It's about flooring

I have been traveling this week and expect to be traveling for the next several weeks so posts will be sporadic. One tip for those searching for flooring information is to use the tags on the right and click on the word bamboo or formaldehyde or whatever you are interested in.

We have some bugginess on the blogs right now so the search is not helpful and the publishing is unpredictable.

But lots of great insights to share about some of the new challeges with flooring in 2009 like the new CARB1 standard and what that means to cheap imports, what does that mean to consumers. Also new product innovations and fashions are just around the corner. I will try to give you some previews to the hottest and most earth friendly looks!

Although flooring installers are often misunderstood and even at times testy with each other their ability to rise above the noise to help each other is a great thing when it happens.

The new version of flooring installer .com is finally live. For those interested in learning, participating or more - check it out.

Here's a quick flooring tip for you:

Alot of people still don't remember how important it is to prevent sand and other build up to occur on your wooden type floors. (this would include hardwood flooring, cork flooring, bamboo flooring and really any hard surface flooring.)

It's not that people think that sand or dirt is good for floors, but we sometimes get a false sense of security about the scratch-ability of flooring due to the big warranty labels that now show on most flooring brands.

BUT ALL FLOORING, no matter how tough it is can be scratched. Sand can act as sandpaper under your feet therefore keeping the floors sand and dust free is critical. One of the best ways to reduce the sand and build up on your floor is to have mats both inside and outside your doorways (yes, all of them). These mats will protect your flooring by helping grab most of that sand off the shoes before they hit your floors. You also want to have a very regular dust mop schedule (or vacuuming) to keep those floors in tip top shape.

No matter what warranties claim, no matter what sales people promise, no matter what anyone says - FLOORING can scratch. There is no warranty against scratching. (Although there are some very resistant floors to scratching, let's all just remember that the laws of physics still apply to flooring.)

This is somewhat redundant  to some past posts, but I wanted to just share this important point since this topic can never get old. 

If you watch the news it seems like the sky is falling and certainly in housing and the financial sectors things could be better, alot better.

But the best investors like Warren Buffet know that a down market is also known as a buyers market. And I can say the team is working overtime to make the best buys that will save you the most money.

I have never seen a more lopsided advantage for buyers. As consumers you can take advantage of top quality products, with superb warranty support at remarkable prices. And to top it off if you use the iFLOOR credit card you can do it at 0% interest! That is called the triple dip if you are a savvy buyer!

If you are thinking about improving your home with new Flooring anytime in the next 18 months - NOW is the time to check out the offers. At some point the momentum will shift as demand increases, but for now the BUYER has the power. That's good for us and that's good for you!

I am just trying to work out some bugs in the blog. Sorry for the spotty posting schedule.

The article listed here:

Laminate Flooring Brand Comparison

has been fixed. thanks to those that have emailed to alert me.

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Here is a nice photo set from a great installation crew.

This is a strand bamboo flooring job and the brand of bamboo is from Teragren. This is a glue down installation with a 45 degree angle. You can also checkout the Teragren brand website.

As you can see installing on an angle REALLY is a luxury move and makes for an AWESOME upgrade. You should anticipate about 15% waste as a result of installation on the diagonal, but i think it is worth it.

So if you want a strand bamboo that is NOT packed with formaldehyde and you want a beautiful rich floor take a look at Teragren bamboo from iFLOOR.

For some reason I can't embed the photos here directly so check them out at:

Teragren Bamboo Flooring Installation

The unique variety of special buys that are left over from a recent Truckload event is really special.

Flooring Special Buys

Indianapolis - When Sebastian Guarneros was born on June 11, 2007, he was the apple of his parents' eye. The second-born for Karin and Enrique Guarneros, "Sebi", as they like to call him, was a welcomed addition to their family.

But just five short months later, the Indianapolis parents found out there was something wrong with their perfect little boy. In November 2007, Sebastian started getting sick and never got better. After bouts of bacterial and viral pneumonia and months of tests, doctors at Riley Hospital for Children determined he had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) - commonly known as the "bubble boy" disease. This robbed him of an immune system. While their dreams of seeing Sebastian playing t-ball with other kids, or riding his bike down the street started to fade, his parents weren't ready to give up.

 

The demand for Contractor's Choice laminate flooring has been incredible. In fact it has been so high that we have struggled to get enough produced at the factory to keep up!

Although some would call that a "Cadillac Problem", I know that our customers need the products to complete their projects. I am happy to report that the Contractor's Choice laminate flooring is in stock right now in both distribution centers and available online or at any store with quick delivery!