Low Down On Basements

Lowdown on Your Basement

Happy Summer Everyone! Even though it isn't officially summer yet, it sure feels like summer already, with temperatures in the 90's! The kids are out of school, and we are all happy about that. Traffic will be better, and lifestyles will be more relaxed for the next couple of months.  Meals are easier, our days can start a little bit later, and we'll all spend more time at home in general.

Some items around the house that may need attention to start off the summer right are on the outside: Do you need a new patio umbrella? How about the chair cushions out there? And is your grill cleaned and ready to go? Do your outdoor lights need new bulbs? It is time to check your outdoor potted plants, too, and maybe buy a few new hanging baskets to perk up the deck.

This may the time of year that you all spend more time in the basement, if this is your "hang out" area. We install a lot of basement floors all year long, but in the summer when the kids are home, this is when you really want a basement. What kind of floor do you prefer in the basement? Does your current basement floor serve its' purpose successfully?

There are many great options for a basement floor. Your choice depends on how the basement is being used, and your budget, of course. For starters, do you want a hard surface, or carpet?

Carpet is softer and feels warmer. So, if you have toddlers who spend a lot of their time on the floor playing, carpet may be your better choice. It will cushion their inevitable falls as well as muffle some noise. But if they are carrying snacks and juices down there, the carpets are gong to need regular cleaning.  For older children, the noise factor may be an important consideration as well, but in general, hard surface floors are going to serve you longer and be more durable, albeit more expensive.

In hard surfaces, you have several choices. You can install everyone's newest darling, luxury vinyl. LVP or LVT is great and is very good looking. It comes in so many different styles, there is something for every taste. We even have a new luxury vinyl from Pergo that looks like Terrazzo! LVP has the added benefit of being practically waterproof, so if spills are going to be your issue, you should definitely consider vinyl.

Another great option for the basement floor is laminate. Laminate looks have improved by leaps and bounds recently, and we here at Enhance love laminate. If you have larger dogs and/or teenagers, laminate is very cost efficient and incredibly durable. It is incredibly scratch resistant, and looks so realistic, people will think you have installed wood! Most laminates will tolerate spills that are cleaned up in a reasonable amount of time, but we have recently brought in Restoration Laminate from Mannington that is Water Resistant for up to 72 hours, with SpillShield technology. Great new product, and we are impressed!

You can install porcelain floors in the basement, but this is probably your most expensive alternative. Most basement floors require extensive work to make them level, and other types of floors may be more forgiving of imperfections. That combined with the fact that tile will give you a floor that always feels cool make it less desirable in a basement. (Unless you have a dog with a heavy coat- he's going to love it!)

Your last option on the basement floor is engineered wood. Wood is beautiful! It looks warm and feels good underfoot. If you will be having more adult gatherings in the basement, then by all means, use wood. Engineered wood has the stability needed to be installed over a concrete slab, unlike solid wood, and it looks and feels great. Just ask the ladies to leave their stiletto heels at home, as wood can be damaged by those.

When you come in to shop at Enhance, whether it is for floors, a bathroom remodel, window treatments, or something else, we do ask you a lot of questions. We want to help guide you to the best choices for your specific needs. There is no universal best type of flooring for everybody.  Different types of floors will hold up differently depending on factors such as traffic, pets, kids, etc. Knowing your family's lifestyle and picking a flooring that fits into that lifestyle is something that a lot of people don't consider. All floors have their pros and cons. You need to take the time to determine which product will best meet your needs (lifestyle, budget, appearance, maintenance, etc.) while creating the fewest concerns.  Spend time talking with us. Be open to products you have not considered or did not know existed. We love showing off our products!

Design Tip

Feeling inspired?  Ready to turn your musty junk-filled basement into a warm livable space? Or maybe you are already using the basement but want to style it up a notch? Basement design ideas are limitless. Whether you want a cool chic look or a more dramatic themed basement, the choices are endless. But before you start decorating, you need to decide what you want to use your basement for.   This will greatly determine your design plan. A living area needs to feel warm and cozy, a bedroom needs to have a quiet and relaxing finish. A game room needs some exciting colors and an easy-to-clean floor. A theater room needs sound muffling fabrics and fibers and comfortable seating. Once you determine the function and use of each area, your plan comes together much more easily.

How Much Does It Cost?

We just installed top-pf-the-line Tarkett LVP in a large Marietta basement.  The price tag was $8000. This is a floor that will look great for years, and is as beautiful as it is practical.

And Now For The Bad News

You have been hearing about tariffs and trade wars on the news.  Many consumer products are being impacted with tariffs and higher costs.  While we don't know exactly what the ultimate resolution will be of this negotiation between our country and China, we do know that by the end of this week we will be paying an additional 15% tariff on all of our products that are imported from China, including luxury vinyl, hardwood flooring, and ceramic tile.  

Enhance Floors & More and our suppliers have no control over these tariffs.  We will be updating our pricing as soon as specific costs are made available to us.

We appreciate your understanding.

Did You Know

That we have given away two Roomba's to clients that wrote a review about Enhance Floors & More?  Someone wins every month. If you want to win a Roomba (and spend less time on housekeeping chores) all you need to do is write a great review about your experience with us and post it on Google, BBB, Houzz, Facebook, or Yelp.  Then email us where you wrote it and you will be entered in the monthly drawing. You could be a winner!

Guacamole Doesn't Belong on the Carpet

Guacamole Doesn't Belong on the Carpet! What's the best way to take care of stains on your carpet? Prevent them from happening, of course! Well, as wonderful as that sounds, and don't we all wish we lived in that world, that is about as unrealistic as a good traffic day in Atlanta! So, instead, here are some realities and suggestions for living in the real world. First, try to avoid having the following on your carpet: Colored drinks, wine and sodas, the worst. If there should be a spill, immediately blot the spill with a dry towel, pulling up as much moisture as you can. Make sure you're blotting, not scrubbing. Scrubbing will only spread the stain. Once you've absorbed as much liquid as possible from the area, mix white vinegar, soap and water in a misting spray bottle and spray on the spot. Let it soak for about 10 minutes and then blot again with a clean, dry towel. Our Mohawk SmartStrand carpet cleans up with only water, so if you are carpeting, and have a child who cannot be separated from colored drinks, consider SmartStrand! Chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? But not on the carpet!  If you do get a chocolate stain, scoop up and blot as much as possible, then vacuum any dry particles. Afterwards mix 1/4 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap with one cup of warm water and apply it to cloth. Gently work the fabric on the carpet from the outside of the mark towards the center. Let the solution stay for about 5 minutes and then blot it dry. Chewing gum, not really a stain so much as a glob, but still a problem. When gum gets stuck on a carpet, it's nothing but an eyesore. To remove it, dab an ice cube on the gum and let it sit there for 1 minute, which will make the gum hard. Once hard, you should be able to pull it off the carpet carefully. You may need to do a little scraping, but if you do, be sure to use something with an edge that is not sharp enough to cut the carpet. You can also use peanut butter to separate the carpet form the gum, but then you have to remove the peanut butter from the carpet! Blood. First, try to act as quickly as possible to remove the stain. Remember to use cold water instead of hot, mixing it with a grease-fighting dish detergent in a spray bottle. Then follow the same steps as described for colored drinks. Ink. Kids and dogs are both terrors when it comes to pens! And sooner or later, one will end up leaking on your carpet. Act fast and blot the spill with a clean towel and some rubbing alcohol. No rubbing alcohol in the house? Try Vodka or hairspray.  Let it sit there for about 30 minutes and then rinse it with warm water and vinegar. Pet Stains. We love our four-legged children, but they are not perfect, and there are going to be accidents! When there are, first remove any solids, as quickly as possible. For urine, blot, blot, blot! Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with a quart of warm water and spray onto the stain. Allow to soak for a few minutes, then blot some more, until dry. We always suggest that you upgrade your carpet pad to one with a liner to prevent any spills from going into your pad and subfloor. Spills are relatively easy to get out of carpets, butalmostimpossible to remove if they go deeper. Of course, if you want to avoid carpet stains altogether, install hard surfaces. Have you looked at flooring lately? The choices are amazing! Wood floors are classic, and now are more stain and scratch resistant than ever.  Tile floors are hardworking, durable, and beautiful, but can tend to be a little cold to the touch in the winter months. We have some incredibly beautiful stone looks in both porcelain and budget friendly ceramic, and there are some wood look tiles that will fool you unless you touch them! Laminate is a great alternative for families with active children and dogs, and we will be adding even more styles in laminate this month. Vinyl is currently the superstar of the flooring world. We are installing it everywhere- living rooms, bedrooms, basements, playrooms, kitchens- everywhere! More beautiful styles and colors than you can imagine, and they are waterproof. We just received our new display of Pergo luxury vinyl, and have a new floor installed in the showroom with Pergo- fabulous! If you haven't seen vinyl in the last two years, it is a whole new world out there! Come in and see! You can see all our great floors when you attend our Flooring Fiesta on Tuesday, May 14, from 4 until 7. Have fun while sipping a margarita and learning at these informative seminars:  5:30     If You Spill Your Margarita Make sure it's on a waterproof floor like Revwood Plus Speaker:  Holly Dysart with Mohawk Flooring or luxury vinyl!  Learn more about these popular floor covering options.   6:00    Salsa Resistant Carpet SmartStrand Carpet is the perfect carpet for active families, durable enough to hold up to all of your fiestas! Speaker:  Holland Kercher with Mohawk Flooring   6:30           Nacho Traditional Ceramic Tile See what's new in this flooring workhorse---tiles that are tough, stain resistant, with unlimited design possibilities! Speaker:  Chris Schmidt with Daltile We will have a taco buffet catered by Moe's and the margarita machine will be cranked up.  All compliments of Daltile! There will be prizes, too---a gas grill, heavy duty cooler, and a $100 VISA gift card.  All you have to do is attend one of our seminars to be entered in the drawings. But try not to spill on the Carpets please! See you on May 14!