Do I Even Need a Rug Pad?

Yes, you do need a rug pad and we’ll list the top reasons why:

• Safety – this is the main reason why a rug pad should be a no brainer when purchasing an area rug. Picture a slip n’ slide. That’s what happens when you have an area rug without a rug pad underneath.

• Floor Protection – simply put, rug pads offer protection from damage that may occur to your floors from the harsh abrasive backside of your area rug. It also helps protect against dents, color transfer and staining.

A rug pad’s job is basic: hold the area rug firmly in place, which will inevitably lead to prolonging its life and beauty.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• A rug pad for hardwood floors should not contain any glues, adhesives, chemicals, plastics, or PVC. These can stain or stick the surface – ruining your floors.

• The more dense and heavier your rug pad, the more protection you will receive from dents, etc.

Natural Felt – A great choice for larger rugs. We recommend a 30oz to 40oz weighted rug pad if you go with the natural felt route. Make sure 100% natural felt is used. Natural Rubber – Perfect for smaller rugs and offer durability, stability, and grip. If thickness is an issue, then rubber pads work the best.

Combination of Rubber and Felt – An excellent choice for both durability and stability. Provides a non-slip grip, while adding cushioning for both large and small rugs.

View our collection of wide plank floors.Wide Plank Flooring Pros

Install time – wide plank floors take up more room per square foot, so naturally it will take less time to fill a room with 7-inch boards as opposed to 3-inch boards. This allows for quicker installation periods, especially when handled by a professional. Budget accommodating – wide plank floors vary greatly in price. Random width flooring is a popular option that falls within most people’s budgets. However, wide plank flooring can become expensive if you want boards that exceed roughly 10-inches. The illusion of more space – wide planks create an illusion that the room you’re in feels larger than it really is. For some, this is a great way to liven up a room. More characteristics – hardwood floors contain natural characteristics. Knots, natural splits, mineral streaks, and other characteristics can be seen easier with wide plank flooring as more of the board is exposed. This is something you cannot get with carpet!

Wide boards have a tendency to shrink and expand simply because they do not have as many seams as narrower boards. This can make it difficult for those who live in environments that fluctuate in temperature often. However, engineered wide plank floors help combat this issue. Engineered wood floors are built to withstand fluctuating temperatures.

Wide plank floors are not as DIY-friendly as you would like. Unless you absolutely know what you’re doing, leave wide plank floor installation to the pros.

As far as “is there such a thing as floors that are too wide?”, well… that’s simply a matter of preference. You can have hardwood floor planks as wide as you can imagine, but price may be your barrier. Also, the wider the floors, the more likely for issues relating to fluctuating internal temperatures.

Truth is, most upscale restaurants have ditched the carpet, curtains, and tablecloths. They have now moved towards hardwood floors, high ceilings, and linen-free tables. Is this the new standard? Not necessarily, it all depends on your restaurant. However, a majority of restaurants could seriously benefit from hardwood floors.

Hardwood flooring comes in many shapes and sizes. There are many modern elegant hardwood floors perfect for the restaurant scene.

Elements of an excellent restaurant hardwood floor:

A subtle perk to hardwood floors in restaurants is the added noise volume. With hardwood floors, restaurants may experience more noise than with other selections – resulting in an environment that encourages patrons to interact more with each other.

Any engineered hardwood floor in our Composer Collection. Why?

Durability – all hardwood floors in our Composer Collection are wired brushed and sand blasted meaning all soft parts of the wood have been brushed away. The only part left is the hard part of the wood!

On top of this all floors in our Composer Collection come with a professional UV cured natural oil finish from Klumpp Coatings® or Osmo oils®. You will not have to worry about heavy foot traffic with either of these professional finishes.

Maintenance – All of our floors in our Composer Collection are easy to maintain.

With spot cleaning and spot re-oiling capabilities, restaurants will never have to suspend its operations for floor maintenance. A regular cleaning and periodic oiling is all that is needed to keep the floor looking brand new.

Slip and Fall Prevention – Floors in our Composer Collection are matte finish, meaning they are not glossy and prone to slip and fall accidents. This is perfect for any patrons who may dawn more formal wear including heels.

Selection Variety – Our Composer Collection also features various designs and colors to select from including light colored options, darker hued floors, filled and unfilled knots, natural splits, mineral streaks, and bowtie inlays. Simply put, there’s a floor that will meet any restaurant’s needs.

The Composer Collection offers both durability and superior craftsmanship resulting in engineered hardwood floors that are perfect for restaurants and will impress patrons.

The Time-tested Traditional

It’s been around forever but painting Easter Eggs is an activity that has stood the test of time. Kits are commonly sold in the local grocery store and directions can be easily followed. We suggest setting up a small area outside to prevent the food coloring from hitting your floors during the process.

To add a little pizzazz, you can even buy a small sticker pack and stick your designs on the Eggs. Children always get a kick out of these. Or you can even buy a small paintbrush and some paint and let their creative side shine. Be sure to compliment them on their designs!

Easter Egg hunts are undoubtedly fun – especially since most families typically use the same eggs that they decorated on their own. However, we want to spice things up.

Glow in the dark.

That’s right! A glow in the dark Easter egg hunt to be performed outside during the night. Here’s what you need: plastic eggs and glow sticks. All you do is break the glow stick, place it into the plastic egg (you may need to tape it shut if it doesn’t budge) and that’s it!

Here’s an idea we doubt you’ve heard of: your child’s own Easter garden. It’s very simple, too. All you need are one type of candy, some lollipops of your choice, and a patch of dirt in your backyard. Jellybeans are perfect.

Have your children plant some jellybeans in the backyard, have them water the patch, and then explain to them how overnight the jellybean will grow into something special. As they are sleeping, place the lollipop of your choice over their planted patches. When morning arrives, let them see the fruits (or candy) of their labor! They’ll be shocked and excited at the same time. Works like a charm.

We hope you enjoy our simple ideas – but most importantly, have a wonderful Easter with your friends and family. If you have an idea of your own, we’d love to hear it!

Finding the right wall color to match your newly placed, beautiful hardwood floors can be a daunting task for many. We understand this, which is why we’re giving you a few interior design tips in order to help you select the best matched wall color for your hardwood floors.

Sometimes you just want something easy that you know will work with anything and guess what – that option does in fact exist. They’re called neutral colors and aren’t meant to make any bold statements – yet still provide an appropriate style that can be appreciated.

Despite what the color or hue of your hardwood floor is, these wall colors are sure to mesh very well:

For those looking to make bold statements with both walls and floors that stand out, then you’ll need to find contrasting colors. The best advice is to find out what undertone your hardwood flooring is (if you don’t know, call your hardwood floor distributor/salesman and they will tell you) and then use a color wheel to find the exact opposite color.

For example, say your hardwood flooring has red orange undertones (i.e. Rochester), then a color such as blue-gray will work very well.

A rule of thumb here is if it’s a warm color, then contrast it with a cool color. Simple enough, no?

Sometimes you want to purposefully place more eyes and attention on your floors over all other décor in the room. Contrasting could work well for this, but we have a better suggestion: selecting a color based on intensity.

What we mean is if say you have dark wood floors and want to maintain attention on the floors, then you’ll want to choose a lighter color such as light gold, pale blue, or peach. It’s not a contrast that would put emphasis on both the floors and the walls. It’s a design technique used to keep your floor center stage.

Pro tip: You should never be afraid to ask for someone’s opinion on a design idea you have as it will help you narrow your choices down by exposing you to different perspectives.