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Feeling Floored: How to decide which Floor is best for you

There are more flooring options than ever before, but so much variety can lead to confusion. How do you choose which floor is best suited to your space?
There are three main things you need to keep in mind when choosing a floor: your room type, amount of traffic and budget. You need to determine what type of room the flooring is needed for and then consider how much traffic will be going through that room. After determining that, you should consider how much youre willing to spend on flooring, because that will make a difference in terms of the flooring you choose.
Here is a brief overview of the main types of flooring on the market today to make choosing your new floor a bit easier.
Wood
Hardwood is one of the most popular options these days because the elegance of this type of flooring will add character to any room in your home. Recent advancements in technology and manufacturing have made it possible for wood floors to be installed easily over almost any kind of sub-flooring. The increase in demand has also given rise to a higher quality and variety of finishes for the wood. There are three types of wood floors that can be purchased today: strip, plank, and longstrip. Each of these comes with its own pros and cons so youll need to do a bit of research and decide on the best option for your home. You can also choose between a pre-finished or unfinished wood floor. Pre-finished may be more practical, but if a smooth, uniform surface is your goal, you might want to go the unfinished route.
Laminate
If you want the appearance of wood, but have high traffic areas or cant afford real wood flooring, you should consider laminate flooring. Laminate floors originated in Europe and most of the floorings available are still imported from there, though you can find a few domestic brands nowadays. Laminate floors are very easy to clean and are incredibly durable. They are also stain and fade resistant. Most brands snaps together so installation is easy as is replacement at a later stage. With the quality of laminate floorings these days, some makes can even be mistaken for wood. Laminate flooring is an excellent alternative to wood if traffic and cost are issues.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring may have gotten a bad rap, but now this type of flooring is available in all sorts of stylish colors and patterns. There are new manufacturing processes being used now that mean both the texture and look of tile, wood grain and stone can be replicated on vinyl. If you havent looked at vinyl flooring options recently, you might want to take a second look.
Ceramic Tile
There are many reasons to choose ceramic tile. They are durable and scratch-, fire- and water-resistant. They are also environmentally friendly because they do not retain bacteria and odors. If you decide to go with ceramic tile then you will need to consider things like the slip-resistance of the tile, the most suitable cleaning methods and the color and thickness of the grout. Ceramic tile works better in some rooms than others. Types of ceramic tiles include: marble, granite and unglazed floor tiles.
Carpet
Carpet may not be as trendy as hardwood floors, but it can offer you a floor that is warmer and softer than any other flooring option. It is also much quieter than any of these other kinds of floors. You can choose from a real array of colors and patterns these days. If considering carpet, you might want to go with a solid, neutral color that will go easily with any dcor you choose. Carpet is also more economical (in terms of the product itself and installation costs) than some of the other flooring options on the market today.
There isnt really a right floor for everyone just floors that are more suitable for certain rooms and for certain budgets. Take a bit of time and think about your needs. This will really help you narrow down the type of floor that is best suited to your room. You can also consult your local home or dcor store for more information on each type of floor if you are still having trouble narrowing it down.

The first of many advantages in joining a MLS real estate listing is that it is the key to sales success.

Ways to Hide that Ugly Wood Paneling in your Home


You hate the old paneling in your home, and its to expensive to replace it, but you cant stand living with it any longer. In fact its so bad that it depresses you, and youve actually thought about selling the house just to get away from it. Dont despair youre not alone with that ugly wood paneling; there are a million others that live with it too. There are a few repair tricks that you can do that will get rid of the ugly wall paneling in your home. Take some time and learn about some steps to solve your wall paneling dilemma.

The list below is just a few of the ideas that you can use to brighten up your dingy 70s wall paneling situation. Be prepared for some elbow grease, but itll be better than looking at the wall paneling.

1. Painting the Paneling. The number one rule to remember with painting paneling is that you just cant slap some paint on it and expect it to look professional. It will look tacky if you do. Paint will run and paneling will show through as it absorbs the paint which could also cause yellow streaks to run in the paint. Surface preparation is the key to all of the paneling in your house. Begin with a good cleaner that will degrease the muck and build-up on the paneling. Youll need a gloss remover after you apply the degreasing solution to the paneling. Never apply the gloss remover over large areas. Rub the area in the direction of the wood grain over smaller sections. Let set for about 30 min. and then apply the primer. Dont try to remove the gloss remover. This will need to stay on. Next apply the primer over frame areas and baseboards. If the wood paneling is showing through after the first coat, let it dry, and go back over it with a second coat. If you dont it will come through your regular paint, and your effort is wasted. Keep applying the gloss remover over small sections and priming until youre finished. Let it dry over night and then add the caulking in the unsightly grooves of the paneling. Remove excess with a putty knife. Let dry completely over night. Youre then ready to start painting your first coat of paint. Let dry according to directions and then put a second coat on.
2. Painting Wallpaper. In some of the nicer wallpaper stores you can find wallpaper that can be painted. This will give the appearance of a painted wall. Its a wonderful idea to be able to pick what color you want and get rid of that dingy awful looking wood paneling. You can add other colors to give it a 3-D effect too. First clean with a good degreaser and let dry. After drying go in and fill in each groove with a caulk to get rid of wall paneling ridges. Clean excess caulk with a putty knife and dispose of. Its necessary to do this because your lining and wall paper will not have a firm surface to stick too. Next buy a good primer at your local hardware store, and prime all of the paneling. An extra step is needed when papering your walls by applying and sizing to them. Its sticky and will keep the wall paper sticking to the paneling. Hang your wallpaper according to directions. Youll need to soak the paper in water, and then hang after a few minutes. Youre ready then to paint your wallpaper with your favorite color or colors. Take note of special instructions for painting wallpaper from the paint manufacturer.
3. Glazing the Paneling. You can add a nice shine to your paneling too by glazing it. First clean the paneling with a degreaser. Next add a color that you like and paint it. Let it dry overnight. Secondly mix a satiny top color with a glaze in the correct proportions. Read instructions with your paints for a correct mixture. Paint over small sections of the paneling, preferably one or two sections at a time. Depending on how much shine you want wipe off excess glaze with a clean rag. When done always clean your brush with mineral oil, and let drive over night before storing them for future projects.