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.

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.

Need Directions when you hit a Fork in the Flooring Road . . .

I want new flooring.  I’ve been on the internet looking and researching at all options.  My head is full of information about nylon carpet  fiber verses polyester carpet fiber, stain-guard or StainMaster, tile or porcelain, laminate or  hardwood.  Still  can’t make a decision?  You’ve reached that fork in the flooring road.   

Buying flooring today is not as easy as you think because of the huge selection that is available in today’s market place.    There are more products available in more color choices that will make your plate spin.  Take laminates for example.  It was invented in 1977, introduced into the European market in 1984 and the US market in 1994.  It is a relatively new product in the flooring industry.  When compared  to red oak hardwoods, laminates are in their infancy.  Every year, the laminate products are improving, thanks to modern technology.

The flooring manufacturers have definitely benefited from today’s technology.   This technology has kept the cost of flooring at an affordable level, more specifically in carpet production. For example, in 1967 the average value for carpet (not woven or tufted) was approximately $3.76 s/y or $0.42 s/f.  In 2009, the average value was $16.41 s/y or $1.82 s/f.  You might think that is a big increase.  Let’s just take another example.  In 1967, the average value for a Shelby Ford Mustang was approximately $4000.  The average value in 2009 is $68,988 (depending on where you live).  You can’t put a lid on this fact.  Flooring manufacturers are doing something right and you as a consumer are getting the benefits and value.

Value is what we have at ProSource of Columbia. There several flooring products in the Showroom specifically marked  ValueSource.  ValueSource products are great products, at an extremely great value without compromise to quality and beauty.  ValueSource products is the right direction when you hit that fork in the flooring road.  For more information, please call ProSource of Columbia  at 803-933-9088 or visit our website at www.prosourcefloors.com/columbia.