When it comes to your current wood floor installation, you have a choice between refinishing or replacing the flooring. Refinishing can save your current wood flooring, but you may wish for the clean slate that comes with replacing. Let?s take a quick look at how to determine which is the right course of action for your wood floors.

Gauge the Repairs

Deciding between refinishing or replacing your hardwood floors may depend on the level of repairs your floors need. Minor repairs?such as a couple of damaged planks or stains?can be easily fixed. However, a floor with significant damages could cost you much more than simply replacing it with a hardwood floor installation. Significant damages may include several damaged or rotten planks, structural problems that can only be addressed at the subfloor, and floors that shift and move a lot. If your hardwood floors have any of these problems, then speak with your installers about a new wood floor installation.

Determine Your Budget

Another determining factor in refinishing or replacing your hardwood may come down to the cost. Typically, refinishing wood flooring is going to be less expensive than replacing your entire flooring. Replacing your flooring, either with new wood or a carpet installation, will be more expensive. However, some situations may warrant spending the extra money on a replacement. Your wood floors age, level of damage, and your current dcor could all influence whether you choose to replace your hardwood floors.

Establish the Age

Your hardwood floors? age may influence your plans as well. Antique floors are a valuable commodity in any house, so you may wish to refinish them. However, if these older floors are never going to live up to your standards or match your current dcor, then you may wish to replace them.

Once a small fishing village, Southport is a quaint coastal town where the mouth of the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you can relax in your family home, hideaway in a waterside rental, or tour the area?s many quiet and romantic spots. Home to just over 3,500 residents, Southport is a charming space for homeowners, vacationers, business owners, and retirees alike.

If you?re searching for new flooring in Southport, NC, you know sifting through the many possibilities can be overwhelming. Unsure of which options best suit your situation in Southport? Read on. Here, we provide Southport flooring solutions for some of the most common residences in the area.

Flooring for Southport homeowners
Whether you?re new to the coast or you?ve been here your whole life, you know waterside residences require special considerations. If you want Southport flooring that can handle the ever-shifting heat and humidity as well as water splashes, abrasive sand, and even flooding, opt for luxury vinyl plank flooring, a.k.a. LVP. LVP provides the authentic, rustic wood look of hardwoods without the susceptibility to warping and damage over time. Beyond this, LVP is now available in water-resistant and fully waterproof styles, so your home?s flooring will weather whatever storms may come your way.

Flooring in Southport, NC for vacation homes
Vacation homes in Southport need to look beautiful for visitors year after year, which is why we recommend LVT flooring. Like LVP, LVT (luxury vinyl tile) flooring is made to last, with a core of high-density fiberboard and PVC vinyl for durability and stability. Your guests will love the natural wood and stone looks of these floors, but they won?t make a dent, ding, crack, or scratch in them. Even better? They?re far more affordable than the luxurious hardwood, marble, and stone floors they imitate. Take a look at our six reasons to go for LVT.

Flooring for Southport business owners
Looking for flooring for your seafood spot, ice cream parlor, or antique shop? No matter your business, flooring that looks clean (and is easy to keep it that way!) is key. For this purpose, we recommend commercial grade subway tiles. Subway tiles are affordable, easy to take care of, and look great with light and dark grout. They?re also available in a number of different colors if you?d like to add a splash of personality or coastal flair.

Southport flooring for your retirement home
Retirees looking for comfort often request flooring that?s easy to take care of and safe in case of falls. We suggest stain-resistant carpet, which helps insulate the room, minimize noise, and even reduce your energy bill. With spill-proof and stain-resistant technology, your designer carpet remains pristine. If you?d like to improve your home?s value while you?re at it, consider a combination of hardwood floors, area rugs, and runners for the best of both worlds.

If you?re looking for floors with texture and character, like the hardwoods inside historic Wilmington homes, but you don?t have a century to spare, distressed wood flooring may be your answer. Distressed wood flooring undergoes aging through wire-brushing, etching, and even hand-scraping for a beautiful, antique look. Considering new flooring for your home? Here?s what you need to know about this popular option.

Types of Distressed Wood Flooring
Both solid hardwoods and engineered woods can be treated for the distressed look. Flooring can be highly distressed, with board-to-board variation, unique stains, and even pits and nail holes, or lightly distressed for a smoother, more finished style.

Where to Install It
Naturally, distressed wood flooring is a great choice for traditional homes or farmhouse-inspired spaces. The highly distressed look is ideal for a rustic, country cabin look. But distressed floors are also beginning to appear in more eclectic, contemporary spaces where rugged wood provides an attractive contrast to clean, modern lines.

Why We Love Distressed Wood Floors

• They?re versatile. Distressed wood floors match a number of different styles and aesthetics. They?re available in multiple plank sizes and widths, and colors ranging from dark gray timber to warm hickory to pale white oak.
• They?re kid and pet-friendly. Distressed floors come with marks of high traffic already, so any additional scuffs or scratches are no problem.
• They?re built to last. Unlike truly time-worn floors, distressed wood floors are brand new and built to last for years to come.

Carpet installation can be a tricky process, which leads to several questions you might have. Knowing if carpet installers receive training or if a carpet pad is necessary are crucial answers that can help you have a quality installation process. Continue reading to learn more about carpet installation.

Should carpet installers be trained?

For any type of home improvement or installation, you should trust the work to trained professionals. Carpet installation is no different, and you could be looking at an improper or unattractive installation by doing it yourself or with someone under-qualified. Installing carpet requires several years of training and experience to ensure the job is done correctly and neatly.

Will the carpet need to be fitted to each room?

Most likely, your carpeting is not going to unroll and fit perfectly the first time. This is another reason to hire a professional carpet installer. They know the correct ways to cut and attach different patches of carpeting so your flooring looks flawless. The process of cutting and attaching various sizes of carpeting is known as seaming, which is usually planned ahead of time with a seaming diagram.

What should be done about previous flooring?

Deciding what to do about your previous flooring is up to you. Depending on what the flooring is, you may have a few different choices. Old carpeting should be removed and disposed of; speak with your carpet installers about the best ways to safely dispose of old carpet. If you have tile, hardwood, or laminate previously installed, then you could place the carpet over it or have it removed and disposed.

Which padding should be used?

If you want cushy carpeting that provides a high level of comfort and softness, then you will prefer a large carpet pad that will make your carpet feel extra cushioned. Thin pads will make your carpeting feel uncomfortable, and it could damage your carpet throughout its lifetime.

If your family has a busy lifestyle, you may find that a new carpet installation may not provide you with the durability and ease of maintenance that you require. Both linoleum and vinyl flooring are incredibly easy to clean and maintain, and they will also provide your indoor spaces with terrific style. When you visit a flooring showroom, you may have questions about the relative advantages of linoleum and vinyl floors. Here is a quick comparison of the top differences between that linoleum and vinyl flooring.

Material Composition

One of the primary differences between linoleum and vinyl is the material composition of each product. In order to create linoleum flooring, a flooring manufacturer will combine linseed oil with other natural materials, such as cork dust and resin. In comparison, vinyl is a fully synthetic material that is crafted from PVC and other man-made products.

Ease of Maintenance

Both linoleum and vinyl floors are very easy to clean, but each type of flooring has specific maintenance requirements. When you install new linoleum floors on your property, you will need to sealcoat your flooring against water damage. Since vinyl floors are naturally waterproof, they are typically a bit easier to maintain and repair.

Overall Style

A linoleum floor has a unique appearance that will change throughout the years and seasons. With routine wear and tear, the layers of a linoleum floor will wear down to reveal beautiful colors and patterns. Oftentimes, vinyl floors are crafted to have the appearance of other products, such as hardwood or natural stone. Visiting a flooring showroom can help you get a sense of which flooring option is the best fit for your style.