Central Keystone Living Spring 2017 - 7

d

Choosing Floor Coverings for Your Home
Compiled from information from Gary Cissell, Director of Sales and Marketing
at Touch of Color Flooring/Big Bob's Flooring Outlet, and Darren Trautman
of Inspirations Bath and Kitchen Studio by Hajoca.
The types of floor coverings you choose will reflect your lifestyle,
functionality and personal taste. You'll need to consider a variety
of factors - including beauty, durability, cost and purpose - before
selecting the floor coverings that will best work in your home.

Other Hard Surface Flooring Materials
While luxury vinyls are hot, they're not the only game in town.
When choosing flooring, you have your choice of dozens of hard
surface options, some of which are described here.
*

Glazed and unglazed ceramic tile. Also called quarry tile, ceramic tile is made from a mixture of clays that is fired at high
temperatures. Glazed and unglazed versions share the same
composition, except the glazed version is coated with a thin
layer of glass. These floors are easy to maintain and valued
for their durability.

*

Terrazzo flooring. Terrazzo is made from cement that is mixed
with chips of glass, quartz, granite, marble or a combination
of chips. Terrazzo flooring is durable and considered to be
highly attractive.

*

Mexican tile. Also called Saltillo tiles, they are made by hand
in Mexico from natural clay. This covering is very popular in
Mexico and the Southwest. Because they are porous, however, the tiles must be sealed.

*

Concrete. Concrete is used for nearly every commercial
building slab, and normally was covered by tile or carpet. It
has become somewhat popular, however, to leave concrete
floors uncovered, especially with some retail locations.

*

Granite. Although expensive, granite makes an ideal residential
floor covering because of its durability and beauty. The natural
stone is stain resistant and not easily scratched.

*

Slate. Long popular as a flooring option, natural slate comes
in a variety of colors, sizes and textures.

*

Marble. Another natural option, marble is a beautiful flooring
product. Because it scratches and stains easily, however, it is
not recommended for high-traffic areas.

*

Hardwoods. Always popular, hardwoods are trending in 2017
toward wider, longer planks and darker colors. On the other
end of the hardwood spectrum, gray tones and whitewashed or
lime-washed woods also are increasing in popularity. Recycled
and reclaimed woods are popular with eco-conscious consumers,
and low-luster hardwoods have been attracting interest because
they often are easier to maintain than high-gloss floor coverings.

So, let's start by breaking down floor coverings into two basic types:
hard surface and soft surface.
Hard surface flooring materials include hardwood, tiles, laminate,
vinyl and the new darling of the flooring industry - luxury vinyl
planks and tiles.
Many people prefer hard surface flooring because they like the way
it looks and feel that it's easier to maintain than a carpeted floor.
Others, however, prefer a soft surface of carpet. Carpet adds
warmth and coziness to a room. And, with the number of carpet
types and styles available, there's sure to be something to please
even the most discerning shopper.
Both hard and soft flooring surfaces were on display at the floor
cover industry's annual trade show in Las Vegas in January, enabling
flooring professionals to see all the new products and flooring
trends. One hard covering that everybody was talking about is
luxury vinyl plank and tile.
Luxury Vinyl Plank and Tile
Luxury vinyl plank and tile is one of the fastest growing flooring
segments. It leads the growth in the flooring industry, and is expected to continue to do so.
Luxury vinyl has the look of wood, ceramic or natural stone, with
the durability that hard surface flooring is prized for. It can recreate
authentic stone tiles like slate, ceramic, limestone or quartz, but its
feel is soft and smooth.
While luxury vinyl is more expensive than laminate or regular vinyl
floors, it is less expensive than real stone. Environmentalists like
the wood-look flooring because its manufacture does not require
the harvesting of trees.
In addition to its good looks, luxury vinyl is prized for its ability to
withstand moisture. This quality means that it can be used nearly
anywhere in your home, including kitchens, bathrooms and other
areas that are prone to moisture.

Continued on page 9.

HarrisburgBuilders.com

7


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