We can't believe how quickly the summer has come to an end! It seems like we just barely got our toes wet, and now it's over! Time to put away the toys of summer and get back to "real" life: backpacks, football schedules, and all things pumpkin flavored.
Now that you have come back indoors from spending all day every day by the pool, is that carpet looking a little worn? Time to freshen up those blinds? Could your bathroom use a facelift? Enhance is here and ready to help with all of that and more! We have beenbusy as little bees doing bathroom remodels this summer, and cork and bamboo floors have taken off like crazy! Remember how "green" these products are? Bamboo is an easily renewable resource, harvested every 5 to 6 years (for the best floors) and cork is the ultimate wood floor--no tree has to die! Cork is the bark of an oak that grows in Spain and Portugal, and regrows completely every 7 years! If you are an environmentalist who wants to have beautiful, natural wood floors, one of these is your perfect solution.
Going green is also big in the color world. We are eating green, living green, and thinking green, and so naturally we are bringing green into our homes. In every room, in every shade, green rules!
Not up for painting all your walls Kelly green? Then use a few small accents to bring this happy color into your life: throw pillows, seasonal artwork, accent rugs, vases, and plants are just a few inexpensive ways to pay tribute to that most alive and earthly color.
Are You Feeling Flushed?
Now, on to another subject. One rarely mentioned, but every home has at least one: the toilet. The lowly toilet, necessary, but hardly ever discussed. Fifty years ago, a toilet was a toilet, was a toilet.
Now, however, the possibilities are astounding! If you've gone to buy a new toilet recently, did you select standard or comfort height? Single or dual flush? Gravity, or pressure assisted? Wall hung, or standing? What does it all mean???
Conventionally, all toilets were approximately 15 inches tall at the seat. In recent years, "comfort height" has caused a stir--yes, a stir! It is 17 to 19 inches tall, which is certainly easier if you are older and have difficulty getting up or down. Some factions, however, insist that this height is less "normal" in the act of elimination, and causes issues for those with, um.... issues.
And single or dual flush? A dual flush toilet offers two options: a "half" flush for liquids, and a full 1.6 gallon flush for solids. But these toilets average 1.28 gallons per flush, the same as a single flush, so it all comes out the same. Pun intended.
What you have been using your entire life is a gravity flush toilet. Did you ever notice how loudly toilets flush in public restrooms? These are pressure assisted toilets. There is an air tank in the wall which pressurizes each flush (don't ask me, I'm not an engineer) and assures a stronger flush. These toilets work wonderfully and conserve water, but are seldom seen in residences, and are a bit more expensive than a gravity flush unit.
A wall hung toilet is just that--the plumbing part of the toilet is inside the wall, and there is nothing sitting on the bathroom floor. Perhaps a bit cleaner than a standing unit, as well as great for a small bathroom or powder room, as it takes up less space.
So next time you are toilet shopping, you now have a little knowledge about your choices!
What You Don't See IS Important
We at Enhance have told you before that part of our job is to educate you and inform you about what you are buying, not just sell you a product based on sales goals or quotas. In that spirit, we're going to talk a bit about carpet pads.
When Enhance quotes you on a carpet estimate, we include pad with that price. Our standard pad included with your purchase is an 8 pound rebond pad. The Industry "standard" is a 6 pound rebond pad, but we like 8 pound better, and think it does a better job. In some cases, buying a particular pad along with your carpet will extend your carpet's warranty--ask us about that! The basic kinds of carpet pad are fiber, rebond, a densified or frothed urethane, and rubber.
Fiber pads tend to have the firmest feel. They are usually made from synthetic fibers woven into a mat and are recycled from remnant textile bits.
Rebond is also a product of leftover manufacturing pieces, mostly from mattresses and the automobile industry (the foam used in car seats.) The higher quality rebond pads are made from "Memory Foam", leftover from the mattress manufacturing process. We do offer a rebond pad with a plastic moisture barrier applied to it, to prevent any liquid from going into the pad. When something spills, it is fairly easy to dry it up and remove it from the carpet, but when moisture gets down into the pad is when you start to see stains later wicking back up into the carpet from below. There are companies that manufacture pad from used (post-consumer) foam, but that is not a product we offer.
Urethane is a foamed product that is a single component, not pieces bonded together, although it almost always is encased in a waterproof "skin." Urethane is typically the densest pad.
Rubber is the waffle looking pad that you sometimes see. It is the most expensive upgrade we offer. For obvious reasons, an additional waterproofing layer is unnecessary with a rubber pad. The quality of rubber pads has improved immensely in the past 15 years, as they no longer disintegrate over time.
When weighing your options on which pad to get with your carpet, remember that your flooring is a system of carpet and pad working together. The appearance of the pad is irrelevant, it will do its job sight unseen for the next 10 to 15 years. It is there to support the carpet, protect the carpet, and to make walking on the carpet a pleasure.
Finally---The Solution
If you have hardwood floors, this is the product you have been looking for: Flexi-Felt is an innovative line of felt floor protectors that actually work! Flexi-Felt is 100% wool felt, unique patented design, guaranteed to protect your hardwood, laminate, and vinyl floors and to allow your furniture to slide effortlessly. Here are some of the FAQs we get about Flexi-Felt:
What is different about Flexi-Felt and the felt pads I can get at the dollar store? With Flexi-Felt it is practically impossible to remove the felt from the furniture. The adhesive is long lasting and secure.There's no warranty on the ones from the dollar store, but Flexi-Felt has a lifetime warranty that the felt will never separate from the plastic sleeve. The felt pads from the dollar store are made from a cheap synthetic polyester, Flexi-Felt is made of a soft wool blend felt that will not thin or flatten out. The unique transparent flexible sleeve of the Flexi-Felt Clear protects your furniture by preventing the dings and scratches caused while vacuuming or when moving your chairs.
What sizes do they come in? Flexi-Felt has over 6 sizes starting at 5/8" up to 1¾" - 2" along with pad strip that you can cut yourself to fit any size.
My reclining chair has oversized "legs". Nothing fits. Any solutions? Flexi-Felt carries varied sizes of felt disks to fit oversized legs, from 1- 1½" to 3"x3".
My couches slide. Any solutions? Yes, Slide Stop will put an end to slipping & scratching.
What can I use to keep my rolling chair from damaging my floor? Flexi-Felt makes caster covers that will stop rolling chairs from damaging floors.
How do I know what size to buy? By measuring the bottom of the chair legs.
My chairs have square legs. All of the protector pads are round. I hate the way this looks. They will fit square chairs, and we also carry square pads.
My kitchen chairs have slanted ends. And my bar stools have metal tips. What can I use? You can use the desk model Flexi-Felt 6225 or 6231 to cover the tip of the chairs.
Anything for the legs of my bed frame? Yes, Flexi-Felt has bed casters.
Where do I get the Flexi-Felt pads? I need a lot. Can you order more? You can purchase at Enhance Floors & More. We carry a large variety of sizes. We can also special order as many as you need.
Design Tip
Late summer is a wonderful time to repot your indoor plants. Use beautiful containers to add bright accents to your interior decorating. White containers add freshness and will brighten up your rooms in the fall and winter. Your plants will be happier, and your home will be prettier and healthier!
