November 1, 2020 by Terry Holmes Carpet & Flooring

How to Find the Perfect Flooring Installation for Your Basement

Every homeowner wants to make the most of their home’s space, and enhancing the basement’s potential is an excellent way of doing that. The first step of making it stand out is starting at the bottom. Like other rooms, there are many considerations when choosing the ideal flooring materials.

The wrong flooring installation choice is potentially disastrous to your home. In this article, you’ll learn about different flooring options and their ideal uses. One of the most common terms when it comes to flooring installation in is “below grade.” It refers to basement installation. Manufacturers have introduced many stylish and durable products that make a great fit for your basement floor.

How Will You Use the Floor?

This is the first question that every homeowner should ask themselves when looking for a flooring installation company in Alabama. For example, if you want to use the flooring space in your home as a work area, you need to go for clean and durable options. Some of the choices you have are vinyl and stained concrete.

Do you want to have a cozy area? If yes, go for carpet. On the other hand, if you are looking for a flooring option from Holmes Flooring that can potentially outlast your home, choose ceramic tile. There are special considerations when you are searching for the best floor installation option in your basement. One of the most vital considerations is exposure to moisture.

The causes of standing water must be addressed prior to the installation of a finished floor in your home’s basement.

In most homes, the air ducts for the upper levels are installed in the basement ceiling. If your ducts tend to condense and leak onto the floor, you’ll want to get that fixed by calling a licensed contractor ASAP. Likewise, your water heater is most likely installed in the home’s basement area and may need service to stop a water leak. Even if everything’s okay presently though, you’ll still want to consider the possibility of leaks from overhead pluming or air ducts. If that’s a concern, you’ll want to buy a waterproof or water-resistant product in case another leak occurs later on. One of the best options for such surfaces is waterproof vinyl. These floor options are durable and come in different beautiful looks. No matter what flooring option you choose though, you will need to do some prep work first…

Most people don’t understand the importance of the levelness of the floor installation unless they have an issue already in their home. During flooring installation, even slight slopes and flaws will affect your project. Many times in an older basement you need to use self-leveling cement to fill low spots in the concrete before adding a finished floor. If this is done correctly, you will have the level base you need to install your new floor.

If you prefer having carpet, purchase waterproof carpet for a basement area.

About Us

No matter which option you’re leaning towards, it’s always good to get a consultation from a professional floor installer. At Holmes Flooring, we have over 15,000 installations completed in the greater Birmingham area and we offer free in-home consultations, so you’ll know the flooring you choose is a good option for use in your home’s basement.

June 15, 2020 by Terry Holmes Carpet & Flooring

Top Three Cheapest Kitchen Flooring Options for Birmingham Homeowners

If you plan on remodeling your kitchen floor this summer, but you’re on a tight budget, don’t give up hope! There are always cheap but beautiful kitchen flooring choices. Whether you are choosing new kitchen flooring for style or whether it is for a green design, these top three cheapest kitchen flooring options can help.

Vinyl can be both luxurious and affordable

Vinyl The cheapest of all kitchen flooring options, vinyl comes in a huge variety of colors and styles, as well as shapes and sizes. From basic stick-on tiles to entire sheets, vinyl kitchen flooring is one of the most common kitchen flooring options.

Vinyl flooring can easily be done DIY or installed professionally at a reasonable price. Stick-on or glued vinyl tiles can be arranged to copy a variety of real tile options. From stone to marble to checkerboard, vinyl is versatile. Best of all, it’s softer on the feet than conventional tile. That’s good news when you’re washing the dishes or cooking on the stove.

Affordable Linoleum Flooring

Linoleum Similar to vinyl but without the unfriendly environmental concerns, linoleum is made from sustainable and recycled materials. Wood flour, pine resin and linseed oils are pressed and heated into sheets or tiles in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Birmingham homeowners will enjoy the ease of cleaning that vinyl provides.

While it costs a little more than vinyl, it does have all of the same features without the environmental concerns. Easily installed DIY or professionally, linoleum can duplicate a wide variety of kitchen flooring options such as wood, tile and stone.

Porcelain kitchen tiles are surprisingly affordable

Porcelain – If you’re not fooling yourself with faux wood and tile, why not spring for the real deal? Porcelain tile has all of the same features as typical kitchen flooring tile options, but without the high price. DIY or professionally installed, porcelain tiles can replicate any design, color or style that conventional flooring tile has.

Stone hues and colors are a common sight in kitchen flooring options. Easily replicated in light earthy tones to polished marble to natural stone, porcelain tiles can give you the natural stone look you desire, but without breaking the bank.

Installed just like conventional tile and stone, porcelain tiles can handle high traffic areas like a kitchen with ease. Porcelain tiles are also easily adaptable to under flooring heating solutions, making porcelain tiles the most versatile of the top three cheapest kitchen flooring options.

Contact Holmes Flooring for Affordable Floor Coverings in Birmingham

Price conscious homeowners in Birmingham love shopping at our showroom in Leeds right off I-459 near the Bass Pro Shops. (View on MapQuest)

We offer free estimates on luxury vinyl, linoleum, and porcelain kitchen flooring. Holmes Flooring has been serving the greater Birmingham area for decades and we have completed over 15,000 flooring projects over the years. Check us out around the web:

May 11, 2020 by Terry Holmes Carpet & Flooring

Installing a Click Laminate Floor

Once you choose your flooring, you need to measure the room. It’s easier to measure most spaces if you have two people – one to hold each end of the measuring tape.

Measure the length and width of the room. Multiply these two numbers together to get the square footage or square metres required.

Use the square foot or square metre numbers on the packaging of your chosen flooring to decide how many boxes you need. Divide the number on the box into the total square footage or metres for your room. Do the same for the underlay rolls. When you purchase the flooring, round the number of boxes up rather than down.

Tools required

Measuring tape
Pencil
Straight edge or set square
Saw
Piece of 2 x 4 scrap lumber approximately 2 ft long
Hammer

Prep the floor

1) Remove any old carpeting, underpad or loose tiles. You may also want to remove your baseboards if there isn’t enough room for the floor to slide under them.

2) Sweep or vacuum the floor thoroughly to remove debris.

3) Hammer down or remove any staples or protruding nails.

Lay the floor

1) Lay out one length of underlay.

2) Roughly trim it to the length of the room – leave a bit extra at each end of the line. A couple of inches is fine.

Note: Laminate flooring needs to be about 1/2“ or 1 cm away from the wall on all edges to allow for expansion and contraction. Do not fit it tightly – it may buckle over time.

3) Starting at the wall edge, place the first flooring board down against the wall. The groove should face you.

4) Place the next board at the end and click the tab on that board into the groove. Continue the length of the wall, stopping to measure when you can’t put down a full board. Measure the distance to the wall and mark your board. Make sure that you measure the board from the end that clicks into the previous board. Check your measurements, and then cut your board.

5) Click the last piece of the first strip into place.

6) Use the piece that you cut off to start the next row. This ensures that the joints are staggered, resulting in a stronger floor that looks more like hardwood.

7) Insert the tab of the next row into the groove of the first row. Gently press down to “click” the floor board into place. You may need to use the scrap 2 x 4 and a hammer to get the boards to seat tightly as you move along the floor. Make sure that you place the edge of the 2 x 4 lengthwise along the boards to distribute the force evenly.

8) As you move across the floor, lay additional lengths of underlay, sealing them together with the peel and stick edges.

9) At the final edge, you may need to cut the boards lengthwise to fit. Measure carefully at each end of the gap, mark and trim them to fit. Remember, your walls may not be exactly straight.

10) Replace the baseboards if you took them off.

Once you’re done, sweep your floor to remove any dust, and stand back and admire your handiwork!

Need help completing your flooring project? If the DIY route doesn’t fit into your busy lifestyle, remember that Holmes Flooring is always available to provide free in-home estimates for your upcoming project. Just fill out our contact form to get the process started.