Bright Star Handyman Service is a proud recipient of HireHaven’s Top 25 Painters in Pennsylvania list. As a full service handyman company servicing South Jersey & the Philadelphia regions, painting is one of the many home services we offer.
Best Flooring for Your Home: Wood, Tile, Vinyl, Bamboo, Laminate, Carpet, & More
Top 3 Floor Options for Your Home by Room
If you’ve been to Floor & Decor lately (or even Home Depot!), you’ve seen the endless options for flooring these days: laminate, wood, bamboo, tile, engineered wood, a million kinds of carpet. How are we supposed to choose? In an effort to help, we’ve rounded up a list of the best flooring for each room in your home…enjoy!
Kitchen & Dining Room
Porcelain tile – A classic look, tile makes it easy to clean up spills and is hard enough to withstand the occasional dropped pan. Larger tiles in your kitchen can make the space look bigger too!
Vinyl – Don’t worry, vinyl flooring has changed a lot since it’s creation in 1958. The new vinyl is attractive, durable, and easy to clean.
Engineered wood – The possibilities are endless these days! A lighter color laid in a unique design will make your kitchen truly unique.
Living and Family Room
Solid wood – Still THE BEST, most classic look. And it comes in so many flavors! Accessorize with a stylish rug or leave it bare.
Engineered Wood – The stuff looks like real wood. Seriously. And it’s a bit more durable than solid wood if you have a high traffic home.
Carpet – Sometimes in these rooms, comfort is king! Cozy movie nights are perfect with a plush carpet and popcorn.
Bathroom and Laundry Room
Porcelain tile – See the reasons above under ‘Kitchen & Dining Room’. Using smaller tiles lends a polished look, and the design possibilities are endless.
Vinyl – Comes in a million colors and really is better these days. You can match your towels, your soap…the world is your oyster.
Engineered Wood – This is a recent trend in bathrooms, and we love it! So durable and moisture-resistant.
Bedroom
Hardwood – We love hardwood in bedrooms – so classy. Make the flooring pop with a throw rug or a faux cowskin.
Tile – Because why not? We’ve seen some amazing tile designs in bedrooms, especially clay tile or travertine.
Carpet – Sometimes you just want that softness under your bare pajama feet!
Hopefully this helps you make your big flooring decisions! Stop by and see us today to find the perfect flooring options for your home!
Best Fall Home Remodel Ideas
It may still be pretty hot, but fall is nearly here. With cooler temperatures come ideas for home remodeling projects. Whether you want to entirely renovate your kitchen or just spruce up a bathroom, here are 10 tips to get you started.
Cabinets: In a bathroom or kitchen, cabinets can be your priciest installation. So don't make a mistake by choosing something that's already dated or by being so trendy you'll regret your choice soon. Shaker style or flat-front cabinets are the most popular choices right now and work in homes that are traditional or transitional. Contemporary cabinets are popular, too, and they're sleek styles that often feel European. For colors, white paint and natural stain are good picks, but grays and blues also make cabinets stand out.
Flooring: The cost of covering your floor adds up quickly, often because there's so much square footage and nothing really can be left uncovered. But do you want natural stone, wood or porcelain tile? You've got big decisions to make here, because you don't want to make a mistake and have to do it all over again. One big trend in home design involves porcelain tile that looks like wood or marble. Chalk it up to laser jet printing technology that has turned what used to look like cheesy imitations into high-end looks. Porcelain tile is easier to clean and is tough as nails, too.
When Is It Time to Replace My Carpet?
About Your Carpet
Typically a carpet can last you from 5-15 years depending on the foot traffic, quality, and padding. These are all great starting points to determining if you need a carpet replacement.
Carpet installation is a little more complex than you might think, as there are a few layers that go in before the carpet that you walk on can be installed. First, there are the tackless strips. These wood pieces have small pins that stick out to hold your carpeting in place. If you’ve never seen these, you might have felt them when walking through a doorway of an older home, where the carpet is wearing low. These strips are nailed into the floor around the edges of the room to hold the carpet in place. The second layer is typically a layer of foamy material that helps to create a cushion underneath your carpeting. Placing carpet directly on wood or concrete will not give it that comfortable, squishy feeling that the cushioning offers. For example, you can usually feel the difference between a floor rug and a carpeted room. This foam also helps to fill the space between the tackless strips so the full room is flush and level and not elevated around the edges.
So, When Do I Know That I Need to Replace My Carpets?
…When It Smells Funky
Usually the musty smell is the key indicator that it’s time to do something about replacing your carpet. Sometimes all it needs is a deep cleaning, but if a deep cleaning doesn’t eliminate the smell, you might have to think about a more permanent change. Many times the cleaning can help with the top layer of carpet, while the spongey bottom layer may be molding or holding more permanent smells. One of the largest absorbers in a room can be your carpet, so pets, smoke, spills, and similar issues can leave you in need of a replacement.
…When It Starts To Clump
Depending on the material of your carpet, some may last longer than others. For example, polyester carpet won’t last as long as nylon carpeting and will begin to start matting sooner. Once a polyester carpet begins to mat, there’s not much you can do to salvage it. One way to keep your carpet lasting longer is to treat it to a deep clean every so often.
…When You Can’t Remove The Stains
Deep cleaning will only take you so far with some stains. While they can remove the discoloration for most things, sometimes a shampoo just won’t cut it. Foot traffic and other wear & tear can bring deeper stains to the surface if the padding underneath the carpet is still holding on to it. Some stain removers can also damage the carpet’s integrity. If you have multiple deep stains like red wine, it may be your best bet to fully replace the carpet.
Options to replace your carpet include wood flooring, tile, slat flooring, laminate, or even concrete depending on your budget and aesthetic choices. Wood and slat flooring will typically outlast most carpet choices. If you’re looking for a revamp for your floors, reach out to Bright Star for a consultation on your options!