I love what a stair runner can add to a home. Few things offer more “bang for the buck” then a custom stair runner flowing elegantly down steps. Stair runners can vary widely in style, color and look, but if given some thought any style and color will add a custom finished addition that will give your home a one of a kind feel. Some of our most popular styles are sisal and natural fiber looks.

Striations really look great with the vertical lines of a staircase

I am seeing a lot of color and pattern used on stair runners currently. Installation is really critical so that the runner has a custom finish. What you don’t want is to see some installer  shooting the runner onto the steps with staples. This will not last and will look good for very long.

Take a look at the “before and afters” below. This was installed for a client about a month ago and they have loved it. As a matter of fact, 3 of their friends have ordered a runner similar for their own homes.

Nice stairs, but nothing memorable

ho hum

almost cold, but nice

See the difference?

Skins may not be your thing, but this looks so custom and great

Safe and warms it up

The homeowners love it and so do their friends

Another important attribute that a runner offers is increased safety. Whether for pets, kids or elderly there is no question that the stairs are more safe.

Would you like a stair runner in your home? Did you like the Animal Print runner? Let me know.

New carpet for your home can vary in cost. There are many factors to consider, but I am going to try and give you a quick overview in potential costs for good quality carpet and installation. Of course there are many variables, so don’t hold me or your project manager to this exactly.

Ok, the first consideration is the carpet, and carpet will be the most expensive component with this purchase. Let’s assume that you are a typical family looking to upgrade your carpet from a “builder beige” plush style carpet to something with more style, better performance and a good warranty. Maybe a nice cut and loop pattern with a geometric design? It will look great!!

Mirage- and exclusive Textures carpet-- Looks AWESOME down!!

 So a material like this will run you about $17.00 per square yard (divide by 9 for square foot price)

Next, you will need new carpet cushion. Cushion is critical to the way your carpet will wear and perform. The cushion I will recommend for this install is an 8lb 7/16″ rebond. this is a very nice cushion, but not the best. It will more than do its job though.

So to recap, you have several components and costs associated with buying new carpet.

Total- $31.75 per square yard– Not a bad price, but what does this mean for you? If you have a typical home with lets say 3 bedrooms and a family room that you want to carpet, you probably have around 100 yards (900 square feet). If that is the case then you can expect to pay about $3200.00 for a complete new look and style.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them or help you find the perfect carpet for your home.

Love this, talk about warm and inviting.

I am asked often about wide plank hardwood flooring. This is a beautiful option to consider when considering new hardwood flooring. Standard traditional hardwood flooring is 2 1/4″ wide. This is a great look and works well with any decor. Plank hardwood flooring is 3″ and wider, often times 7″-10″ wide. This provides a very dramatic look! Depending on the finishing technique used (sheen, color, etc), the style of the floor can range from extreme rustic all the way to sleek contemporary.

Character much?

A bit more modern, classy

this floor is so beautiful!!!

A place in timeVaried plank widths are great looking too!!I see a lot of floors like this in boutiques and restaurants

 I hope you enjoyed some of these pictures. Please let me know if you have any questions about these floors.

Recently I read a great article about carpet making a comeback, and it was surprising to hear why. Although hardwood flooring is continuing to grow in popularity, families still crave comfort and custom style. According to Emily Morrow, director of color and design for Shaw floors, “people have experienced those hard surfaces and they want to surround themselves with comfort”. People are using carpet to make a statement and color and pattern are in. There are thousands of color and pattern choices and people want their taste reflected, they want it to say this is “me”!!

TV has played a huge role in the reemergence of carpet. On hit design and reality shows, bold patterns and bright colors are in constant use. People want that in their own home too. They want to experiment and design a space that feels like a custom, beautiful home.

Below, you will see some beautiful patterns that are very popular with our customers. Let me know what you think.

Love this, sophisticated.

Texture and fluff.

Striations are great.

Animal patterns are sooo popular, especially on stairs.

do you see the airplane

Timeless and very custom appearing, but not hard on the wallet

Love this look

Gotta love the shag

AWESOME

Stair runners can be such an amazing design feature in a home. Of all of the projects we work on few add as much impact for as little money as stairs. Not only are runners a beautiful addition to the home they can greatly increase safety and deaden noise. Typically runners take less than one day to install and when using the correct materials, they should last and look good for 7-10 years. Wool is the best option for high traffic steps. Stair runners will not break the bank either. A typical designer inspired runner will cost about $1500.00 turn key!! Check out the pictures below and let me know what you think.

After install of this runner, the house sold!! The owner credits the runner for the sale

Simply Beautiful!!

I love this- Can you say creative?

I love for the runner to appear as it is flowing down the stairs

Borders work great on wider steps

Very designer Inspired.

Sisal trimmed in Leather

Sisal look awesome flowing down stairs

Custom Landing

I want this room

I hope this gives you a good idea for what to do with your stairs, and please let me know if you need help because this is one of my favorite things to do in flooring.

I love hardwood flooring because of the custom look you can provide. It is a inherently unique and every piece of wood is different. So apart from the type (species of wood) and the stain color, what can you do to make the floor more custom? Well, the answer is the finish. We use two types of finishes here at Textures, Polyurethane and Oil. The Oil finish is a more traditional finish that really provides a nice petina to the wood. Polyurethane is a topical protection that sits on the surface of the wood and is applied in layers.

An Example of Semi Gloss on a Poly'd floor

WHY AN OIL FINISH? 

A natural oil finish cannot be compared with today’s more popular acrylic, polyurethane, and aluminum oxide finishes. These finishes protect the floor by forming a wear layer, in fact a plastic film on the surface of the floor. They scratch and get dull over time and cannot be spot repaired. Only a costly re-coating of the entire floor is necessary every so often for complete rejuvenation. An oil finish penetrates the wood fibers to harden them while not altering the natural beauty of the wood. With no visual film on the surface, oiled floors are distinguishable by their elegant patina. They are easy to care for and are repairable. An oiled floor never need to be sanded, only regular applications of a Maintenance Oil are necessary to nourish the wood and bring the luster back. 

An Oil rubbed floor-- notice a more soft look

Natural-Oiled Floors vs. Polyurethanes 

Natural oils have been used to finish wood for hundreds of years. Our natural oil finishes are made with linseed oils, an old standby for finishing wood. Polyurethane is the new kid on the block, developed about 50 years ago and its primary design purpose is to make furniture shiny. 

Polyurethane is a plastic made from petroleum, a flammable liquid often used in chemical energy sources such as gasoline and diesel, and which gives polyurethane its distinct “chemical” scent.

 Zero VOC vs. Low VOCs 

Rejuvenating a 325 sq. ft of a Navarre floor project will require approximately 1/5 of a liter of Woca Refresher maintenance oil, which will emit zero VOCs and leave you without that harsh chemical scent. A typical polyurethane floor will require three gallons of finish, one gallon for the sealer coat and two more gallons of the top wear layers. VOCs from polyurethane evaporate into your home at the rate of about 4 lbs. per gallon, which means that 3 gallons of poly used to coat 325 sq.ft equals 12 pounds of VOCs floating around in your home for your family to enjoy. 

Bond and Strengthen vs. Surface Coatings 

The natural oil used to finish  oiled floors is not a surface coating, but is designed to become part of the wood by penetrating, bonding and hardening with the first layer of wood. 

When wood is finished with natural oil, it will dent, it will scratch, and it may be repaired. To bring your Navarre floor back to a fresh state: first, lightly sand the desired area of the floor, then apply a coat of Woca Refresher maintenance oil. It is not necessary to treat the entire floor, only the effected area. Typically, only spot sanding on extreme wear marks and scratches would be necessary, and a total wall-to-wall sanding is normally avoided. 

It’s a much more laborious and disruptive process with cured surface coatings such as polyurethane. Polyurethane is a plastic coating that sits on top of your wood, and acts as surface coating. The purpose of a surface coating is to separate wear and tear from the wood, which polyurethane can achieve, however, a polyurethane floor will never look better then the day of the final finish application. Immediately polyurethane finishes begin picking up small and large scratches – abrasions that defuse the light and pick up dirt – and quickly become visible from all angles. The end of the life of a polyurethane floor is not because it is worn out – it just becomes ugly. This process is accelerated when the floor is damaged by scratches that penetrate the surface coating and expose wood, which happens when dents penetrate the soft wood (NOTE: all wood is soft enough to dent and scratch). Unfortunately, all too often polyurethane floors must be maintained by sanding again and again, eventually exposing nails that hold the floor in place. 

Re coating a polyurethane floor is the recommended maintenance option. When should this be done? It has to be a joint effort, as soon as you have a scar that penetrates the surface coating, or when the floor looks dirty after you wash the floor. This “dirty” look means there is an abundance of surface scratches holding dirt. Scuffing and recoating will remove most of the dirt and provide a smooth cleanable surface. 

Living With vs. Living On 

The vast majority of my polyurethane customers live on their floors. They take off their shoes at the door, they have floor protectors under all furniture, and care to have nothing foul left on the surface. A normal expectation of a polyurethane floor is that it is maintenance free. Homeowners with natural oil finished floors live with their floors. They seem to recognize that wood expands and contracts with the seasons. Some believe this movement is a sign the wood still thinks of itself as being a tree. Feeding wood natural oils supports the notion that you are living with your wood and in turn, the wood responds to appropriate care that’s given. 

Reparability vs. Durability 

Wood is very durable on its own. Natural oils enhance the durable nature of wood, and allow the floor to be easily repaired if damaged. While polyurethanes provide a durable barrier, this barrier also consumes a layer of wood each and every time it is applied. At best there are three to four sandings in a floor’s life before the floor must be replaced. Over time, reparability is more important than durability.

Polyurethane finishes are a more modern approach to finishing a floor and probably the biggest benefit is that you can control sheen. Oil does not allow for this.

Special Thanks to US Floors for some great research.

Cork flooring is such a great look and is very versatile. Cork is available in lots of colors, styles and finishes and can be installed anywhere from the den to the kitchen. Designers love it and the “green” among us will truly appreciate the qualities it brings to the table. The only place I am reluctant to install cork is in totally wet areas such as full baths or laundry rooms. Cork is available in sheets, tiles and floating planks that can be installed over any substrate or grade.

Some of the benefits of cork are as follows-

• Soft and cushy– as compared to hardwood flooring or tile, your feet will appreciate the added bounce.
• Sound reducer- Cork is a cellular product to lots of sound is absorbed and make for a quiet walk– Playroom??
• Durability– Cork is a proven long lasting material– it has been around in churches for a very long time.

I will say that I installed cork in a clients basement that had lots of sun exposure and it faded quite a bit over just a few years, so I would recommend having shades or UV reducing film installed on the windows in these areas.

All the rage is white floors and these look awesome!!

Keeping it casual, but timeless.

If you need a quiet area, think of cork

Love this application in a loft

It can go contemporary if you need it. I love color aqand this makes a statement!!

WOW!!!

Lots of cool styles available!!

"peas and carrots" The natural choice for a wine cellar.

I hope this provides a bit of an insight to what cork flooring can look like in your home. Until next time…

With  beautiful names and  exciting origins, the use of exotic hardwood flooring has continued to grow. Exotic hardwood is a very interesting alternative to traditional domestic hardwoods for several reasons, but most noticeable is the way it looks. Typically, exotic hardwood flooring is only sealed and not stained, so the color variation is the natural color and shading of the wood. Exotic hardwood is also typically a more dense wood than typical domestic species.

Beautiful and sleek

I love the color variation

Maybe a tad more contemporary

Really cool Parquet

I love the fact that the natural tones are present with the exotic flooring, but be weary if you do not like variation.

I love the brown and red tones in merbau

Tigerwood!!!

Rosewood, heavily dominated by the reds

A few of the names these woods are sometimes sold underare Jatoba, Merbau, Zebrawood, andIPE but more Americanized names have been created including Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Maple, African Walnut, and Patagonian Pecan.

Enjoy these beautiful floors, but make sure if you are interested in having one of these that you know the history of the wood. Responsible forestry is very important and some of the manufactures may not be as reputable as others.

A common question we receive at Textures is “how do I remove an indentation from my kitchen floor?” I decided to answer this question with a short video and let you see for yourself. This is a very easy and simple process and it requires only some household tools.

You will need a hair dryer, putty knife and some elbow grease.

Please let me know if you have any questions on how to repair or fix any of the floors in your home, and I hope this helps.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you are considering remodeling your home and adding hardwood flooring, you may be wondering how much money you are going to have to spend? First off, you need to answer some simple questions.

• Will you be installing raw lumber and finishing on site?

Sand and Finish on site

•        Or will you be installing prefinished hardwood flooring?

All you have to do is install

This article will focus on the site finished wood, or sand and finish wood installation. That said, I will give you a breakdown for pre-finished flooring as well.

Sand on site hardwood flooring has several components that should be considered and thought about when you are considering expense involved with this project. Lets walk thru the different elements and costs.

• What is your current flooring? Who is going to remove it? If the installer will be removing it figure $.30 per square foot.

Out with the old!!

• Is your subfloor in good shape, or does it need some repair? If it needs repair you are looking at isolated charges that will be about $60.00 per 4×8 plywood section. This is something that will probably not come up, but is relatively common.

• OK, so you have decided you want a beautiful new Oak floor. How much is this? Lets assume that you are going to install a 3" Wide plank and that you will need about 600 sqft for the project. You also want some character, so a #1 grade of lumber is what you select. Expect to pay about $2.40 per square foot plus tax. This price fluctuates but that is an average for 5/2011.

Very Pretty

• How is this 600 feet of wood getting to your home? Well, you can always pick it up, or the installer should deliver it for about $.10 per square foot.

Need a big truck, and lots of muscle-- hard hard work!!

• OK, ready for install– this is where the rubber meets the road. A quality installer should charge you between $1.75 and $2.50 per square foot for the installation. If someone is out of this range I would question it, because to cheap usually means poor quality and to expensive, well you know what that means– you are getting taken advantage of.

You want a pro that knows what they are doing.

• Next is the finishing, this involves sanding the floor and applying stain, then finish. It also includes puttying and making sure the installs imperfections are resolved. This is truly where a professional can shine– this is the bread and butter of the job. The range you should expect to pay is $1.50 and $3.00 per square foot. Depending on how many coats of finish and what materials are being used this is a fair estimate. 2 coats is standard.

This is such a critical step

• How about the trim? After hardwood flooring is installed it will need to be trimmed out at the base boards using Quarter round. Expect to pay$1.50 per linear foot for this including material. The installer will not paint the trim, but will stain it to match the floor if you like that.

This is a must

Of course additional costs may be necessary, but essentially that should cover it. You will end up with your beautiful new hardwood floor!!

I know, its Walnut-- very pretty

Site finished Oak hardwood flooring should cost somewhere in the range of $6.75-$8.50 per square foot. Of course be weary of companies that are very inexpensive. I could share some real life nightmare stories that ended up costing customers double because the floor had to be replaced.

Prefinished flooring varies in price, that said it is an easier installation process and provides a beautiful look. Expect to pay $5.25-$10.00 per square foot.