Today, a friend of Carpet Wagon is going to come a little bit of the woodwork, so to speak, and share some of her personal experiences about being a first time homeowner.

My husband and I are new first-time homeowners, and really excited about the prospect of decorating and making our home cosy and inviting.  One easy way to do that?  Paint!

Our home had been a rental property for decades before we bought it – and the previous tenants had painted the bedrooms dark green.  Nice color for some, but not for us.  The common areas are all plain white.   Time to grab some paint swatches!

While “going green” isn’t our style in paint color, it is our style for the environment.   The airborne chemicals released during painting, after the paint is dry, and as paint is removed, fall into a category of pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—potentially carcinogenic carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily and contribute to indoor air pollution.  Harmful compounds in the VOC category range from formaldehyde to pesticides to cleaning chemicals.  They can be up to ten times more concentrated indoors than outdoors.  However, VOCs contribute significantly to air pollution out of doors as well.  VOCs are released in the highest concentrations during paint application, but most paint will continue to emit harmful fumes for years afterwards.

Companies are on the move to make paint with little or no VOC’s.  Check the label at your local paint store to find an eco-friendly paint.

Now, about color – I’m thinking taupe…

[photo by Diana Parkhouse]

Though rugs are probably the oldest known floor covering, they continue to be new in their design.  A good area rug provides a new and do-it-yourself makeovers, instantly! Area rugs are as diverse as they are versatile: knotted, woven, hooked or braided, machine-made or hand-tufted, synthetic or natural fibers, with looks and designs running from traditional to contemporary to modern, Oriental to abstract to floral and subtle to bold.

As with today’s rule that things don’t have to match, neither do rugs. Rugs let you be creative, personally contemporary, by mixing elements of your décor and the elements of the rug and thus create custom, individual looks.

Or even better, you can think of rugs as part of your home’s “wardrobe.”  Some can be changed seasonally. Some rolled out for special occasions or switched to other rooms. Others can be keepsakes to share with the family and to hand down.  What’s important to remember about rugs, new or old, using your creativity always presents a new opportunity for your rug to play a new role as you begin your home makeover.

Excerpted from Fabulous Floors Magazine, Winter 2011.

[image by psyberartist]

Today, a friend of Carpet Wagon is going to come a little bit of the woodwork, so to speak, and share some of her personal experiences about being a first time homeowner.

As I told you last week, my husband and I are new, first time homeowners.   It’s a cute little bungalow, with three bedrooms and two baths.   Our “new” home was built in 1908, so it’s over 100 years old!    Our home is in an up and coming neighborhood, and it’s a perfect starter home.

The three bedrooms have carpet in them, with wood floors underneath.   We’re going to rip up the carpet in the bedrooms, and after some help, we’ll have beautiful wood floors there.

The main areas of the house are another story though.  The floors of the hallways, living room, dining room, and kitchen areas are covered with large white ceramic tiling.  Now don’t get me wrong, tile is a great option for floor coverings, especially high traffic areas like hallways and kitchens, however this particular tile has a distinct hospital feeling to it.  The house was previously used as a rental property – so I can see why the last owners put in the tile – it’s extremely hard-wearing and durable. But not very cozy or warm.  Not really appropriate in a small family home.

Even if we replace the tile with other tile, we could put in a stone floor, with a great warm color.  Stone also is extremely durable and versatile, just like tile.

Or maybe we’ll go with a laminate flooring.  It’s not the laminate flooring of your grandparents age – laminate has gone high tech!   Plus with high res imaging, you can choose exactly what you want your flooring to look like – stone, wood, tile, you name it!

What are some of your favorite flooring looks?

[photo by Diana Parkhouse]

Today, a friend of Carpet Wagon is going to come a little bit out of the woodwork, so to speak, and share some of her personal experiences about being a first time homeowner.

My husband and I just became first time homeowners.  We’d heard all these crazy stories about how stressful escrow can be, and I won’t lie to you, it was truly nail-biting at times.

Our new house has really good bones, so to speak, but it’s been a rental house for decades before we bought it – so it definitely needs a little bit of TLC.  New floors, fresh paint, new kitchen cabinets, and some beautiful outdoor landscaping are all on our “short list” of things we want to tackle.  To be honest, we’re a little nervous about suddenly being the sole people responsible to make all those little (or big!) repairs that may come up in the near or distant future.

First up, what I’d love to tackle is the floors!   The bedrooms all have carpet in them, but it’s not in the best shape.  Actually – it’s horrid.  But part of what attracted me to the house is that I know that there are wood floors lurking under that threadbare carpet.  I’ve helped friends pull up carpet before – so I know it only take a few strong arms and some determination – but what do we do beyond that?   I’m tempted to see if we can sand and refinish the floors under the carpet all by ourselves – but I’m also aware that it might be a bigger and more complicated job than we can deal with ourselves.

Stay tuned with us here in the next few weeks and months as I share our experiences of being new homeowners and all the fun adventures that ensue!

[photo by Diana Parkhouse]

Question:
I am having a house built, and trying to find out what is more economical and durable, carpet, tile or wood flooring?  Do you recommend any brand over another?

Answer:
There are many great brands and types of flooring.  If you are going strictly for price – then carpet is probably your best choice, as it tends to be the most economical.  However, you’ll get more durability from tile and hardwood flooring.

You say you’re building a new home… you may want to consider a combination of at least two or three different types of flooring, depending upon the floor plan and the functions of the rooms.  We’ve all heard the phrase “Wall-to-Wall Carpeting”, but in reality – do you really want carpet in your bathrooms or entryway where the constant moisture or heavy traffic can permanently damage carpet?   As a general rule, carpet is more desirable in bedrooms, and often family rooms as well, while tile, stone or hardwoods do better in heavily used areas such as the kitchen, dining and entryway areas.   Also something to consider: the more formal the room the more you may want to consider the timeless elegance of hardwood flooring.

Some of the best brands to look for in flooring are Mohawk, Mannington, Bruce, Armstrong, Pergo, Milliken, and just to name a few.  Carpet Wagon carries all these brands plus many more.

[photo by Nancy Hugo]

There are two basic types of tile, ceramic and porcelain. They’re actually cousins with very different attributes.  Ceramic tile is defined broadly as a formed and baked clay product, usually finished with a decorative glass glazed surface. The technique has been in use for thousands of years. Porcelain tiles are a modernized version, typically made from different, denser clay materials and baked at very high temperatures and lower water absorption rates than traditional ceramic tile, making them tougher and generally frost resistant, though not always. There also are some non-porcelain tiles that can be used in freeze-thaw environments. There are both glazed and unglazed porcelain tiles. Some people favor glazed versions, stating that they are a tad easier to clean. Others say porcelain tiles may be more slip resistant.

Much of today’s ceramic and porcelain tile offerings are designed with the look and feel of natural stone in mind, and along with that color and textures which further expand your design-ability with tile. As you explore “your look,” check the tile to see what the shade variation is. It can be a consistent color yet with shade and texture variations from low to very high.

If green, or environmental responsibility, is an issue, tile can fit the bill, and in the way YOU define it. First, most ceramic tile is made of natural materials, like clay and silica for the glass glazing. It is easy to clean and keep healthy, making tile a longstanding choice in medical facilities. And top name manufacturers are adding increasing amounts of recycled content to their ceramic and glass tile products.

Excerpted from Fabulous Floors Magazine, Winter 2011.

[image by dlkinney]

Some interesting facts and tips about tiling in your home:

• Tiles can be made from ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, and stone.
• Tiles can be as small as ¼ inch or as large as 65 inches. The size is up to you!
• The phrase “Big rooms need big tiles” is not always true. Analyze your room as a whole, understand what it needs and find the freedom in your array of options.
• Lengthen a small room by embedding mosaic-tile paths in your high traffic areas. Allow the color of your path to contrast the solid colors on your floor.
• Tiles are available in unique shapes like basket weave, herringbone, oval and wedge shapes? Make your floors unique by incorporating these different styles.
• Advantages of tile: design versatility, environmentally-friendly, durability, and ease of maintenance
• Tile calls to the artist in us: create a unique look by inserting hand-painted medallion pieces into your floor pattern.
• Tile can bring history into your home. The romantic styling of the Victorian (or even Renaissance) age can be incorporated into your room by flooring with small mosaic tiles.

[ image by tandemracer ]

“Going Green” in home decorating doesn’t mean painting every available surface in your home a vibrant shade of green! “Going Green” is another way of describing an eco-friendly alternative to typical interior design practices. Here are some simple ways to brighten your home and go green at the same time.

Though if you decide to paint (using the color green or not!), choosing the perfect eco-friendly paint has become a very easy task. First lead based paint, then latex based, now paint with almost no VOCs. Home-supply stores increasingly carry a wide selection, sometimes in hundreds of colors, with zero or very low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Several companies such as AFM Safecoat, Anna Sova, Eco Specs by Benjamin Moore, Bioshield and Green Planet offer interior designers and do-it-yourself home owners a wide variety of colors to choose from.

Finally a great way to brighten up your home is to use plants. Since plants work to clean the air in their environment, this also helps to make your home more green. A few of the plants that have been found to work best at removing harmful toxins from the air are English ivy, gerber daisies, chrysanthemums, and peace lilies.

Hardwood floors are timeless.   Not only in the sense that they are classic in style and feel, but they can actually be timeless.   Here is a little known fact: hardwood floors can be re-sanded time and time again.  This means that hardwood can actually last more than 100 years if cared for properly!

The beauty of nature is seen in any hardwood floor where the natural detail of grain, knots and mineral streaks can only come from the craftsman ship of Mother Nature herself. Because wood is a natural product, no two pieces ever look the same; it just can’t happen. Combine that with the fact that wood can be fabricated into different widths and shapes and the many ways in which you can install your floor, not to mention that it can be refinished and re-colored, and it’s no wonder that as old as wood is as a flooring, it’s always new.

Something else that is special about the beauty of wood is that it’s so eco-friendly.   First there’s the environment. From the day your floor starts as a tree to the day it re-enters the eco cycle some 200 years or so later, wood flooring is about as sustainable as you can get.

[ Image by Patrick Hoesly ]