The Pet vs. Floor War

Has Fido destroyed your old carpet?  Is Fluffy being unkind to your hardwood floors?  What would we do without our furry friends?  They greet us with pure excitement and give us unconditional love and the occasional “present” when they didn’t quite make it outside or to the litter box.  Dogs and cats are pretty hard on all types of floors. Besides the unfortunate “presents” they leave us, our floors have to contend with paw nails, hairs, slobbering and goodness knows what else. It doesn’t matter what type of flooring you have: Hardwood, ceramic, tile, laminate, bamboo or carpet can all suffer at the paws of our beloved pets.   How can you protect your home in the pet vs. floor war?

Luckily for pet owners, the flooring industry has stepped up to the plate and neutralized the war between your floor and your pet. Carpet manufacturers are making more and more pet and heavy traffic carpet both beautiful and affordable.  While scratches will happen to hardwood, bamboo or laminate floors; most hardwoods, bamboo and laminate floors are manufactured with a strong wear layer or finish such as Aluminum Oxide which helps strengthen the wood.  The availability of harder hardwoods like oak, cherry and maple as well as the stylish distressed looks can disguise any wear Fido and Fluffy may cause.  If you are interested in installing a “green” product, bamboo is an excellent choice as it is both hard enough to withstand pet traffic and beautiful.

Afraid Fido will christen the new carpet like a brand new yacht?  No worries. Carpets today are available in stain resistant and materials such as polyester or nylon to withstand pets and the little presents they can leave us.  Fiber companies like STAINMASTER® continue to improve the performance of a carpet in a busy home. Carpets with flecks, texture and patterns are available to hide any trouble Fido can dish out. There is even pet padding/cushion for under the carpet for the pet friendly home.

You, Fido and Fluffy will be pleasantly surprised when you learn how pet friendly flooring has become.  Visit your ProSource of Columbia and learn more about choosing the right carpet, hardwood, tile, bamboo or laminate for your family—pets included!

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read this article and hoped you enjoyed it.  If you’d like more information on laminates, hardwoods, bamboo, carpet, tile, natural stone, or any other types of flooring, please contact ProSource of Columbia at 803-933-9088 or visit our website at www.prosourcefloors.com/columbia.

Selection, Selection, Selection—More Tile, Hardwoods, Carpet, Laminates and Kitchen Cabinets than you can imagine!

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In real estate they always tell you “location, location, location” is critical.  But what about after you got the house and need to pick out flooring, counter tops and kitchen and bathroom cabinets?  When you have to choose flooring and cabinets the phrase truly is “selection, selection, selection”!  When you see a wide variety of tile, glass tiles, red oak hardwood, exotic hardwood, laminates, carpets and cabinets your imagination can go wild and yet keep you rooted to your budget.

You want to stay within your budget but you long for a look that doesn’t reflect that budget.  You want champagne on a beer budget, right? Well ProSource of Columbia is the answer! With a  6,000 sq ft Showroom full of hardwoods, laminates, carpets, tiles, cabinets and counter tops to choose from you will not only find an incredible vast selection but also the style you desire to fit your budget.

You might have decided to have a simple bathroom remodel done and set out to stay within your budget. You think you’ll end up with a pretty plain bathroom because it is all you can afford.  But wait until you see the selection we have for every budget! Check out the selection of beautiful glass tile at an incredible price  and imagine yourself soaking luxuriously in a new tub amid a bathroom decorated with cool green glass tile stones and marble counter tops.  You didn’t know you could afford so many choices at your budget.

A simple kitchen redo can now include backsplashes and upgraded cabinets when you see the enormous selection from which to choose.  Your dream kitchen is within the same reach as those easy close custom made cabinets you’ve always wanted and you don’t have to break the bank to get what you want.

A wide range of products can keep you within your budget and make you confident that things won’t get out of hand because you see what you are getting and the cost of the materials.  Often you don’t know what you can afford until you see all that you can get. You might have thought your budget would only allow you to have a simple carpet install when, in fact, you can afford the hardwood floor you’ve always wanted.  Your dream room is not that far from reality with the selection and value of ProSource of Columbia.   Our large selection of products in a variety of styles and price ranges can create the perfect room and isn’t that what it is all about?

Thank you for taking the time to read this article.  If you would like to learn more about ProSource of Columbia’s incredible selection of flooring products please contact us at 803-933-9088 or visit the ProSource of Columbia website at www.prosourcefloors.com/columbia.

Hardwood Floors or Laminate Floors. Which do you choose?

Muscle cars, singers from the 70’s and the 80’s, and hardwood floors are very popular today.  The Baby Boomer generation remembers the good old days and now has the resources to re-create those fond memories.  Then technology throws a Nolan Ryan curve ball by inventing a flooring product called laminate.  Which do you choose?

Let’s take a look at hardwood floors first.  Thanks to technology, the finishes on hardwood products have improved over time with an Aluminum Oxide finish.  The Aluminum Oxide finish is one of the best finishes that not only enriches and enhances the look of the wood, but provides a very durable surface (yet still not scratch proof if you have “paw” traffic!).  You can enjoy and have confidence that your hardwood floor will last a long time.

There is no doubt that hardwood floors will increase the value of your home.  Ask any realtor!  When you walk in a home and feel the ambiance created by a hardwood floor, that is a check in the plus column for getting your home sold.  The rich and unique look produced by Mother Nature can’t be duplicated, even by technology.

There are lots of hardwood products to choose from.  Take the popular species of red oak, white oak, maple, hickory, pine, cherry and walnut and add about a 100 different stain finishes and you will have no trouble finding what you are looking for!

What about laminates?  Laminate flooring is a computer generated picture of a species of wood with a stylish finish that is glued or fused on to a composite fiberboard. This type of flooring is very durable, water resistant, fade resistant and stain resistant.  Some laminates even have a fire retardant finish.  Drop a cigarette and it goes out.

Laminates can be considerably less expensive than hardwood floors.  The fact is Mother Nature is not involved with the production of laminates.  The Techies with their computers and a manufacturing plant does it all.

If you are a Do-It-Yourself type of person, the laminate is typically a tongue n’ groove system that is simple to install.  No glue needed, just the right tools.  You may have to install a foam underlayment over the sub-floor.  This will not only help as a moisture barrier but help to reduce the clicking sound that tends to emit from traffic.

Which do you choose?  The bottom line is your budget and your desire.  At ProSource of Columbia, you will find a huge selection of both hardwoods and laminates to meet your budget and need.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read this article and hoped you enjoyed it.  If you’d like more information on laminates, hardwoods, carpet, tile, natural stone, or any other types of  flooring, please contact ProSource of Columbia  at 803-933-9088 or visit our website at http://www.prosourcefloors.com/columbia.