The Return of Laminate Flooring

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I never thought I'd say this, but Laminate seems to be making a come back.

Until recently, laminate floors were either not as attractive nor as long lasting as their natural counterparts.  There were a few options that were actual viable options, but they required the same kind of investment as either hardwood or tile.  But that has changed.

Not too long ago, Carpet One International contacted all the top laminate manufacturers.  They were given a challenge: create a line of laminates with better visuals, better durability, and better cost levels than the rest of the laminate world.  And, Carpet One also requested that the manufactures keep in mind the growing concern about air quality and other health factors.

And because of that we now have the Laminate for Life and Invincible Laminate lines.  And I am shocked.  I never thought that I would be able to say that I actually liked laminate flooring.  But the laminates in this line have won me over.  And here's why...

• The unbeatable Carpet One Warranties - from Bronze to Titanium - backed by the Mercer Team
• The tightest, best sealing joints in the industry keeping dust, moisture, and dirt from getting between and under your new floor keeping it cleaner and healthier
• an eco-friendly, allergen-free finish that is easy to keep clean and super tough
• the thickest and most effective core board available in the industry

Now, since the performance is up to par with my standards and the looks have improved by Superman's leaps and bounds, I would have absolutely no problem suggesting a laminate to a client who is looking for an exotic or hand scraped hardwood look with a basic oak budget.  Because, with these laminates, it's possible!

Now, I'd like to hear from you:

• what is your experience with laminate flooring?
• has something (or someone) come back to surprise you after you had written it (or the person) off?
• what are your design dilemmas and/or ideas?

And, of course, I'd like to know if you found this post interesting/informative and if you'd like to learn more about this topic!

Have Fun,

Katlin Farrell

Flooring Design Consultant

katlin@mercercarpetone.com

[Did You Know?] The Average Hardwood Needs to be Refinished Every...

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Here's another (semi) random fact for you!

The typically hardwood only needs to be sanded and refinished every 15 years.  And that's if it was finished in the home and lived on by a mid-sized family (two parents, two children, and a pet). 

If it was originally finished by the manufacturer, that typically extends its life for another 5 or more years!

And, I recently talked to a customer who had us refinish her hardwood floors between 12 and 15 years ago and it's starting to look tired and worn enough to need another sprucing up.  And she's living with her husband, daughter, three of her grandchildren, and two dogs!  Plus her three other grandchildren regally visit on the weekends and the neighbor children visit often as well!  Now that's a busy home!

You're Invited to Mercer's Midnight Madness Celebration!

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I want to extend a personal invitation to you for an event we are hosting this weekend (September 23rd and 24th). 

Every year Historic Downtown Westminster has Midnight Madness to kick off the Fall Fest.  And a lot of the local businesses and organizations participate; this year Mercers is really participating in a big way!

1. ALL flooring products will be 50% off all day Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th at both showrooms
2. Our Westminster Showroom will be open till midnight on the 23rd as apart of the local event
3. Both showrooms are hosting a huge contest: 4 grand prizes of a free floor!

Do you have a project that you were thinking of getting done before the Holidays?  Now is a great time to get those rollings (especially since you could get a room done for free!)  Email me at katlin@mercercarpetone.com for additional details, for answers to any questions you may have, and/or to set up your complimentary, in-home flooring design consultation, measure, and inspection. 

P.S. - If you decide to visit our showroom, ask for me and mention this blog to get a free Healthy Living Installation Upgrade!

Downtown Westminster Showroom: 26 W. Main St, Westminster, MD 21157 - 410-876-2026
Ellicott City/Columbia Showroom: 10291 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042 - 410-480-0087

[Did you Know?] That the Most Popular Favorite Color is...

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Turns out someone actually spent a chunk of change to compile a survey regarding the top favorite colors of Americans.

And Blue came out on top with a huge lead of 44%!

Green was second with 12% and Red was really close at 11%.

For the second favorite colors, the results were a little more even:

• Blue at 19%
• Green at 17%
• Red at 16%

What's your favorite color(s)? (Mine are pretty much any Green and the Autumn Oranges; though, you know me, I just love color.)

[Featured Blog Post] Color Psychology in Home Design by Build Direct

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I recently found this post that is the start of a series of blog posts by Build Direct on Color Psychology and its effect on interior design, especially for the home.  I thought that you would find it a good and useful read and would love to hear what you think of it!

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Color is a powerful tool for all kinds of reasons.

One of the biggest ones is how color affects mood, and sets the general atmosphere in a space. This is why there’s so much choice when it comes to color, to shade, and to the associations we make with them.

In this series of posts centred around color psychology, I’d like to touch on some of the basics of some select colors that remain to be the most popular to add to interior designs.

To kick off, here’s some notes on the color red, a choice that is both attractive, bold, and is often a reason to pause before plunging in. It’s intense. But, does it have to be?

Let’s take a look. Read more here...

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Please read the post and post your thoughts using the comment section below!

A Moment of Silence

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Never Forget

"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" ~ Allan Jackson

8:46am - American Airlines Flight 11 is the first plane to crash

9:02am - United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the 2nd of the Twin Towers

9:37am - American Airlines Flight 77 impacts the Pentagon

9:58am - the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 confront the hijackers

9:59am - the South Tower collapses

10:06am - Flight 93 crashes into a field

10:28am - the North Tower collapses

10:50am - 5 floors in the Pentagon collapse

Thank You for Voting for Us!

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It's official!  You have voted us Carroll's Best Flooring Store again!

Fourteen years ago, the Carroll County Times started the Carroll's Best Awards and we are extremely honored to have received your votes then and every year since.  To us there is no better stamp of approval than that of our customers.

Thank you for taking the time to vote for us.  If at any time you think that there is a way to improve our service and offerings, please let us know.  We're always striving to improve.

[Guest Post] How to Choose the Best Floor for Your Home's Design

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I was recently contacted by Heather J. who writes on behalf of Design55, an English source for modern living room furniture. She had a great idea on a post on how furniture and flooring can work together to enhance the overall design of your home.  I'd love to know what you think of her post!

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Choosing the right flooring that maintains compatibility with your overall decor is an important choice, and can be tough one without some guidelines.

Whether you realize it or not, your floors set the stage for the tone of your room. A hardwood floor can add warmth whereas a light carpeted floor can bring a certain comfort to your overall environment. Do you want your floor to accent your already-perfectly-in-place wall décor or do you want your furniture to mimic the feel of your new floor?

Here are some tips to help you know what floors go best with your furniture, and how to best maximize the space you have.

Carpet

Many people want to know what furniture goes best with carpet.

Depending on the color of your carpet, this can greatly affect what type and color of furniture you choose. If you are redesigning your entire living room, pick your carpet color before anything else.

If you think about how influential a color scheme could be, then you know that any color you pick will set the overall tone of the room. Grey carpet works well for a little boy’s room as you can accent that with a race track area rug, while if you want a stress free living room consider putting in a light blue or sage colored carpet. Complimented with cream colored pillows and a neutral colored sofa, you can feel at peace anytime you spend an evening there.

Hardwood Floors

Just as you treat your furniture like an investment, you should treat your floors like one too.

Hardwood floors can be the most versatile material to work with, especially if you have a neutral colored couch or arm chair to rest on top of it. Contrasting is important when it comes to your hardwood floors, so if you have a dark color leather couch for example, a lighter color hardwood floor would look best. Dark furniture with dark wood floors tends to blend in, but a contrast looks great no matter what type of furniture you have.

Tile

Tile is a great choice for any busy household.

Like any other hard surface, it’s easy to clean, durable, and stain resistant. Any tile that has more than one color or a complex pattern tends to look busy with too many other colors in the room’s décor.

If you choose a Spanish tile flooring consider plain, neutral furniture which won’t appear to be “too much” color for the look of the room. On the other hand, if you want more color and patterns in your furniture then by all means, pick a color of tile that represents the overall tone you wish for! Blues and greens always enforce a calming effect while bright colors like yellows, reds and purple can give your room the flair it needs for entertaining.