Lamenting Your Flooring? Choose Laminate.

The month of October- filled with horror, gore, and trick-or-treating, may just be the perfect month to start remodeling your floors after scary amounts of scratches, stains, or water damage. Afraid of picking a flooring that will come back to haunt you years down the road? You may want to look at investing in laminate flooring. Yes, that’s right, it’s still around with a new-and-improved look.

The Pros

The list of pros is long when it comes to choosing to install laminate flooring in your home. It’s extremely easy to install with a click/lock or fold/lock design, and there’s no extra maintenance in keeping it clean. Sweeping and vacuuming will do the trick!

If you’re worried about durability, laminate flooring is a great choice due to its “wear layer” that protects against dents and scratches. This kind of flooring is also resistant to certain levels of moisture, so you shouldn’t have to worry about leakage or mold. Stains are also no match for laminate flooring; with a simple mop or swish of a wipe, your floors will still look good as new.

Laminate flooring can be made to look like any natural surface that you’re looking for, including wood and stone as its most popular choices. Every piece is manufactured to be the same in appearance and quality, so you never have to worry about having faulty pieces mixed in the bunch.

The Cons

While we’re huge fans of this particular kind of flooring, we think that it’s only fair to talk about the not-so-glamourous side of laminate flooring to help you make a fully educated decision. While laminate flooring can resist some levels of moisture, if too much seeps through, it can cause swelling of the boards. This can be problematic in bathrooms and kitchens should a water leak ever occur.

While its durability is one of its biggest selling points, the inability to sand or refinish the flooring can cause some problems if you are looking to do some upkeep. Laminate flooring can only be replaced instead of refinished like hardwood flooring.

Finally, the resale value for a home with laminate tends to be lower than homes with hardwood flooring. While functionality is important, you should also think of what is going to add to your home in the long run and what will help you get your money’s worth.

At Hometown Flooring, we know that committing to a flooring type can be terrifying. Let us help you take the scare factor out and help you pick a flooring that you won’t be lamenting a few years down the road. For a full list of our flooring choices we provide, you can visit our website or give us a call at (304)-841-6526.

The Perks of Having Laminate Flooring

Stephen Chbosky once wrote, “We accept the love we think we deserve,” in his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. At Hometown Flooring, we believe you shouldn’t have to accept less than you deserve - especially when it comes to your flooring. You should be able to get exactly what you’re looking for, and not have to settle for a kind of flooring that you’re not happy with. With many flooring options to choose from, we have found that laminate flooring has been a popular choice for our customers, and with good reason!

Installation & Functionality

One of the perks of investing in laminate flooring is the installation process. No one likes a complicated process that makes you feel like you’re wasting your time. Installing laminate flooring is fast and easy with its puzzle-piece-inspired click/lock or fold/lock design. The functionality aspect of the flooring is also a plus with its underlayment layer, giving that light, springy feel under your feet.

Appearance & Durability

Laminate flooring can take on the appearance of almost any kind of flooring-making your options endless. Laminate flooring can be made to reproduce the look of wood, stone, and other natural resources. Because it is a recreation-based type of flooring, the quality in appearance is consistent across the board. It’s nice having a type of flooring you can count on- especially when it comes to durability as well. Scratches and dents are no match for laminate flooring, which also proves to be stain resistant.

Cost

The low prices for laminate flooring is one of the qualities that attracts so many customers and is the deciding factor for investment. You get the best bang for your buck, all while receiving a good-looking floor that is dependable and durable. What more can you ask for when it comes to flooring?

At Hometown Flooring, we believe that everyone deserves the best type of flooring, and that no one should ever have to settle for less. For more information the laminate flooring options we offer at Hometown Flooring, you can visit our website or give us a call at (304)-841-6526 today!

The Best Kind Of Floors For A Family With Pets

Whether you’re already an owner of an adorable pet or know you’ll adopt a furry friend in the future - its it’s common knowledge for pet-owners that animal companions are a huge responsibility. Not only is this another life you have to care for, but now you have to worry about the environment your pet lives in. One of the questions you need to ask yourself when you’re “pet proofing” your home is what kind of floors work best for pets.

Vinyl Flooring

While vinyl flooring may not come to mind as a top contender, it actually has some great benefits when it comes to being a pet owner. Vinyl is stain and scratch resistant, very easy to maintain and keep clean, and even an excellent choice if there are children in the house.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is a great substitute to hardwood flooring because of its durability when it comes to scratches. It’s a cheaper and sustainable choice while still having stylistic options to choose from. One thing to to be conscientious of is how slippery the floor is. If it is a smooth type of laminate, the probability of your pets slipping and sliding will increase. Try a style with a textured finish, or placing rugs throughout the house to create traction for your pets.

Hardwood Flooring

While hardwood flooring has an amazing look to it, it unfortunately is not one of the best choices if you have pets. Keeping your pet’s nails trimmed is a way to cut down on the scratches that can occur on the flooring, but damage can still occur if pets have accidents. One way to keep up your flooring is by applying a coat of urethane to help with scratching and staining.

Carpet Flooring

Although carpet is one of the more affordable options for families, it can be very difficult to keep up with the care and style. If you do have carpeting in your home, the best kind to have with pets are the styles that have no loops that can pets can snag their nails in. And as long as you have a strong carpet cleaner to take care of accidents, you should be up for the challenge!

At Hometown Flooring, we want to have your home looking and feeling like new. We want our customers to invest in floors that will last and sustain a family lifestyle- pets included! For more information on the types of flooring options we provide, you can visit our website or give us a call at (304)-622-6099.

Cleaning Your Laminate Floors

Laminate flooring a popular choice for those who desire the style and durability of hardwood floors at an affordable price. Laminate floors also tend to be easier to clean than hardwood, and are more resistant to moisture and scratching. Keeping laminate floors clean is simple, and will extend the life of their structure, finish, and appearance. However, there are few simple tips and tricks to keep in mind when cleaning laminate.

Although laminate floors resist moisture, they can still become stained by excess water. Water can also seep into the cracks between the edges and warp the structure of flooring. For these reasons, it is important to wipe up any spills right away, avoid using a soaking wet mop or steam cleaner, and use the appropriate cleaning products in spare amounts.

Laminate is harder to scratch than hardwood, but it is still possible to scratch or tear, which is why running a vacuuming cleaner over the laminate floors should be avoided unless it is a multi-floor or a hard-floor vacuum. Some examples can be found here.

Grit like sand, dirt, and other debris on the flooring can, over time, cause it to lose its luster or even put scratches in the material. Keeping the floor clean of these particles will maintain the integrity of the surface.

Here are the steps to cleaning laminate flooring:

• Start with clearing the floor of dust, debris, and pet hair by using a dry microfiber mop, dry dust mop, or by gently vacuuming the floor with a multi-floor or hard-floor vacuum.
• Spray your cleaner (see here for recommendations) onto a microfiber mop or cloth, and wipe the floor down. Alternatively, you may spray a fine mist of cleaner on each section of the floor and let it sit for a couple of minutes before wiping it up. There is usually no need to scrub or apply strong pressure.
• Use cleaner sparingly, to reduce the amount of moisture applied to the floor.
• Avoid using water, bleach, scratch pads, wood polish (unless recommended by the manufacturer), wax, or harsh cleaners on laminate.

Hometown Flooring, located in Nutter Fort, West Virginia, is a family-owned and operated business drawing on 20 years of experience and expertise to serve our residential and commercial clients’ flooring needs. Offering hundreds of samples, including carpet, hardwood and laminate flooring, and vinyl, our goal is to meet and exceed all of our customers’ expectations. Visit our showroom today, or call(304) 622-6099 for your free consultation!