h-tech-flooring

The Pros and Cons of Epoxy Flooring in Homes

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 00:59:28 GMT

Epoxy flooring can work great in a residential setting as well

If you’re on the market for new flooring for your home, you’ve likely found yourself overwhelmed with choices. Between hardwood floors, tiles, and composite materials, you just can’t make up your mind as the cost-benefit analysis has you running in circles.

We’d like to recommend another option that is often overlooked in the residential setting: Epoxy flooring. Though widely used in commercial settings where durability is everything, epoxy flooring can also be a great choice for homeowners, especially in garages, kitchens, and bathrooms. However, just like with all other flooring choices, epoxy flooring has its own advantages and disadvantages. In the interest of helping you make an informed decision, let’s take a look at the pros and cons for epoxy flooring.

PRO: It looks great

This is often the deciding factor for many homeowners. Epoxy flooring looks stunning . It’s remarkably smooth and even and has an incredible luster to it that makes rooms look neat and professional. It’s also extremely customizable, which means that you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a style that matches your home’s aesthetic. It’s also very easy to keep clean which means that it’s a shine that lasts.

CON: It can get slippery

Epoxy is a non-porous material that does not absorb any water. This means that it has the potential to be extremely slippery when wet . While it’s not usually too much for adults to handle, young children and elderly individuals might find themselves at risk of injury. This is a factor that you should definitely consider before committing to an epoxy floor. Admixtures can texturize the surface, mitigating this negative unless the mirror-smooth finish is what you’re looking for..

PRO: It’s budget friendly

If you’re looking to redo your floors and you’re on a tight budget, epoxy flooring might just be the right choice for you. Epoxy costs a good deal less than other types of flooring per square foot, so it’s definitely an economical option. A great looking floor at a great price is certainly worth considering.

CON: It takes forever

We won’t mince words here: epoxy flooring is a bit of a time commitment . Even before installation, epoxy flooring takes a great deal of preparation. The existing flooring must be grinded down and completely free of dust, oil, and grime of any kind. Humidity must be closely monitored as well because a high-humidity environment can prevent the epoxy from settling properly. And man, is this stuff stinky when it’s first laid down. Even low-VOC epoxy has a distinct scent to it that most people find offensive. This odor will of course dissipate with time, but it is pretty unpleasant at first. Once the installation is complete, the epoxy will take up to a week to fully cure, which can present an inconvenience to homeowners.

PRO: It’s super durable

Epoxy flooring is especially popular in commercial settings because the stuff can really take a beating. Epoxy is an incredibly durable material , which makes it perfect for places like a garage or home gym where great stress is likely to be placed on the flooring. If you install epoxy flooring, you won’t really have to worry about it for a good amount of time.

CON: It’s hard to remove

We suppose this is a good thing. If you opt for epoxy flooring you’re gonna be stuck with it for a while. Removal requires the entire surface to be grinded down and thoroughly cleaned. Extra attention must be paid to not damage the flooring materials underneath. Removing an epoxy floor is an arduous task that will require a professional crew and may take just as long to remove as it did to install it in the first place.

The trade-off

Epoxy flooring is an attractive and durable material to use as flooring. Many people love it for its low maintenance beauty and budget friendliness, but might be turned off by how long the process takes. Overall, we feel like the finished product is more than enough to justify the time commitment, but in the end, that’s for you to decide. Please give us a call if you think this might be the right choice for you!

5 Benefits of Polishing Your Concrete Floors

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 19:12:31 GMT

Polishing Your Concrete Floors May Be the Best Solution

You might be having trouble deciding what you want to do with the floors in your new commercial space, office, or home. After all, there are so many choices out there each with their own list of pros and cons and not a lot of direction available to you. You might not have the budget to have your floors completely redone, or maybe you kind of like the way that the exposed unfinished floors look right now. We’d like to suggest that maybe you don’t need to completely redo your floors and maybe polishing the concrete is exactly the solution you’ve been looking for.

Let’s take a look at our top five benefits of polished concrete floors.

1. Elimination of dust

One of the biggest challenges in properly maintaining your floors is that they always seem to get dusty. One of the main reasons behind this dustiness is efflorescence, or the process through which tiny particles of concrete are pushed to the surface through hydrostatic pressure. This efflorescence can make epoxies and other sealants ineffective, but polishing your concrete floors almost entirely eliminates efflorescence so that your floors will always be dust-free and looking their best.

2. Stain Resistance

One of the big issues with many different types of flooring, including unfinished concrete, is that the surface is porous, meaning that spilled liquids, or moisture brought in on the bottom of people’s shoes will begin to seep into the floor, causing major maintenance issues down the line. Trapped moisture can lead to cracks in the flooring and even mold infestations, which are both unsightly and potentially hazardous to your health. Polishing your concrete floors eliminates this problem by effectively sealing the surface and making it much more difficult for moisture to enter.

3. Budget Friendly

In case you weren’t aware, having flooring installed isn’t the cheapest project around. Having tiling installed in an office can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is a large expense for even the most established business to shoulder. Polished concrete floors, on the other hand, are far more budget efficient as there is no cost of material involved. Even beyond the initial price tag, maintenance costs remain low forever. This means that you can get floors that look amazing for far less than other types of flooring with minimal maintenance expenses, saving you a lot of money in the long run.

4. Durability and Longevity

There’s a reason why concrete has remained such a crucial construction material over the years: The stuff really lasts! While linoleum flooring, tiles, and even hardwood floors will eventually need to be replaced, concrete flooring isn’t going anywhere anytime soon . Once it has been polished, concrete flooring will last until the building falls. Drop something heavy on it? Just buff out any scratches. Your office floods? The polished concrete will remain unharmed. If you are looking for flooring that is meant to last, you won’t find any better options than a polished concrete floor.

5. It Looks Great!

Polished concrete might be a tough sell if it were hideous, but quite the opposite is true! Polished concrete retains a beautiful reflective luster that lasts. It reflects ambient light in just such a way that rooms seem larger and more open. In an office space where you greet clients, a polished concrete floor looks clean, crisp, professional, and perhaps most importantly, unpretentious. It’s a classic look that will wow anyone who’s lucky enough to step through your doors.

Do you think that polished concrete floors might be perfect for your business, or are you perhaps looking for something different? Whatever the case may be, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Put our experience to work for you and let’s get your commercial space looking its best!

What Type of Flooring is Best for My Home?

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 18:20:43 GMT

There Are Many Flooring Options Available

This is a question that we get asked a lot, and our best answer is: It depends on what you’re looking for. Yeah, we know, it’s not the cut and dry answer you might have wanted, but we promise that taking some time to think about the peculiarities of your home and its individual rooms will yield a much more satisfying result when it comes time to actually install your flooring.

There are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account when you’re deciding what kind of flooring to install in your home, so let’s take some time to break down your options by looking at flooring choices by answering three different questions:

1. What is your budget?

When it comes time to refloor your home, perhaps the most important question you need to ask is, “how much money am I willing to spend on this project?” Remember, you want your house to look great, but be responsible in your finances to avoid headaches down the road.

The first budgetary factor to consider is the amount of preparation that will be required to start the reflooring process. Ripping up carpet or tiles and hauling waste are going to drive up the cost of labor, so remember to factor this into your budget.

From there, you should start to think about what kind of material is in your price range. Generally speaking, the most affordable options are going to be laminate and LVP flooring . These materials are a great option for folks looking to save some money but still receive a quality product.

Floor Prices Can Vary Greatly

Hardwood floors are probably the best looking option, but the price will vary depending on the type of wood used. You can think of hardwood floors as generally being in the mid-price range, but with the caveat that premium woods such as mahogany and cherry are going to carry a hefty price tag.

Tile floors are the most expensive type of flooring both in terms of material and labor costs, which is one of the reasons you usually only see them in smaller rooms such as bathrooms.

Be honest with yourself about what you can afford and move on to your next consideration which is…

2. What are my aesthetic considerations?

You want your home to look amazing, so the next factor to consider is the look you’re going for.

For our two cents, nothing really comes close to the timeless look of hardwood floors . Given the versatility of colors available in different types of wood and the personality of planks with their own unique grains, hardwood floors are the most aesthetically pleasing choice to be had.

To be clear, more affordable options like laminate and LVP flooring are extremely customizable and look great when properly installed, but if you can swing the budget for hardwood flooring, it is definitely worth it. Hardwood flooring also plays into our next question to consider, which is…

3. What is the utility of the room to be refloored?

The question of utility is too often overlooked when it comes to choosing flooring. Budget and aesthetics are extremely important, but you want to be sure that you are choosing the right type of flooring for each room in your home.

For example, hardwood flooring is extremely durable and long lasting even in high traffic areas in your home, but might not be the right choice for rooms that are used for heavy equipment such as home gyms or workshops. In rooms where there is the potential for heavy items to be dropped, a material like epoxy flooring or polished concrete will be able to withstand far more punishment.

It's Important to Remember How the Room is Used

High traffic areas where you often entertain guests will benefit from the attractiveness and durability of hardwood flooring, while rooms that are likely to change quite a bit over the years like nurseries might be better suited for laminate or LVP flooring that can be more easily replaced.

Once you’ve thought about your wallet and your style, think about what the rooms in your house are actually used for to get a better picture of the type of material you should choose.

We hope that these three questions have provided you with a good starting point when considering the type of flooring that’s best for your home. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners just like you and are happy to help you take the next step!

Are Hardwood Floors Your Best Choice?

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Modernize Your Home With Hardwood Floors

A lot of homeowners find themselves agonizing over choosing their next home improvement project. It’s understandable; there always seems to be something to do, so the choices can be paralyzing. That’s why we’re here to help. If you’re looking for a great idea for a home improvement project, the answer is right under your feet! It’s time to say goodbye to those old carpeted floors and beautify your home with crisp and modern hardwood floors.

In case you need some convincing, let’s talk about the five best reasons to choose hardwood flooring.

1. Make Your Home Beautiful

First and foremost, hardwood floors look amazing . They have a luster and shine to them that makes rooms feel bigger and breezier, and with the vast variety of different types of wood to choose from your floor can be a deep mahogany or a complex ochre. Compare that to the drab off-white of a carpet that quickly fades and becomes discolored with use, and hardwood floors are the clear winners in terms of aesthetic appeal.

Hardwood floors also pair well with any interior design scheme and quite literally never go out of style. The same can’t be said for carpeting which severely limits aesthetic expression in terms of furniture and interior paint.

3. Improves indoor air quality

Carpeting might be soft on your feet, but the fact of the matter is that the densely-bound fibers trap dirt, grime, allergens, mold, mildew, dust, and other stuff you don’t want to be breathing under any circumstances. When you walk on your carpets or vacuum, you are essentially kicking all of these nasty particles out into the air that you breathe.

On the other hand, hardwood floors have a sealed surface that leaves allergens and dust with nowhere to hide. If you are looking to improve your indoor air quality , hardwood flooring is the only way to go.

4. Durability

There’s a reason why wood has been used for flooring for centuries: the stuff lasts! Unlike linoleum tiles that chip at the corners and can crack under stress, hardwood flooring is tough enough to withstand high volumes of foot traffic and flexible enough to deal with weight. With proper cleaning and maintenance, wood flooring is extremely durable . Given the proper care, hardwood flooring will last 20-30 years before needing to be refinished, and even then it can be sanded down and refinished several times before it needs to be replaced.

5. Increase your home’s value

In addition to the previously mentioned reasons why hardwood flooring is the superior choice, the simple truth is that carpeting is increasingly unpopular among prospective home buyers. When your house is on the market and people see carpeting, they see another thing that will need to be fixed before they buy your home. In this way, not only does hardwood flooring make your home more attractive to buyers, it also increases your home’s value on the market.

If you’ve got questions about the benefits of hardwood flooring and would like to learn more about how it can change your home for the better, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We’ve helped countless people make the transition from carpeting, and are glad to answer any questions you might have along the way.