Suzana Mikolova

Cheap Wooden Flooring

So, after looking at the various options, you’ve come to the conclusion that the best choice for your situation is likely to be wooden flooring. But now you have to decide which of the various wooden floors you should purchase. You will be drawn to cheap wooden flooring at first, of course. After all, that’s the whole reason it’s cheap, because it gets your attention. Excepting any awesome wooden flooring sales, however, you’ll probably end up with a product of lower quality by paying less. However, in many cases, a cheap wooden floor will really be all you need, which means there’s not much point in paying more.

High Foot Traffic Does Not Go Well With Cheap Wooden Flooring

If they become scuffed or scratched, you can sand down solid wood floors. In fact, if you need to, you can sand higher quality wood floors multiple times. If you have pets or kids, this benefit is huge. Cheap wooden floors will likely end up looking pretty worn fairly quickly if you have a lot of foot traffic. However, you need not concern yourself with high traffic if you’re single and don’t ever have a lot of people coming in and out.

Finicky House Keepers Might Do Well With Cheap Wooden Flooring

You can protect your wooden floor if you use floor protectors and rugs in high traffic areas. However, floor protectors sometimes need to be replaced on furniture that is often moved about, such as chairs, and rugs can end up being put away or cleaned, but never laid back down. Does the clutter in your home have to drive you nuts before you clean up? Cheap wooden flooring will not work very well for you, if so, since it doesn’t stand up damage like thick, high quality wood floors. No one need know you went cheap when buying your floors, though, if you are a house cleaning fanatic.

Cheap Wooden Floors Hate Moisture

This one takes a bit of clairvoyance. It’s not as if anyone buys any flooring with the intent of covering it in a foot of water, after all. However, in an older home, sometimes things happen that are entirely out of your control. Wooden floors are very susceptible to water damage. Engineered wooden flooring is particularly bad about this. Because it’s thinner, it will warp quite quickly. Finding a wet spot where there’s not supposed to be one is always a bummer, but moreso if it’s already warped your wooden floor. Newer homes in areas that are mostly dry probably don’t have this concern.

Does Swapping A Few Boards Sound Like A Nightmare?

Are you planning to install your own wooden floors? There’s no amount of damage that can’t be fixed by trading the messed up boards for new ones. You should avoid buying cheap wooden floorsif this sounds like your worst nightmare. On the other hand, if swapping some boards sounds like a walk in the park, then cheap wooden flooring could definitely save you a ton of money.…

Time For a Spring Clean Clear Out!

It may not feel like it just yet but spring has now sprung and now is the time for some Spring Cleaning! Take a look at your old stock, untidy office or stockroom and get a good clear out. This will ensure that you have a clean, tidy and organised workspace as well as enabling you to get rid of some old stock hat has been gathering dust.

So how do you get started? Simply follow these steps:

1. Take a look at your stockroom, looking at the back of shelves, boxes or items shoved in various corners. Also take the time to check the shop area for any damaged items or items that are not selling and create a space to put them all together in one area.

2. Time for the spring cleaning! Once the sale items are moved and the stockroom is in order, it is amazing how much dust becomes apparent. This is a great time to get your shop floor looking fresh and display your merchandise to its very best.

3. If your displays are looking tired or damaged, it could be time to invest in a new shop fitting system, some new shelving, slat walls, show cases, mannequins or tailors dummies.

4. To keep your shop floor tidy, display your sale items in one area so that customers know where to find a bargain, this also helps to ensure that it does not distract from your current merchandise.

5. Make sure that your customers know that you are having a sale and there are bargains to be had with well placed posters, displays or clothes rails.

6. Once you have cleared some much needed space and generated more sales, you could take the opportunity to bring in new stock and help to increase your sales even further!

Equipashop are having our Spring Clean Clearout throughout March, so take a look at to see what is on offer.…

The Feng Shui of Water Fountains

In the field of Feng Shui, water is identified as the element capable of generating and activating the flow of endless opportunities. In fact, the word Shui in Feng Shui pertains to water. As such, aside from its capability to sustain life, water is greatly revered for its association with the concepts of wealth and prosperity, not just in financial outlook but also in terms of relationships, health, career and a whole lot more. The best means to capture all the positive components of water Feng Shui inside and outside one’s place is to integrate water fountains.

Water fountains are symbols of free flowing energy. Hence, they are often recommended to be placed in areas where energy levels have been stagnant. Aside from inviting positive energies in these places, fountains also serves as reservoirs of balance for these type of spaces. This is because the continuous flow of water channels the qi in spaces that require this kind of positive energy.

Fountains come in various materials including metals, ceramics and bamboos. Every material you use for your fountains strongly represents the three other elements of Feng Shui: metal, wood and earth. With these things in mind; homeowners should first know how each of these elements interact with water in order to maximize the benefits that can be derived from fountains. Accordingly, earth has the power to destroy or dissolve water, making ceramic fountains inappropriate for businesses and homes; metals and woods, on the other hand, are acknowledged for their abilities to enhance the element of water, thereby making copper fountains and bamboo fountains suitable for business establishments as well as homes.

Whether you wanted to use floor fountains or tabletop fountains, it is important to utilize the Feng Shui energy map called Ba-Gua in order to identify the right locations where you should place your fountains. Because fountains are water features that encapsulate the element of water, it is essential that you place them in areas that have the energies of water and wood. Basically, fountains can be placed in the east which stands for health and family, southeast which pertains to prosperity and abundance, and north which manifests career and path in life. It is noteworthy that fountains should not be placed in spaces facing south because according to Feng Shui belief the south coordinate stands for fame and reputation which commonly exude the fire energy, which is the total contradiction of water.

It is also vital to know that fountains come in a whole range of sizes and shapes. Therefore, smaller sized fountains are best fitted inside homes, while large sized fountains like floor fountains will look best outside your garden. Also try to complement them with the size of your space in order to avoid crowding, which could ruin the balance of energy in some areas inside or outside your home. Likewise, the shapes of your fountains should also suit the design of your spaces so as to maintain continuity and establish the right focal points for your home.

As water is an essential and powerful element, it must be dealt with proper care most especially if you want to integrate it in your home’s setup. The key to maximizing the power of water fountains is to place them in the right areas indicated by the Feng Shui energy map. Nonetheless, make sure that you would be able to fill them with their needed water to sustain the flow of positive energy. In so doing, you will definitely keep positive energy inside your home.…

The Benefits Of Wooden Floors

Many older homes and properties have the hidden benefit of wooden flooring buried away under layers of carpet. Replacing this carpet with a high quality new one can be quite an expensive task, especially when you are renovating the property to sell. And if you are working on a budget, especially in a living room, dining room or a hall way, the carpet needs to be able to take a lot of wear and tear and still look good.

That is why many people in these older properties where the floorboards are more than just a few planks of hardwood panels are taking advantage of the resources they have at hand.

If you take the time to carefully pull up your old and tired carpets and then prepare the floorboards underneath, you can have an excellent floor surface. It depends on your skill level and confidence as to whether you do the job yourself or get a professional in to do the job for you.

A DIY job would involve hiring the sanding machine and carefully sanding the flooring to get it perfectly smooth and then applying vanish to protect the floor, so you might prefer to seek professional assistance to get the job done, but plenty of people do manage it themselves and are delighted with the end result of their work.

But, what for those people that do not have the benefit of good looking floorboards? Well, there is still the option of wooden flooring and parquet flooring, depending on the circumstances and uses of the room in question.

Laying a wooden, or laminated wood, floor is a quick and simple job that can give a long lasting floor surface that will serve you well for many years to come. Again, it is something that the professionals can help you with, but with a bit of time and patience and a little reading up on what the techniques are, it is actually a very simple and satisfying piece of work. Best of all, many years later a well fitted wooden floor will still be looking absolutely fantastic and looking as though it has only just been laid. Whereas within the same time frame most carpets are going to be looking worn out and really in need of replacement.

Wooden floors, whether sanding and renovating an underlying floor or adding a laminate floor, look great and last well. The money spent is a good investment in the future of your home. Have a look at your floors today and see what you can do to improve yours!…

The Pros and Cons Of Travertine Floor Tiles

In deciding whether you are going to use travertine floor tiles for your flooring, it is best that you know the pros and cons before you start to install them. People who are selling these tiles are only focused on informing you about the great things the tiles can offer but there are certain negative aspects that they may fail to inform you of. Some people easily make a decision by just knowing the positive things about a product and they fail to look at or ask about the negative things that can affect their plans. You should read on to know the pros and cons of travertine tiles.

Of course, anyone wants to hear first the good news so I’ll begin by sharing with you the pros of having travertine tiles in your home. This kind of flooring can offer beauty and elegance to your home. The tiles are very beautiful and they can give a great long-lasting impression to a home where they are installed. These tiles are actually from natural stone so they are friendly to the environment. These tiles are long-wearing so they tend to last for a very long time if you take good care of them appropriately. If you need to replace one or a few pieces of them, you can easily find a good match as replacement tiles. Another positive thing about them is that the tiles can be easily cut if it is needed during installation. So, you will not have a problem if you want to create an odd figure or size and thus you can fit the tile into any space where it is required.

Now, let’s move on to discussing the negative things about these tiles. If you want them, you should seal them rigorously every two years so that they will continue to keep their great looks. It consumes a lot time when you have to seal these tiles. However, applying a sealer is needed so that the stains and dirt will remain on the surface and won’t get into the tiles. Travertine is a sedimentary rock so it tends to have voids which can allow liquids to penetrate and stain.

Also, sealed travertine tiles can be very slippery especially when they become wet if you go for a high gloss sheen. Therefore, they are not a great choice for flooring of restaurants where spills are most likely to happen. If you choose a luster finish then the footing improved remarkably.

These are some of the pros and cons of having travertine tiles for your home’s flooring. If you are going to analyze the situation, the cons are not really bad things while the pros are very significant. If you want your floor to have one of the most beautiful and long lasting tiles, these should be the ones placed in your home.…

When you’re working on making improvements to your kitchen, it’s important to not only concentrate on appearance but durability as well. By installing a granite countertop, you can check both off the list. If you’re ready to boost the functionality of your kitchen, here are four distinct advantages of adding granite.

1. Dazzling Appearance

One of the most notable benefits of a granite countertop is its dazzling and one-of-a-kind appearance. Each piece of quality granite Pittsburgh is truly unique with its own special pattern and color variation. Because of granite’s beauty, you’ll want to spend more time cooking and entertaining in your kitchen.

2. Unsurpassed Durability

A kitchen is filled with steel pots and pans, cast iron skillets and other heavy utensils, and you need a surface that stands up to them. Granite countertops are virtually impossible to break or chip and will be a part of your kitchen for decades. For added protection, sealing your granite countertop will help it repel liquids.

3. Effortless Maintenance

The kitchen is one area of the home you need to keep spotless. Granite countertops are resistant to bacteria and couldn’t be easier to clean, requiring only soap, water and a soft cloth. Steer clear of using any harsh chemicals, bleach or wipes on granite as they’re unnecessary and may strip the sealer.

4. Improved Cooking Experience

Why would your kitchen countertop make for a better cooking experience? Since granite is resistant to stains and moisture, you’re able to cook freely without worry. It’s also a perfectly flat surface which makes it a pleasure to work on if you enjoy making pie crusts and rolling dough for pastries.

When you’re ready to update your kitchen, adding granite countertops is an excellent choice. You’ll have a beautiful surface that’s easy to care for, lasts for decades and makes cooking fun again!

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Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make. Because a house costs so much money, you want to keep it in great condition so that you and your family can live your best lives there. Use these three tips to help your house stay in great shape for many years.

Keep Your HVAC Unit Working

Your HVAC system is responsible for keeping the interior of your home at a comfortable temperature. If your HVAC unit is not working properly, your home may be too hot or too cold for you to stay comfortable. Extreme temperature can also affect various parts of your home, so it is best to keep your HVAC system running smoothly. Have a company that specializes in air conditioning repair services Pittsburgh PA on standby so you can keep your unit in top condition.

Make Necessary Repairs Quickly

When certain elements of your house need to be repaired but aren’t urgent, it’s easy to put them off to save money. However, small problems can quickly become major if they are not fixed. Make it a habit to repair broken elements quickly to keep the problem from becoming more extensive and more expensive to fix.

Keep the House Clean

Cleaning your house is a good way to keep it livable. However, it also helps you see any potential issues before they become problems so that you can resolve them quickly. It may be helpful to create a cleaning schedule and divide all of the tasks among your family members so that you can keep the house in great shape.

It takes some dedication and energy to keep your home in great condition. If you adopt these three habits, you can ensure that your house stays in good shape for many years so that you and your family can enjoy living there.…