Canadian Home Trends MAKEOVERS FOR EVERY BUDGET | Page 104

your questions answered You’ve emailed your flooring questions and we’ve answered them with the help of the experts at Nufloors Coquitlam. Let’s take a look at what they have to say. Q I want to get rid of all the carpet in my home but I find it safer on stairs for children. Would it look funny to have carpet only on our stairs and laminate or tile everywhere else? Answer Not at all. Carpet is a safe option for children and pets as it provides traction for little feet running up and down a staircase. There are some beautiful carpets with colours and patterns that can match or pull colours from your current laminate or tile. Luxury and safety can be achieved with carpet on your staircase. Q Can I put hardwood or laminate flooring in a basement? I heard it will buckle due to dampness. Answer In most cases we would only install engineered flooring over concrete. There are steps that must be taken to ensure a stable and solid floor. First, a moisture content reading is taken of the concrete or plywood floor. This reading must be between six percent and nine percent. Moisture levels can fluctuate over time, but this ensures that the moisture is at the right level at the time that the flooring is installed. If the moisture reading is outside of these levels, further action needs to be taken before you lay your floor. A moisture barrier must be placed between the floor and the sub-floor. Talk to your local retailer about the best moisture barrier for your needs. Q How do I transition the colour of hardwood from my main floor to my second floor by way of the stairs? Insider secrets Want to give your floor that “like-new” shine, or remove a stain from your carpet? Try these cleaning techniques that are sure to bring new life to your floors! 88 CanadianHomeTrends.com Ceramic Tiles Fresh Carpet Stain Insider secret Make old tiles new again by cleaning grout and restoring it to its natural beauty. We recommend Aqua Mix Tile & Grout Cleaner. Insider secret Don’t scrub, you’ll just make it worse! Mix one-quarter cup of vinegar into four cups of water. Dab the area repeatedly, working from the outside of the stain in. Dry the carpet with a white cloth to soak up the water solution. Flooring, TORLYS, www.torlys.com Answer There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. One way is to install wood caps on the sides of the stairs in the same colour and wood grain as the wood on the main floor. You can then run carpet up the middle of the stairs and flow it seamlessly to the carpet upstairs. The second option is to carpet the tread and put the risers with wood the same colour as the main floor.