Tag Archives: Floors

Create a Visually Appealing Interior Design With Solid Hardwood Flooring

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One of the fundamental parts of any well-designed interior is the flooring that is used within the entire household. A plain, drab floor will look unappealing and will not do much to complement the overall interior design scheme the home-owner wishes to establish. Solid hardwood flooring can help to solve this issue through its ability to transmit an attractive visual aesthetic of traditional class and elegance, while still retaining all of the inherent quality and benefits associated with most wooden flooring types.

Some of the additional benefits provided by a wood-based floor include strong resistance to interior leaking (provided that a proper varnish, sealant, or stain is applied to the wood’s surface), high durability, and a well-loved visual appeal. These floors are typically installed as a joint-effort that is organized by a team of highly-skilled individuals hired from a particular flooring company. The project can also be completed as a DIY effort, but in order to successfully accomplish this it is important to have the necessary skills associated with flooring and basic carpentry.

Keep in mind that the price for a floor installation of this type will vary widely depending on factors such as the specific wood type that is used, the size of the area where the flooring will be installed, and the length of time required to properly complete the project. For these reasons, make sure that the price of the solid hardwood flooring you choose is reasonable and within your means.

In conclusion, the installation of wood-based flooring is a great way to revamp your current interior design scheme by providing it with a touch of classical beauty. Wooden floors work well with wood-based pieces of furniture, as well as an overall traditional theme. However, you will likely find that this type of flooring will blend well into modern or contemporary design schemes as well.

Best Ways To Maintain The Beauty Of Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floors

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Nowadays Brazilian Cherry flooring is the most popular among all floors. Its strength and durability is amazing and its brownish-red color brings out the beauty in your Sweet home or Corporate Office. This is actually stronger compared to traditional hardwood flooring. It is harder to cut than traditional hardwood flooring, but that is only evidence of its strength.

When it comes to natural beauty and richness, it is hard to beat the look and warmth of real Brazilian cherry flooring. Like most floor covering products, hardwood has changed dramatically over the last few years. Never out of fashion, wood Floors can add real value to the home. With proper maintenance, these can last a lifetime! This can make the price over the life of the product very economical. Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring is one of the densest and most durable options of hardwood Flooring available. However, it takes proper maintenance to sustain the beauty of the wood and guard against damage and aging. Servicing your Brazilian cherry floor will enable you to give it the longest lifespan possible. It is a great idea to have hardwood flooring in your house as it imparts an elegant look. But, getting a hardwood floor installed is not all; it is equally important to maintain it. Here are a few cleaning tips for prefinished hardwood flooring that can be easily followed. Here we are going to share best ways to do that. The first tip is to place rugs and floor guards on the entire surface. These can reduce the possibility of damaging your floors. Floor guards are a good contribution to the protection of your floors from scratching. Rugs, on the other hand, provide a way to prevent the collection of dust and dirt. These two things are simple ways that can help you maintain the smoothness and glossy look of your floor.

Keeping your Brazilian Cherry hardwood floor clean at all times is always the best prevention against dust and damages. wood flooring is extremely easy to maintain, use solutions that are natural and avoid harmful chemicals. A product as simple as a Swiffer mop and vinegar and water works well.

For minor damages, a magic marker that matches the floor can be used for scratches. Just put a line directly on the scratch and use your finger to blend it in. You will be surprised how well this little trick works.

These are some of the best ways you must do to maintain your hardwood flooring. Just a little effort will help in keeping your floors looking great for years and years.

Rubber Stable Floor

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The most common type of stable floor is concrete. However, many stable owners are covering their concrete floors with rubber, which offers a number of advantages:

  • Yielding. A concrete floor is very hard and can cause various types of injuries. For example, when getting up from a prone position, a horse can scrape skin off against the concrete. Also, if the bedding is thin, walking on the hard concrete can stress joints, potentially injure feed, or cause sore points where the horse lies down to rest or sleep. A rubber surface provides a softer and more yielding surface, which minimizes the rick of such injuries.
  • Warmth. Rubber is naturally insulating, which is more comfortable and healthier for horses, especially in winter.
  • Traction. Concrete and wooden floors can be slippery when wet; rubber provide better traction and thereby reduces the risk of injury to horses.
  • Bedding. Rubber performs some of the functions of bedding (e.g. insulation, traction, shock absorption, softer surface), reducing the amount of bedding required. Stable owners, on average, report that they require only half as much bedding with a rubber stable floor as with concrete floors. This results in a considerable saving in bedding, labour and storage costs. 

There are two solutions for providing a rubber stable floor. One is rubber stall mats which one lays on top of an existing floor (e.g. on top of a concrete floor) and join together to form a rubber floor. The other solution consists of liquid rubber which is poured onto the concrete floor and then allowed to harden (this takes one or two days) to form a single rubber surface which covers the entire floor. The term ‘liquid rubber’ refers to the fact that the rubber is in liquid form when it is initially put onto the stable floor, but it then forms a solid rubber floor. Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages.

Stall Mats versus Liquid Rubber Flooring

The main disadvantage of stall mats is that urine can run underneath them. This occurs at the seams where the mats join (one normally uses multiple mats to cover a stable floor) and also at the gaps between the mats and the walls. This urine builds up under the mats, releasing odours and harmful ammonia. Although one can partly compensate for this by periodically lifting the mats and cleaning under them, this takes a certain amount of time and is not easy (rubber stall mats are heavy).

With liquid rubber, the floor is in a single piece and joins with the wall (in fact, one would normally apply the rubber onto the wall as well for a height of at least several centimeters). Consequently, there are no seams or joins which would allow the urine to enter. Furthermore, the rubber bonds with the concrete floor, so there is no space for urine or dirt underneath the rubber. This is a major advantage over stall mats, as it is not only healthier but also there is no need to periodically clean underneath it.

An important advantage of stall mats is that they are not fixed to the floor, as they rely on their weight to hold them in place. Therefore, one can remove them and use them elsewhere. This makes them convenient if you are just renting a stall for a period of time. One would not want to use liquid rubber in a temporary stall as it bonds to the concrete floor and cannot be removed or reused. Another consideration is that rubber stall mats tend to be less expensive than liquid rubber.

Consequently, liquid rubber is a superior solution for a permanent stall, while stall mats are more appropriate for short to medium term installations.

Installation

Rubber mats are simply laid on top of a hard surface (e.g. concrete stable floor). They may or may not be interlocking. With lower quality mats, one may need to fasten the corners to stop them curling up.

With liquid rubber, there are three components. The first is the liquid rubber itself, the second is a chemical ‘hardening’ powder and the third is rubber granules (chunks of rubber). The hardening powder is mixed with the liquid rubber to cause the rubber to harden into a solid. The granules are mixed in so that the resulting floor is rough rather than smooth (a completely smooth floor would have poor traction when wet). One mixes the three components together, spread the resulting mixture on the floor, smooth it (e.g. with a trowel) and then wait for it to harden.

One can either hire a professional to lay a liquid rubber floor or do it oneself. If doing it yourself, some key points to remember:

  • Thoroughly clean concrete floor. The liquid rubber is normally placed on top of a concrete floor. It is absolutely critical that this floor is completely clean; failure to do this is the most common cause of poor performance. One should use a water pressure jet sprayer to clean the floor of all dirt, dust and so on; then remove all the water; then clean it again. If the floor is not absolutely clean, the rubber may not properly bond to it and subsequently lift.
  • Thickness. The thicker the rubber is, the stronger and more durable it is. For horses, a minimum thickness of 1.2cm is recommended as thinner layers are not only less strong but also have a tendency to ‘bubble’. As a guide, for elephants and rhinos, zoos use a thickness of at least 2.5cm. Personally, I would suggest a thickness of 2.0cm if you can afford it.
  • Two people. It is useful to have a 2-person team for this task, so that one person can mix and the other person focus on pouring and smoothing the mixture. This task is somewhat similar to working with self-leveling concrete, so if you know someone who works in the building trade and has experience with producing smooth concrete floors, they may be a good person to ask.
  • Quality. Make sure that you purchase a high-quality product. In particular check that the rubber is ‘non-porous’ as porous rubber will allow urine to enter the rubber.
  • No second chances. The liquid rubber forms a very strong bond with the concrete floor and is extremely difficult to remove, to the point that removal may cause significant damage to the underlying concrete. Furthermore, the product is expensive, so from an economic perspective one does not want to have to redo it. Consequently, it is important that you carefully read and follow the instructions, with particular attention to the points above.

Financial Considerations

The price of rubber mats is about $20 to $40 per square meter (depending on quality, thickness and other considerations) and the price of a liquid rubber floor is about $30 to $60 (depending on thickness and whether you use a professional to install it).

Against this cost, there are a number of advantages in terms of horse comfort and horse safety (see top of this page). In addition, most people find that they can use less bedding as the rubber provides much of the bedding function (e.g. insulation, shock absorption). On average, users report a 50% reduction in bedding with a rubber floor as opposed to a concrete floor. The resulting saving in bedding, plus the associated savings in labour and storage, will over time pay for the cost of the rubber floor. Consequently, a rubber floor is not only better for your horse, but it is also economic over the longer term. The time it takes for the rubber floor to pay for itself will of course depend on your local costs for bedding and labour, as well as the percentage reduction in amount of bedding required.