Month: August 2013

Radiant Floor Heating: Shiver No More

Isn’t it rather annoying when after a warm and invigorating bath; you step out of the tub and feel the stabbing cold of the floor crawling up your body through your feet? Or how about when you wake up one winter morning cozy and warm in your bed and get an unpleasant awakening when you step on the freezing tiles? Stop getting pestered by cold tiles; get yourself a floor heating system.

With radiant floor heating, you can walk comfortably at home even in extremely cold conditions. This is a good system to have in partnership with your room heater to ensure maximum comfort. The way that floor heaters work is that very thin electric wires are run through underneath the floor tiles. The wires are ultra-thin causing only a miniscule 3/16th of an inch of elevation. If you are wondering whether the system is safe to use in areas that get wet such as the bathroom or the kitchen; the answer is yes. The floor heating system uses insulated electric wires that are connected to a standalone circuit breaker to make sure that the system works well and safely even when wet.

If you plan on installing radiant floor heating though, make sure that you have tile floors that use materials like granite, marble, slate, cement or something similar because the heating system is not recommended for wooden floors or carpets. Floor heaters are available online and are safe and easy to install yourself.

Cushion Public Seating with Long-Lasting Foam

Public seating requires more resilience than virtually any other comfort industry product. Seating like restaurant booths, bar seating, and pews in churches are used and abused constantly, but still expected to last for years.

While the covering fabrics on seats take the initial hit of abuse, the seat padding on the inside is what affects usability and ultimately determines when a seat is beyond use. If a seat looks a little worn but still feels great, people will forget as soon as they sit down, and life proceeds as normal. But if a barstool or restaurant booth have padding that’s worn out and uncomfortable, the nicest upholstery won’t matter; nobody will want to sit on them. Because of this, it’s important to get durable, top-quality seat cushioning materials when outfitting public seating.

When brand-new, every foam product will feel comfortable and durable, whether it was made to be soft or firm. But quality of foam varies formulation to formulation, with some materials made to last, and others that are more affordable and made for occasional-use situations. For commercial and public seating, bonded foam is built to last, formed from shredded foam and held together with adhesive. This foam is very firm and durable, making it perfect for use as carpet padding. But it really shines as padding under vinyl-covered seats in bars and restaurants, as it will support customers while lasting for years.

Another set of options for maximum durability are the softer closed-cell foams, like certain styles of gym rubber. These materials typically lack the cushion of open-cell foam, but still provide a degree of softness while offering superior durability. These materials are perfect for heavy-use bar stools, where any padding is a better option over hard wood. Whether open or closed-cell foam is used, high-quality and durable padding for commercial and public seating is an investment is worth its while over years of use.

The Good, the Ugly about Bamboo Flooring

Many people think that bamboo flooring is the best option when it comes to hardwood floors.  While it is versatile and durable, there are some unknowns when it comes to bamboo flooring.

However, because of the fact that bamboo flooring has become such a popular option in the United States, numerous distributors have very strict guidelines when it comes to selling bamboo floor wholesale.  Many of these guidelines require that bamboo flooring be made with finishes that are water based only.  Also, these guidelines require that bamboo flooring be manufactured with formaldehyde-free processing.

Many bamboo flooring reviews are highly positive.  Be certain that you look at the manufacturer to be sure that you are buying bamboo flooring that is fair trade and formaldehyde-free.  You should check with the Forest Stewardship Council to check on bamboo flooring.  They maintain a database of companies which manufacture bamboo flooring that is well-made.

A Great Way to Transform a House into Your Home

Posted By: Medallion Depot

Part of most people’s goals in life is to own a nice home in a nice neighborhood where they can grow old and raise a family in a pleasant and vibrant location. While great suburban communities have been developed to house families with these goals in mind, most real estate developers have misunderstood having a common theme in aspirations as conformity. As such, most homes in planned communities are done almost identically which removes the personality from individual homes. In these settings, going home can feel like you’re not coming to YOUR home but rather, you are coming to a generic house.

The easiest way to remedy this dehumanizing sensation of living in a generic box is to do inexpensive but very expressive and eye catching improvements to your home’s design. A good way to break the design monotony of solid tile floors or repetitive pattern wooden designed floors is to insert a medallion inlay to the design.

Flooring medallions are design elements that give the eye a centerpiece to focus on and to break the sense of monotony in floor design. A properly placed and creatively thought out medallion inlay can help add personality to an otherwise generic home.

Having good floor design does not just improve the visual appeal of your floor but also adds improved perception of space especially if paired with a good selection of wall and furniture colors and designs. With good design, any house can become your home.

Article provided by Medallion Depot. Medallion Depot offers a wide selection of compass medallion and other floor medallion designs to choose from.

Tips On How To Select A Remodeling Contractor

When it comes to home improvement, you will need to invest a lot of money to get the job done right. A bathroom remodeling or a basement remodeling calls for an expert who has done several related projects to make your investment worthwhile. Before you hire a remodeling contractor, you will need to thoroughly check his or her qualifications. Here are some tips to help you in choosing the right remodeling contractor for your house.

You can never go wrong with referrals, this may come from your family, friends or someone whom you personally know. However, before you go on and consider the referrals given to you, ask why the referrer was satisfied with the work of the remodeling contractor, have the contractor met the clients demands? Have the contractor worked within a budget? When hiring someone, always ask for credentials, see to it that the remodeling contractor has obtained all the necessary licenses from state and local municipalities. It is best if the contractor is part of any professional associations in the remodeling industry. Moreover, it is advisable to find remodeling contractors who have spent time and money on various courses to earn certifications.

Article submitted by Chicago Remodeling Solutions. Chicago Remodeling Solutions is a Chicago home improvement and commercial remodeling company with more than 25 years of experience. Chicago Remodeling Solutions have completed thousands of remodeling projects in Chicago and surrounding areas, exceeding their customer’s expectations each and every time.

Stand Out In Your Industry with a Custom Outdoor Foam Sign

Making a great first impression and catching eyes is one of the most important parts of marketing a business. In an economy filled with clichéd statements and silly gimmicks trumpeting products and services, it takes more than simply existing to get through to people.

One of the best ways to get your name out in public is with a bold and attractive business sign in front of your store. Signs assist in building credibility by identifying your company as a member of the community. That sign will be something people see every day that eventually becomes a part of a town’s identity. Unfortunately, signs can be expensive after considering the materials, customization, and installation involved. To prevent poking holes in your business’ bottom line, while still getting a quality installation, turn to exterior foam signage.

Lightweight and created using incredibly efficient computer-controlled machinery, polystyrene craft foam signs are moisture resistant to prevent rotting from the elements, and are easy to coat and paint to further increase their durability. Best of all, foam signs can be customized and tailored to look like much costlier materials at a fraction of the cost. Once sealed, painting methods can mimic wood, marble, or any other building material. Die cut foam sign wording and logos can be created on CNC machines, and even 3-D designs or foam columns can be built by gluing multiple pieces together. When finished and installed, foam business signs will show your customers you’re a company of substance and help generate the kind of business you deserve.