Don't Fall Behind This Fall

This year autumn has been rather elusive, hasn't it?  Record setting highs in September, mild mornings and warm evenings, no fall color yet.....but that's all changing! Cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours have arrived, and now our thoughts turn to things like bonfires, sweaters, and cuddly blankets.  And the holidays. First Halloween (next week!!!) Then Thanksgiving.  After that Christmas and New Year's.  The whirlwind begins!

If you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends this year, advanced planning is a must. Don't let a long Thanksgiving to-do list overwhelm you at the last minute; here are some things to do this week to keep your to-do list under control.

Look for sales at the grocery store and stock up on staple items like paper products and decorations. Purchase some inexpensive toys for the kids in your family (there are some great buys at the dollar store!) to help calm the commotion on Thanksgiving Day.

Assess all your cooking and serving equipment. Do you have enough serving spoons, bowls, pot holders, trivets, etc.? Buy or borrow what you'll need on Thanksgiving Day.

Create your menu, make a master grocery list and print it out. Keep in mind the amount of cooking surfaces that you have and cooking times when planning your menu. Plan a few dishes that can be made ahead of time. If any of your guests are bringing food, double check or assign food dishes during the next step.

Create your guest list for Thanksgiving dinner. Check with your invitees to find out if they are bringing guests with them and what food (if any) that everyone is bringing.

Survey your home for any needed minor repairs.

If you'll be having overnight guests during Thanksgiving, inspect your guest room and other guest accommodations to make sure you have enough pillows, blankets, etc.

Clean your house from top to bottom. Wash the serving platters, china and polish the silver. Buy a few live holiday plants and give your houseplants a little TLC.

If you plan to have any food catered or prepared elsewhere for pick-up, place your orders this week.

Pull out and inspect all linens and guest towels that will be in use on Thanksgiving. Launder, press or dry clean if needed.

Prepare any food that can be frozen.

Sharpen all knives. Purge the refrigerator. Place a new bag in the vacuum cleaner and charge the battery on the hand vacuum. Keep your home de-cluttered.

Stock up the beverages you'll be serving and select the music you'll be playing.

Purchase inexpensive plastic food containers for leftover food or for your guests to take food home in.  These are just a few things you can be doing now to get a jump on the busy holiday season.

We Need Your Help

Last year, thanks to your votes, we won Atlanta's Best Place to Shop for Flooring. It's time to vote again and we would really appreciate your vote so that don't relinquish our "crown"!

Here's the link and the quick way to vote for us.  You can vote in as many categories as you wish.

Click here to vote.  We are under Design and Décor and are category #32 Best Flooring Store/Company.  Type in Enhance Floors and More, then go to the end and submit.

You do not need to give any personal information and you can vote every 24 hours until October 31.  

Thank you for taking a quick moment out of your busy day to vote for us!

Design Tip

Swap out your spring/summer rugs (indoors and outdoors) for a patterned rug in darker fall colors-oranges, reds, browns, and purples. It will instantly make the room feel richer and bold.

How Much Does It Cost?

We just warmed up a basement with new carpet, just in time for the family to visit for the holidays.  This client in Alpharetta has a large basement with a great room and bedroom and installed a very plush Lexmark carpet throughout.  The cost was $4200 for 947 square feet of new carpet and padding. It's now an inviting and comfortable space!

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

We just completed some tile work for Maria in Atlanta, and she posted this review on Facebook:  "Enhance Floors is the most outstanding company EVER! Professional, detail oriented, outstanding. My only complaint is I wish I had more flooring projects! I have had two projects that Enhance Floor has done and wish I had more."

Thank you, Maria! We appreciate the opportunity to complete all of your flooring projects.  Enjoy your beautiful home!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Let's start with the good.  You are invited to our fun and fabulous Fall Open House!  It's Tuesday October 16 from 4 til7 pm. Enjoy chili with all the fixings (you can help judge the chili cook-off!), seasonal beverages, see all the great new flooring options and meet with our Vendor Reps to learn more. 

Plus, if you bring 5 items for our Must Ministries Donation Bin you get to spin the wheel to win a great prize, like a restaurant gift card or an area rug. Our events are always lots of fun. Please put this on your calendar and plan on joining us.

Now the bad.  Tariffs. Your first thought is probably no big deal, they don't really affect you.  Wrong. On Monday, September 24, 10 percent tariffs were assessed on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.  Items include networkrouters, computer components, pork and other agricultural goods, a variety of fish including tilapia and some shellfish, many processed foods, chemicals, plastics, leather, wood and wood products, paper, textiles including raw wool and cotton, certain electrical equipment and appliances including refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and air conditioners, parts for autos, trucks and agricultural equipment, building blocks and bricks, even dog leashes, collars, muzzles and harnesses.  And flooring. Hundreds and hundreds of flooring products are made in and imported from China: luxury vinyl, hardwood floors (primarily engineered), ceramic tile, and laminates. The price increase has been pretty much instantaneous.

 

Now for the ugly.  The tariffs will go up another 15% the first of the year, making the tariff a total of 25%.  That is a lot of money. Here's an example of how the pricing has changed and will change:

COREtec Plus HD was previously $5.20 per square foot for the product.  It is now $5.75. (Our price for basic installation of $2.00 per square foot is unchanged.)  As of the first of the year it will be $6.55. That's a big increase!

We won't make this a political debate.  Even economists disagree on the long-term impact of tariffs.  Good, bad, we don't know. We just know that it has happened. So---if you want new floors, and the product you want is imported from China, it is more expensive today than it was two weeks ago. And if you don't make your purchase by the end of the year, it will be even more expensive.

You can also make it a point to buy only made in the USA items.  The pricing will be much more stable on domestically produced products.  Ask your Enhance Design Consultant to show you our Made in the USA products as you research new flooring options for your home.

Let's end on a good---the vast majority of carpet is domestically produced and is not impacted by the tariffs.  When you purchase new carpet, not only is it made in the USA, it is almost certainly made in Georgia!  Fun fact:  Dalton is considered the Carpet Capital of the World.

Design Tip

There are so many ways to decorate your home in a tasteful and festive way for fall. Pumpkins, gourds, fall foliage, and pine cones are a handful of popular themes that can serve asinspiration. You can mix all of these elements together across your mantle or you can stagger them artfully down your front steps. You can make a fall wreath out of miniature pumpkins. Use all cream for a more modern look or brightly colored orange for more Halloween-centric curb appeal. Or maybe a garland made out of oversize pine cones that incorporates fresh magnolia or greenery secured with florist wire. When decorating for fall, it is best to get the most bang for your buck and pick one look that will carry you through the tailgate, Halloween, and Thanksgiving seasons. There's no need to be too holiday specific.

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

Here's what Camille in Roswell tells us about her recent installation: "Enhance Floors was professional and on time, and they did excellent work. It was a really great job. They did what they said they were going to do when they said they would do it, and they cleaned up afterward. We have pets, and there were no issues with keeping doors closed. They were just very reliable and kept everything suited for us. They are clearly an A+. I'd use them again in a heartbeat."

Thanks, Camille, for taking the time to write a review.  We hope you are enjoying your new laminate floors.