FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

On a recent trip to Las Vegas I snapped some photos of the floors in the Wynn hotel and The Venetian hotel. Enjoy the beautiful tile work!

Gerflor, a global leader in the design and manufacture of vinyl resilient floor coverings, today announced the use of its Taralay Premium Compact collection in a major music television network building in Los Angeles, California. Taralay is ideal for high traffic areas and is treated with the patented floor treatments Sanosol® (an antimicrobial solution) and Protecsol® (a “no-polish-for-life” solution). Available with optional acoustic closed cell backings that provide ergonomic relief and comfort underfoot, Taralay also provides excellent sound absorption.

“Shimoda Design Group is pleased to specify Gerflor flooring on this project,” says Shimoda Project Designer, Sue Chang. “When Shimoda Design Group considered floor coverings for the staff café, Gerflor’s diverse product designs and superior performance qualities were major benefits to our client. Gerflor flooring solutions are easy to clean and reduce noise to provide a welcoming, clean environment for employees.” (more…)

How important is it to clean your hardwood floors with the proper cleaning agent? I assumed that every flooring salesperson made this information abundantly clear at the point of sale, that every client listened and followed their instructions diligently. Then I got my reality check – on the Internet. After a little web surfing on how to clean hardwood floors I found discussion after discussion that proved my fear that countless hardwood flooring crimes were being committed. At first, I thought, “How could people do this?!?” Then, I came to terms with a few simple realities.

Take this True/False quiz to test your knowledge. I’ll bet you are not alone. Below are the answers and my theories on why these are common misconceptions.

1. I should mop my hardwood floors at least once or twice a week regardless if I have spills or scuffs with a liquid cleaner.

Answer: False. One of the main benefits of hardwood flooring is that they are low maintenance floors that require only a little more maintenance than sweeping on a regular basis to remove dirt. Cleaners are only needed when cleaning spills, removing scuff marks or major cleanings like spring cleaning. Cleaners should be applied with a terry cloth head mop rather than a sponge mop because you don’t want too much liquid applied directly to your floors. Too much liquid can cause your floors to expand and crack. You can and should, however vacuum your floors daily with a vacuum without a beater bar to remove dirt that can scratch your floors. Use a vacuum attachment to access those hard to reach areas. (more…)

PacifiCrest is a manufacturer of commercial carpets located in Irvine, California, a subsidiary of Royalty Carpet Mills. PacifiCrest has demonstrated outstanding environmental performance in carpet manufacturing for over 20 years.

HOW DO THEY CONTRIBUTE? 

PacifiCrest carpets are sustainable, recyclable and available with a backing option called E-Lok BioBack. Their carpet face weight contains up to 90% post industrial recycled content and their backing compositions contain: (more…)

Another Green Build Expo find: YOLO Colorhouse is a Portland, Oregon based paint company developed by 2 female artists (Virginia Young and Janie Lowe self titled Co-Founders/Head Color Nerds) that has stood for premium, environmentally responsible paint products with a user friendly color pallete since 2000. Their paint is Green Seal Certified. Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that sets standards for environmentally responsible products that is based on VOC content, (Volatile Organic Compound) the absence of chemicals, durability, performance and manufacturing processes. Green Seal Certification automatically qualifies YOLO Colorhouse for LEED certified projects. (more…)