Bamboo Flooring - The
New Hardwood?
By
Tom Turner
Bamboo
flooring offers a very
rich visual textured
look with its
combination of hardwood
strips. Bamboo flooring
is a wonderful
alternative to other
hardwood flooring
surfaces. This article
will examine the concept
of choosing bamboo
flooring over other
types of flooring
surfaces.
How
Much Does Is It Cost?
One of
the first questions you
may have is how much
this type of flooring
surfaces is going to set
you back. You will find
that the price for
bamboo flooring is
really very similar to
other flooring surfaces.
You will find the
average price to range
from $4 to $8 dollars
per square foot. This
may make them slightly
higher than traditional
wood flooring surfaces,
but the eye appeal and
durability are often
worth the extra
investment.
Bamboo
Flooring Can Take a
Beating
Bamboo
is an extremely durable
material and will out
last many other hard
wood surfaces. The
extreme temperatures,
both hot and cold, in
which bamboo grows are
the main contributors to
the fact that this
material can withstand a
lot of harsh treatment.
Many
companies that have
started installing
bamboo flooring are
growing rapidly in the
US. The desire to find
unique surface that will
last for years is always
in demand. Bamboo
flooring appears to be
meeting this need. It is
expected that this
industry will continue
to increase annually as
the popularity of bamboo
flooring is gaining
ground.
Nearly
all bamboo flooring sold
in North America is
produced in the southern
Chinese province of
Hunan, in an area known
as “the bamboo sea” for
its extensive bamboo
forests.
All of
the manufactures of
bamboo flooring
will brag of its
toughness and stability.
The process of applying
strips of bamboo
together in order to
form a plank creates a
very strong surface that
is perfect for almost
any situation. Many
larger companies are
installing bamboo
flooring in their
business lobbies and
other locations.
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Experimenting With
African Wallpaper
Borders
By
Adam Peters A
Ever
thought of giving your
home or office the
African look, go ahead
give it a try. It’s
easier than you ever
imagined, getting the
African look means
adding borders to your
walls.
Wallpaper borders play a
significant role in
giving your room or
office the elegant
African look. To give
this look to your home
all you have to do is
get a African inspired
wallpaper border that
goes well with existing
paint on your walls. If
your wall needs fresh
paint make sure it
corresponds with the
paint in other rooms and
then all you have to do
is add the borders to
it.
Choosing the right
wallpaper border
The
key to getting the look
right for the African
style you need to pick
the wallpaper border
that blends with one of
the colors in your room.
If you wish to apply
fresh paint to your
walls, choose a paint
that corresponds with
the dominating shade in
the room and then select
the border that suits
the color.
The
most common objects in
an African design are
abstract masks either
traditional or, modern
expression of
traditional ones. You
could try borders with
these patterns or even
experiment with the
bushango pattern too. A
little net surfing can
be of great help. A
large variety of
Wallpapers are available
in the market, you can
get pre–pasted ones,
washable ones and ones
that can easily be
removed. It is always
advisable to take
samples and verify that
it matches the
dominating colors or
large objects present in
the room, the walls too
need to resemble the
same dominating color.
Shopping for Your Paint
Color
Always
insist on getting the
shade of your choice and
not compromise with
something that is close
to the wanted shade.
Possibly take a sample
to the paint shop, it
will help them give you
the right shade or make
a blend as per your
requirement.
Changing Your Room
The
placement of the
wallpaper border is the
most important aspect of
African style painting.
Placing it horizontally
at the chair railing
height, roughly in the
middle of the roof and
ceiling will give you
the best effect. The
other places where it
can be placed are, the
top of the wall, the
bottom of the wall, the
base board or the place
of your choice
ultimately its your
house. Do not hesitate
to paint the walls if
they don’t look freshly
painted.
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Decorating Tips - Choosing Vinyl Flooring
By
Kathy Burns-Millyard
With their sleek good looks, vinyl, linoleum, and cork floor coverings have much to recommend them. Attractive, easy to clean, hardwearing, and long-lasting, they are also a competitively priced option.
As a significant surface area in a room, a floor has a great bearing on its overall appearance. Smooth floor coverings are a versatile option - the range of vinyl and cork available today is so vast that you should have little difficulty in finding something to suit your taste as well as your budget. Indeed, there is a pattern and texture of smooth floor covering to suit every room in the home, from a classical parquet appearance for a living room to marbled effects for kitchens or bathrooms.
On the practical side, smooth floor coverings cope well with the wear and tear of everyday family life. They are ideally suited to heavy traffic areas such as the kitchen and hall, where other floor coverings quickly become worn. In bathrooms and kitchens where the floors are liable to get wet and have messy things spilt on them, a floor covering that's waterproof and easy to clean is a must.
In a bedroom or a living room, you'll find smooth floor coverings surprisingly warm and comfortable underfoot. They can also add interesting color, texture, and pattern that can either complement other furnishings or become a focal point in their own right. Alternatively, you can choose a plain, restrained shade to create a mellow, neutral background for attractive rugs.
Vinyls
Vinyl flooring is generally available in different grades to suit various rooms. It comes in sheet form on the roll in 79,118, and 157in (2, 3, and 4m) widths, so you can buy a single piece to fit most rooms. Unlike natural wood, it has no tendency to warp in extremes of damp or heat.
Most types of vinyl also come in tile form - a convenient way of buying it. Packs of standard grades of vinyl are readily available and come in plain colors and patterned with marble and tile effects. The least expensive types have a faint flecking, but as the complexity of the designs increases, so does the price. Many are self-adhesive - you just strip off the backing paper and stick them in place.
When buying vinyl tiles, always check that the code number on each pack is the same, or you may find that the colors don't quite match.
Standard vinyl flooring is flexible and fairly thin. It can be cold to walk on and hard underfoot. However, it is inexpensive and easy to clean.
Cushioned vinyl flooring is attractive and capable of withstanding the rough and tumble under a family's feet. Soft and thick, it's made with a layer of padding sandwiched between a wipe-clean surface and a flexible backing. A 1/16in (1.5mm) thickness is suitable for light domestic use, while a 1/8in (3mm) thickness is ideal for a kitchen or busy hallway. Its padded filling provides a high degree of comfort that is ideal in a kitchen or utility area where you stand for long periods of time. Cushioned vinyl also feels warm underfoot, so it's a good choice of floor covering in bedrooms and bathrooms.
Look for a lay-flat vinyl, which molds itself to the contours of the floor, so there is no need to stick it down at all, not even at the edges.
Rigid vinyl flooring is the most expensive form of vinyl flooring, but it is very hardwearing. It is made to imitate natural surfaces such as marble, terrazzo, stone, ceramic tiles, and wood. Unlike many of the materials it mimics, it is easy to clean and warm to walk on. Rigid vinyl should always be laid by a professional flooring installer because the surface must be absolutely level.
Rigid vinyl is available in sheet or tile form, in a wide range of elaborate designs, including matching borders, corner pieces, and narrow insert strips. Tiles also come in different shapes for a realistic tiled-floor finish.
©2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Would you like to see more excellent
Home Decorating Ideas, Tips and Photos? Visit the Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network (http://www.diyhomedecorating.com/), and be sure to check out our easy weekend
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