3 Tips for Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring has become increasingly more popular for both economic and ecological reasons. This type of flooring can be used in multiple rooms and is a cheaper compliment to wood flooring. It is also one of the easiest home renovation projects to do yourself. To install the flooring yourself, you will save hundreds of dollars on installation but will need to be prepared. Below are three tips to better prepare you to install your laminate flooring.

1. Be Organized
Plan out what you want to accomplish and check that you have the necessary tools and accessories at hand to complete the job. You will need enough flooring to cover the square footage of the room, proper underlayment, transitions, moldings and glue. Be sure you have a complete understanding of the project and the expectations before starting.

2. Inspect the Flooring
Inspect the flooring before installation to ensure you have the correct pattern, style and color you want for the room. Check all laminate planks for visible defects. Do not install laminate planks with obvious damage. Your flooring may come with a manufacturer’s warranty and the company may be willing to replace the damaged planks.

3. Basics are Important
○ Check your subfloor prior to installation
The subfloor will need to be in proper condition before installation. Replace damaged areas that are loose or have been damaged by moisture. Clear all loose debris and dirt before laying the foam underlayment.

○ Acclimation
Laminate flooring must be conditioned for at least 48 hours before installation. This type of flooring will constrict or expand depending upon the moisture in the air. Cross stack the unopened boxes in the room where the flooring will be installed. Do not allow the temperature in the room fall below 65 degrees.

○ Use proper underlayment
Laminate flooring will need proper underlayment installed underneath. Use regular underlayment when installing laminate over wood sub-floor. Use vapor underlayment for cement sub-floor, wood subfloor over crawl space, in manufactured houses, vinyl installed over concrete and radiant floor.

Feng Shui Home Renovation Tips

When remodeling your home consider following feng shui tips. Feng shui allows the home to have a balanced space for each family member.

Feng shui allows those who use it to attain positivity in their homes and lives. The focus of this Chinese philosophy is to control the flow of energy. When using this concept it will help home owners to arrange their rooms and furniture in a way that will help to gain positive energies in the home. Below are four tips to help home owners utilize feng shui.
1. Balanced space for each family member:
It is important to establish balance in spaces such as the children's bedroom. Children's rooms should be of equal size. This will avoid fights of inequality between the children. Using this technique will also establish an equal amount of love among the children.

2. Location of the kitchen:
The kitchen is the heart of the house, meaning the location of the kitchen is a vital part of the house. In order to achieve a positive flow of energy the kitchen should not be seen directly after entering through the front door or from a bedroom. It should be more centrally located.

3. Figure out the lighting:
Another essential of feng shui is lighting. When performing a home renovation, consider the lighting and the arrangement of the lighting fixtures. Focus on areas inside the house that is not endowed with natural light. This will help to light your house evenly.

4. Know the basics of feng shui:
Familiarize yourself with other aspects of feng shui, such as ba-gua. Ba-gua helps to analyze the energy of a certain space while using feng shui. Also, consider introducing five elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Be aware of the colors that fall within these elements, such as red, orange and pink which are fire colors.