Stan Pak

In recent years, traditional gleaming and warm mahogany floors have made way for a new flooring trend that has completely shifted the interior design world in a new direction. Grey hardwood floors have become the latest fad and have introduced cooler and cleaner tones to living spaces. Many people are drawn to the refreshing images they see incorporating these new and trendy floors but aren’t sure how to incorporate grey hardwood floors into their own design scheme. It can seem intimidating at first, but there are a few simple things that you can do to ensure that this new flooring trend will work for your design project; ranging from incorporating the right accents to updating your appliances.

Incorporate Modern Accents

Since grey hardwood floors emulate a sleeker and more modern aesthetic than traditional hardwood tones it is important to accessorize your room accordingly. Things like updating your walls with lighter paint tones, even as light as ivory, will help bring out the tones in your new grey hardwood flooring. Soft lighting, ideally achieved with modern and sleek pot lights, will pair nicely with the cooler hardwood tones. As far as specific accents are concerned, a neutral toned and plush area carpet and a glass table or two will go a long way in helping to create a more modern feel to your room that will pair perfectly with the modern new tones in your flooring.

Add a Pop of Colour

Although grey hardwood floors pair nicely with more neutral tones, it is also nice to have a consistent pop of colour throughout the room. Try finding a brightly coloured throw pillow or a blanket with a bold pattern to brighten up the living room. If you want, you can go as far as to find a bold couch or foot stool (as a tip: teal is very popular right now, and pairs nicely with grey hardwood tones). If you are redesigning a kitchen or other living space try finding a plant with a brightly coloured pot or a mirror with a bold frame design.

Match Your Cabinets and Appliances

Changing up the tones of your flooring so dramatically (assuming you’re transitioning from a darker mahogany wood to grey hardwood tones) also means that you may need to update your appliances and cabinetry. Grey hardwood pairs wonderfully with sleek white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Update your kitchen set to include leather chairs and you will have a kitchen even the most fashionable homeowner will envy. If you are redesigning your bathroom opt for a glass bowl sink.

Grey hardwood is actually very versatile and is a refreshing change to the more traditional hardwood tones. Although grey hardwood has taken over the flooring world and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, it is important to decide if it is the right choice for your project. If you are having trouble deciding if grey hardwood is right for your home The Floor Shop has lots of different samples and a team that would be more than happy to help you with any of your flooring design plans. To schedule an appointment at one of the showrooms give our office a call or simply show up and see what we have for you.

If you haven’t had to tackle a renovation or redesign project recently you will likely be surprised by the takeover of luxury vinyl flooring. Most surprising is the coupling of the words luxury and vinyl in the first place. Vinyl flooring has long been associated with bargain renovation projects and tasteless patterns and colours. Now, however, luxury vinyl flooring is popping up all over the place…even in multimillion dollar condominiums. The reality is that in the last decade the quality of luxury vinyl plank and luxury vinyl tile has improved greatly and the realism portrayed in this vinyl flooring has made it desired by homeowners and designers alike.

Realism

In recent years, along with printing advancements, the realism of mimicry in LVT/LVP flooring has dramatically advanced. It’s gotten to the point where it is sometimes hard to distinguish vinyl from natural hardwood or tile flooring. Luxury vinyl flooring is available in patterns that simulate wood ranging from teak to maple or walnut and also stone like slate or marble.

Durability

With today’s active households a major concern with natural hardwood and tile flooring is the lack of durability. With LVT/LVP flooring, however, this doesn’t have to be a concern. Vinyl is water resistant, stain resistant, durable and completely suitable for high traffic areas.

Quality of Composition

Further breaking the stigma of vinyl being inexpensive and second rate, many vinyl flooring designed to mimic stone actually contains natural minerals. Some vinyl is even up to 75% natural limestone combined with 25% vinyl. Some of the LVT flooring actually needs grout to hold the tiles together – it is that realistic!

Natural Shaped Pieces

Not only are natural products used in the composition and printing of the vinyl flooring, but the actual shape of the LVT pieces are more realistic. The majority of LVT/LVP flooring comes in individual plank or tile shaped pieces as opposed to traditional vinyl flooring that is sold in room sized sheets and cut down to size.

Desirable Price Point

The price of luxury vinyl flooring is appealing to most homeowners and typically ranges from about $2 per square foot up to about $6 per square foot for high-end vinyl flooring. The quality of vinyl flooring correlates to the thickness, among other aspects. The thickness of LVT/LVP flooring ranges from around 10 millimetres to 12 millimetres and typically the thicker the flooring the more comfortable and durable it is, and the more expensive it is.

It’s easy to see that luxury vinyl flooring isn’t the same as the vinyl you remember from your childhood. There are many reasons that LVP/LVT flooring should be seriously considered for your flooring renovation project ranging from the quality of vinyl flooring to the variety of style options available. If you are having trouble deciding if luxury vinyl flooring is right for your home the team at The Floor Shop can help! Contact our office today to schedule an appointment to view some flooring samples at one of our showrooms.

Although vinyl flooring is resistant to most spills and stains there are a few things that will leave a lasting mark, and rust is one of them. Learning to remove rust stains from your vinyl flooring yourself will save you money and help maintain the look of your floor for years to come. There are a few different options that you can try ranging from home remedies to store bought cleaners. Before you tackle any stain it is important to understand that you don’t want to worsen the stain by fading the area with cleaning products. Make sure that you avoid anything that is a high bleach concentration and run any product you aren’t sure of past the manufacturer before using it.

Homemade Remedy

The average household will have these everyday products, but if not they are also relatively inexpensive to pick up at your local grocery store. Start by getting vinegar, baking soda, a bowl of water, and rags ready and head to the rust stained area. Spread a layer of baking soda over the rust stain and wet your rag with the vinegar. Gently massage the rust-stained area for a few minutes and then rinse the floor with water. You will likely need to repeat this process a few times until the rust stain has lifted. The concept behind this is that the baking soda will oxidize the stain and the vinegar will help to loosen it leaving you with a floor that looks like new. If the baking soda doesn’t seem to be enough you can also try wiping the area with rubbing alcohol after rinsing it with water and before applying more baking soda.

Store Bought Cleaner

Most home improvement and grocery stores will carry products that you can use to remove rust stains from your vinyl floor. Look for an oxalic acid solution powder but keep in mind that this powder is toxic so you’re going to want to wear gloves and maybe even a mask while you’re using it. Follow the instructions on the container and as always it’s recommended to test the cleaner first (if you saved any scraps from the installation it would be a good idea to test the cleaner on a scrap piece of vinyl first). As mentioned above, it is important to avoid products that have a high concentration of bleach. These products can cause even bigger issues like leaving white splotches that cannot be removed. You are also going to want to avoid chlorinated floor cleansers, for the same reason.

The key is to prevent rust stains from occurring in the first place. A few good ways to help ensure you don’t encounter rust stains are by avoiding using nails to install your vinyl flooring, not splashing large amounts of water onto the floor, and using a shoe rack to avoid puddles and water accumulation during wet seasons. The team at The Floor Shop has lots of experience removing stains from a variety of flooring. If you are having trouble give our office a call and our educated team would be more than happy to give you some advice.

With so many flooring options available today it’s hard to know if vinyl is the right choice for your renovation project. You’ve done enough research to know that vinyl floors have become a very popular choice in many homes over recent decades. You also know that they are durable and one of the most versatile flooring options available. You have, however, also heard that vinyl is inexpensive and are worried it might not be the best choice for you. Although vinyl flooring has many things working in its favour, it also does have some setbacks.

Ease of Installation

Vinyl flooring is one of the easiest flooring options to install and can even be completed as a do-it-yourself project by someone with no prior experience (if the proper research and preparation is made). If you aren’t interested in installing it yourself you don’t need to worry, most places that sell vinyl flooring will also install it for a reasonable cost.

Comfort

One of the more subtle benefits of vinyl flooring is that it is extremely comfortable to stand or walk on. Vinyl flooring is made with either a foam or felt backing which creates a cushion like feeling to the flooring.

Variety

Vinyl flooring, over the last few years, has been totally reinvented. Now, it is available in an endless variety of colours, textures and styles. Whether you are aiming for the comfort of hardwood or the sleekness of slate you can achieve either look with vinyl.

Durability

Vinyl flooring is resistant to scratches, stains, dents, and even moisture. This means that vinyl can be installed essentially anywhere in your home and you don’t need to worry about mold or mildew!

Difficult to Repair

Despite how durable vinyl flooring is, there are still occasions where you may need to replace a damaged piece of flooring. One of the downsides to vinyl is that it can be difficult to replace specific pieces without having to replace the entire floor or area.

Use of PVC

Although not all vinyl flooring contains PVC, the majority of it does. The drawback of using PVC is that at the time of installation the vinyl flooring will actually give off volatile organic compounds (you may have heard of these referred to as VOCs). The release of these VOCs subsides overtime, but is still something that should be taken into consideration.

Moving Heavy Items

The same qualities that give vinyl flooring its comfort also make it tricky to move heavy furniture or items across the floor. It’s recommended to have felt table and chair runners applied to all furniture to avoid scraping or denting the floor for everyday use, but especially if any furniture is being moved.

Not Environmentally Friendlys

Due to the fact that vinyl flooring is comprised of petroleum molecules (as mentioned) you could probably have guessed that vinyl is not exactly seen as an eco-friendly flooring option.

If you are having trouble choosing the flooring in your home The Floor Shop is a great place to start your search. Give us a call and we would be happy to book you an appointment at one of our 3 stunning showrooms where we have endless samples of flooring. Don’t hesitate and call the team at The Floor Shop today!

Many people choose to install vinyl flooring themselves, but it is important to be educated and prepare properly before you start your flooring project. Otherwise, you are bound to encounter frustration and spend much more time than anticipated completing your flooring installation. If you follow these simple steps you will be sure to set yourself up for success.

Choose your Flooring

Although this may seem like an obvious point, a lot more goes into the selection of vinyl flooring than you may think. It is important to consider, for example, the type of room you will be installing your vinyl flooring. This will affect how durable you need the vinyl to be, which will be affected by the thickness of the flooring.

Make a Sketch of the Room

It’s important to make a sketch of the room that you will be installing the vinyl flooring in. Make sure that your measurements are accurate to the room’s dimensions. Take this drawing and measurements with you to the manufacturer or retail store to help you figure out the amount of vinyl you need for your project. A good tip is to add a few inches to each dimension…it’s better to have too much (or extra) material than not enough.

Prepare the Subfloor

Check on the condition of the subfloor before you begin your installation project. Make sure that the subfloor is in good condition and nothing needs to be repaired or replaced. This means that the floor should be level and dry. Fill in any holes or low-lying areas with appropriate patching compounds and wait for them to dry before laying your vinyl flooring.

Cut the Vinyl Flooring

Lay out the vinyl flooring and mark the areas where excess will need to be trimmed. Use a strong and sharp utility knife to cut away the edges and make sure to save any scrap pieces. You never know when they may come in handy during the installation process or down the road to replace damaged pieces.

Lay the Vinyl Flooring

Place the vinyl in position on the floor and make what are called relief cuts around any obstructions in the room (support beams, that sort of thing).

Roll out Craft Paper

This isn’t a joke. Roll back the vinyl flooring and expose the subfloor. You are going to then use craft paper to create a template along the wall and apply double-sided tape to secure the vinyl flooring to the craft paper template.

Cut the Vinyl

Once you have lifted the vinyl with the craft paper template attached, carefully trim away the edges of the vinyl flooring. It’s recommended to use a piece of scrap wood underneath your cutting line so that you don’t damage the flooring if the knife slips or cuts too deep.

Adhere the Vinyl

Once you have your vinyl trimmed appropriately, you are ready to spread adhesive material around the perimeter of the floor. Make sure to spread it evenly and then gently press the vinyl flooring down. You can use a wooden block wrapped in a towel to apply even and firm pressure around the perimeter of the room in order to secure the adhesive.

If you are having trouble installing vinyl flooring in your home The Floor Shop has a talented team that would be more than happy to help. Give us a call today and don’t spend any more time worrying about your renovation.

Luxury vinyl flooring is extremely versatile and has become a very popular choice for bathroom flooring projects in recent years. There are not many flooring options that can withstand the everyday high traffic use of the bathroom, but if anything stands a chance it is certainly vinyl. There are a number of reasons that vinyl should be your flooring option of choice for your next bathroom design project, spanning from durability, affordability and the endless designs available to turn your vision into your own personal oasis.

Durability

One of the main reasons that vinyl flooring has become so popular in bathrooms is that it is virtually indestructible, at least through everyday wear and tear. Vinyl flooring is resistant to just about anything, including: steam and humidity, stains and fading. This means that you don’t need to worry about mold or microorganism accumulation beneath your vinyl flooring. As an added bonus it is a cushioned and warm floor making it a comfortable choice for your feet especially on those cold mornings.

Style Versatility

The bathroom is a room in the house that you actually spend more time than you may think. It’s often the first place you go to in the morning and the last place you go to before bed at night. It’s important that it be a room you enjoy and vinyl flooring gives you a great chance at achieving a design that you love. There are so many options when it comes to luxury vinyl flooring including vinyl that mimics natural hardwood and tile. There are many design styles available with vinyl flooring and The Floor Shop can assist in helping you with your bathroom themes and designs.

Affordability

Vinyl flooring is much more economical than natural tile or hardwood flooring. In fact, on average, vinyl flooring costs only around $8 per square foot, depending on the specific flooring you choose. The cost of the floor aside, many people also tackle vinyl flooring installation projects themselves. This saves on the installation costs and makes vinyl flooring even more affordable on any budget.

If you are faced with a bathroom renovation project and are considering vinyl flooring as an option, you will quickly find that you aren’t alone. The majority of renovation projects involve vinyl flooring and, as a result, the team at The Floor Shop have lots of experience with it. Don’t hesitate in giving the showroom a call to book an appointment or stop in on a whim to get some inspirational ideas for your bathroom flooring project.

If you are in the midst of a kitchen renovation and struggling with the type of flooring to install, make sure that you consider luxury vinyl plank or tile instead of natural flooring. At first this may seem out of the ordinary, but vinyl flooring has become a popular choice for designers and homeowners when renovating kitchens. Not only is vinyl flooring extremely versatile, it is also affordable, durable, and comfortable. There are many reasons why you should consider installing LVT/LVP flooring in your kitchen, so let’s go over a few.

Durability

Vinyl flooring is designed to take a beating and can definitely handle the everyday wear and tear of the kitchen. LVT/LVP flooring is coated with a water resistant layer which protects against mold and antimicrobial growth, so you don’t need to worry about spills. Vinyl is also resistant to scratches, scuffs and dents so it can handle that dropped plate or pan.

Ease of Maintenance

LVT/LVP flooring is a breeze to clean and keep clean. You don’t need to worry about buying special cleaning products or using something that may damage your new kitchen floor. With vinyl you can sweep, vacuum, or mop until your hearts content (which doesn’t need to be that often, either). If you choose, every few years you can buff the vinyl floor and it will clean up like new.

Design Versatility

Vinyl flooring comes in a variety of design options and is no longer limited to tasteless colours or patterns of the past. You can get plank or tile flooring in patterns that mimic natural hardwood, tile, brick, stone, or even leather. The possibilities are endless and essentially whatever design vision you have can be made possible with vinyl flooring!

Ease of Installation

LVT/LVP flooring can be installed over virtually anything. Whether it be plywood, tile, concrete, or even existing vinyl flooring you don’t need to do very much prep work to the subfloor before installing your new vinyl flooring.

Design Realismn

Vinyl flooring has become extremely realist in recent years. The flooring is made by printing images onto the vinyl and as printing technologies advance, so does the quality of realism in the vinyl flooring. The vinyl isn’t only designed to look like natural flooring, it is also designed to feel like it. Higher quality vinyl flooring is actually embossed with natural wood or stone textures so that it feels more natural to the touch. The mimicry is so good, in fact, that people confuse LVT/LVP flooring with the natural hardwood or tile all the time!

Vinyl flooring is an excellent option for your kitchen renovation project, and should definitely not be overlooked. If you would like to see some vinyl flooring options in person, The Floor Shop has a huge showroom and our experienced staff would be more than happy to help you with your kitchen flooring needs.

Many homeowners love the look and feel of real hardwood flooring, but are less enthusiastic about the cost associated with purchasing and installing natural flooring. The good news is that you don’t have to fork over your entire renovation budget to get the floors you want! There are options available that will give you the same look and feel as natural hardwood flooring but will cost you a significant amount less than you’d expect. We’re talking about luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring, of course. Recently, luxury vinyl flooring has taken the design world by storm and it’s easy to see why, after you do just a little research.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring Looks like Hardwood

Vinyl flooring isn’t just about colourful patterns anymore. Luxury vinyl flooring offers sophisticated patterns that mimic natural options like hardwood in a variety of woods and stains. This means that you will be able to select the traditional warm cozy hardwood tones or the newer trendy grey wood tones for the same price. Plus, not only does luxury vinyl look like hardwood flooring, but it feels like it too. The higher quality vinyl flooring actually has the wood pattern embossed into the vinyl, which adds to the realism of the flooring.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring is More Durable

You can count on luxury vinyl flooring to withstand much more than natural hardwood floors. Vinyl is made to withstand stains and scuffs and is even water resistant…beating out hardwood on all three counts. This means that you can install luxury vinyl in high traffic areas in your home without worrying about the flooring wearing or fading.

Minimal Upkeep

Unlike hardwood floors which require special cleaning products and regular maintenance, luxury vinyl flooring can essentially be ignored. It can be swept, vacuumed, or mopped and you don’t need to panic if you spill water, coffee or wine on the vinyl floor. Gone are the days of worrying when your friends don’t remove their shoes when walking through your house, your vinyl floors can take it.

Affordability

Unlike natural hardwood floors that can cost thousands of dollars to purchase and have installed, luxury vinyl flooring ranges anywhere from $2 to $6 per square foot (on average). This price, coupled with the fact that it is easily installed as a do-it-yourself project, make vinyl flooring a very affordable design option for your next renovation project. With vinyl flooring you won’t have to worry about resurfacing costs down the road either, and most flooring is guaranteed for up to 15 years (depending on the brand).

It becomes easy to see that luxury vinyl flooring really does compete with natural hardwood flooring for a fraction of the cost. For most design projects luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent option. If you’d like to see a comparison of hardwood to luxury vinyl give The Floor Shop a call today! Our experienced and friendly staff would be more than happy to help you with your flooring questions.

If you’re tackling a flooring project you have probably realized that there are endless options aside from real hardwood and natural stone floors. Technology advancements in recent years have allowed manufacturers to completely redesign artificial flooring and the choices have become a little overwhelming. What is luxury vinyl flooring? And is it the same as laminate flooring? It would probably be helpful to have someone just break down the options for you, while keeping it simple, right? Let’s do just that and see if we can’t help with your decision-making and lead you to make a well informed and educated decision.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is probably what you’re most accustomed to hearing referenced when it comes to engineered flooring. Laminate is flooring made up of multiple layers fused together. The core, or primary layer, is a high-density fiberboard that gives the flooring its strength. This layer is adhered over a moisture resistant layer and completed with a high-resolution print of a photograph. These images are most often of hardwood, stone, tile, or even brick. This top layer, although responsible for providing the aesthetic component to the floor, is also responsible for the floor’s durability. It protects the laminate from scratches and stains, making it durable and an excellent choice for high traffic areas. Laminate flooring is often installed by piecing or clicking together the panels or tiles. It is commonly installed as a do-it-yourself project and will last for years, so you don’t need to worry about replacing it frequently.

Luxury Vinyl Tile

Luxury vinyl tile is similar to laminate in some ways, but also has its differences. It, like laminate, is made in layers; however, its primary layer is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) instead of fiberboard like in laminate flooring. This PVC makes vinyl flooring stable, but also allows flexibility. Unlike laminate, LVT is typically installed by a glue-down method, although there are other methods of installation available (such as a floating system, in some cases). One of the main differences to note between laminate and vinyl flooring is that laminate typically comes in one complete sheet whereas vinyl flooring comes in individual planks or tiles. This makes LVT flooring even more realistic than laminate, and a top competitor to hardwood and natural stone tiles. Despite being separate pieces, LVT is actually more moisture resistant than laminate flooring and can be installed in any room, including basements, laundry rooms, or bathrooms.

Sheet Vinyl Flooring

Sheet vinyl flooring provides similar benefits to laminate and LVT, such as a variety of style options, durability, and ease of maintenance. With technology today, the images printed onto sheet vinyl flooring are so realistic even this easy to install flooring is comparable in style to natural hardwood or tile flooring.

Hopefully this helps make your engineered flooring options a little more simple and easy to understand. Deciding what flooring is right for your home can be an overwhelming decision no matter how much research you do on your own. If you find that you’re still unsure why not get help from the flooring experts at The Floor Shop? Give the showroom a call to book an appointment or simply drop in and we would be more than happy to help.

Luxury vinyl tile flooring has become extremely popular in recent years and many people haven’t even realized it. LVT flooring has been completely redesigned and reintroduced recently and if you haven’t had a flooring project to tackle until now, you are in for a huge surprise. It is no longer just your grandmother’s interestingly patterned bathroom flooring. LVT has quickly become the go-to choice for many fashionable homeowners and designers with its endless natural style options. LVT flooring has so many advantages that it’s really easy to understand why it has become so popular as soon as you do a little research.

Luxury Vinyl Tile Style

LVT flooring has become popular partially because of its ability to look and feel so natural, when it isn’t at all. This concept, called biomimicry, is actually often photographs of natural wood or stone printed onto the flooring panels. Higher end LVT even alternates the pattern so that it doesn’t repeat identically across the floor. The nice part about this flooring is that, unlike natural products, it’s easy to find rare wood species or stone colours without having to wait or settle for another option.

Versatility of LVT

Since there are so many style options when it comes to LVT flooring, it is essentially perfect for any design project. Since it comes in so many different styles it can be used in homes, shops, or even yoga studios! The more you look around the more you will notice that what you may have thought was natural hardwood or stone is actually vinyl flooring. It’s actually hard to think of a project that LVT flooring wouldn’t be suitable for.

Durability of Luxury Vinyl Flooring

LVT flooring is virtually indestructible. It’s stain, scratch, scuff, and water resistant, which means that it can be used in places that natural hardwood flooring cannot, like high traffic entrances, bathrooms, or laundry rooms. It’s also super easy to clean and maintain, which is nice for busy households where you don’t always have the time to be cleaning your floors.

Affordability of LVT Flooring

Vinyl flooring actually offers a good return on your investment. Although some may argue that natural hardwood or stone flooring is a good investment, when you consider the upkeep costs and maintenance efforts it often becomes too much for design teams to consider for some projects. With LVT flooring you don’t have to worry about any upkeep for years to come and many floors can actually be installed yourself.

What it comes down to, is that luxury vinyl flooring is just that, luxury. It’s no longer just plain old vinyl flooring that comes in tacky colours and patterns. With the advancement of printing, LVT flooring is only becoming more and more realistic. Most flooring is even embossed now, making it not only look like natural stone or wood, but actually feel like it too. If you want some more information on LVT flooring or have a project you need design help with, get in touch with the team at The Floor Shop. You can drop in or even schedule an appointment to fit your busy schedule.