Thursday, July 30, 2015

The Sound of Silence: Soundproofing Your Home

A large reason that people are afraid of upgrading to hardwood or laminate in their home is because they fear it will be noisy. In addition, sometimes people put carpet over their hardwood floors because the noise level is much higher than they would like. At Floors For Less, we are here for all of your decisions about flooring in Madison, and we would love to answer your questions! Here are a few things you can do to help with soundproofing your rooms.

Soundproof From The Start

It's easiest to sound proof your home when you are first building, but not all hope is lost if your are re-vamping your current home. When you start from the beginning you can install sound isolating floor mats and anti-sound boards that are installed beneath your new flooring. It will help keep sound locked in place, rather than the sounds transmitting into the upper or lower levels of your home.



Absorbing the Sound

Obviously an easy solution if your home is too noisy is to add carpet. We have a great selection of beautiful carpet in Madison. Swing by and we'd love to show you how you can improve the noise level in your home by just adding carpet! If your looking for a quicker solution just changing some of the decor in your house can help! By putting a rug in your room, you will help absorb the noise in your home. You can also add nice curtains on all of your windows.

We want your home to be a place where you can relax, play and live, and we realize that your floors play a HUGE part in your lifestyle! Let our expertise in flooring save you the hassle and worry of having to figure flooring out on your own. Our flooring showroom in Madison has many options for you and your family. We are the experts on wood, laminate, carpet, LVT tile, bamboo and cork. We can walk you through the buying process and help you to create a space in your home that reflects everything that makes you unique. Stop by our showroom and let us show you what Floors for Less can do for you and your home!

For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI! 


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200


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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

FAQ About Hardwood Floors

The flooring in a home is a vital part of the aesthetics and functionality. When you find pre-existing hardwood floors, you generally feel like you've won the lottery! Yet it can feel intimidating when you choose to upgrade to beautiful hardwood floors in Madison. The investment may seem significant, but the benefits to hardwood are amazing, and a choice you won't regret. To help you with your research of hardwood floors, here are a few Frequently Asked Questions.

Is it safe to use hardwood flooring in a kitchen?

You can install wood in your kitchen, but you must use caution. If food and liquid spills aren't addressed properly, you can permanently stain the wood or damage the finish. If you do install hardwood floors in the kitchen, be sure to wipe up spills immediately with a dry, clean cloth. To help with the wear and tear you can put a large rug in the kitchen, and be sure to keep smaller rugs by the stove and the sink.

Should I expect color variations in my hardwood flooring?

Every board is like a finger print, and every board will have grain variations. The wood also accepts the stain differently, which is what makes hardwood floors so appealing. The natural variation in the wood is stunning and beautiful. The lighter the stain, the more variation you will see. Whereas the darker stains tend to mask the grain and variation in the wood.

What can I do if the finish becomes dull?

When the finish of your flooring becomes dull due to foot traffic over many, many years, you can screen and re-coat the floors. Lightly sand them with 220 grit sandpaper just enough to roughen up the surface. Then re-coat the floors with a fresh coat of finish! This should solve the dull-ness, but it generally will not remove embedded dirt, scratch marks, or any dents. Removing those marks would entail sanding the finish off completely and re-staining and re-finishing the floors.


Is hardwood flooring a green environmentally friendly product?

Our Bamboo and Cork floors are not the only green, eco-friendly flooring in Madison! Hardwood flooring that is harvested in the US and Canada is one the of the best renewable materials. The harvesting process has changed so drastically over the years, and we are re-planting more trees now than there were 100 years ago. About 95% of all our forests generate four times the oxygen and clean up four times the carbon dioxide as the old growth forests. You can be assured that hardwood floors are a practical and beautiful flooring, but also very environmentally friendly.

Can I install hardwood flooring in high traffic areas?

No matter how durable the finish when grit, dirt and stones are tracked across your floors you will see premature wear and tear on the finish. To get the longest wear out of your new investment, we recommend heavy mats outside all exterior doors, with small rugs covering the wood on the inside. Regularly vacuum your hardwood flooring with a soft bristle brush and keep felt chair glides on all furniture. Cleaning your floors with a hardwood floor cleaner formulated for your floors can also help.


Which is better, prefinished wood floors or job site finished wood flooring?

Prefinished flooring allows for a strength and durability that only factory finishes can offer. Some finishes will have "aluminum-oxide-ceramic-titanium" particles mixed into the finish before applied giving it special durability to abrasive wear and tear. The installation time is also shorter with prefinished floors, sometimes they can be installed in just one day and then you can get your home back to normal. Site finished floors can takes up to 3-4 days to sand and re-finish, and then you'll have to stay off of them for a few additional days for the finish to dry. Each type has benefits, but pre-finished flooring has some major benefits.  

When you're looking to upgrade to hardwood floors in your home, we have the best flooring in Madison! We would love to show you the different colors and styles to bring out the best in your home. We have many other flooring options to choose from as well. Between our laminate, LVT tile and carpet you are sure to find a flooring that will add to the value and flow of your home. 

For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI! 


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200


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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

3 Tools YOU Need for Cleaning Laminate Floors

The day has finally come, you have done your research and picked out the best laminate flooring in Madison. You brought it home, spent time installing it, and now it's time to clean it. You want to make sure you have the right tools to accomplish this. Laminate floors are easy to clean, but doing it the wrong way can cause some serious problems. Here are three basic, but important, tools you want to keep in your closet for cleaning your beautiful investment.

Vacuum Cleaner

You would think a broom would be the best way to clean your floors, but they leave a lot of particles behind. Then when you go back to mop, you'll end up smearing dust and water across your floors, ending with a streaky look on your floors. The first effective way to get your laminate flooring clean is to set your vacuum on the the "bare floor" setting and get all of the dust trapped in your vacuum.

Dust Mop

The dust mop will pick up the final pieces of dirt that the vacuum didn't get. Run across the floors with the dust mop, and if you have a pile of dirt you can use the vacuum hose to clean the rest of it up. You can also spray a laminate floor cleaner on the dust mop before going across, but do NOT spray the cleaner on the floor, only the mop.

White Vinegar, Water, and a Bucket

You can mix 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in 1 gallon of water, and if a vegetable oil polish has ever been used on the floor, double the amount of vinegar. You can dampen an old towel in the mixture and wring out ALL of the excess moisture. You can wrap the towel around a sponge mop head and clean the floors. The towel allows you to wring out more moisture than just the sponge mop. When too much water is applied, the moisture will work it's way in between the boards, then causing them to warp. So the goal is to use as little water as possible.

There are many different cleaners on the market that will work as well as the vinegar, but whatever you decide, remember to keep moisture to a minimum. Laminate floors are an excellent way to bring in the look of hardwood without all of the cost, and installation hassle. Depending on the size of the room, you can have your laminate installed in a day, and fairly hassle free! Our storefront has many varieties of different and beautiful flooring in Madison, and we'd love for you to come in a take a look! Whether you're looking to upgrade to laminate, wood or tile, we have the best flooring in Madison. Let us help you choose a new flooring that will make your home beautiful!

For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI! 


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200





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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

5 Considerations for Purchasing Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors bring a beauty to a room that cannot be contested by any other flooring. The warmth it affords, along with the stylish appearance, and durability are what makes it stand apart. When choosing hardwood floors for your home, the first place to start is by visiting the best hardwood flooring dealer in Madison. We would love to walk through the process and show you some beautiful samples in our showroom! Hardwood floors are an investment that will last you an extremely long time, and when chosen properly will never be a regret. Here are 5 things to consider before you start your flooring remodel to make sure you make a good purchase.

Types of Wood Flooring

There are two primary types of wood that you'll see - solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid wood flooring is made from solid wood logs that are joined together with tongue and groove. Solid wood can be purchased in pre-finished or un-finished planks and they will range in thickness. Engineered wood flooring consists of multiple layers of plywood and composite materials and then topped with hardwood. While both types of floors are wonderful, they are ideal for different parts of the home. Hardwood floors will expand and contract with weather changes, so the best place to use them is on the ground floor or above grade. Whereas engineered wood flooring is more stable because of the layers, and can be installed on many levels of the home such as your bathrooms and basements.

Wood Species for Your Home

With many different types of wood on the market, you'll need to know the differences. The harder the wood the more durable it will be. When putting wood in a high traffic area, you will want to be sure that you are selecting a harder wood. Red and White Oak set the benchmark for hardness in the U.S. and are very popular for domestic wood floors. There are many other popular choices of hard wood such as Hickory and Maple. Though Walnut is a softer wood, it is also just as popular. Many other exotic woods are top sellers as well; you will find Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Koa and Cumaru are some of the hardest species available. The harder the wood, the better it will be for the those high-traffic areas in your home.


Grain, Color and Style

Wood flooring comes in so many colors, styles, species and finishes that it will be pretty easy for you find something that will fit the style of your home. From a rustic country home to a modern and classy cottage there are styles that will fit your home and taste. We have many beautiful selections in stock and our staff would love to help you find the best wood floor in Madison. There are many different widths varying from 2-1/4" to 3-1/4", the plank width can make a big difference in the final look of your home.

Finishing Touch

The finish is the determining factor in the look of your wood floors. The same wood species will look entirely different with a clear gloss versus a wire scraped, distressed or hand scraped finish. There are also many different gloss finishes that can change the look of your wood. Some wood comes with one to three coats of sealant, while others have up to eight. The number of coats will determine how glossy it looks. With pre-finished hardwood, the urethane finish is applied under factory controlled conditions using multiple thin coats. The urethane is instantly cured, first with UV lighting and then a ceramic based material. It is mixed into the urethane which in turn makes the water-based urethane much more rugged and abrasion resistant. The result is a floor that will hold it’s original beauty longer than a job-sanded-on-site application.

Installation

Wood floors are generally installed by nailing, stapling or gluing the planks to a sub-floor. There is also a new variety of "click" engineered flooring that can be installed easily and "floated" above the sub-floor. Installation can be intimidating and sometimes an expensive proposition, but don't let it scare you. Whether you are hiring someone to install your floors, or you are an adventurous DIYer, the joy you will get from this beautiful flooring can't compare.

Hardwood flooring is such a wonderful investment for you and your home. Upgrading the flooring in your home can offer the biggest return for your home value. When looking for the best flooring dealer in Madison, we are the place to come! We have a wide variety of flooring, not just hardwood, and can help you find the best flooring for your home. We would love for you to stop by and check out the great selection we have. Let us help you create the home of your dreams with just one change!

For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI! 


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200



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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Fourth of July Fun Facts!

Fourth of July is finally here! This holiday is always full of so many fun traditions and events. Your Madison flooring outlet would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! May it be spent with lots of food, fireworks, family, friends and GREAT flooring! To celebrate we're giving you 10 fun facts about the holiday.

1. The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of King Henry VII in 1486.

2. A rocket can reach speeds of 150mph, but the shell can reach as high as 200 meters.

3. The record for the largest firework display consisted of 66,326 fireworks and was achieved in Portugal in 2006.

4. Dreaming about fireworks means that you like to be the center of attention and are showing off to others. It also symbolizes enthusiasm and exhilaration.

5. The earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 7th century China. They were invented more than 2000 years ago in China.

6. Queen Elizabeth was so fascinated with fireworks that she created an honorary title, "Fire Master of England" for the individual who created the best fireworks.

7. A sparkler burns at a temperature over 15 times the boiling point of water. Three sparklers burning together generate the same heat as a blowtorch. When your sparkler goes out, put it in a bucket of water to insure that it is completely put out.

8. Firework sounds can be determined by different chemical combinations within the tubes. Cylindrical tubes can create whistling sounds, aluminum flakes make hissing noises, and flash powder creates the big, loud "booms."


9. Walt Disney World may just love fireworks the most. The resort consumes the largest amount of fireworks in the U.S. per year, thanks to nightly firework displays over the Magic Kingdom.

10. Americans LOVE their fireworks! The American Pyrotechnics Association says that U.S. consumers purchased 163.6 million pounds of fireworks last year alone and firework displays used another 23.1 million pounds.

Now you know 10 random facts about fourth of July that you can share with your friends this weekend! We hope your weekend is fun and safe, filled with lots of food and fireworks. If you are using your three day weekend to catch up on some house projects don't forget to stop in a check out our selection! We have the best flooring in Madison and we would love to introduce you to our products. We also have some beautiful options for eco friendly flooring in Madison, so when you want your projects to be good for your home and good for the planet, we would love to assist you!


For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI! 


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200



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