Holiday Home Improvements

This gift-giving season, plan a gift for your home that your family will enjoy year-round.

Beautify. Expand. Landscape.

Landscaping

The first impression your guests will have of your home is the front yard and entrance way to your home. Make this a lasting impression with a landscape upgrade.

Porches, Patios, and Sunrooms

If you live in a mild climate, consider creating or enhancing an outdoor living and entertaining space. Not only will your guests enjoy your new and well-appointed deck, patio or sunroom, you can be proud of making an economically smart decision because outdoor remodeling projects typically bring an 80 to 90 percent return on investment. Learn more about other projects with high ROI.

Touches of Color

Simply having autumn landscaping tasks completed, such as pruning and yard debris clean-up can make a big difference, but think about little touches that add to your wintery landscape. Depending on your climate zone, winter blooming flowers such as pansies can add a nice splash of color. Evergreens and red berries add beauty to landscapes on their accord as well as the colorful birds they attract.

Interior Upgrades

Before you deck those halls, is there something in your home badly in need of a remodel that decorating won't hide? Or perhaps everything's in good order, but you'd just like to add something new.

New Flooring

Replacing old flooring or carpet with an eco friendly and beautiful floor like bamboo can turn a whole room around. And don't forget the bathroom. Go all out for a new bathroom remodel or increase the aesthetics and comfort with perhaps a new spa or tile shower or something as simple but eye catching as a lovely new mirror and lights.


The Bottom Line

Remember when considering home improvements for the holidays that while you will be providing a more enjoyable stay for your guests, you will also have the pleasure of enjoying your improvements for years to come.

Source: Painless Home Improvement

Latest Project - JothiVita Ayurvedic Spa & Wellbeing Center

We love our customers and wanted to show you a few pictures of our latest finished project that we were hard at work on for the JothiVita Spa in Hollywood.

For the rest of the album, click Here.

Types of Wood Flooring

We've covered styles of wood flooring. Now lets talk about types of wood flooring!

Acrylic Impregnated Wood Floors - This type of wood flooring undergoes a process where acrylic is injected into the wood itself to create an extremely durable floor surface. These floors are typically used for commercial installations where high traffic takes place.

Engineered Wood Floors - Engineered wood floors consist of many layers of wood that have been pressed together and glued. The grains of each layer run in opposite directions to create added stability. Engineered wood is good for use in areas of the home where solid wood flooring is not appropriate. Most applications are in kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms.

Solid Wood Floors - Solid wood flooring can be defined as any piece of hardwood flooring that is one single piece of wood from top to bottom. Solid wood flooring lends itself well to custom flooring in a variety of species, stains and finish types. Combined with molding, accents and borders, a room finished with solid wood flooring is a work of art and this type of flooring is suitable for most rooms in your home.





Ready to begin your hardwood project? Call Benchmark Contracting for more information!


Source: WoodFloorsOnline

Styles of Wood Flooring

Wood flooring can be installed in a variety of styles. Check out just a few of those styles below!

Parquet -

Parquet flooring is comprised of a series of pieces that are arranged to create a geometric design. These patterns are often repeated across the span of the floor.


 

Plank -

Plank flooring is linear and typically deals with wider planks of wood, ranging from 3" - 8" in width. Wider planks have been used, but using wider planks can increase moisture concerns.

Strip -

Strip wood flooring is also linear, like plank flooring, but the planks are typically much thinner, not exceeding 3 1/4" in width. The linear effect created by this type of wood flooring produces an illusion of a larger and more open space.




For more information on these wood flooring styles, contact us at Benchmark Contracting!

Source: WoodFloorsOnline

Pre-Finished Wood vs. Unfinished Wood

Once you've made the decision to purchase and install hardwood flooring in your home, you'll have to ask yourself - pre-finished wood or unfinished wood? Let's take a look at what you're facing...

Pre-Finished Wood Floors 

Pre-finished wood flooring is becoming the mainstream when it comes to hardwood flooring. It is a favorite among home owners because installation is simple and doesn't require a sanding and finishing process, which can be messy and costly. Pre-finished wood flooring typically costs $2-$7 per sq. ft, not including the cost of preparation, installation, moldings, accents, and any other finishing touches desired.


Unfinished Wood Floors

Unfinished wood flooring is pretty self-explanatory. Once the wood has been installed, it must be finished on site. This process includes sanding, which can create a fair amount of dust around the area. Sanding to finishing can take anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the size of the floor and the other activities and renovations taking place at the same time. The cost of this type of installation ranges from $2-$4 per sq. ft., which typically includes a three step sanding process and three coats of finish. Additional costs include moldings, prep, furniture removal, etc.

The choice is yours! When you're ready to begin, give Benchmark Contracting a call!


Source: WoodFloorsOnline

Wood Flooring - Why?

Are you considering pulling up your carpet and installing a shiny new wood floor? Take a moment to consider these facts about wood flooring!

Wood flooring is...

1. Affordable - Wood flooring is a lifetime product that adds value to your home when it comes time to sell! Even if you spend a pretty penny on the wood and installation, hardwood flooring is one of the most sought after renovations when it comes to home construction because of it's value over time.

2. Easy to Maintain - Placing area rugs and floor protectors over your new hardwood flooring is a great way to keep your floor looking new. Routine maintenance with hardwood floor cleaner should be implemented from time to time. If you follow those simple rules, making a quick pass with the broom and vacuum will keep your floors healthy for a long time!

3. Ecologically Sound - Wood floors are created from a natural resource that is sustainable. Most timber is cut from forests that are managed to ensure continued production of resources. In fact, the amount of hardwood timber that is produced doubles each year! Today, there is more standing hardwood timer than 50 years ago!

4. Healthy - With indoor air quality being a huge concern with homeowners, it is good to know that hard wood flooring helps to contribute to a health living environment. Hard surfaces do not harbor dust mites or molds, creating better overall air quality within the home.

5. Vast in Variety - Today, there are so many colors, sizes, styles and finishes available that the possibilities with hardwood flooring are virtually endless!

Stay tuned to our blog for more information about wood floor types and visit our website to get started on YOUR next project!


Source: WoodFloorsOnline

Carpet Fibers - Part 2

 Triexta PTT

• Permanent Stain Protection
• Wear Resistant
• Ease of Maintenance
• Luxurious Softness
• Quick Drying 
• Typically used in residential settings.

Olefin or Polypropylene

• Resists fading.
• Inherently stain resistant.
• Limited color selection.
• Generates low levels of static electricity.
• Chemical, moisture, and stain resistant.
• Favorably priced 
• Typically used indoors but can be engineered for outdoor use. 

For more information, visit our website! 

 

 

Source: Mohawk