As you notice the changing levels of humidity and moisture, outdoor elements, and allergens will start to increase. These elements can easily wreak havoc on your flooring if you’re not careful.

Here are just five simple ways homeowners can keep their carpets and floors in top shape.

• Use Blinds to Protect Floors from Sunlight. When the sun’s out, harsh UV rays can cause premature fading and discoloration to floors. Whether you have hardwood, vinyl, laminate or tile, closing your blinds or shades will help prevent your flooring from fading
  
  
• Use Door Mats at All Outside Entrances: One of the simplest ways to prevent dirty floors in the fall is to have a high-quality door mat outside all outdoor entrances.
  
  
• Use a Dehumidifier: Changes often bring more than just sunshine—humid weather can also make itself welcome in your home. High humidity can affect the color and shine of your flooring and can even cause warping or cracks in your floors.
  
  
• Vacuum Instead of Sweeping: No matter what you do, dust, allergens, and dirt are sure to make their way into your home at some point this time of year.
  
  
• Waterproof Flooring Options: Even after beach season is over, water has a sneaky way of making its way into your home. Since water can cause damage and ruin your beautiful floors, you’ll want to be extra careful here.

For more information, come into Distinctive Carpet and Tile!

If you are finally ready to tackle that remodel project you’ve been dreaming of, congrats! This is an exciting time for homeowners like you who want to make your space your own.

To help you get started, we’ve outlined all of the top flooring trends you can expect to see in 2022. This overview will help you pick out a design that is both modern and stylish. Keep reading to learn more about next year’s big fashion take-aways when it comes to new floors!

Expected Trends for Flooring in 2022

The material you choose will have a direct and drastic impact on your living space. Some flooring will make a home feel cool and modern, while other products will have a warm and traditional effect. So where do we start?

Picking the best flooring material for your remodel comes down to three factors. As you shop, consider:

your style, your lifestyle and your budget.

Fortunately, 2022’s big flooring trends feature a wide range of affordable products that are also attractive. Ready to discover the industry’s most popular materials going into the new year?!

Vinyl Flooring Trends: In 2022, technology will continue to improve, so vinyl materials will look and feel that’s nearly indistinguishable from real wood or stone. Plus, luxury vinyl plank flooring is known for its affordability and ease of installation, so homeowners looking to DIY will be strongly considering LVP.

Because vinyl is warm, affordable, and stylish, we can expect the vinyl trend to continue for years, if not decades.

TILE Flooring Trends: Tile has been a classic and popular flooring choice for many years. In 2022, you can expect to see these kinds of tile products:

• Marble-look tiles that are affordable – but look anything but cheap.
• Decorative tiles that lean toward art deco or Moroccan styles.
• DIY-friendly tiles that allow you to easily install them yourself.
• Designer tiles that are hexagon, fan, or arabesque in shape.

CARPET Flooring Trends: Hard floors seem to be taking the lead for 2022’s top flooring trends. But we don’t expect carpet to take a backseat, either.

You might see more carpet tiles, area rugs, and high-plush carpets. Carpeting continues to provide a warmer, softer feel underfoot, which is why it’s often more popular in common living spaces like living rooms and bedrooms than, say, tile flooring. For homeowners who really want to make a statement, geometric carpet patterns will be on the rise as well.

LAMINATE Flooring Trends: Laminate is popular for both commercial and residential spaces, and that doesn’t look like it will change in 2022. Next year, we expect to see home and business owners gravitate toward light wood and wide-plank laminate flooring. Additionally, homeowners will be looking for features like water-resistance, stain-resistance, embossed/distressed textures, and high-variation options.

HARDWOOD + BAMBOO Flooring Trends: For homeowners who want a luxurious look and natural material, bamboo flooring and traditional hardwoods will remain the go-to materials. Nationwide trends tend to lean toward authentic looks and quality materials, so we expect these floors to remain immensely popular. 

The Best Looks for Flooring in 2022

Now that you are familiar with the industry’s most popular materials, you are ready to consider what looks are expected to see heightened popularity going into the next year. You’ll find that homeowners continue to trend toward natural and stylish aesthetics.

Natural looks are without a doubt the biggest trend going into 2022. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see some more creative and artistic floors as well. Bold patterns and colors will make their way into homes via carpet, tile, vinyl, and laminate. If you’re looking for a new floor with a little personality, decorative is the way to go.

For homeowners wanting a timeless and durable aesthetic, natural and natural-look floors will be the top choice. We expect to see an influx of purchases made for marble-look, stone-look, and wood-look floors. You may even see floors that resemble concrete, travertine, or limestone.

The Best Colors for Flooring in 2022

According to Hardwood Floors Magazine, the flooring trends for color will largely remain the same in 2022. In the past few years, we’ve seen a great demand in products and materials of these stains and colors: Gray Stains

Gray-stained flooring gives a space a more modern and contemporary feel, which remains a hugely popular aesthetic. They are also a great choice if you need to match your floors to white cabinets or modern furniture. And if you are looking to sell your home in the near future, a floor with a gray stain is sure to pique potential buyers’ interest.

Dark Stains: Dark stains look to remain popular, and it’s no surprise why. These materials are less susceptible to fading and have a warm and timeless appeal.

White Stains: Today’s homeowners lean toward a white, bright, and cheerful aesthetic. That’s why white-stained flooring is expected to remain popular in 2022.

The Best Patterns for Flooring in 2022

Once you know the color and material, you’ll need to decide what kind of pattern you want for your floor. This may seem like a straightforward decision, but in 2022, we can expect to see even greater variety in the options for patterned flooring.

Wide Planks: No matter what material, color, or texture you opt for, you can expect to see a large number of wide plank products on the market. In fact, these products will soon be so popular that they’ll begin to make thin and narrow plank floors look outdated.

In 2022, we can expect flooring planks to be available in greater widths and lengths than in years past.

Checkered Floors: Checkered flooring has long been popular in kitchens and bathrooms. In 2022, we expect the trend to seep into other rooms throughout the home as well.

The Best Textures for Flooring in 2022

You want your floors to look good, but it’s important that they also feel good. The texture you choose will play into both aspects.

For Hardwoods: As we said, hardwoods are expected to maintain (and even increase) their popularity in 2022. But not all hardwood floors are created equal. Here are some of the top textures we expect for wood floors next year.

Hand-scraped: Hand-scraped hardwoods are actually expected to decrease slightly in popularity over the next few years. But we still expect to see them plenty in 2022.

Smooth: Smooth floors will continue to grow in popularity well into 2022 and beyond. That’s because they are modern-looking and comfortable. Plus, they give a look of uniformity that is great if you want your home to appear clean and straightforward.

Distressed: Like hand-scraped floors, distressed floors may also see a minor decrease in popularity. But homeowners who are invested in a farmhouse or otherwise rustic look will still tend toward distressed bamboo and hardwoods. These floors have an appearance of age and character that fits this particular aesthetic extremely well.

For Carpets: Carpets are classic. But if you really want to make an impact in 2022, you’ll focus on texture in addition to color and pattern.

Shag/Frieze: Shag carpets are making a comeback – only this time they come under the name of ‘frieze’ carpeting. It’s no surprise that homeowners are returning to this long-ago favorite; they’re comfortable and match nearly any aesthetic.

But here’s a pro tip: Stick to the gray colors we mentioned earlier. Bold colors are not on-trend for carpets heading into the new year.

Berber: Berber carpet is extremely popular for commercial property owners. It’s less commonly used in homes, but if you’re in need of something durable, it may be worth a look.

Cut and Loop: We mentioned that creative patterns are a major trend right now. For carpets, this takes the form of cut and loop textures. Expect them to be big for 2022.

Expect to See More Sustainable Flooring in 2022

As more homeowners prioritize their environmental responsibilities, flooring trends have begun to lean toward more eco-friendly materials. In 2022, we expect this trend to continue to flourish.

In fact, we believe that eco-friendly flooring will become so popular that homes with these materials will have higher sale values and spend less time on the market.

With that being the case, there are two primary materials we expect to see increase in popularity: Homeowners are likely to buy more bamboo flooring and floors made from recycled materials in 2022.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is extremely popular for a variety of reasons. At the top of the list is the fact that this material is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Because bamboo is fast-growing and self-regenerating, it can be harvested yearly without any major environmental consequences.

Recycled Materials: In 2022, many carpet manufacturers will be making products created from recycled materials like natural fibers. And if you’re willing to shop around, you can also find hard flooring materials that are reclaimed or recycled. A few examples of materials that are recycled and used to create flooring include reclaimed/salvaged wood, cork, rubber, and terrazzo.

Credit to: BRIDGETT O  

Fall is officially here, and winter will follow shortly. With the changing levels of humidity and moisture, outdoor elements, such as dirt, and allergens. These elements can easily wreak havoc on your flooring if you’re not careful.

Here are just five simple ways homeowners can keep their carpets and floors in top shape this fall and beyond.

Use Blinds and Shades to Protect Floors from Direct Sunlight

When the sun’s out, harsh UV rays can cause premature fading and discoloration to floors, especially hardwood flooring. But whether you have hardwood, vinyl, laminate flooring, or tile, closing your blinds or shades will help prevent your flooring from fading (not to mention keep your home cooler). If it’s necessary to keep curtains open, just remember to close them before you head out to save your flooring from unnecessary sun damage.

Use Door Mats at All Outside Entrances

One of the simplest ways to prevent dirty floors in the fall is to have a high-quality door mat outside all outdoor entrances. Have all family members and guests wipe off their shoes before coming inside—or better yet, leave muddy shoes and clothes outside on the porch, patio, or right inside the entrance. Taking just a few seconds to scrape off the bottom of your shoes can keep allergens from getting inside and prevent abrasive particles from scratching up floors.

Use a Dehumidifier as Needed

Seasonal changes often bring more than just sunshine—humid weather can also make itself welcome in your home during the transitional months between summer and fall. High humidity levels can affect the color and shine of your flooring, and at worst, can even cause warping or cracks in your floors. Using a dehumidifier when humidity levels are high can help draw moisture out of the air to keep your floors looking shiny and new. 

Vacuum Instead of Sweeping

No matter what you do, dust, allergens, and dirt are sure to make their way into your home at some point this time of year. Prioritize vacuuming over sweeping—even on hard surfaces—to pick up as much grit as possible. Sweeping can spread dust and dirt around instead of eliminating it, especially tiny particles that aren’t easily visible. If you’re going to mop or sweep, make sure you vacuum first to prevent moving those itty-bitty particles and abrasives along the floor’s surface, which can scratch or damage floors.

Consider Waterproof Flooring Options

Even after beach season is over, water has a sneaky way of making its way into your home. Since water can cause damage and ruin your beautiful floors, you’ll want to be extra careful here. Make sure you have towels inside and outside doorways to prevent excess water from getting in your home, and consider using water-resistant or waterproof flooring to help protect your floors from moisture, water, and spills.

Come visit Distinctive Carpet and tile and choose from several products that are waterproof and water resistant.   

Taking care of your floors is a year-round task — and we know that it is easier said than done.

With that in mind, here are few ideas and insights to help you give your floors the love they need to keep looking great.

Seasonal Smarts (with Socks)
The holidays are approaching. That means extra foot traffic, not to mention the grime that comes with it— dirt, leaves, snow, salt and other elements. All of these are brought into your home in the treads of your and your guests’ shoes. Each of these items can take a toll on your floors, plus added time for clean-up.

For starters, don’t be ashamed to implement a “shoes off” rule at the front door to give your floors a break and let guests’ socks do the talking. And while you’re at it, be sure to add a nice welcome mat outside all external doors — we love the look of these.

Of course, runner rugs are an excellent add-on to also absorb the heavy traffic in your home. Choose runners that add style and harmonize with your floor’s color and texture. We recommend reading up on floor runners as there are plenty of styles to choose from that can blend well with all floors.

Light the Way
Another floor care tip is keeping an eye on natural light: over time hardwood floors’ color can change — or “patina.” This affect can be controlled by putting up curtains or window coverings to limit UV light exposure. And it makes sense to rearrange rugs and furniture every so often to give different areas of your floor equal time to shine in the light for balance.

Clean Up Well
When it comes to cleaning your floors, it’s most important to reference your floor care and maintenance to learn how to properly clean them. A big mistake people make with hardwood floors is using inappropriate cleansers and cleaning supplies that can leave residue and other films. Hardwood can also take a beating from abrasive steel wool or scouring pads. Before you plug in the vacuum, double-check your floor’s care guide as certain floors need certain types of bristles. With hardwood your floors should be vacuumed with a felt-brush type rather than hard bristles.

Furniture Feet and Furry Friends
As another key floor care item, always use quality furniture feet pads to avoid added floor mark-ups and wear-and-tear — especially for kitchen or dining room table chairs. And, when settling into your home office and that ergo-correct office chair on wheels, use a hard-surface, non-studded and non-rubber mat to absorb the constant rolling.

Finally, we are big fans of pets, but we cannot tell a lie: they can damage a floor. But, by keeping nails trimmed and taking them out on potty breaks when needed — disasters can be avoided. When they do have an accident, we recommend cleaning up it up right away (but we also recommend having someone else do it!)

For more information, contact us at Distinctive Carpet and Tile. Our staff is here to make sure you know all your options and pick the right flooring for your needs and your budget.  Call us today!  -Article Credit: LL Flooring

Your bathroom… It is a busy space. Sometimes it is a chaotic space, so it needs to stand up to the challenge. While you need something durable, waterproof, and probably stain-resistant, too, you also want something beautiful. On its best day, your bathroom should feel more like a spa. Depending on your style preferences, you can get a floor that brings it all together.

If you prefer a wood-look to keep the flooring in your house consistent, there are a few options that’ll do the trick. There’s luxury vinyl that can give you that look at a lower price. It is beautiful, durable, and waterproof, making it a perfect choice for the bathroom. But, if you would rather stick to the ultimate classic, tile now comes in a variety of sizes and styles and can even mimic hardwood. It will give you the same great style, with all the benefits of tile.

For classic tile, consider porcelain or ceramic tile. Both come in outstanding designs and colors. Painted tiles are a top trend in bathroom designs that provide an exciting visual interest.

As an alternative, you can get the look of tile—with luxury vinyl tile. It is durable, waterproof, and scratch-resistant, and comes in a variety of styles to match your preferences. Also, a great alternative, laminate flooring has evolved into a versatile floor for any room in the house. It is cost-effective and durable, plus, it comes in a variety of water-resistant options for the bathroom.

And once you decide which floor is right for you, there are a few style (or lifestyle) elements that also come into play.

If you do go with tile, try to mix and match sizes. It adds visual interest with staggering patterns across the floor. Or, go with a non-traditional tile shape. Hexagons and octagons are proven to be extremely popular in bathrooms. And when choosing a tile size, keep in mind that larger tiles always make the room feel larger.

There are lots to consider when you are looking for the right bathroom floor. Whether it is about functionality, style, or beyond, the space you create must fit your (and your family’s) needs. Start with the look you prefer, and work from there.

Once you are ready, give us a call. We’ll talk you through our bathroom flooring options, whether it’s hardwood, luxury vinyl, tile, or laminate, we’re here to help.

Distinctive Carpet and Tile, serving all South Florida for over 25 years! *Excerpts referenced from Flooring America

Keeping Your Carpets, Rugs, and Hard Flooring Surfaces Safe From COVID-19

Right now, many of us are cooped up at home and while the situation is far from ideal, it can be a great time to get some cleaning done. It’s not only important to keep a clean home to lower the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and other germs, but getting a head start on spring cleaning can help you feel productive and make your home a more pleasant place to be. If someone in your home is sick, it is important to not just clean, but to disinfect surfaces and your floors are no exception. While you might not consider the floor a frequent touch point, it is important to keep these high traffic areas as clean as possible, especially if someone has walked through your home with shoes or if you have pets who might be carrying in dirt, germs, and bacteria from outside. From cleaning to disinfecting, we are here to share some tips to help you keep your floors clean and safe.

Should I Clean or Disinfect My Floors?

One of the first things to note is there is a big difference between simply cleaning and disinfecting your home. Cleaning helps to remove germs but does not kill them, though this does lower the risk of spreading infection as it reduces the number of germs. Disinfecting uses chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This does not necessarily clean dirt or remove these germs, so it is always best to clean first and then disinfect to lower the risk of spread. However, disinfecting requires specific products to complete effectively and these supplies might be hard to come by if you do not already have them on hand. The good news is, if no one in your home is sick it is only necessary to clean (without disinfecting) to reduce the spread and keep everyone safe and healthy. Keep up with a daily cleaning schedule and follow the CDC’s best practices like frequent and thorough hand washing to maintain a healthy household.

Fortunately, when it comes to flooring, fully disinfecting is rarely necessary in any case. CDC studies have shown that disinfecting floors has minimal impact beyond regular cleaning. We have included some disinfecting tips below anyway, but for the most part you do not have to change your cleaning methods, though you may want to clean a little more frequently than usual.

Cleaning Tips for Hard Flooring– Hardwood, Laminate & Vinyl Flooring

Just like any other time, daily use of a microfiber mop or Swiffer is a great way to keep your hard surface floors clean. You can vacuum with a soft-bristled floor brush attachment to clean up even more dirt, dust, and debris. Depending on the type of flooring in your home, you will want to be careful with any kind of mopping- hardwood and laminate floors can be damaged by moisture so opt for damp mopping with those instead. If you have vinyl flooring, you can mop with either a store-bought cleaner or a solution of apple cider vinegar and warm water. Routine cleaning here will help to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses

Disinfecting Hard Flooring– Hardwood, Laminate & Vinyl Flooring

Again, it’s important to clean hard surfaces prior to disinfecting, and if you’re using a disinfecting product be sure to carefully review the manufacturer’s instructions prior to use to know how long your disinfectant needs to be in contact with the surface to kill germs. It is also good to know the difference between cleaners that kill bacteria and ones that kill viruses and look for the latter. Many anti-bacterial cleaning agents are also disinfectants that will kill viruses but double check the label.

Whenever you’re disinfecting, make sure to wear disposable gloves if you have them handy to protect your skin from the chemicals. If you only have reusable gloves, be sure to dedicate these gloves specifically for cleaning and disinfecting for COVID-19. Wash and clean your hands thoroughly as soon as you remove these gloves. Most hard surfaces recommend a bleach solution for disinfecting, but often you will want to keep bleach and other harsh chemicals away from your flooring. Instead, you can disinfect vinyl and laminate flooring by mopping with a mix of one gallon of warm water and one cup of white vinegar.

Disinfecting hardwood floors is a little trickier—remember that keeping water and moisture away is key to ensure your floors last so you do not want to use the vinegar solution here. The best option is to use a damp mop with a cleaner made specifically to disinfect hardwood floors. After damp mopping, dry the surface with a clean, soft, dry towel to remove any lingering moisture.

Cleaning Tips for Soft Flooring– Carpets & Area Rugs

Depending on the amount of traffic, daily or weekly vacuuming is recommended. Go slowly while vacuuming to make sure you are thoroughly picking up all the dust and debris—slow passes with your vacuum can pick up more ground-in dirt than fast passes. A lot of dust and debris tend to hide underneath or behind furniture, so if you can, move or lift your furniture to vacuum more thoroughly. If you’re cleaning the entire room, it’s smart to vacuum both before and after dusting- once before to pick up existing dust and once again after to pick up any that has made its way to the carpet after your other cleaning efforts.

Disinfecting Soft Flooring– Carpets & Area Rugs

Routine cleaning should be enough to reduce the spread of germs in your home so unless someone is sick, you rarely need to disinfect. If it has come to disinfecting, soft surfaces like your carpets and area rugs might be a little more challenging than the hard surfaces. The CDC recommends cleaning these surfaces either with soap and water or with cleaners made specifically for these surfaces. Again, you will want to pay attention to those cleaners and look for the ones that are specifically made with disinfecting properties. If you have got a home carpet steam cleaner handy- you can use this for a more thorough cleaning. You can use that mixture of white vinegar with hot water in your steamer but change the ratio to equal parts of each this time.

Keeping Your Floors Clean to Keep Your Home Healthy

Frequent and thorough cleaning is important right now to keep your home safe and healthy from the spread of the Coronavirus and other sicknesses. The good news is that your usual routine floor cleaning, no matter your flooring surface typically will suffice in lowering the spread of germs. Working out a daily schedule can help keep your home happy and healthy.

Credit: Kanter’s Carpet & Design Center