Categories Flooring

3 Tile Foyer Ideas That Will Make A Lasting First

3 Tile foyer

The entryway to your home is the first thing guests see upon arrival, and it sets the tone for the rest of your home. Stunning tile walls and flooring in the entrance hall can spark interest in the rest of the home, and thanks to the variety of tile products available, you can easily create a foyer that’s beautiful and welcoming.

To create show-stopping looks in your foyer, start with the floors and walls. Think about the mood you want to create – whether that’s traditional, modern or something in between – then, choose tile that reflects that theme and helps you achieve your design goals.

Traditional

If you desire a classic look, select natural stone tile, which gives an entryway a modern look with a hint of warmth and style. Slate, marble, quartzite, limestone, and travertine are natural stone tile types that are also available in various sizes and shapes. You can also achieve the look of natural stone with Colorbody� and glazed porcelain stone look tiles such as Bellagio. Each style conveys a different look depending on the mood you’re trying to create.

Marble has always been a symbol of luxury, and it brings an untouchable level of sophistication to your entryway. Available in various colors, its distinctive veining makes it unique and classy. It is also Granite and quartzite are less opulent but can still make a powerful design statement. Opt for the classic black and white retro combination or mix it up with three related, complementary colors for a more dynamic look.

Modern Flair

Modern style is an unexpected, nicely blended collection of textures and colors. When creating a foyer design, draw inspiration from what you might see inside a trendy, urban, hip restaurant. Mix wood-look tiles with the simplistic look of concrete-look tiles to add a contemporary dash to floors and walls.

Combine wood-look tile with glass tile to give your entryway the look of a well-worn lake pier. For something jazzier, add bright porcelain concrete-look tile, Theoretical Bold, for a pop of color. Concrete-look porcelain tile works well in odd-sized and asymmetrical entryways, and it’s also easy to clean and maintain.

Rustic and Warm

For an entryway that is warm and inviting, choose a wood-look tile that brings the natural elements of the outdoors inside. Porcelain tile that mimics natural wood is manufactured in “planks,” or rectangular tiles, and these tiles easily capture the rustic look of wood sheds, old barns, and woodsy log cabins for an easy-to-maintain indoor look that’s cozy and welcoming. Wood-look tile is also easier to clean than traditional hardwood floors, so they are a stylish, but practical solution for a room with heavy foot traffic. Waterwood, Historic Bridge, and Creekwood are all great choices and can be set in a linear pattern.

If the foyer is the star of the show, consider making the porch and the exterior entry the backup singers. Coordinate outdoor tile with what’s inside to visually enlarge the space.

Whatever theme you choose, take time to consider your design goals and review all your options before you begin your project. To find more ideas, check out our Inspiration Gallery or explore American Olean�s huge selection of proven tile products.

Categories Flooring

How to Choose the Best Plank Floor

Best Plank Floor

Choosing a floor may seem a bit daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, understanding more will prepare you to choose the very best floor for your lifestyle, space, and budget.

What’s the difference between solid hardwood,
engineered hardwood, and rigid core flooring?

As the name suggests, solid hardwood is a single, solid piece of wood. Its natural simplicity has made it a popular flooring choice for generations, but that same simplicity makes it less than ideal for modern homes. Wood is a naturally porous material, meaning it is soft, extremely prone to denting, and absorbs like a sponge. All of these attributes are ideal for helping trees grow, but they don’t translate well to modern flooring. Floors today need to withstand heavy traffic, drops, scratches, and most importantly, spills.

Engineered wood flooring was created to lower the cost of wood flooring and attempt to fix some of solid wood’s shortcomings. It’s constructed from inexpensive plywood or particle board and topped with a thin veneer of hardwood. This construction helps with installation flexibility and slightly improves indent performance, but it adds a new set of problems as well. Because the “real” wood part of the floor is just a thin veneer, damage from scratches can be irreparable. Engineered wood floors are still made from porous wood, meaning they can’t be subjected to .

Rigid Core flooring is a category of resilient flooring, and it has been designed from the ground up with modern homes in mind. It’s 100% waterproof, easy to install, and provides extreme scratch and indent resistance when compared to solid or engineered wood flooring. It also offers a wide range of design options because it isn’t limited to traditional wood species. Its hybrid visuals, exotic species, colors, and textures go above and beyond anything traditional wood flooring can offer.

Where can I install solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, and Rigid Core flooring?

Solid and engineered hardwood floors shouldn’t be installed in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mud rooms, or anywhere else you might have spills or splashes. Solid hardwood floors also cannot be installed in basements. Rigid Core flooring can be installed in any room or level without issues.

How will they withstand kids? What about pets?

Kids and pets bring excitement and joy to any home, but they can also subject floors to a lot of drops, scuffs, scratches, spills, and accidents.

Both solid and engineered wood flooring should be avoided when kids and pets are in the mix. Their soft natural surface needs to be protected from cleats, claws, spills, drops, and dirty to avoid damage. This means that pet claws need to constantly trimmed, need to be left at the door, and play time needs to be low impact.

However, Rigid Core flooring is designed with these life moments in mind. Its ultra-dense core, hardened wear layer, and waterproof construction let you live in the moment and deal with the mess later.

What factors will affect the durability of my floor?

Hardness rating

Hardwood species used in flooring are given a hardwood hardness rating, which indicates how resistant the wood is to dents and wear. This rating is based off a test called the Janka Hardness Test, and it measures the force needed to press a steel ball into the wood sample. The highest possible score on this test is a little over 5,000, with most traditional solid wood floors scoring in the 1,000-2,000 range. The superior density of Rigid Core flooring would exceed the limitations of the Janka test, and instead a higher impact testing is needed to measure real world performance. Here is how the general hardness of plank flooring ranks:

    • SPC Rigid Core
    • Engineered hardwood
    • Solid hardwood

Overall Thickness

While the overall thickness of flooring is going to vary by category, it is still important to know what is contributing to that thickness. Engineered wood flooring can inflate thickness by adding more layers of plywood or particle board, but still only offer a thin veneer of real wood on top. The dense core allows for Rigid Core floors to be significantly thinner than traditional hardwood floors, with WPC floors being thicker than SPC products. That doesn’t mean all Rigid Core floors are made equally though. Just like how engineered hardwood flooring can inflate thickness, Rigid Core flooring can alter the overall thickness by increasing the size of the acoustical padding on the back. While this padding adds a lot of great features, it doesn’t need to be any thicker than 1mm in size. When it comes to Rigid Core flooring, the thickness of the core is most important.

Protective Finish

Regardless of the floor, the protective finish will play a large role in how scratch and stain resistant it is. Both hardwood and Rigid Core flooring are available with various types of protective finishes. Rigid Core flooring goes a step beyond hardwood though, and also has a transparent solid wear layer that protects against gouging and deeper scratches.

Can I install my own floor?

A hardwood flooring installation takes time, precision, and know-how to get it right. Even for experienced Diyers, hardwood installations can be challenging. A lot depends on your ability to take the time to learn what you need to know to properly install a hardwood floor, so that it will look and perform beautifully. If you’ve never installed hardwood you will find it worthwhile to hire a professional installer.

By comparison, Rigid Core flooring is easy to install. The simple locking profile allows for a floating installation with minimal room preparation. Depending on your skill level and the size/shape of your room, you still might want to consider a professional installer.

With so many plank flooring styles, how do I choose the right one?

First step: don’t panic. This is a good problem to have. With so many stylish choices, you’ll be able to find a floor that looks amazing, fits your design tastes, and meets your installation and durability needs.

Next step: know what to look for. Here are some of the features you need to look for when picking your new floor.

    • Visual�� While hardwood flooring is limited by species and stains, Rigid Core flooring has near limitless options when it comes to flooring that looks like wood. In addition to traditional wood visuals and colors, you can pick from stone looks and even hybrids that marry wood and stones together into unique new options. And best of all you will benefit from a curated look that removes unwanted imperfections like oversized knots, holes, and worming that naturally occurs in hardwood floors.
    • Waterproof�� What does it mean when a floor is waterproof? Simply put, it means peace of mind. A waterproof floor won’t swell, buckle, or lose its integrity when wet. Spills and splashes on hardwood floors need to be cleaned up immediately to avoid damage, while Rigid Core floors can be subjected to moisture without concern.
    • Durability�� Durability is the all-encompassing term for how well a floor will hold up to everyday life. Will it survive scratching, staining, gouging, denting, and more? Rigid Core flooring was built with all of these needs in mind while hardwood flooring requires you to change your lifestyle to account for its shortcomings.
    • Width & Length�� Plank flooring comes in a variety of widths and lengths. The most common widths are currently in the 5″ � 6″ range, but wider widths are rapidly becoming more popular. The length of your floor is also important to consider depending on the size of your space. Hardwood flooring comes in mixed lengths because imperfections are cut out of longer planks during production. Rigid Core flooring is built to size and comes in lengths ranging from 36″ up to 80+”.
    • Installation � There is more to consider when it comes installation than how easy it is. Sub floor prep, labor costs, material costs, and time are all big factors to consider. On average, the total cost to install a hardwood floor is significantly higher than the total cost to install a Rigid Core floor.
    • Warranty & Brand�� The value of your floor extends well beyond the floor itself. The people that created, tested, produced, and support it are just as important to consider. You want to make sure you are buying a floor from a manufacturer who you can trust. What kind of testing are they doing to make sure the floor you are buying will last? How can they help you if problems do occur down the ? What does the warranty actually cover? These are important factors to consider, especially when hardwood flooring doesn’t meet Rigid Core flooring’s abilities in areas like durability, dent resistance, and waterproofing.
Categories Flooring

Ultimate Guide to Vinyl Sheet Flooring

Vinyl Sheet Flooring

 

As the leader in vinyl flooring, Mannington has put together a guide that details everything you need to know about vinyl sheet flooring.

What is Vinyl Sheet?

Vinyl sheet comes in a single that are 6-12 feet wide. This limits the number of seams seen after install. It is completely impermeable to and is similar to linoleum. Vinyl sheet can be made to look just like wood, stone, and slate, or take on its own unique patterns.

Mannington offers two types of Vinyl Sheet:

Luxury Vinyl Sheet.�Luxury vinyl sheet, also referred to as LVS, provides a broad range of natural designs, from realistic wood grains to elegant stones and rustic slates. Each pattern is enhanced with Mannington�s new, exclusive NatureForm� 4G technology for colors that are incredibly crisp and rich; and each is available in your choice of three performance levels: Platinum, Gold, and Silver and all are made in the U.S.

Resilient Flooring. Resilient flooring, also known as ‘vinyl’ or �felt-backed vinyl�, has been around for decades and is still one of the most popular types of flooring around. It’s made using a printing process known as ‘rotogravure’, which prints a pattern on the flooring substrate via an engraved cylinder. Mannington resilient flooring uses ultra-low VOC, -based inks and we make all of our vinyl products right here in the U.S.

Benefits of Vinyl Sheet Floors

Mannington Vinyl Flooring

In addition to their affordability, vinyl sheet floors offer a variety of other benefits and features, including:

Realistic visuals.�Vinyl sheet can be designed to look like other more expensive flooring options. From encaustic tile to marble, stone, wood and slate, your options for choices are virtually limitless.

Easy to clean & maintain.�As with any type of flooring, vinyl sheet requires the occasional cleaning but overall it�s very easy to clean & maintain.

Extremely durable.�Vinyl sheet is often compared to linoleum flooring, but it is stronger and longer-lasting. It doesn�t scratch or stain easily, which makes it kid and pet-friendly.

Ample variety.�If you�re looking for flooring that�s going to help your home stand out from the others in your neighbourhood, vinyl sheet is your answer. Because vinyl sheet is available in a wide variety of realistic styles like unique designs, wood, stone, and slate, it�s easy to create a floor that�s uniquely yours.

Waterproof.�Our vinyl sheet can be used anywhere, but they�re especially ideal for rooms like kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms.
Not permanent and expertly laid out for you. Vinyl sheet is especially great for homeowners who like to change up their d�cor style frequently as it�s not permanent. Bonus: when our in- styling team creates our vinyl sheet they expertly layout the design so there�s no guesswork during installation.

Budget friendly.�Get the style you love for a lower price point than other flooring categories.

Made in the USA.�Mannington vinyl sheet floors are proudly made in the USA.

FloorScore� Certified.�All Mannington floors are independently tested and meet stringent indoor air quality standards and low VOCs.

When looking for vinyl sheet floors, be sure to do your research especially around these topics. Mannington offers floors with these attributes, but not every flooring manufacturer does.

Cleaning Vinyl Sheet

Mannington Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is one of the easiest floors to clean and maintain. Here�s how:

Wipe spills up immediately.�Vinyl is a great flooring option for moisture-prone rooms, but it shouldn’t be in contact with moisture for that long. If something spills or puddles on your vinyl, wipe it up right away to prevent staining.

Weekly cleanings are perfect.�Use a dry duster or vacuum to remove any dust and loose debris from your vinyl surface. Then, using a wet mop and gentle cleaning solution designed for vinyl floors, remove any stuck-on debris. If you prefer to use a more natural cleaner, combine vinegar with and use that instead. To fight tougher stains, like those caused by fruit juice, , or wine, a paste of baking soda and will remove the appearance of those stains. For tougher stains caused by ink or crayons, use rubbing alcohol and a soft-bristle brush to gently lift the marks.

Additional tips.�Sweep your floor regularly. When mopping, only use polish or “mop and shine” products if you wish to make the floor shiny as vinyl sheet floors have a low gloss.

Other Care and Maintenance Tips

There are few easy ways to protect your Vinyl Sheet flooring:
Use a doormat outside your home�s entrances
Close your curtains and blinds when sunlight can directly hit the floor
Support furniture with flooring protectors
Use runways to protect floors when moving furniture or heavy objects

Misconceptions About Vinyl Flooring

As one of the most affordable options on the flooring market, vinyl sometimes gets a bad reputation. Below, Mannington clears up some of the most common myths associated with vinyl floors:

Vinyl is dated and/or ugly.�
Vinyl sheet floors aren�t like their 70�s ancestors! Today�s vinyl flooring comes in a wide variety of options. You can even find vinyl flooring that mimics the appearance of hardwood or tile.

Vinyl is flimsy and cheap.�Like any other type of flooring, not all vinyl sheet is created equal. There are some bargain friendly brands that won�t stand the test of time, but all the vinyl that Mannington offers is extremely durable and resistant to stains, moisture, scratches, and general wear and tear.

Vinyl will eventually lose its design.�Many homeowners think that vinyl sheet flooring comes with a risk of walk-off, which is the idea that after years of use, the design wears off the vinyl. Today�s vinyl is made with a protective top that helps keep the printed image of the design intact.

Installing Vinyl Sheet

Vinyl sheet installation methods simplify the process and let installers match the installation technique to the jobsite conditions. Jobsite conditions to consider are:

v Temperature
v Structure
v Type of subfloor
v Moisture levels
v Existing floor coverings

Vinyl sheet can be installed using methods like permanent bond, releasable bond or loose lay. We recommend having vinyl sheet floors professionally installed but if you plan to install the flooring yourself, be sure to seek luxury vinyl sheet or resilient installation instructions from the flooring manufacturer.

Discover which luxury vinyl sheet or resilient floor is right for you and visit a local Mannington retailer today.

 

Categories Flooring

Which Carpet is Best for Pets?

Best Carpet for Pets

Which Carpet is Best for Pets?

When you have a pet, it�s more than just an animal�it�s part of the family. And you want every member of your family to be comfortable in your home!

Everyone knows carpet feels great underfoot�whether you have two feet or four!�Shaw has developed some carpet benefits you�ll love, and so will your furrier family members. They add up to a healthy, sweet-smelling home for you and your pet.

Stain Resistance:�Pick a carpet offering R2X Stain and Soil Resistance treatment. It�s Shaw�s patented and proven system that shields your carpet well below the surface�because the entire fiber is protected, from base to tip, against stains. There is simply no better stain and soil protection in the flooring industry. With R2X, you have complete protection from the top of the yarn to the bottom. This total fiber coverage offers unprecedented protection against household spills and everyday soiling. R2X repels stains, giving you more time to respond to an accident, making it easier to clean, and keeping the stain from returning.

Proper Clean-up:�When spills and splatters inevitably occur, reach for the other part of Shaw�s R2X system�R2X Stain and Soil Remover. Put to the test both in clinical trials and in homes, this patented technology allows you to treat the stain without the hassle of rinsing. To top it all off, it doesn�t leave any chemical residue, and it smells GREAT!

When choosing any carpet always consider color and the ability to “hide” the little things. A carpet with a little fleck of color is always a good choice as it will hide most dirt or debris tracked in by little paws until you are ready to clean.

Dogs usually have a tendency to lay in the same place and you may notice rapid soiling in those areas. This is a result of oils on the dogs acting as a magnet for dirt and debris so always keep that in mind and have a cleaning plan for those areas.

You might also want to consider that loop carpets can potentially be a problem with some pets. Your pet’s nails can potentially snag a loop, pull it, and cause damage. That’s not always the case, but there is a possibility, especially with larger, stronger pets. In the event you choose a loop carpet and a loop is pulled up or snagged by a pet do not cut it! Call the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) at 844-464-4272 for details on finding a professional in your area who can help with repairs