Everything You Wanted to Know About High End Laminate Flooring

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

If you have an area in your house that has more traffic than others, you may want to consider installing some laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is very durable and a great choice for any home.  When choosing a laminate floor, you will want to look for one that will last you for years to come.

Should you choose a less expensive laminate flooring, you can expect it to start showing wear and tear at about the three to five year mark. Since the laminate floor will be installed in areas that will be highly trafficked, you will want to make the investment and go with a high end laminate floor to get the most life out of your floor. Lower quality laminate flooring also do not come with water resistant cores and joints, so they are not suitable for any areas that get exposed to water, such as entryways, bathrooms, and kitchens.

Laminate flooring is also easy to install, which is why many people decide to purchase it. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, this is one project that you may be able to do in one weekend – if you are experienced. Laminate flooring is certainly easier to install than wood flooring, which can be both expensive and time-consuming.

In fact, you can find many laminate flooring options that look just like wood, if that’s the look that you are after. Laminate flooring has many different patterns and colors that you can choose from.

Once you have chosen your laminate floor and had it installed, you will want to keep up on regular maintenance and cleaning. Most manufacturers have their own cleaning instructions for how to clean your new floor. You can use a broom, dust mop, and vacuum to keep dirt up off of the surface. Damp mopping is recommended for ground in dirt, but you cannot leave a great deal of water standing on the surface, lest the floor absorb the water and peel.

For a durable but beautiful look, be sure to consider laminate flooring for all the highly-trafficked areas of your home.

To learn more about High End Laminate Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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The Beauty of Interlam Wall Coverings

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

If you are a homeowner who truly takes pride in a unique home, you will definitely want to consider Interlam Wall Coverings. These unique, assertive, and artistic creations are not for shy violets. These wall coverings are only for the choosy homeowner who wants to stand out from the other homes on the street.

For those of you who are first time homebuyers, you will surely want to put your own stamp on the home, your new place to call your own. If you are an experienced homeowner with many years in your home, a wall covering from Interlam can help to perk up a tired interior.

Interlam Wall Coverings & VeneersInterlam’s collections of wall veneers have been beautifying homes since 1985. Interlam has been working tirelessly since then to provide you with only the most innovative and exciting ways to remodel a home’s walls. During your browsing, you can select from ornamental carved or sculpted walls that come in many different materials — all that stay within high standards of indoor air quality and use only FSC certified fibers. This means that it’s safer for not just you, but all of your future guests and residents.

Instead of choosing something as boring and mundane as paint, why not choose a stone wall covering that seems to undulate like waves? Or, instead of settling on a pattern made out of paper (i.e., wallpaper), why not choose a pattern that looks like an optical illusion? Perhaps you like the look and feel of wood paneling. While this, to many, can seem like a throwback to the ‘70s, it sure isn’t when it’s done by Interlam. This company sells wall panels in melamine-coated exotic hardwoods that are durable and accentuate only the dramatic variations that wood presents.

Another option available is entire wall panels in natural stone. This is a new and exciting way to use this type of wall covering, not seen before. You can also choose the composite Art Diffusion collection, which come in many geometric designs and patterns that seem to move and shift to the naked eye.

With the many different collections available from Interlam Wall Coverings, there are sure to be something that fits your tastes. You’ll never want to leave home again.

Click here to see some additional installation images!

To learn more about Interlam, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Leather Flooring

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

If you are revamping your interior, a unique way to update your décor is with a new floor made out of leather.

Wait, what?

That’s right, leather. Leather flooring is the ultimate in flooring luxury, both unexpected and welcome at the same time. The leather used for your new floor is made with the center part of the cowhide, which makes it very strong and very thick. While it may not be as durable as hardwood, it can definitely hold its own. When cared for properly — just buff it with a soft cloth; don’t clean it — a leather floor will last you a long time, impressing visitors with its beauty.

Leather flooring is naturally beautiful and warm underfoot. Installing leather flooring into your home is not just a beautiful idea, it’s practical too. Leather flooring comes in many patterns – like checkerboard, on a diagonal, straight, with or without inserts, or in a herringbone pattern. Leather flooring also comes in many different sizes and colors, which makes it easy to customize your look. You can frame the leather floor with wood, leather, or brass. You can also stain the leather floor, as well. The cost of a leather floor is comparable to high-quality hardwood or custom wool carpet.

You can install leather flooring in just about any room in the house – except for high moisture areas such as the bathroom and kitchen. Leather flooring goes along with any kind of décor scheme – from country to contemporary to modern. It is particularly useful in areas that have a lot of activity, like a rec room or a living room.

When contemplating what to put down on your floor, consider the fact that other natural flooring materials will age over time – and subject to normal wear and tear – but leather flooring has the ability to adjust to the environment it’s laid in. When installed by a flooring technician and cared for properly, a leather floor can last up to three decades. Leather flooring, with its ability to adjust, will age gracefully over the years and just look better as it gets older.

To learn more about Leather Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Fashion and Cork Floors

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

DuroDesign High End CorkFor a warm, cushioned flooring option, think cork. In recent years, cork was thought of to only keep wine from spilling from the bottle; now, this exotic flooring has been reclaimed as a hip, new way to relieve the pressure from your aching, tired feet.

Cork flooring is a soft like suede and comfortable flooring option for any room in your home. Due to its porous nature, the air that gets trapped inside cork is a natural shock absorber. This makes it a great choice for areas where you will be standing for long periods of time, like in a kitchen. In addition to being a shock absorber, it is also a sound barrier. The cellular structure of cork flooring reduces noise and vibrations, so it is quieter all around to walk on. When you install flooring materials such as tile or wood, you get noise whenever you walk on it with hard shoes. Not so with cork! Additionally, cork flooring reduces the impact of items dropped on it, lessening the chance of breakage.

Even though cork flooring seems like a relatively new idea in terms of a flooring option, it actually has been used in public buildings (like churches and libraries) since 1898. Builders chose cork for its renewability, its strength, and its durability.

If you have a child who has allergies, you may want to consider installing a cork floor in his room. Cork has natural properties which make it anti-allergenic, as well as resistant to insects. Cork contains a natural waxy substance called suberin, which fend off bugs, mites, and mold. Additionally, suberin protects cork from rotting when wet for long periods of time – this makes it a great choice for the basement.

Cork flooring comes in many different colors and can be bought in different tile shapes and patterns, as well. Cork’s luxurious appeal from the natural, earthy colors exude a rich visual texture to all who gaze upon it. Cork flooring is made from tree bark, which makes it a natural and renewable resource. It is created by stripping the outer bark from the cork oak tree; this process does not harm the tree, and the tree naturally produces more bark. These trees live for around 200 years and are highly prized by their caregivers.

To learn more about High End Cork Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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TimberFusion Hardwood

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

For a fun take on your room, consider a flooring from TimberFusion. TimberFusion Hardwood flooring is a great way to make a statement to any who pass through. Not only can you purchase beautiful planks for a completely solid hardwood floor, but TimberFusion also sells attractive wood medallion inlays for a show stopping conversation piece for any room in your home.

Can you imagine? Your guests are greeted in the entryway, only to be caught off-guard at the magnificent arrangement of wood artwork that lies at their feet. Light will dance off of the wood’s finish, giving the room a faint glow.

There are many options to choose from when selecting a TimberFusion Hardwood floor: the Chalet Collection, the Estate Oaks Collection (3″), the Estate Oaks Collection (5″), the Highpoint Vintage Collection, the Maracaibo Collection, the Park West Collection (3″), the Park West Collection (5″), the Wyndham Hills Collection (3″), and the Wyndham Hills Collection (5″).

When installing this beautiful floor, you will have many options. You can install it above or below grade, and you can glue, staple, or nail down the floor; you can also float the TimberFusion Hardwood flooring on your subfloor—and for the subfloor, you can use either wood or concrete with TimberFusion Hardwood flooring. You can be sure that your TimberFusion Hardwood flooring is here to stay; the company offers a warranty on their flooring’s finish and their flooring’s structure integrity. For commercial flooring, it is five years for both the finish and the structure integrity. For residential installation, it is 25 years for the finish, and a lifetime warranty for the structure integrity.

TimberFusion is also very eco-conscious. This company is in the first in the industry to achieve both phase 1 and 2 certifications from the California Air Resource Board (CARB). TimberFusion has also decided to use PureBond Technology in the manufacturing of their TimberFusion Hardwood flooring, which is a formaldehyde-free, soy based alternative to the traditional adhesives typically used in plywood construction.

To learn more about TimberFusion Hardwood Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Balterio Laminate Flooring

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

A great choice for those with sensitive noses would be Balterio Laminate Flooring; this type of flooring choice has a hard and sealed top layer, which means no dust can collect on it. Additionally, the Balterio ClickXpress rolling system will ensure a perfect connection between the seams of the different laminate planks to eliminate dust collection in the seams.

For a foot-warming experience, select underfloor heating with your laminate floor purchase. However, note that when you purchase a underflooring heating unit that is of the reversible type (one that cools in the summer as well as warming in the winter), is incompatible with laminate flooring.

When choosing from the selection of Balterio Laminate Flooring, please know this type of flooring is best suited to areas that aren’t exposed to repeated water exposure, such as bathrooms and saunas. The permanent presence of humidity and/or steam increases the risk of the planks swelling, which causes damage to your floor. Additionally, do not leave water standing on any Balterio Laminate Flooring product.

If you already have a laminate flooring product laid and wish to install a Balterio Laminate Flooring product, no problem. As long as the surface is flat, clean, and a subfloor is laid under the new laminate, you will be fine. Note that if there is underfloor heating, there is a great chance that energy costs will be higher.

Maintenance of your Balterio Laminate Flooring product is easy. Clean the floor with a dry, microfiber cloth, and every once in a while, clean the floor with a slightly moist cloth to really make your floor shine. It is important that moisture and/or water never remains on the laminate floor.

If you wish, you can also clean the laminate floor with a vacuum cleaner – just use a parquet brush on your vacuum or switch the cleaner head to brush position. If you see a stain on your Balterio Laminate Flooring product, moisten a cloth with water or acetone and wipe the stain clean. If you find a grease stain, try using 2 mL of lemon juice or vinegar in a bucket of clean water and cleaning the laminate floor with a well-wrung cloth.

To learn more about Balterio Laminate Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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South Mountain Hardwood Floors

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

For a floor that comes from a company with 27 years of experience, and a support staff from four offices, choose South Mountain Hardwood Floors. With South Mountain Hardwood Floors’ products, you are not getting just a long-standing company with a commitment to quality, you’re getting a staff that stands behinds its products.

The company is headquartered in New York, but has four satellite offices in China, Europe, Mexico, and Brazil in order to bring the best products to you in an efficient manner. This also gives you the advantage of more options from raw materials from around the world. Not only do you get the most flexibility in your choice, but you also get the most consistent quality products and total satisfaction. Each floor that you purchase from South Mountain Hardwood Floors is backed by a 25-year warranty.

The company also follows strict rules when it comes to producing their floors, making sure that every quality control measure is followed to the letter. You can count on South Mountain Hardwood Floors for durability, as they have implemented rigid NOFMA standard in their mills and invested in shared technology with precision European machinery and high-quality finishes.

Purchasing from South Mountain Hardwood Floors is also easy. They have imposed a simple purchasing process with various programs and options, so that you can shift your focus to sales. Additionally, this company really takes care of their customers:  after the sale closes, you will receive contact from an Account Manager and Support Staff to make sure all your needs are met.

Should you have a desire for a specific species of wood flooring, we can source new materials for you and have specifications for you upon request.

South Mountain Hardwood Floors has several collections available. Choose from the Santa Fe Series (engineered or solid), the Rancho Santa Fe Series (engineered or solid), the Amsterdam Series (engineered), the Old El Paso Series (engineered), the Bellmore series, (engineered or solid), or the Castle Series (solid).

To learn more about South Mountain Hardwood Floors, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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