hardwood

Best Flooring Types: Compare Top Materials & Options for Each Room

Your choice of flooring is one of the most important decisions you have to make when it comes to improving your home. The material is an integral part of your interior design. It also determines use, difficulty of installation and maintenance. Before you select, it’s wise to educate yourself on what’s available as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.

How to Choose Flooring

  • Room: Some types, like carpet or hardwood, aren’t ideal for every space

  • Family Situation: Young children or pets need spill-proof and scratch-resistant flooring

  • Budget: Price varies widely, so you need to know what you can afford

  • Installation Requirements: Some materials need an underlayment or pad, which may cost extra

  • Style: Certain types work better than others to create the right aesthetic

  • Return on Investment (ROI): Higher cost or quality often means a better long-term investment

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Top 4 Things to Assess When Renovating Your Floors

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Things to Consider When Replacing Your Flooring

Especially if you just moved into a house, you may want to replace the flooring. Hardwood flooring can be scratched, carpeting dirty and worn, or laminate chipped and stained. When replacing the flooring in your home, it’s important to consider several things to ensure you’ve made the best choices. Let’s go through some of them now!

Durability

Have you ever been in a home that’s all carpet? It makes it hard to differentiate one room from the next and doesn’t lend any personality to the house. There are many flooring options to choose from, and they work well with each other. Choosing the best flooring for each room is key. How often does the room get used and what does it get used for? Kitchens, for instance, have a lot of foot traffic and there will likely be many food and drink spills – flooring like tile or laminate may be best. For hallways and stairs, an engineered hardwood can reduce the wear and tear.

Aesthetic

Which flooring you choose depends quite a bit on the look and feel you want your home to have. Leaning towards comfortable and cozy? A combination of carpet and tile could do the trick. Looking for a more modern appeal? Mixing engineered wood with concrete flooring is futuristic and fun. These days, engineered wood, tile and carpet come in so many shapes, colors and sizes that the sky is truly the limit.

Cost

And of course, the price of your flooring matters too. Carpet and laminate are less expensive to purchase and install than other flooring, like hardwood or tile. That being said, both of these materials aren’t as durable so they may need to be replaced more often. Spending a bit more up front on materials like engineered wood may mean that they stay looking good and last for the lifetime of your home.

Comfort

Finally, your comfort is key. If you spend a lot of time lounging in your living room, you may want to pick a plush carpet. If your living room is mostly for entertaining guests, an engineered hardwood might be best to withstand shoes and spills. Another example is your bedroom – do you use the bedroom mostly for sleeping, or do you have a desk in there? Again, your flooring type depends on your use of the room – choose wisely!

Need a hand choosing the best flooring? We can help! Give Bright Star Handyman Service a call today.

6 Ways to Revamp Your Walls

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Doing some home remodeling, but not sure what to do with your walls? Here are some fun ideas for those blank walls in your home, and we didn’t even include wallpaper!

Fabric

Armed with a little liquid starch and some lightweight cotton fabric in a fun print, you can turn a bland wall into a work of art. Want something a little less time-intensive? Simply hanging a series of table runners, a decorative shower curtain, or a knitted blanket on a dowel can make a huge statement.

Bookshelves

There are hundreds of ideas on Pinterest of how to turn walls into repositories for your book collection and look decorative in the process. From wall-to-wall shelves to artsy bookcases to picture frames big enough to hold books, the sky is the limit!

Washi

This Japanese masking tape comes in hundreds of fun patterns and colors. Use the tape in vertical or horizontal lines to instantly change a room. This change is so easy and quick, you can update with new styles as often as you’d like! 

Texture

If you have a large wall in a neutral color that you’d like to keep plain but still stand out, texture may be the answer. Specialty molded wall tiles can create a three-dimensional effect in ripples, waves, or patterns and are easy to install.

Natural Elements

Some house elements that are commonly used as flooring have started showing up on walls and ceilings too! Cork tiles, hardwood boards, natural stone, and bamboo are just some of the options that can bring a bit of nature into your home and really accent a wall.

Paint

And of course, there’s the classic wall décor – paint! Paint an accent wall in a bright, fun color, paint stripes in a closet, or even paint a fun mural on one wall in your office. Another fun option is chalkboard paint, especially for kid’s rooms. Then they can draw on their walls all day, and you simply erase it! 

If you’re looking for more ideas, reach out to Bright Star Handyman Service and we will be happy to help you achieve your home goals!

Bored With Your Kitchen? 5 Kitchen Upgrades Without a Full Renovation!

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5 Ways to Upgrade Your Kitchen

Want to upgrade your kitchen without going full-blown demo? Even minor changes can make a huge difference! We’ve put together some kitchen remodel ideas, from small to large, to help you bring new life to one of the most popular rooms in your house.

Change Up Your Cabinets

Upgrading your cabinets will make your kitchen feel like it’s brand new, and you don’t even have to swap them out! For example, adding a fresh coat of paint (such as Annie Sloan chalk paint) really brightens up the room. 

Not ready for the time commitment associated with painting? Other small changes can make a world of difference. Removing the doors for an open look, installing roll-out shelving, or installing crown molding are just a few options.

Fantastic New Floors

There are so many choices in flooring these days, the possibilities are endless. When it comes to durability and a polished look, tile floors are the most popular choice. With glazed and unglazed versions, you can choose between sleek and modern or vintage and earthy. In addition, tile can withstand drops and spills without a problem. 

Have an open floor plan? You may want to try hardwood or engineered wood so you can maintain the same floor type throughout. Hardwood is comfortable underfoot but less resistant to spills. Engineered wood, on the other hand, is just as durable as tile with the same hardwood look.

Get Creative with Paint

When was the last time you painted the walls in your kitchen? We’re guessing that it’s been a while. Try painting your kitchen walls a different color and see what a difference it makes! 

Other items in your kitchen can be painted as well – in addition to your cabinets, you can paint your dining room set, your floor, even your Formica countertops (there’s a special paint for that now).

Upgrade the Appliances

It’s amazing what a new set of appliances can do to change the look of your kitchen, especially if the appliances you already own don’t match. Black, white, or stainless steel, the appliances these days are sharp, efficient, and practically designer.

Even small appliances can brighten up the room. A Kitchenmaid mixer and a tea kettle that matches another color in your kitchen, such as your newly painted walls, can tie the whole look together!

Find a Fun Light Fixture

We often don’t think about our lights unless they’re not working. However, a unique light fixture can be the center of attention and change your kitchen’s whole look. A mini chandelier, drop lights, the options are endless. 

Another option for lighting is to add light panels above or underneath your cabinets. It makes the whole room glow.

As you can see, you don’t need to demo your kitchen to make a big difference in how it looks. Call Bright Star Handyman today – we’d love to help!

Best Flooring for Your Home: Wood, Tile, Vinyl, Bamboo, Laminate, Carpet, & More

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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!

The Best Home Remodel Trends for Bathroom, Kitchen, and Living Room in 2019

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This year will highlight modern, unique, and artisan looks around every room of a remodel or repair project. Embrace dramatic accents, technologic advances, and open everything, like shelves and floorplans. Retro styles make their comeback through colored cabinetry, furniture, and graphic wallpaper, and contemporary designs continue to gain traction through simplicity and class. 

Full-Height Backsplashes

In 2019, backsplashes are the star of show— counter to ceiling tile can create a beautiful focal point in the kitchen or bathroom, conveniently pairing with the increasingly popular modern style of floating cabinets and large windows. The tile itself can lighten up a room with its naturally reflective properties, or draw attention to the wall with a dramatic, patterned tile design. 

Gold, Brass and Copper 

Whether it’s a gold finish, brass feature, or copper accent—stainless steel is out, and rustic metals are in. When planning your home remodel for 2019—think brass kitchen sinks, copper accent tiles, and gold finishing on arms and legs of furniture. But don’t be scared to welcome new metals without saying bye to the old ones. Luckily, mixed metals are “in” this year, so bring on the new accents without feeling the need to ditch all appliances. 

Floral Wallpaper

Find floral designs in the hottest home remodels of the year. In the laundry room, nursery, or living room. Subtle and sleek, or distinctive and unique—whatever your desire, you are bound to find a design that fits your style. Wallpaper used to be the red-headed step child of design, but modern options include hand-drawn and hand-screened printed art that screams “class.” 

Cool Colors: Deep Blues, Greens & Grays

Cooler colors are expected to make a solid appearance in 2019 from walls to furniture to kitchen cabinets. Gray is still the most popular wall color by far, but Navy Blue and Hunter Green are quickly gaining popularity. Color experts presume this is due to the white and bright trend dominating the design scene in previous years. Green, velvet couches and vibrant cabinets are 

Open Floorplans  

It’s no surprise that open floorplans have become progressively common in recent years, a perfect combination of functional and appealing. Clawfoot tubs in the center of bathrooms, kitchens fully opening to outdoor patios, or the classic combination of living and dining rooms allow your home to feel bigger and more inviting. Not to mention the ease in entertaining, cooking and dining; the family chef can chat with guests while preparing food, and parents can watch their kids while cleaning up. 

Minimalism & Simplicity 

Open shelving, simplistic molding, and overall de-cluttering of knick-knacks and furniture. Less is more and what better way to start the year than streamlining your home in function and design. Open shelving provides a minimal vibe and straight-forward accessibility to plates in the kitchen and toiletries in the bathroom. 

Smart Home Innovations

Refrigerators. Coffee Makers. Lighting Fixtures. Door Locks. Heating Systems. All of these have one thing in common: they can be controlled from your smartphone and programmed to your liking. Implement a lighting schedule or set your coffee to be brewed at 7 AM. Smart thermostats can even detect when you are home and when you are away, so your HVAC system adjusts accordingly. Save on utility bills and treat the environment with kindness, the opportunities are endless. 

Hardwood Floors

Wooden material is warm and inviting, hence it’s preferred status as a flooring option. Tiles and vinyl plank flooring that imitate a wooden look are the second most popular selection in 2019. Engineered vinyl plank flooring can be great for young families because the material is waterproof and provides insulation through its cork underlayment. 

White Quartz Countertops 

Move over marble—Quartz is stealing your spotlight! In previous years, white marble was trendy in high-end and luxury homes, but unfortunately, its porous, expensive, and needy when it comes to maintenance. Enter quartz, it’s remarkable cousin that costs less, is easier to clean, and strikingly similar to the lavish and rare, white marble of the past. 

Tall Column Refrigerators 

Column refrigeration provides the option to customize the way you store your food. It has become increasingly difficult for a traditional fridge to accommodate a mid to large sized family, considering frozen pizzas, lasagna pans and wine bottles. Column systems allow you to choose the size of your freezer and refrigerator, exterior elements such as left or right hinged doors, water and ice dispensers, and width of the appliance. Contact a company that specializes in home repair services to get the job done, these systems are built into a wall and can be tricky to install.

Whether your 2019 home goals are big or small, Bright Star Handyman Service can do it all. Professional and skilled individuals will transform any room in your house, or simply touch up the details to create a whole new look. Click here to request a free estimate!