yourself from tapping on your hardwood, thcn perhaps you can utilize an outdoor space with an old piece of linoleum down on it, or the basement.   Even so, Rockette on over to that site right away and see what they have.  Spring is soon upon us and your floors may be all worn out from the regular dancing that your guests enjoyed during the fantastic New Year’s Eve party you threw for them.  Perhaps you’ve sanded and buffed until there’s barely any wood left in your hardwood floors.  Ah, but what about laminate flooring, you may sigh.  No good for tap dancing either.  You’d be bouncing up and down like you were on a trampoline.  They don’t call laminate a floating floor for nothing. 

Hardwood floors can last a very long time, sometimes a hundred years or more.  Careful cleaning and the

occasional sanding and buffing or staining, or both, will keep them fresh for generations.  Clean them with a damp mop dipped in warm water and vinegar If you want the antique look, then recycled hardwood is the answer.  Of course, holding a tap dance party would do the trick in no time at all.  The wood used for hardwood floors can come from most anywhere on the planet.  We have to be a little cautious these days so that the rain forests are not denuded, or a species of tree goes extinct because someone wants a one of a kind floor in their mansion.  There are certainly varieties of exotic woods, such as zebra wood, that will lend an international air to your room, without denuding the planet of the species.  These rarer woods do cost more, but that’s probably to be expected.  Check out a few exotic species of wood flooring at floormall.com.  They have a lot more substance than a “regular” mall with its corn dogs on a stick, or major appliances in electric blue.

One solution for your tap dancing tendencies, if you don’t have  a basement, money for a dance studio, or it rains all the time, is to make yourself a portable section of flooring that you can practice on.  Perhaps a company has a scrap left over from a dance floor installation and you can buy it at half price.  All you need to do is frame up a couple of sheets of plywood, attach the floor, and voila!  You’ll be Ginger Rodgers or Fred Astaire in no time.  Play a CD of Singing In The Rain and perhaps Gene Kelly will be your inspiration.  Just tap on over to floormall.com (virtually of course) and see what they have.  Spring will soon be upon us and it’s time to get those toes a tappin’.

 It could be your innermost desire to get a literally green floor by St. Patrick’s Day (thin green paint or stain over an old hardwood floor, for instance), but by green we mean a new floor that is environmentally friendly and renewable.  These days, getting a wonderful new floor installed or perhaps making it a DIY project, is easier than ever.  Floormall.com has great resources like a university (full of knowledge about flooring), a blog, and an online mall where there are hundreds of flooring options available.  Spring is  the season of renewal.  Why not let it apply to the flooring, or even one room, of your home?

Green Flooring at Floormall.com

A hot and very green flooring resource these days is bamboo.  This is a fantastic product in the looks department, and knowing that it is made from an extremely fast growing variety of grass, and produced by farmers on land in China (therefore enabling many people to get jobs), is a real A plus in the flooring material arena.  Floormall.com can show you photos of the planks and installations, in the several colors that bamboo flooring comes in.  The natural light color is super in an urban loft type of room and the caramelized variations offer a warmer and yet somewhat darker option.  There are even types of bamboo planks that have strip variations and these may offer a designer touch, and an exotic one as well.  Bamboo needs a certain type of glue to stick it down on concrete and although it does snap together, there are more complicated installation methods than laminate, with this flooring.  You can do it yourself but it takes elbow grease and flooring pros may be called for.  It depends on what you’d like to do. 

Green Floors at Floormall.com

Any type of recycled flooring is a green option of course.  Barn wood makes superior and antique looking flooring.  If you are so lucky as to be close to or friends with a farmer who has an aged barn that needs removing, then that’s a good source for these beautiful planks.  It all needs planing down, sanding then sealing to a uniform thickness and length.  Some places specialize in this if you don’t have the expertise or time to do it.  Floormall.com can give you more info on recycled lumber and also some places to look for it, and possible installers as well.  Real hardwood flooring is a bit harder to install than laminate, but it lasts a long time and depending on thickness, can be re-sanded and refinished several times.

Perhaps the best thing about shopping online at Floormall.com for your “green” flooring needs is the fact that you are not polluting the environment by driving all over town (or even the next city) to look at samples of flooring in various retail outlets.  You can compare looks and use and prices online.  No gas usage, no wearing out of shoe soles, no stress and no need to buy a disappointing lunch at a food court somewhere.  This mall will only help you, not hurt your wallet or waistline.

 Buy Flooring Online at Floormall.com

Spring will soon be upon us and often, besides the usual thoughts on Spring, homeowners may be considering a Spring cleaning of their own for one or several floors of their home.  If your knowledge about flooring is, shall we be kind, poor at best, then there’s a solution for that at the floormall.com university.  In the comfort of your own home you can browse through many useful categories.  How do you install a bamboo floor?  Is your budget low and you need to get a few bargains in the flooring area?  Their 5% discount will surely help with that.  What the heck is colored grout, and where do you use it?  Can I lay down some nice floors myself?  What if I need a professional floor installer to do it?  How do I know they will do a good job?  All of these answers and more will be found at Floormall.com and the university they have online.

When I get the hardwood floors installed or do them myself, what if the dog tracks in that sticky Spring mud?  Do I get the mop and soap out and lather detergent all over the hardwood?  No!  Do you want your real woods floors to end up looking like a roller coaster?   Once you get hold of your flooring, you need to find out how to take care of it.  There are so many methods for the various types, that taking a few notes and giving the floormall.com website and their university of knowledge a good looking over, is well worth it.  How do you lay those gorgeous, but teeny colored glass mosaic tiles on your backsplash?  Don’t they take forever to put on behind your counters?  These types of tiles come on a net-backed sheet and they are actually quite easy to  get up there.  You can even pop a few off the backing and replace them with other colors, to give your backsplash a custom look.

For your floors, tiles have to be studied as to their usage and wear, and size and color and direction of placement.  What about natural stone tiles, or ceramic, or unglazed, or carpet tiles?  Some of us may have been unaware of the latter.  These are exceptionally useful kinds of floor coverings for a family room.  Spill some finger paint or coffee on one?  Whip it up and replace it in ten seconds.  No problemo.  Your money is hard earned these days.  Check out some fantastic tips and bargains and varieties of flooring at floormall.com.  They won’t charge you to look and browse to your heart’s content..

Buy Flooring today at Floormall.com

Valentines Day and Flooring

Don’t know what to get your sweetie for Valentine’s Day?  What about a wonderful new floor in the bedroom or family room?  There are so many superior products out there today that choosing one that suits you, wears well for your lifestyle, and appeals to your esthetics will be easy.  Using a great website like floormall.com enables you to compare styles, products, brands, suitability, colors, and get info on the different flooring choices, plus decide upon many other factors.

Hardwood Flooring on Valentines Day

Real hardwood comes in so many varieties and widths and thicknesses and its durability is legendary.  Many houses, hundreds of years old, still retain their original hardwood floors.  If the hardwood is fairly thick, then these floors can be sanded and rebuffed and stained and repaired several times over.  Engineered wood is a layer of real wood over several base products.  Engineered wood can be made to look antique or weathered, because it is a top layer of real wood, like any solid hardwood out there.  Real hardwood as long as it’s not taken from rain forests or other protected areas, is a renewable and green resource, and especially if it’s recycled hardwood.  Recycled can come from barn wood, other houses or even ancient timber that was logged a hundred years ago and has until recently, lain on the bottom of a river or lake.  Because some of the trees that had been cut down back then were extremely old, these logs are exceptional in their beauty but can cost quite a bit more.  Engineered wood styles can be studied at a site such as floormall.com, and there you may also compare prices, availability and pros to install the flooring for you. 

Other choices for new flooring for your sweetie could be bamboo flooring, now available with lower VOC resins and in the standard lighter color, caramelized, and many strip variations; a gorgeous wall to wall room of carpeting or a great ethnic area rug or even carpet squares in a retro design; real stone or ceramic tiles (and these come in a huge variety of sizes and colors and durability); laminate flooring that looks like stone or wood; and other flooring in numerous materials and with a wide range of cost and other factors.   And, if you’ve ever looked through a pile of rugs at a big box store, you know how difficult that can be.  Checking out all of the styles on a great website like flooringmall.com is so much easier.

Tile Flooring on Valentines Day

If you have just started to think about flooring for your Valentine, or even if you’ve made a few preliminary decisions, floormall.com can help you from start to finish and also enable you to get the job done quickly and in time for that special candlelight dinner.  Think about the flickering light reflected back from your new dark hardwood floors.  There is almost nothing more romantic than a lovely dinner with your sweetheart.  Don’t forget the deep red roses. 

Visit Floormall.com today and get her that special floor.

Buying flooring during the recession

Are your floors looking worse for wear after all of those holiday parties?  The economy is still tight and money for a few needed home renovations even tighter, but some of your floors have to be repaired, you are thinking to yourself, before you invite any more guests over.  Possibly, a few left your last party early, because they felt that the floor in the kitchen looked like something from a B grade horror movie.  That might be okay for Halloween, but not for Aunt Lydia’s Sunday tea party.   Check out the FloorMall.com’s site and see what they have.  You can compare side by side, look at different materials and colors from different manufacturers, check stock and get some recommendations for every room in your home.  After all, a house is not a home unless people can walk safely around in it, without recoiling in horror at the pitted and chipped tiles in your family room or kitchen.

Speaking of family rooms, they are usually the most used room in your home, other than the kitchen.  Floormall.com has some great deals going for the first of the year and you can even find a professional to install whatever flooring you choose if you don’t like the thought of doing it yourself.  The additional holiday food, although delicious, makes it even harder to bend over and install new flooring.  New Year’s resolutions may include starting on a couple of home projects, such as new flooring.  Why not also do your part by going green in 2010?  Cement floors, linoleum, real hardwoods and even bamboo all make great flooring for a family room, and they are durable as well.  Measure out your room and determine your budget.  Even if it’s hard to round up a few dollars for some new flooring. they may have exactly what you are looking for over at FloorMall.com.

Using Credit for your flooring purchase

Most retail home improvement stores have cut back on their stock for the holidays, so that inventory was reduced.  While that may be a great idea for them, it certainly can’t help the homeowner, looking to have more than a few square feet of new flooring installed.  There is no better way to compare prices, see what’s in stock, and what different flooring products look like, than searching and then browsing the virtual catalogs such as they have at sites like floormall.com.   A couple of the new and innovative products available to the homeowner may surprise you.  Linoleum is very green these days and the giant grass known as bamboo is so very renewable, as well as being attractive.

Check out your budget and you may be surprised how little it takes to renew the floors in one room of your house.  Looking at the FloorMall.com site will give you some great ideas and it could even be inspiring.  Starting on your list of home improvements, especially if it’s flooring, will give you a great deal of satisfaction.  Flooring done, you may then move on to possibly painting, window coverings replacement, and other accessories renewal.  After one room is done, consider doing another one, and of course, start with new flooring from FloorMall.com.

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Mullican Hardwood Floors

Today we are featuring Hardwood Flooring by Mullican.

Mullican Flooring was founded with the singular idea of creating the highest quality hardwood flooring in the world. The company′s founders knew that a combination of precision milling, advanced kiln-drying techniques and the most demanding inspectors available would allow Mullican to become the world leader in quality hardwood flooring.

If you would like to see some of Mullicans Featured Products then please click either banner above or below.

Enjoy!!

Mullican Flooring

Flooring

Mohawk Hardwood Flooring

Today we are featuring products by Mohawk Industries.
Mohawk Industries says, For over 120 years Mohawk has been a trusted name in carpets. Today Mohawk is the leading producer and distributor of flooring worldwide. All major flooring categories, carpet, rugs, hardwood, laminate, ceramic tile, and vinyl flooring can be purchased at an authorized Mohawk dealer for residential or commercial application. The company operates under four divisions with its own products, features, and brand names.

Buy Mohawk Hardwood Flooring

FloorMall has always offered the very best in flooring and in product lines. They carry product lines from many of the most respected brands in the industry. What sets them apart however, is the way that they work with their customers to educate them about every purchase. FloorMall realizes how intimidating the search for hardwood flooring can be and they’ve positioned themselves to do everything they can to help. FloorMall encourages everyone who is interested in learning more about the hardness and durability of wood to visit one of their Janka hardness rating themed sites.

When something is hypo-allergenic it simply means that the product is manufactured with as few ingredients as possible — and it doesn’t cause reactions in most people who may suffer from various forms of allergies. In the industrial environment we live in today, many people develop allergies to a multitude of things. They can be allergies to chemicals used in the manufacture of flooring. They can be emissions put into the air by vehicles and machinery. People can be allergic to things they touch or put on

Green Flooring

Do You Have Allergies?

If you sneeze when you walk down the detergent aisle in a supermarket, or after following someone who is wearing perfume, or if you sneeze when there’s a lot of dust blowing around, then you are allergic to airborne particles. If you eat certain things (perhaps you are allergic to gluten — mostly in wheat products) or other foods like milk or berries or peanuts or shrimp, then those items may cause a rash or cough. Other things that can cause reactions are chemicals in unwashed clothing fabric or textile area rugs or upholstery, or formaldehyde or other chemicals used in the manufacture of some types of flooring. All of these reactions can be controlled by washing or avoidance or in the case of flooring products, looking at the labels and buying those that will be hypo-allergenic for you, personally.

Products That Are Hypo-Allergenic

Many products are made with the eye to help people who are sensitive to some substances. This benefits the consumer, and the aware manufacturer as that person will be grateful that there are many alternatives. Also, if you want to use laminate flooring to make yourself a spiffy new area in the family room, for instance, then unpack the planks (wear a light facemask if you are very allergic) and after disposing of the packing material, let the planks air out where a breeze can blow over them. Avoid moisture. It will help to buy laminates that are marked hypo-allergenic or “green” and that will give you a big head start.

You may find Hypo-Allergenic flooring at Floormall.com and Hardwoodbrokers.com

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After doing our daily browsing of the online Home and Garden network this morning FlooringNow.com came across a great site.

The site is FlooringAffiliates.com. What they do is very interesting. They allow you to sell their products on your site.

With this they pay up to 3% commission on every sale. We were told that the average sale is around $2500. This would

equal to $75 per sale that your site brings to theirs. If you do not have the time to add the product there is a section

that allows you to post some banners on your blog or website. FlooringAffiliates.com claims that some of their affiliates

are earning thousands each month. Now in this economy that sounds perfect for some. Sign up today.

Tell us what you think.

Click logo to read more.

     Tile flooring, in its many forms, has been around for millennia.  We have evidence that the ancient Romans and Egyptians used stone tiles for their floors.  The ancient Romans liked marble a lot and also may have used that gorgeous stone as well.  The ancient Egyptians could have used ceramic or clay tiles, plus natural stone paver-type tiles.  Today, there is a huge variety of tile flooring that a homeowner can purchase.  The choice is so varied that just narrowing it down might take a little research and design work.

Tile Flooring by Mohawk

Most any store that carries home improvement products will have some assortment of tile flooring if you want to get your feet wet and try a small room.  An in-home utility room would be a wonderful first project as it can be left unfinished for as long as you want, while you work out a few kinks.  For floors that may get a lot of wear and tear, or dampness (such as that utility room or perhaps a laundry area or kitchen), ceramic tiles are perfect for a first-timer.  Because they are manufactured in a factory, they are of a uniform size and thickness.  This makes laying them on the floor much easier than, say, natural stone tiles.  The latter can be slightly off on measurements and this type of travertine, or slate, or other natural stone tile flooring will turn out uneven if laid in the normal grid pattern that ceramic tiles are mostly laid in.  Natural stone tiles have to be staggered like a brick wall when laid, so that any unevenness is hidden.   Ceramic tiles are usually cheaper than natural stones tiles so if you break a few, it doesn’t make much difference.

Tile Flooring by Daltile

If you really get into laying some tile flooring, a wider variety of materials and colors and patterns can be ordered online or at a dealer or larger big box store.  If you’d like a very simple first tile flooring project, vinyl tiles may be used.  You just peel off the backing and stick them to your floor, which has to be smooth and bump free.  Lay them out in the pattern you want first, then when you are happy, go for it.  Measure out the center point of your floor and go from there.  They can be cut with heavy duty scissors.   Tile flooring may be made from natural stones like granite and marble and travertine and slate, or ceramic in many forms, or even cork or real hardwood or vinyl, plus many other exotic substances.  There are even carpet tiles, which are just larger squares of carpet that may be laid in a pattern or one color, and they are not glued so that if one gets damaged, you just whip it out of there and replace it.

Hard tiles as they are being laid need spacers between each side so that an even space is left for grout, when the mortar is dry.  Grout should be sealed so that it is not affected by most stains and moisture.  Ceramic tiles can be deep cleaned, as well as the grout at a later date, then resealed, if they become grimy with age.  The choices in tile flooring are virtually limitless.  Start simple, then move on to a more complicated project.  Seeing the new floor that you laid down yourself, every day, will give you a sense of satisfaction that is hard to beat.

 Source for article : WikiFlooring.org

Cork flooring is made from the bark harvested from the cork oak, which grows primarily in Western Mediterranean countries. Cork has been used since the ancient Egyptian empire, where it was used primarily used for fishing nets, allowing them to float and insulation. It wasn’t actively manufactured until the early part of the 20^th century and became quite popular when it debuted. Cork is highly durable, with many original cork floors installed almost eighty years ago still in use today.

Buy Natural Cork Flooring

Advantages of Cork

Cork is more than 50 percent air which makes it lightweight as well as a natural sound absorber, and it is also because of those properties that cork is as resilient and durable as it is. Cork has excellent insulating properties, making it quite warm underfoot, and the cork itself doesn’t dent, scratch or show grooves easily. Since the bark is harvested every nine years, which yields a large batch of cork, and the trees are not damaged in the process allowing trees to yield multiple crops during their lifetime.

Buy Wicanders Cork Floors

Cork Tile Installation

Cork comes readily available from a variety of manufacturers, and even people with a decent modicum of floor installation knowledge can handle cork and install it with a minimum of complaints. It is always recommended to follow the manufacturer’s instructions if you decide to install it yourself, though we can help by providing a rough outline.

*Read the manufacturer’s installation instructions carefully

*Prep the floor properly. It must be smooth, clean, dry, without bumps, dirt, oil or paint, which could damage the flooring. You can lay cork on a number of different surfaces, including concrete and hardwood. If you have questions, contact the manufacturer for more details.

*Make sure that the cork has had the chance to acclimate to the ambient temperature in the room – we suggest leaving the wood in the room it will be installed in for several days prior to installing it.

*Cork flooring mainly comes in tile form, so you can customize how the tiles look by mixing the types of cork used. Ask your manufacturer if you have questions about the cork tiles you are using.

Removing Cork Floors

Cork is difficult to uninstall, no matter what shortcuts you may take to make the job easier. There are a few things you may want to think about before tearing out your old cork flooring:

*If the tile is firmly attached to the floor and is not coming out easily, you may just want to lay down a new floor over the cork. All you need to do is screw down some masonite or cement board, mud the seams, and install the new flooring on top. This is helpful if you are reflooring your entire house, as the differences in height won’t be apparent.

*When uninstalling cork flooring heat is your best friend. Remove the tile, then scrape any adhesive off the underlay and apply plenty of heat so it will come off easier. If you’re having trouble you can always call your local hardware store and see what tools and materials you need to safely remove your cork flooring.

Maintenance

Cork flooring doesn’t require much in the way of maintenance. The only major upkeep you need to do is sweep it, mop it occasionally, and every year or so resealing it. The best advice we can give for maintenance is to read the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining your cork.

WHERE TO BUY?

Buy Cork Flooring at Floormall.com

FlooringNow.com recommends that you look at Floormall.com for your cork flooring needs.

They have a monstrous selection and the customer service is superb.

From Wicanders to APC cork floors, they definitely have what you are looking for.

The Bostitch MIIIFN and the Porter-Cable FCN200 are the cream of the crop of hardwood flooring nailers.  They also have similar features, both being made from highly durable lightweight die-cast aluminum.  This helps cut down on the weight of many pneumatic nailers while also giving them the strength to stand up to the rigors of an industrial site.  Currently both models retail at around $480.  And just using Amazon.com as a measure of rank I was able to find out that the Porter-Cable is more popular.  It has over nearly as twice as many reviews as the Bostitch and it has half a star worth of a better rating.  Using this as a reason to pick one over the other does seem a bit too much like splitting hairs to me though.  Both of these are obviously high end tools that are very well made.

And since they are high end tools, these nailers may cost more than some homeowners are willing to spend.  That’s when you should consider looking at manual nailers.  These usually cost about half as much as pneumatic nailers.  But what you save in money you’ll use up in arm strength.  This is a perfect option for the homeowner who has a small job or plans to break their job into small chunks since they take quite a bit of effort to use.  The Porta-Nails 402P is a good manual nailer and it should be available at most hardwood stores.