Your Design Questions Part 1: Flooring

A few months ago, we asked readers to send us their design/decor questions and over the next few weeks, we will be bringing you answer to many of those questions!  Today, we have answer to your flooring questions from the experts at Nufloors Coquitlam.

1. How can I renew my tile floors?
   1. The most common misconception our customers have is that to renew or refresh their tile it requires replacement. This is not the case! Save time and money by cleaning your grout and restoring your tile to its natural beauty. We recommend Aqua Mix Tile & Grout Cleaner, $9.99 ea. Alternatively, if you want to spice up your look, you can change your grout to another colour. Here you can be bold or play it safe or try something completely different.

2. Can you put hardwood or laminate in a basement? I heard it will buckle due to dampness.
   1. In most cases we would only install engineered flooring over concrete below grade. There are steps that must be taken before to ensure a stable and solid floor. First a moisture content reading is taken of the concrete or plywood floor. This reading must be between 6% and 9%. Moisture levels can fluctuate over time, but this ensures that the moisture is at the right level when the floor goes down. If the moisture reading is outside of these levels, further action needs to be taken before you lay your floor. A moisture barrier must be placed between the floor and the subfloor. Talk to your local retailer about the best moisture barrier for your needs.

    

3. How do I transition the colour of hardwood from my main floor to my second floor by way of the stairs?
   1. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. One way is to install wood caps on the sides of the stairs that are the same colour and wood grain as the wood in the main floor. You can then run carpet up the middle of the stairs and flow seamlessly to the upstairs carpet. The second way is to carpet the tread and put the risers with wood the same colour as the main floor.

4. We are almost finished laying our laminate floor in the basement. It’s a dark tone. The walls have old, dark wood wainscoting halfway up and paint from there to the ceiling. Do we paint out the wainscoting? What colour and what colour for the walls above it?
   1. Yes you can paint the wainscoting. You can paint any colour you like. You can do the same colour on the top and the bottom, or you can do a lighter colour on the bottom and darker shade of the same tone on the top. This balances out the room nicely and draws the eye away from the wainscoting. You can get as creative as you like with tones and shades.

5. I want to get rid of all the carpet in my home but I find it safer on the stairs for children. Would it look funny to have carpet only on the stairs and laminate or tile everywhere else?
   1. Not at all. Carpet is a safe option for children and pets as it is not slippery and provides traction for little feet running up and down. There are some beautiful carpets with colours and patterns that can match or pull out colours in your current laminate or tile. Luxury and safety can be achieved with carpet on your stairs.

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Canadian Home Trends

Canadian Home Trends magazine gives you a personal tour of the most stunning homes and condos across Canada. You'll be inspired by a selection of accessible home décor products, trend reports, simple yet stylish DIY projects, and much more. In each issue, you are given the tools to recreate designer spaces you've always dreamt of having at home, in-depth renovation and design advice, colour palette and furniture pairings, and Canada's best places to shop.

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