Flooring

What are carpet tiles?

Carpet tiles are a type of flooring that can be used as an alternative to the more commonly used broadloom carpet. They provide all the warmth and underfoot comfort you’d expect from carpet, but are available in practical module sizes. Carpet tiles come in a selection of sizes, patterns and materials – but all Interface carpet tiles are modular and work together.

The benefits of carpet tiles

They’re sustainable

We’ve been pioneers in sustainability for over a quarter of a century, consistently working towards reducing our environmental impact. We were also the first global flooring manufacturer to make all of the products that we sell carbon neutral.

They’re durable

Manufactured to heavy contract quality, our carpet tiles are tough enough to handle office and public use.

They’re versatile

Individual tiles can be swapped with ease if damaged, or if you simply want a change. They’re easy to mix and match too – so you can be creative and work tile-by-tile. You can even use different installation methods to achieve your chosen look.

They can improve indoor air quality

Some carpet tiles, such as those from our Conscient Collection, improve indoor air quality.

They offer superior acoustics

Certain carpet tile backings provide great sound absorption, so you can design rooms to focus in. We have different backings to suit different projects.

Low total cost of ownership

Together, all of these benefits make carpet tiles excellent value for money.

Advantages of Carpets

Often times hardwoods and tiles are the floorings of choice in many homes. Though these are in fact beautiful, durable, and work well with a wide range of homes and designs. Though hardwood and tile are both wonderful options, carpet is an equally beneficial alternative.

Residential carpets have the ability to bring warmth to rooms that may be colder or that may seem slightly inhospitable. Carpet has the ability to warm up a room by providing comfort and luxury. Carpet is a perfect choice for rooms like the living room where your family congregates and a little extra warmth and comfort are needed.

Carpet is also a great soundproofing and helping to muffle the noise inside a room. This is one reason why carpet is often added in bedrooms of homes. Carpet helps to muffle sounds like things dropping on the floor, footsteps and more. Carpet is a great insulator as well and can help keep your bedroom warm and cozy during long winter months.

Another great benefit of carpet is that it does help to add visual interest to a room. Though hardwood flooring is beautiful and stylish, it often lacks individual personality and really quirky aspects that can help make a room really interesting. You can add full room carpet and add things like patterns, colors, and designs that can help make a room that might be boring and really bring it to life.

With the right carpet, you can find an option that is going to last for years and that is going to be beautiful as long as you have it in your home. Low pile carpets are perfect for those high traffic areas where dirt and grime are common as low pile carpets are often tightly packed and less likely to take in dirt.  Carpet has the ability to brighten and add warmth to a room without giving up any durability.

Carpet has come a long way in the past few decades and the fibers that are used are now more durable, stain resistant, and even comfortable than those used in previous carpets. Carpet is a wonderful addition to any home and with the right carpet, you can enhance your home quickly and easily. Carpet is not the shag of the past that everyone remembers with disgust, it is a wonderful and cozy alternative to hardwoods and tiles that may be added to homes.

There are 5 distinct advantages to installing carpet in commercial buildings.

• Carpet adds beauty and enhances the appearance. This feeling of making the right choice by the client cannot be over stated and taken for granted. When entering the reception area, the first general appearance is office décor, office professionalism and office appearance. What better way to provide the most professional image than beautiful designed carpet floor covering.

• Carpet is a noise reducer. Most companies have open office settings with a large number of people dealing and interacting with each other. Ringing phones and frequent movement of staff within the office environment raises the noise that hinders the efficiency of the staff and becomes an obstacle to proper communication. Carpet offers an excellent solution in tackling the loud sounds in the office and helps to increase productivity.

• Carpet is healthy. When we understand that carpet is the best air filter in the building, we realize the importance of keeping it clean. Carpet is like a kitchen sink, a collector of stuff. Carpet collects air pollutants, dust, allergens and toxins and traps the molecules in its fibers. By regular carpet cleaning we not only keep spots and stains to a minimum, the air is cleaner and staff healthier.

• Carpet is cost effective. Proper carpet cleaning extends the life cycle of carpet. Contracting with a professional and experienced commercial carpet cleaning company who has consistent great outcomes with commercial contracts, allows you to rest assured that your office carpet is being cleaned with the right system and in the right manner. All carpeted areas must be cleaned on a regular scheduled maintenance plan to maintain the highest quality of office appearance.

• Carpet appearance management is easy to maintain. When scheduling the frequency of carpet cleaning, notice must be observed of foot traffic, outside entry ways, type and style of fiber, future plans of the office space and budget allowances. Not all areas need cleaning every month, depending on foot traffic, office carpet cleaning can be broken out in to a monthly, quarterly and annual program. There are professional ways and systems to keep carpet looking good and uniform all the time.

The Disadvantages of Carpet

• May flatten and harden
• There is the possibility of mold grown in areas of high moisture.
• They tend to absorb large spills into the pads underneath.
• They could require professional cleaning
• They have been known to retain odors and bacteria.

Advantages of carpet over hardwood

Advantages of carpet over hardwoodWhile most people prefer hardwood over carpet, there are many who do enjoy the benefits of carpet, especially for the bedrooms.  While 90% of buyers prefer hardwood for the living room/dining room/family room areas, the jury is more split on the bedrooms, generally with 60% preferring hardwood and 40% carpet.

Here are the advantages that carpet provides.

1.  Costs less…initially

Many choose carpeting out of budget constraints.  While they may prefer hardwood, their budget favors carpet.  Carpet is generally less expensive than hardwood…at least initially.  In the long run, as carpet needs to be replaced more often, it will end up costing more to buy carpet, but if you are looking at short-term costs (e.g. either because you only plan to live in the house a short time or that is all that you can afford now), then carpet may be a sensible option.

Please note that the cost of carpet can vary widely based on what carpet you select.  There are some high end wool carpets which can cost even more than hardwood.  Generally, wool carpet will cost more than nylon which in turn will cost more than polyesters/olefins.  Patterned or tone on tone carpets will cost a bit more than solids.

2.  Softer on your feet, good for kids who sit/play on floor

For those that prefer softness, carpet provides a wonderful option.  This can be cushy on your feet for bedrooms, or a great option for kids that may play or crawl on the floor.  Of course dogs and cats love to cuddle up and rest on the carpet, too.

3.  Quieter/reduces noise

Carpet absorbs sound, so it’s quieter.  This reduces sound reflection in the room, muffles the sound of creaking and can even reduce sound transmission to the rooms below (which is why carpet is often required on 80% of the floor space in most Co-ops and rentals.

4.  Pets prefer carpets

hardwood vs carpet – why is hardwood preferredWhile many of us many prefer hardwood flooring, most cats and dogs prefer carpet over hardwood.  It’s just more comfy and makes a fun spot for them to curl up on.  In addition, some dogs slip on the hardwood flooring; there is just more traction with carpet.  Of course some of this can be solved by adding area rugs.

Resincoat HB Epoxy Garage Floor Paint

Resincoat High Build Epoxy Garage Floor Paint is a two-part epoxy resin floor paint designed for garage floors. The original Resincoat formula offers a long-lasting smooth, glossy finish at the highest possible quality. Our best-selling floor formula, this paint offers excellent resistance to heavy foot traffic and vehicles. Ideal for both DIY/home users and industrial users alike, the floor paint can be easily applied with the surface usable again within 24 hours.

Epoxy Garage Floor Paint is the number one choice for floor paint in the UK as it protects and seals whilst offering an attractive, decorative, professional finish. This product is part of the Resincoat High Build Range. Resincoat HB is a heavy-duty, solvent free epoxy floor coating, possessing exceptional abrasion and chemical resistance

Two coats of Resincoat HB Epoxy Garage Floor Paint can provide the equivalent of ten coats of conventional coatings containing solvent or water based epoxy products. Our floor paint is the perfect choice for your garage or car service centre as it is oil tolerant as well as being resistant to any other automotive fluid that would ruin standard paints

Preparation:

Before applying our garage floor paint we advise that you vacuum the area. Old paint finishes should be removed if flaking at all and if well bonded abraded sanded to create texture prior to applying the paint. Preparing the floor mechanically (shot blasting or grinding) is always advisable but if that is not possible our Etch and Clean is a good alternative

Please see below for the best primer for your floor:

• For new concrete floors prime with Resincoat Damp Tolerant Primer

• For dusty or old floors prime with Resincoat Deep Penetrating Primer

• For weak concrete floors prime with Resincoat Stabilising Primer

• For greasy floors with oil residue clean thoroughly scraping off any dust or dirt and prime with Resincoat Oil Tolerant Primer

DECORATIVE EPOXY FLOORING

Decorative flooring is a very broad category that can include just about any floor applied with the goal of improving aesthetics in mind.

For decorative epoxy flooring, coloured quartz floors, flake floors, glitter floors (like the stuff on party hats) or even solid-colour flooring with swirls were once the only ways to jazz things up. These days, decorative epoxy flooring has flourished through the use of metallic pigments and the seemingly unlimited effects they can create. 

Customised and reproducible – while a few companies out there are doing some brilliant decorative epoxy floors, not all of them can deliver something just for you if a designer floor is what you’re after. Likewise, not every company can reproduce their designs either. If a large retail chain wanted the same floor in all of their stores, genuine reproducibility is something they’d need to find.

Designs that work – when choosing a decorative epoxy floor, it helps to know what does and doesn’t work. At the front of the queue are the glossy plain white or black decorative epoxy floors because both have some drawbacks. For white, they’re difficult to do well and keep clean as they show every small defect, speck of dirt, scuff etc.; for black it’s pretty much the same story and they also tend to act like a giant mirror, which makes them unsuitable for change rooms and the like. Both of these finishes can benefit greatly if you add something to “break it up”, whether it’s a semi-gloss finish, textured finish or a hint of metallic pigment

Timing – a trap many fall into with decorative epoxy floors is the timing, especially in a fit out or renovation scenario. It’s tricky stuff organising all the trades within a tight schedule, however installing a decorative epoxy floor too early in the piece can be a big mistake. The movement of heavy equipment, dropped tools and abrasive dust can damage any new floor no matter what it is. If you want a decorative epoxy floor to look its best come opening day, it must be the last piece of the puzzle rather than the first.

TILE VS HARDWOOD VS EPOXY FLOOR COATING

Heard good things about epoxy flooring, but don’t know as much about it as classic tile or hardwood? Choosing the right flooring takes many factors into account, from durability to cost and more. Let’s dive into a comparison of a few popular options: tile, hardwood and epoxy coating.

Tile

Tile is a great option for kitchens and bathrooms. It’s waterproof, scratch-resistant and quite easy to clean. That being said, there are downsides to tile you should know. Tile can break or crack if you drop anything heavy, so you have to be careful handling heavy pots in the kitchen. Additionally, although it’s easy to clean up spills from tile, the grout between tiles gets dirty quick – and the darkened colour can be a hassle to get out.

Hardwood

Hardwood is a classic choice that brings a sleek or elegant look to a room, making it a good choice for living rooms and offices. It can last for decades and be made to look like new if kept in good shape as the years go on. The issue with hardwood is it is easily scratched and damaged by water. Hardwood may look smooth at first, but any dings become eyesores quick.

Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy flooring is an excellent option for sleek, durable, cost-effective floors. Unlike other flooring options, epoxy floors are water-resistant, easy to clean, and not easily chipped or cracked. It is great for garages, as it can support heavy loads like cars or machinery. Epoxy coating is also non-toxic and doesn’t need harsh chemicals to clean.

So, what’s the best overall option?

It all depends on the style you are going for when choosing your flooring – but if you want a sleek, simple design, epoxy flooring is the best overall option. Unlike hardwood, epoxy flooring is water-resistant, which works well for kitchens and bathrooms. And unlike tile flooring, epoxy flooring isn’t quick to crack or break when heavy objects are dropped on it.

How Durable is Epoxy Flooring and Is It Scratch Resistant?

Whether it’s for your home or business, you want flooring that is durable and can stand up to whatever is thrown its way – sometimes literally. Maybe you have a garage floor that you want to keep nice and new looking or you have a showroom at your business where the aesthetics are crucial to keeping your clients interested.

But Is It Scratch Resistant?

One of the most important factors of flooring is knowing whether or not it is resistant to scratches. An epoxy coating will last longer than pretty much any other type of coating and epoxy coating by itself is scratch resistant due to the composition of its ingredients.

How Durable Is It?

Epoxy flooring is one of the most durable applications available. It is resistant to chemicals, stains, cracks, and scratches. Not only that, but it is the perfect choice where heavy equipment is used because along with everything else – it is impact resistant. Imagine being in your garage and dropping a heavy tool on your floor or continuously parking heavy automobiles or equipment on your flooring surface.

The Benefits Are Many

The advantages of choosing epoxy flooring are vast. It is a safer option for your flooring and a greener choice as well. One of the major benefits though is the ease of maintenance. Just water alone will clean it easily and even for major spills, adding a bit of ammonia to the water should suffice.

Last but not least, the price of installing epoxy flooring is extremely competitive when compared to other types of flooring and best of all, it will last for years. If it is taken care of properly, you can expect your flooring to last at least 5 to 10 years, sometimes even more.

Residential Epoxy Flooring

A Full Range Of Grinding And Polishing Expertise

our epoxy flooring experts can assist with your residential epoxy flooring needs. Our epoxy flooring system is different in nature from regular paint jobs, being made up of a two-part system composed of liquid Epoxy Resin combined with a hardener to create an affordable and durable solution for concrete floors of all types. It can be used for commercial and industrial applications, in addition to residential buildings like houses and garages.

Why Epoxy Flooring Is A Great Choice?

Epoxy flooring is a durable sealant and and coating for concrete flooring, made up of a two part liquid resin. When combined, these parts bond to form a very hard plastic film across the surface of the concrete. This epoxy flooring surface protects concrete floors from dust, stains, spills and also provides a safe environment for your family and any other foot traffic.

If you’re looking for flooring that’s resistant to slips, fires, and chemicals, epoxy is a great choice. Epoxy is a suitable floor coating for both old and new concrete floors and are available in a range of colours. Decorative or polyurethane finishes are applied last for an aesthetically pleasing look. One of the great things about epoxy flooring is that it’s usually good to go on the day of application. Within a week, it’s possible to park cars and operate machinery on your epoxy floors.

How to Choose Laminate Flooring: A Buyer’s Guide

Laminate flooring is one of the great developments in home improvement of the past 50 years. It’s inexpensive, durable and prefinished, but best of all, an intermediate DIYer can install it with just a few tools. Most of the various styles are installed by just snapping together the planks-no glue or fasteners required. In fact, the trickiest part is choosing the product! That’s what we’ll tell you about.

Types of laminate flooring: Two Styles of Laminate Flooring

There are two types of laminate flooring. Both come in packages of snap-together planks about 1/4 in. thick. But here’s the difference: Engineered wood is made from layers of real wood glued together with each layer perpendicular to the one below and above it for better stability. The top layer is a high-quality thin layer of hardwood coated with acrylic finish. Plastic laminate, on the other hand, is completely artificial, with a layer of melamine on the bottom, a resin-saturated fiberboard center, and a woodgrain print on the top that’s protected by a layer of clear hard plastic. Engineered wood is for purists who prefer the look of natural wood. But you pay for reality. On average, it’s about double the cost of plastic laminate flooring. Its thin top layer of actual hardwood makes it more susceptible to dents, scratches and staining. But unlike plastic laminate flooring, it can be rejuvenated up to three times with careful sanding and refinishing. Because of that, you can expect it to last longer than plastic laminate—if you locate it away from water-prone and high-wear areas. If you’re planning to sell your house in a few years, consider that buyers may appreciate and pay more for the look of real wood. Plastic laminate is for those who want the look of wood flooring in a place that gets wet or seriously abused. The bulletproof topcoat and plastic internal components make laminate floors extremely durable. They stand up to moisture, pet claws, in-line skates and sand-infested flip-flops much better than engineered wood floors. Manufacturers have come light-years in making the wood-grain print look very realistic. Most people can’t even tell it’s not real wood.

Don’t Forget LV Flooring!

Laminate floors aren’t the only option for durability and ease of installation. Next time you’re at the home center, take a gander at luxury vinyl (LV) flooring. There’s luxury vinyl tile (LVT), which looks like ceramic tile, and luxury vinyl plank (LVP), which mimics wood (shown here). Both types are extremely resilient, about the easiest flooring in the world to install and completely waterproof. Since luxury vinyl is so pliable, it’s a great choice over uneven subfloors.

Don’t Forget the Underlayment

All laminate flooring needs foam underlayment. Don’t skip it. Underlayment prevents the floor from clicking on the subfloor as you walk across it and makes it feel a bit softer. It also makes the planks easier to install because it evens out small inconsistencies in the subfloor. Some underlayment has self-adhesive tape to join one row to the next. Others call for separate tape. Be careful to use whatever is required. Go ahead and buy the special laminate and wood flooring installation tool as well. You’ll need it to pull together flooring ends where each row abuts a wall.

Choose a Finish Based on Lifestyle, Not Just Looks

If you lead a quiet life, choose whatever flooring style appeals to you. But if you have one of those crazy households with kids, pets and lots of visitors, be a bit more careful. Flooring with a varied grain pattern, a low-gloss finish or distressed or hand-scraped patina will look much better, much cleaner, much longer than flooring with a glossy, monolithic grain pattern.

The Complete Buyer’s Guide To Choosing Laminate Flooring

When it comes to choosing laminate flooring, we know that it can feel overwhelming. What style to choose, what colours will look best, do you need underlay and how long it will last are all questions that will be going through your mind when trying to choose the perfect laminate flooring for your home.

What is laminate flooring?

Laminate flooring is a type of floor covering that is made from several layers of material to form a firm and durable type of flooring. It usually has at least 4 layers

A backer layer – this layer provides the stability and support for the flooring and is the base of the laminate flooring

A core layer – this layer helps to prevent dents (which can often occur in real wood floors) and retain the inherent structure of the flooring

A décor layer – this layer shows the style of the laminate flooring, whether it’s a wood effect, tile effect or stone effect

A wear layer – this layer provides the protection for the layers below, helping the flooring avoid being scratched from daily wear and tear

What are the different types of laminate flooring?

Laminate flooring comes in a variety of different types. There are 2 main styles of laminate flooring: plastic laminate and engineered wood laminate. Read more about the differences between laminate and engineered wood.

What are the different finishes for laminate flooring?

With hundreds, if not thousands of different finishes on the market, choosing the look of your laminate can be a daunting task

Laminate Floor Buying Guide

What Is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is a synthetic product made of several layers that are sealed together in the lamination process. Designed to be affordable and durable

laminate flooring consists of four distinct components:

Wear Layer

The wear layer helps resist scratches from daily wear, creates an easy-to-clean surface and maintains a fade- and stain-resistant appearance.

Décor Layer

The décor layer is a printed image that recreates the natural look of wood, tile or stone.

Core Layer

The core layer gives laminate its structure and dent-resistant properties. Laminate flooring is much more resistant to dents than real hardwood flooring.

Backer Layer

The final backer layer provides additional support and stability.

Where Can I Install Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is very durable making it a great choice for high traffic areas, such as living rooms or foyers. But today’s laminate floors aren’t limited to specific rooms. The detail and style make it a visually appealing flooring option. Waterproof materials and installation allow it to be used in kitchens and even bathrooms. Laminate is also a great choice for basements. Just be sure to read the product information on underlayment and installation requirements.

Using Laminate Flooring on Walls

Most laminate floor planks can be applied to interior walls (not ceilings or countertops). Make sure your wall is clean and dry, plumb (vertical) and stable. Follow the product instructions for preparing the substrate. You’ll probably need to prime the wall before installing.

Tips for Choosing Laminate Flooring

I get excited when it’s time for the flooring to go in when I am doing a flip.

That means we are wrapping up the renovating portion and the fun portion begins. The decorating and staging. The flooring is an extremely important design to make.  I consider several factors when choosing the flooring.  I have a “formula” which I use when choosing the other elements, and it’s not unusual for me to install the same products, such as the appliances.  But, I like to choose different flooring for each home.  I will share my process below.

Have you ever heard that saying which started out “I wish I had a dollar for every ( fill in the blank.)”  That’s what I say when it comes to flooring. I wish I had a dollar for every square foot of flooring I have purchased and installed over the years in both our flip homes and our rental homes.  I could retire tomorrow.

Between our own homes we have bought and sold throughout my husband’s Marine Corps career, the rental properties we own and my parent’s rental properties which I manage, and all of the flip homes our family has renovated over the last 25+ years, we have put in thousands of square feet of flooring.  But, each home has a different situation and required different levels of consideration when choosing the type of flooring we installed.  Durability and price are just a few of these considerations.

I will say, of all of the types of flooring we have installed, we have used laminate flooring the most.  When laminate first entered the flooring scene years ago, I have to be honest – I was not a fan. I didn’t like the looks and I hated the way it sounded so hollow when you walked across it.  To me, the earlier laminate flooring looked like someone had photocopied and decoupaged cheap images of wood onto thin planks of wood.  Yuck.

Budget:

Ugh!  I really don’t like that word, do you? ?  But, like any DIY or renovation project, it’s one of the first considerations you must keep in mind.  You wouldn’t think there would be a major difference in total pricing between flooring that cost $1.89/sf and $3.39/sf.  I mean, there’s only a $1.50 difference right?  Until you multiply that by 1000+ sf.  Like any project, you need to break down the costs of the total renovation and decide what percentage you can dedicate to each category.  To a new homeowner, it seems logical that you would spend as little per square footage as possible.  I mean, savings is savings.  Here is where I will a huge and loud NO!  Savings is always a good thing, but not when it comes to the item that will receive the most wear and tear in your home.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that flooring is flooring is flooring. Especially when it comes to laminate.  I would suggest spending a little more and getting a better product that is within your budget’s means.

How to Choose the Best Laminate Floor

Laminate can be a terrific option for buyers looking for design realism and durability at a great value. To help you understand this flooring type a little better — and help you find the best laminate flooring for your home — we’ve answered some of the questions you may have.

What is laminate flooring?

Laminate flooring is one of the most versatile, durable and easy-to-maintain flooring types available. It’s a synthetic flooring that’s made up of several layers and is designed to look like authentic hardwood, stone and other materials. Advanced design innovations allow for highly realistic visuals in a wide variety of styles and colours.

Is laminate flooring durable?

Very. Multi-layer construction makes laminate highly resistant to wear, stains, and heavy traffic — making it very popular with people who have kids, pets and otherwise active homes. At Armstrong Flooring, our laminate is available in a range of performance levels, including some that are rated for commercial use.

How is laminate flooring constructed?

Each layer in the laminate flooring structure serves a distinct purpose, but they all work together to make it reliably durable. What the layers are called and the exact specifications for each layer may differ depending on the manufacturer and the product

but here’s what you’ll find in Armstrong Flooring’s laminate flooring products:

Wear Layer – VisionGuard® is a clear, hardened melamine layer that protects the floor from spills, stains and fading and resists scuffs and scratches. Many of our high-quality laminate flooring products actually have Commercial VisionGuard®, which has a higher abrasion test rating and provides ultimate protection.

Design Layer – A photographic image displays highly realistic visuals of hardwood or natural stone.

Inner Core – HydraCore™ is our moisture-resistant HDF (high density fiberboard) that provides the flooring with stability, durability and moisture resistance. Our highest quality laminate flooring products feature HydraCore™ Plus, which further adds a more substantial feel and optimum sound absorption.

Backing – This balancing layer reduces warping.