Deciding On A Quartz Countertop

Renovating a home takes dollars, time, and inordinate patience; but most of all it takes decision-making that should ultimately culminate in a fantastic result. Finding those materials that are both affordable and visually appealing is the biggest challenge for all home renovators.

There are many different styles of countertop materials available on the market today; and while the most popular are typically ceramic tile, laminate and granite countertops, there is another style of countertop that can effectively achieve all that you want from a new kitchen design. A quartz countertop brings a low-maintenance, durable, and beautiful alternative to all who are looking for a stunning new countertop design.

Quartz is a material that is found in great abundance within the earth; in fact, it is only second to water as the most common mineral-based form on the entire planet. Found to be effective and durable in a number of common home applications, quartz is now widely used in this capacity.

The quartz countertop is typically comprised of 100% quartz; the result is a countertop that holds up incredibly well under any kitchen conditions. Such countertops are heat resistant and hold up extremely well against scratches, stains, and impact. They are relatively low maintenance and provide an excellent workspace for cooks.

However, it is important to be on the lookout for those countertops that claim to be fully quartz comprised but that actually contain other material as well. Any additional material used in the making of the countertop can actually compromise the integrity of the quartz, rendering the countertops porous and therefore highly vulnerable to stains and scratches.

The quartz countertop is made from raw quartz crystals that are selected for their size and strength and then ground together. Once the quartz crystals are sufficiently ground, they are mixed with bonding agents before being heated and compacted to form an impenetrable surface.

The colors that we are attracted to when we pick our countertop are actually added within this process of grounding the quartz crystals. Color pigments are added to the mixture of bonding agents and ground quartz to form a beautiful palette that will suit any kitchen design.

Ultimately, the quartz countertop is a solid piece of stone that weighs quite a bit more than granite simply because it was manufactured to be particularly dense. While this is an advantageous characteristic once they are installed, the quartz countertop can be difficult to install for exactly this reason.

A do-it-yourselfer - no matter how motivated - should never attempt to install a quartz countertop unless they have specific experience with handling this particular material. Because this countertop is so strong it is also very heavy and can be dropped and broken if not handled correctly. It is best to leave such an installation to a professional contractor who has experience with quartz.

Benefits Of Engineered Flooring

Engineered flooring is a modern flooring material that imitates traditional hardwood floor boards. This looks exactly like its traditional counterpart but has many advantages over the traditional flooring system.

Engineered flooring is a composite material made up from several layers of medium or high density fibreboard or plywood with an upper layer of genuine hardwood. The core of this flooring (the fibreboard or plywood layers) are constructed by stacking the individual layers or ply's in the opposite direction of each other this provides strength to the flooring but also eliminates expansion or contraction.

It is available in a wide variety of natural timbers such as the traditional red and white oaks, maple and ash and now exotic hardwoods from all over the world are being used. With the wide variety of different timbers available home owners will be able to find an engineered flooring product to suit their individual tastes or to compliment their decorating scheme.

The main benefits of engineered flooring include:

* The ability to use engineered flooring in areas where traditional hardwood cannot be used such as damp areas or places where the floor would be exposed to radiant heat. When exposed to moisture or radiant heat traditional boards warp or cup; the core of the engineered flooring is constructed with the individual ply's laid in opposite directions which ensures the flooring will not enlarge or shrink when exposed to changes in humidity.

* Most are fully finished (coated), this means that you do not have to sand and coat before use. When you install engineered flooring you can literally move the furniture back in and be using the room again in a matter of hours.

* It is generally easy to lay making it a perfect DIY project and saving you money on installation.

* Engineered flooring can be nailed, stapled or glued down or installed as a floating floor. A floating floor only requires that a moisture barrier, usually a foam underlay is placed on the existing floor and the engineered flooring is laid directly onto it - no sticking down is required. This allows the option that the floor can easily be removed and taken away if you move home etc, and also makes replacement of any damaged boards a relatively easy task.

* It looks exactly the same and offers the same rich warmth and ambiance to a room as traditional hardwood flooring, but is generally considerably cheaper than the traditional boards.

Quartz Infrared Heaters: What's Not To Like?

At the heart of these infrared heaters are the quartz bulbs. They provide even, non drying, floor to ceiling heat and reduce positive ions in the atmosphere responsible for many respiratory problems.

Similar to incandescent lamps, quartz bulbs are formed by enclosing a tungsten resistance wire within a high purity quartz sheath. The bulbs cost $5 – $15 each, are easy to replace, and last 5 – 7,000 hours, or 3 – 5 years.

The cost of electricity to operate an infrared heater is extremely low. A 1,500 watt unit will consume about 18 cents of electricity per hour if run continuously.

However, a quartz infrared heater doesn't run continuously and cycles on only 50% of the time. This reduces the effective cost of operation to 9 or 10 cents per hour, or about $1 a day.

If you're heating a manufactured home with LP gas, the savings could be substantial.

One contributor to the mobilehomerepair.com forum said he ended up spending only $200 for gas last winter simply by lowering the thermostat on his furnace to 62 degrees and letting his quartz infrared heater do the rest.

Likewise, if you own a bricks and mortar home, and want to save money by heating only your primary living space, why spend $2,000 on a pellet stove plus $700 for installation when a $500 infrared heater could achieve the same result?

Further savings can be realized by setting the programmable thermostat to coincide with your daily schedule. Set it to turn on before you get up, off when you leave for work, and back on before you get home from work. Some units even offer weekday/weekend programming.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered hardwood flooring is made up of two main pieces. The top layer, which is portion that should look like real wood, and the core, which should be made from material that is long lasting, provides cushioning, soundproofing and is strong and durable to make the installation easy. The core material is usually fiber board or plywood, and is layered for strength to prevent cupping and warping. The bond between the core and the top layer must be well done. If not, the areas in which this engineered floor is installed may cause problems. The most damaging enemy of a laminated floor is moisture. If the bond between the core and the top is not perfect, moisture can find its way between the two materials and cause them to separate, making the ends bubble up and look terrible.

Installing engineered wood flooring is another area that must be carefully planned. Below ground installation of this type of flooring is one of the many advantages it provides. This type of flooring is becoming easier and easier to install. Even non-professionals may tackle this job with some of the new “click” together type products. The sub-flooring must be attended too with great detail during the installation of engineered flooring below grade. On a “below grade” installation, be sure to use a vapor barrier on top of concrete, before you install the substrate. The easiest type flooring to install is the “floating” floor that snaps together. Use a substrate that provides cushioning, noise deadening and does not require caustic glues.

The snap together or locking system that does not require nailing of any type, is one of the most popular engineered floors for the DIY installation today. Make sure you stagger the boards so that they are not symmetrical, as this provides for a more natural look. The most difficult part of the snap together installation is cutting ends, corners and angles correctly. Also, follow the manufacturer’s suggestions exactly when it comes to allowing for expansion and shrinkage. If you don’t, you may get large gaps between boards when it’s dry, or the end pieces may jam together and cause a separation between the core and the top material, causing bubbling during moist and warm weather, as stated above.

Using a professional installer is definitely a good idea if you don’t feel you are up to the job yourself. Because these floors are much easier to install, you may find a professional installation crew can do the job much faster, with the right tools, and at a very reasonable price. Most floor installation professionals can completely finish a job in two days or less. Be sure to get several estimates from different contractors, if possible. There is a definite advantage for the installation crew to know there are others bidding on the installation.

How Do I Fit Engineered Oak Flooring?

It is usually laid as a floating floor and as this is the preferred method for most DIY installers it is the method that will be described in this article.

* Before you commence the fitting of your floor ensure that you have all of the necessary tools that you will require these are: an engineered flooring installation kit, jigsaw complete with a 2.5mm wood blades, a handsaw, workbench, mitre, measuring tape, pencil and a mallet.

* Before you lay the boards ensure that they have acclimatised to the temperature of the room by leaving them in the room for 24 hours before you commence to fit.

* Check that the sub floor surface is clean, firm, damp proof and level. Make sure any nail heads are flush or under the surface of the sub floor. If the subfloor is concrete you can nail or glue hardwood panels to it. Dampen the panels slightly by brushing them with water 24 hours before installation to ensure they lay flat.

* Place underlay over the entire subfloor surface to insulate against moisture, heat and noise.

* Commence laying the engineered oak flooring boards along the longest straight wall in the room. If the walls are not parallel, start along the wall that you see first when you come into the room. Use wedges to maintain a 10mm gap between the boards and the skirting board or wall.

* Ensure that the joints are offset in the rows of boards, use a full board to start then a 2/3 board in the second row and a 1/3 board in the third. Continue repeating this pattern across the room.

* Cut the ends of the boards at the walls allowing a 10mm gap