South West Fl Condominiums

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.

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Open and Shut Case: Mysteries of the Stuck Window and Door Revealed


Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you cant get the door open. Its mysteriously stuck. You move over to open the window of opportunity, and after much huffing and puffing, you realize you cant get that open, either. Whats going on here?

Learn all about how and why doors and windows stick and how to fix them, so youre not stuck the next time opportunity pays a visit!

Stuck Windows
Windows can stick for a variety of reasons. Often wood expands and contracts, moving parts have been painted over, or two surfaces may simply seem fused together. Some of the most common problems and fixes for stuck windows are:

Painted-over joint: Cut the paint with a window zipper (tool designed just for this purpose) or a putty knife. Hold blade flat against the sash and push the edge into the joint while drawing the tool along the surface.
Paint build-up: Similar to when joints are painted over, years of painting can also result in an accumulation that causes excessive friction. Use a paint scraper to remove excess paint from the window stop, parting strip, and blind stop. Raise and lower the sash throughout the process. For a lower sash, it is also a possibility to remove the window stop to sand and scrape the edges facing the window. If none of the easier solutions were successful, remove both sashes and completely strip the paint to the bare wood. Repaint the sashes and reinstall when the pain has dried.
Too much friction: Lubricate the sash channels with candle wax or talcum powder. This can also prevent painted surfaces from sticking together. If spring metal weather-stripping is found in the sash channels, reduce tension by using a hammer and block of wood to flatten the strip.
Just plain stuck. A sharp rap to the center rail, near the lock can sometimes break a bond between painted surfaces. The blow can be administered with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet. Another option is to gently tap a wooden block again the sides of the sash.
New friction channels. If you have some extra time on your hands and are very concerned with preventing heat loss, another option is to install new friction channels. To do this, first remove sashes, weights and pulleys.

Push fiberglass insulation into the openings for the weigh cavities. Start at the top and work your way down with the aid of a flexible rod or stick.

Using a hammer and sharp chisel, notch the ends of the top parting strip to create the new channels.

Replace the sashes in the window frame between the two new channels. Tilt the entire assembly into the opening from the bottom inside.

Finally, reinstall interior stops according to the manufacturers instructions for adjusting tension. If windows are too loose after the stops have been installed, increase tension by hammering a wood block against the stop at nail placements. When the tension seems right to you, drive in several nails.

Stuck Doors
Doors can stick for many of the same reasons as windowstoo much tension, or painting over moving parts. However, with the addition of hinges, that also opens up a whole new area of possible reasons for stuck doors.

Door rubs against jamb. The solution to this problem differs according to which side the door is rubbing against the jamb on. If the door rubs against the jamb on the hinge side, you will need to shim the hinges out. Unscrew the hinge from the jamb and place a piece of cardboard behind it. Shimming out the bottom hinge may resolve the problem of a door binding at the top of the strike jamb.

If the door rubs against the jamb on the side without the hinge or against another part of the door frame, the door may need to be modified so it will fit. Mark the door with scribe lines so you know where to plane and remove the door (removing bottom pin first and working your way upward). Lay the door on a flat surface and plane the appropriate edges.
Loose hinge screws. To fix loose hinge screws, wedge the door open and remove the screws. Fold back the hinge, being careful not to lose any existing shims. Buy or whittle wood pieces to fit the holes. Add glue and push the wood pieces into the holes. Scrape the wood plugs until they are flush, fold the hinge back into place, drill pilot holes and drive in new screws.
Moving a stop. Sometimes its easier to move the stop than unwarp a door. If a door is binding against the hinge-side stop or will not close properly because of an improperly placed stop on the latch side, pry off the offending stop. Close the door and draw a line, along the doors inside edge, on the jamb. Nail the stop on this line.
Moving a strike plate. A latch and strike may get out of alignment because a house had settled. If the strike plate is too far away, shim it out with cardboard. If it is too close, unscrew the strike, chisel out a new mortise, drill pilot holes, and replace the strike. If necessary, use wood putty to fill the old mortise hole and sand until smooth.