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Posts Tagged ‘Wood Floors’

May
20



Below are some of the reasons why natural stone carpets are the home flooring choice of more and more people today.

Home Flooring Made Easy To Clean

Due to their water tight structure, they are very low maintenance and easy to clean. We are all aware of the tedious vacuum cleaning and washing of carpets, polishing of wood floors and scrubbing stubborn staining off tiles. Unlike those, stone carpets can be quickly vacuumed and washed down with a moist cloth and typical spillages like coffee and wine will not leave lasting stains. There is no need of time-consuming polishing; they always look their best with no extra effort. Dust and dirt are vacuumed away effortlessly. Cleaning your stone carpet is therefore simple and effective. Natural stone carpet flooring is so practical that it can be used for any room of the home – in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, halls and conservatories, saving you oodles of cleaning time and effort.

Home Flooring Durability & Safety

Using the finest quality natural stones, natural stone carpets are highly durable. They don’t chip, scratch or mark easily which makes them children & pet friendly. Their non-slip covering makes them the ideal choice of flooring for families with children and older adults.

Are Natural Stone Carpets too cold for home flooring?

Contrary to the common opinion, natural stone flooring is not a cold surface at all. In fact it is much warmer flooring alternative to conventional tiles and wood. Porous by design, natural stone carpets retain heat and provide a comfortable warm feel to the home. Epoxy resin, the adhesive used, takes on the ambient temperature so that your stone floor doesn’t feel as cold as wood or tiles. Actually, stone carpets have the same heat retention as a timber floor. Under floor heating is therefore unnecessary.

Multiple Decorative Options for Your Home Flooring

Natural stone carpets are made of high quality solvent-free epoxy resins and various types of gravel and quartz.  By mixing the types of gravel and/or quartz, and even laying these in a pleasing decorative pattern, a stone carpet can be created to match any taste and preferences and respond to the rest of your home look and feel. Seamless when laid, natural stone carpets fit neatly around the contours of your floor and can be laid over tiles and other coverings. Typically a selection of stones and colour variations are chosen to create an impressive finish, which blends in with your surrounding interiors. You have a vast choice of colour and stone combinations in order to achieve the perfect interior experience. Usually samples are provided before laying each floor to make sure the look is absolutely right!

Home Flooring Choice & Health Implications

There is always some mold and dust everywhere – in the air and on many surfaces. Mold grows where there is moisture and dust access pretty much everything surrounding our daily life.

Some people are sensitive to molds and/or dust. Sometimes molds or dust can cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing or wheezing, eye irritation, or, in some cases, skin irritation. People who have developed allergies may have more severe reactions. These people should stay away from areas that are likely to retain mold and dust, such as compost piles, cut grass, wooded areas, books, carpets or any surface & surface that is likely to gather dust and mold in excessive amount.

Due to its composition, natural stone carpet is a very suitable solution for your home if you need to keep the dust and mold levels to a bare minimum. If there are children and adults with asthma and other debilitating dust allergies in your household you need to consider a dust/mold free agent as a home flooring solution.

Your Home Flooring Value & Price

Pricewise it may come as a surprise that a natural stone carpet usually comes cheaper comparing to many wood and tile finishes. Adding their long life span, durability and easy maintenance increase their value in money, care and time for redecorating.

A natural stone carpet has the advantages of a carpet – comfort and warmth: the advantages of wood – a natural look; and the advantages of tiles – it is easy to clean. A natural stone carpet is a perfect solution for people who find synthetic floor coverings too vulnerable and tiles too hard and cold.

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Jan
25
Pet Allergies


Are you allergic to your pet? Studies show that approximately 15% of us are allergic to dogs or cats. In fact, there’s an estimated 1/3 of Americans who live with a pet that we are allergic to. So strong is the bond to our furry family members that we’d rather suffer than be without them.

So what can we do to ease our suffering and keep our pet’s companionship? There are several steps we can take to reduce these allergy symptoms if you’re willing to do them. One is to use a HEPA air filtration system in your home. This can run into some money but worth it if you truly suffer from allergies.

Cleaning your home frequently to remove dust and dander helps reduce the allergens. Having tile or wood floors helps in not holding onto dust and dander like carpet does. Cleaning goes for our pets’ things as well including their pet beds, dog carriers, cat carriers, any bolsters in dog crates, their toys if they are washable, etc.

Using a “microfilter” bag in your vacuum cleaner so you actually catch the dust and dander when you vacuum helps.

So now the house, pet items and fixtures are clean, but what about bathing your pet weekly. Not as easy if you have a cat but even cats can get used to being bathed if you start early. Bathing your pet weekly can reduce the level of allergens in their fur by as much as 84%. Allergens are present in their fur because the glands in their skin secrete tiny allergy-triggering proteins, called allergens. These are present in their fur, saliva, urine and also float in the air. People vary in their level of reaction to these allergens.

Creating a place in your home where your pets aren’t allowed entry is another thing you can do to help reduce your pet allergy symptoms. Your bedroom is a good choice as there are impermeable mattress covers available to reduce allergies even further.

For the true sufferers of animal allergies who are unwilling to give up their pet, you can go to an allergist and get shots. These immunotherapy shots work by desensitizing your immune system to the pet allergens. This is a gradual process.

If you don’t have a pet and are considering getting one, be sure you know if you’re allergic first. If you are and are willing to do what it takes to keep your pet, more power to you. However, if you are allergic and unsure about living with the difficulties that may bring, it’s best not to get one.



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