FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Shapes

It seemed like almost everyone had tiles that were linear in shape. Shapes ranged from 1×6 to 18×24 and every size in between. Installation examples were shown of these linear tiles used as a stand alone product as well as accents to standard shaped tiles. Some installation patterns used these linear tiles to create stripe effects. They are stunning! Crossville also introduced a wonderful geometric pattern that really widens the opportunity for design. There were also many tiles that were irregular in shape because they were hand molded.

Sheen

There were introductions of tiles with higher sheen levels than the past couple of years. Mirrored finishes, crystal tiles and polished metals were prevalent. These higher sheens were shown in mosaics and even large format floor tiles. Some of the mosaics were mixed with high polished tiles and unpolished tiles. Finishes like rust and bronze verde took the stage for the patinas.

Shades

There will always be beige/neutral tiles out there because there is a place for them, but this year there were many offerings of gorgeous tiles with high ranges of color. The color shades were rich and warm. The shades were mixed between the field tiles and the listellos and decorative tiles so neutral tiles could be used with bolder accents and vice-versa.

Sizes

Tile sizes ranged from micro mosaics 5/8″x5/8″ to 24″x24″. The interesting thing was to see the mixes of the different sizes. Larger format tiles were mixed with micro and mini sized tiles where in the past we have seen more standard size tiles mixed with smaller sizes that were closer in size to the standard size tiles. The picture to the left is a tile size that doesn’t fit into any size category, but certainly is gorgeous! Emser tile reported that their stacked stone product in 6″x24″ was a popular choice among buyers.

Style

Like hardwood styles, there was something offered for everyone. From rustic natural stone to high polished crystal tiles no design group was left out this year. Look for tiles that are irregularly shaped and formed, bright colors to bold colors to dull, rich and muted colors – something for every style. With the variation in sizes, shapes and colors more design options are possible. Emser tile also reported that the chiseled edge tiles are regaining popularity and are offered at excellent price points and mosaic tiles ares still popular.

For those of you out there that don’t find floor covering fascinating and spend your weekends on Google to learn all you can about floors, here’s a run down of the basics. This information may help you understand about your options and what you need to know when you decide you want new floors.

1. The main categories of flooring are:

Carpet

Vinyl or Resilient Flooring

Hardwood

Laminate

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

Natural Stone

To learn more about these categories and to see different styles see the information outlined on our parent site or just click on the link above.

2. Technology and design styles have had significant influence on flooring. Other than the basics flooring types listed above, there are also styles of cork flooring, bamboo flooring, glass tiles, stainless and other metal tiles, rubber tiles, natural fibers like seagrass and sisal and many others – even paper!

3. Not all floors are acceptable on all foundation types.  For example, most solid hardwood floors cannot be installed on concrete slabs. Be sure to know your foundation type before you start shopping.

4. Flooring is measured and sold either by the square foot or the square yard. Be careful when comparing prices that you are comparing apples to apples. If a hardwood tag says “$4 per SF” and a carpet tag says “$18 per SY” and you don’t see the one letter than distinguishes the two, you might think the hardwood is less expensive than the carpet.

5. Allow a retailer give you an estimate on your room size to determine how much flooring you will need rather than building your budget from your own measurements. For example, if you have a room that is 13′ x 13′ you will need different quantities for different flooring materials. Some items are sold by the box and carpet and vinyl are sold from a roll that could be 12′, 13′6″ or 15′ wide. Since you have to buy items that are sold by the box by the full box (and take the waste factor, pattern match and pattern repeat into consideration) and items sold on a roll by their given width you could need anywhere from 190 SF over 300 SF for a room that actually measures 169 SF.

6. Different floors are made for different lifestyles. For example: You may love hardwood, but if you have large dogs hardwood may not be the best choice for you. If you have dark hair, white bathroom floor tiles might not be the best choice for you.  If you have small children and pets, white carpet may not be the best choice for you.

7.  Keep transitions to other rooms in mind when choosing flooring. Floors have different finish heights and those heights can vary depending on your subfloor. Floors with different finish heights will need to be treated with a transition strip. Transitioning from a (low) vinyl/resilient floor to a 3/4″ solid hardwood floor can be significant. Transition strips are no big deal, if you know in advance to expect them.

8.  Keep resale in mind. Because floors like hardwood, ceramic tile and natural stone are costly and rarely need replacing due to wear, consider how long you are going to live in your home before choosing your floors.  Your favorite color may be blue, but a house full of blue floors may be a turn off to a potential buyer. If you do choose to express your style with a house full of blue floors, be sure that you won’t tire of looking at the same color after a while. However, I am definitely not suggesting choosing all beige floors for resale purposes!

9. It is important to consider maintenance. If you don’t like to clean, there are flooring options with very little maintenance that also stand up to heavy traffic and pets.

10. Floors come in a variety of different styles and that means that they also come with different budgets. Be careful when shopping that you don’t rule out a particular flooring type because of the first priced sample you see. There are some vinyl floors that are as expensive as a hardwood floor and there are prices ranges within each type of flooring that can be as much as $20 per square foot.

The floors in your home are a big decision. They take more wear and tear than most any other item in your home. Other than your walls, your floors consume the majority of the square footage in your home. Choose a floor type based on the fact that you will probably live with it for a very long time!

Zodiaq® Terra Collection is a countertop series with the natural beauty and durability of quartz offered by DuPont. DuPont remains committed to the environment by creating this product that is composed of at least 50% pre-consumer recycled glass. It is easy to care for and has a variety of modern, up to date colors.

The newest colors are: Calm Springs, Warm Taupe, Mossy Green and Moroccan Morning.

Like all DuPont™ Zodiaq® colors, the Terra Collection can help contribute towards U.S. Green Building Council LEED® points for Materials and Resources (MR) Building Reuse, MR Regional Materials, Environmental Quality (EQ) Low Emitting Materials – Adhesives and Sealants.

DuPont™ Zodiaq® is 93% pure quartz crystal, which gives Zodiaq® a natural depth and radiance without the imperfections common in unimproved stone. And because quartz is one of nature’s strongest materials, Zodiaq® is also incredibly durable and resists both heat and scratches. Custom-fit to your exact specifications and virtually maintenance free—Zodiaq® is perfect for your home, naturally.

DuPont was one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals nearly 20 years ago, and since then, they’ve broadened their commitment beyond internal footprint reduction to market-driven targets. They’re excited about the future of sustainable design and hope to be a part of your next sustainable design project. For more information on the sustainability goals of DuPont, please
click here.

 There are many different edge treatment styles when it comes to solid surface countertops (granite, Corian, marble, quartz, etc). These edge treatment styles can give definition and personality to a countertop and the room the countertop is in.

When shopping for solid surface countertops it is important to look at actual samples of countertop edge treatments. It is also important to know that more detailed countertop edges may come with a higher cost and longer lead time.

Some examples of edge treatments are:

• Demi Bullnose
• Full Bullnose
• Eased
• Quarter Round
• Ogee
• Custom Edge

Before making a decision on your countertop, be sure to see the different samples of edge treatments as well as pictures of installations with those treatments to help make the most informed decision possible.

Cabinet hardware is a necessity to protect the finishes of cabinets. It seems that the trend with cabinet hardware is changing more and more from plain round knobs in the corner of the cabinet doors to more eclectic mixes of styles, finishes and placement. Listed below are some options for color choices and placement.

Colors

• Match the finish to the cabinet hinges
• Match the color of the cabinets (i.e. white hardware on white cabinets)
• Match the finish to the appliances in the room (i.e. stainless steel to match kitchen appliances)
• Match or coordinate with the countertop (i.e. granite to match granite countertops)
• Use a finish that blends with other finishes in the room (i.e. satin nickel to blend with stainless steel)
• Do not match any finish and use something decorative and colorful instead (i.e. hand blown glass pieces in irregular shapes and multicolored)

Knobs

• Typically are placed in the corner of cabinet doors and in the center of cabinet drawers
• Place in the center of a cabinet door
• Use on the cabinet doors with pulls on the cabinet drawers
• Use on the cabinet drawers with pulls on the cabinet doors
• Two can be used at each end of larger cabinet drawers for more stability

Pulls

• Typically are installed on the cabinet drawers or cabinet doors and drawers
• Typically installed vertically up the cabinet door
• Install horizontally on the bottom of the cabinet door and horizontally in the middle of the cabinet drawer
• Install diagonally on flat panel cabinet doors
• Install vertically on the cabinet door and horizontally on the cabinet drawer
• Mix with knobs where the knobs are on the cabinet doors and pulls are on the drawers (or vice versa)
• Place in the center of the cabinet door
• Two can be used at each end of larger cabinet drawers for more stability