Flooring

Archive for the ‘Bamboo Flooring’ Category

Just layed Bamboo FlooFlooring over radiant heat concrete with polyurethane adhesive. I have tried Mineral Spirits with no success.

Thanks

There is a good product called GooGone. You can find it just about anywhere, WalMart. I’ve use it all the time to remove the adhesive that is left over when remove a sticker on something I bought.

Minimalism is a growing trend in interior design. It has been around for a long time in architecture and interior design, but it only the over the last decade that it has become the desired look in British homes. The clean and uncluttered style that is quickly tidied is a big draw as most of us have little time for fussing over frills and scrubbing every nook and cranny nowadays. Minimal is very much a style for the modern lifestyle.

So it’s simple right? Paint the walls white and give all of your furniture away and you are done. Well, I suppose that would be a very minimal look, but could you live like that? Minimal is a comparatively simple look to pull of but its success relies on balance to create harmony. You should still be aiming for maximum comfort but with next to no fuss. Lets start with the Flooring, how committed to the minimal look are you? For those wanting to create a real statement of intent, be bold and opt for tiling. Slate tiles will give a really chic finish, plus they hide a lot of dust and dirt and therefore don’t require constant cleaning. For a really modern look, why not be daring and go for matt white tiles? Choose rectangular shaped ones for real up-to-the-minute style and increase the linear qualities of the pattern (whilst hiding dirt) by choosing black tiles grout over white. To even up the comfort/style balance, add a thick natural rug with a free form shape, a sheep skin or shag pile is ideal. Admittedly, tiles are probably for the die-hards only, so for minimal styling with added comfort try natural wooden flooring with a modern twist such as Bamboo or Iroko or try a simple but unusual carpet such as natural Hessian.

White is obviously the best shade for the walls as it is a negative colour and therefore places all of the emphasis of the decoration and colour you place around the room. What…decoration? Colour? I know this may come as a shock but both are very much allowed in a minimal house. With minimalism your furniture becomes your art and decoration is found by emphasising linear patterns and qualities. Colour is used sparingly around a room to lead the eye to various points and add a staccato rhythm to break up the flow of the white. So for an example you might have two low slung, sharp edged settees in the middle of the of the room, both in a dazzling shade of orange and perfectly arranged around a black lacquered coffee table which sits upon a black rug, turning your furniture into interactive art installations! One important detail in which particular set up is the lacquered finish of the coffee table as texture is the other accepted way to add pattern to a minimal space. You could for example install stone cladding onto a feature wall or mirror it completely.

Soft furnishings are the final way to add stylish comfort to a minimal room. If so far you have resisted the temptation to add colour then now is the time to do it. Matching curtains with your cushions and throws will retain that cohesive and uncluttered feel. To make sure they all match you could choose some discount fabric and have all of these items made to your personal taste. If curtains aren’t modern or simple enough, a fitting and not to mention very alternative is a cheap roller blind.

Terry Henman
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/minimal-fuss-maximum-style-702532.html

Second only to the walls in terms of surface area, the flooring in your home offers a real opportunity to make a large scale style statement. Unlike walls however, flooring has the added task of standing up to a lot of wear and tear. Finding a good balance is crucial to successful flooring.

Carpeting is currently making a huge comeback. A decade of laminate flooring has left us all yearning for a little comfort and warmth underfoot. Most people ditched their carpet in an effort to toe the minimal line, but today this really is unnecessary as a modern clutter free finish can still be achieved with carpets. The trick is to opt for the pattern free variety. A biscuit or oatmeal coloured carpet will really blend well into a minimal setting whilst creating a warm ambience. Do not be afraid of warm colours when trying to achieve a contemporary look, clinical is not what you are looking for. Generally speaking, it is best to avoid cream or off-white carpets as no matter how careful you are, they will show up any mark- you want to be comfortable not tip toeing all over the sitting room. If you must have a really light carpet, restrict its use to the bedrooms where you are usually barefoot anyway and can also be sure guests won’t be traipsing in and out. If you have children or a dog, you can still enjoy the comfort of carpeting whilst retaining a modern look, simply choice a darker shade. Plum, aubergine, slate, burgundy or even black are all really up-to-the-minute shades that will allow for a few mishaps.

Wooden flooring is probably the favourite of British homeowners at the minute, and not without reason. A wooden floor really does add something indefinable to a space. It natural and comforting and brings a real sense of history and timelessness. Yet at the same time is still amongst the most contemporary and urban chic flooring opting on the market. Available in so many variations it is extremely versatile- a dark oak or mahogany floor will help create some classic British stateliness, whereas walnut or Bamboo creates a real youthful vibrancy. And it is not only the huge array of styles that makes a wooden floor so usable, it is also the unique blend of comfort and durability that means wood is possibly the only flooring material that can be used all over the house. Equally as at home in a light shade in the kitchen when paired up with simple trimmings like a cheap roller blind and chrome bar stools, as it is in a dark stain sitting under the ornate bay window curtains of a Georgian town house, wood really can do it all.

The final Flooring must have for the home is tiling. Once restricted to the kitchen and the bathroom, the massive increase in tile variations over the last few years has meant they have began to pop up in less conventional places. This can only be a good thing as a lot of tiles on the market are far too beautiful to be hidden under the bathroom sink. A dark slate floor would provide the ultimate base to a chic minimal living room, and with it being a natural material, it actually won’t appear cold if paired with a big fluffy rug. Mosaic tiles are also a wonderful way to spice up a room. They are available in so many finishes and colours and create an amazing speckled effect on whatever surface they cover. A hallway is a really great place to experiment with tiling. Being the main thorough-fair in the home, it needs to have hard wearing flooring. It is also not a room you spend a lot of time in, so you can afford to add a little more colour than you might in the sitting room.

Terry Henman
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/flooring-fundamentals-698478.html