If you are looking to sell your home right now or in the near future, you want to minimize costs while also maximizing the selling price. Some upgrades aren’t necessary when looking to increase your home’s resale value. Flooring, however, is one of the most effective ways to make your home more attractive to potential buyers while also increasing your home’s value.

Analyze Your Current Flooring Before Selling

Before you make the decision to remove and replace your flooring, take a look at all of your flooring. If your floors appear to have no scratches or scuffs, you probably won’t need to replace them. You’ll need to look very closely at the carpet in your home because carpet shows signs of wear and staining more than other types of flooring. Also, if your flooring has almost reached the end of its useful life, consider replacing it because if not, your new buyers will have to, and they won’t want to.

Lastly, you’ll need to consider the market your home will be entering once you are ready to sell. New flooring in a home is largely decided on the neighborhood and how competitive your area is. It might be expected that homes in your area have new flooring. Other times, it’s a nice bonus, but not an expectation.

Three Things to Remember When Adding New Flooring

If you decide that it’s time to upgrade your floors, you’ll need to remember these three important things so that your time and resources aren’t wasted.

Flooring is the Cornerstone of Your Home

Flooring sets the tone for the entire home whether or not you realize it. It’s one of the first things a potential buyer will notice when they tour your home. If there’s anything wrong with your flooring, potential buyers will notice. Cracked tiles, carpet stains, or scuffed hardwood floors are enough to change buyers’ minds and could affect the appeal of buying your home. Flooring sets the precedent for the rest of your home, so it’s important to make a good first impression.

Divide and Conquer When Upgrading

During the initial survey of your home’s flooring, you can eliminate rooms with good flooring. Just because some certain rooms need new floors, doesn’t mean they all do. So, determine which floors should receive a little TLC. Two big areas to keep a careful eye on are the living room and your hallways. These two areas can make or break a potential buyer’s perception of your home.

Ditch the Carpet

Carpet in bedrooms is often expected by a buyer. This is really the only area that many buyers today will accept carpet to be located. Often, upgrading carpet is a need rather than a want because other flooring options last much longer and are easier to manage compared to carpet.

However, unclean carpet or one with noticeable spots and stains will turn buyers away from purchasing your home. Buyers are always worried about what could be lurking underneath stained or unsightly carpet. You should always replace carpet that has seen better days.

Choosing Your New Flooring

Now that you have a plan for the rooms that need new flooring, you’ll need to decide which flooring is the best option. Remember to consider:

• Budget: Your budget will ultimately determine how much flooring you can replace and what kind you can install.
• Traffic: Rooms that receive a lot of coming and going will call for different floor choices to withstand the daily wear and tear. Check out our blog on how to pick the best flooring based on different room requirements to narrow down your choices.
• Style: Lastly, the style you choose for your flooring shouldn’t be “trendy” because what you install will need to last for a while. You want to appeal to a large number of buyers too.

Have Your Floor Removed by Speedy Floor Removal

Replacing your old flooring before selling will improve the look of your home, but also increase its resale value. Before you install new flooring, you should make sure that your old flooring is thoroughly removed to make a clean slate. Speedy Floor Removal has completed thousands of residential floor removal projects and can help you remove your old floors. Contact us today in your service area to receive a free project estimate.

The holiday season is packed with fun opportunities to relax, see friends and family, give and receive gifts, and celebrate. While the holiday season may hold great things in store, your floor may be susceptible to greater damage.

The Holidays are Tough on Your Floors

You may have friends and family visiting you during the holidays, which is always a treat! But more people in your home will cause your floor to receive more traffic, have opportunities for damage, and be exposed to more outdoor elements.

Five Ways to Protect Your Floors During the Holidays

You don’t have to cancel your holiday parties or decline hosting your family this Christmas in order to save your floors. We have five helpful ways to ensure that you can enjoy your holidays while also protecting your flooring!

Ensure That Your Furniture Has Protection

If you are hosting Christmas dinner or entertaining for a holiday get-together, your guests will most likely need to move around chairs. You may even need to arrange furniture to fit the needs of your party. If you have hardwood or tile flooring, you should ensure that your furniture won’t scuff the floor beneath when you are moving and rearranging.

You can easily install protective felt pads to the feet of your chairs, couches, tables, and barstools to protect your flooring, especially for hardwood floors. Plus, these felt pads provide protection year-round!

Clean Before and After Guests Leave

It’s probably obvious that you should clean your space before any guests arrive, but it’s equally important to clean as soon as possible once they leave. Vacuuming up dirt or any debris will eliminate the risk of it causing more damage. Dirt that accumulates over time can threaten the surface of your flooring if stepped on or moved around. Save yourself from future trouble and sweep or vacuum after your guests leave.

Add Festive Doormats and Rugs

When you are decorating your home for Christmas, add festive doormats and rugs to your space to add holiday charm, but also another layer of
protection. Placing a holiday-themed doormat outside your door will remind guests to wipe off their shoes before entering your home. You can also add an interior mat or rug as a place where guests can remove their shoes, so no dirt can be tracked throughout your home.

Rugs throughout your home will also limit the amount of damage that can occur to your flooring. A dropped plate, high heels, or a fallen ornament can occur during the holiday season. Keep your floors protected with the addition of rugs throughout your home.

Be Proactive About Real Christmas Trees

If you are choosing to house a real Christmas tree, you’ll need to water it. Water and your flooring don’t exactly get along, so make sure that you are protecting the floor underneath and around your Christmas tree. Adding a waterproof mat underneath the tree stand will protect from any water that might spill. Plus, you can add a festive tree skirt overtop for a clean look. Don’t be tempted to use towels instead of purchasing a water-resistant barrier, as towels will not protect your flooring. Instead, they will absorb and hold onto excess water causing greater damage.

Inspect Your Flooring After the Holidays

Lastly, once the holiday season comes to a close, it’s recommended to take a look at your flooring. Did your carpet survive the spilled champagne on New Year’s Eve? Did your tile floor remain unscathed from your frequent cooking or holiday party? If your floor looks great, awesome! If not, no worries. You have options for dealing with damaged flooring after the holidays end.

Ready for New Flooring? Contact Speedy Floor Removal

If your flooring is showing signs of wear and tear, you may need to consider replacing your floor. Or, you may not have been as proactive as you’d like and your floor received more damage this holiday season.

Whatever the circumstances may be, if you are interested in upgrading your floor in the new year, contact Speedy Floor Removal for your floor removal needs. We make it quick and easy to remove damaged flooring to make way for resilient, new flooring. With multiple locations across Florida, contact us to get started on your project.

Whether you have a large restaurant or a small office, choosing flooring for your commercial space takes hours of research and planning. Different areas of your workspace will call for different flooring needs, such as durability or water resistance. We’re here to help you decide which flooring will serve your business best depending on a variety of factors.

How to Pick Flooring for Your Office and Commercial Space

Before we break down the best commercial flooring options, we first need to discuss the different aspects of flooring you need to consider. Just like when you choose to install flooring into your home, you’ll need to consider a few different things before you make your final decision.

Criteria for Floor Selection

• Room Use: You’ll first need to decide on the different areas of your business that will call for different flooring needs. For example, lobbies will have different needs than a commercial kitchen.
• Level of Traffic: You should also consider how much traffic these floors will receive. A conference room won’t require as durable of a surface compared to the front waiting room where everyone will have to walk through.
• Look and Feel: Next, the flooring you choose should match the rest of your office decor. A modern corporate office will call for different flooring than a cozy coffee shop. Consider the look you want to achieve before selecting the perfect flooring compliment.
• Level of Maintenance: Lastly, you’ll want to consider how much time you want to invest in maintaining the flooring. Hardwood will look beautiful in your office space but will need to be treated more often than laminate flooring.

Best Flooring Options Based on Your Commercial Space

Now that you understand the criteria to consider for your new commercial flooring, you can see which options are better suited for the different areas of your business.

Lobby or Reception Area

Most businesses feature a front area known as the lobby or reception area. This is most likely detached from the rest of your commercial space but should be inviting to potential customers and clients as they first enter your commercial space. You’ll want a durable flooring option because of the amount of traffic this area will receive daily.

The best option for an aesthetically pleasing and durable floor would be choosing tile or laminate floors. Both of these options are extremely durable and compliment the feel of your space. Tile comes in a variety of options and can withstand the amount of coming-and-going your lobby will receive. Laminate is also a great option because it is scratch-resistant and a cost-effective equivalent to hardwood floors.

Conference Room and Other Meeting Spaces

Your business might include a conference room and other meeting spaces for important presentations or internal discussions. These spaces won’t receive as much high traffic compared to other areas of your commercial space. You can opt for a more impressive flooring option that doesn’t require the durability needed for your lobby.

These floors will likely be more geared towards impressing potential clients, therefore you can choose hardwood floors or higher-end carpets. Both of these options are bound to wow everyone that enters your meeting space.

Open Office Area

The inner workings of your business will occur either in an open office space, cubicles, or individual offices. You’ll need flooring that can support moderate levels of traffic, but also should reduce noise levels. No one wants to work in an environment when the sounds of footsteps can constantly be heard!

Carpet is one of the best choices for these large areas due to their noise-canceling feature. Plus, it’s more cost-effective to install carpet in the largest part of your business and carpet can come in a multitude of styles to match your commercial space’s look.

Restaurants and Food Service

As a more specific type of business, restaurants require different needs from their flooring. You’ll have two main areas to think of in a food service business: the dining area and the kitchen. In the dining area, you’ll want durability that also matches the overall aesthetic of your establishment. Tile is great, but be warned. One dropped plate can lead to cracks in your tile floor. We recommend choosing laminate flooring instead. It’s at a competitive price-point, durable, long-lasting, and comes in a variety of styles.

In the kitchen, choose either ceramic tile or vinyl flooring. These are both durable and water-resistant options to keep your kitchen staff efficient and protected.

Commercial Floor Removal in North & Central Florida

If you are renovating an office space for your business, trust Speedy Floor Removal to remove the old flooring to create a smooth surface that is ready for your new flooring. Your floor should support you and your customers. Choosing to hire our floor removal experts ensures that your new flooring will last for years to come! View our service areas and request a project estimate in just minutes.

It’s only natural that your flooring will wear out over time. Maybe you installed flooring a long time ago or you’ve inherited an older home with flooring you didn’t choose, which begs the question: how do you know when you should replace your floor?

What Determines How Long Your Floor Will Last?

Aside from obvious stains and damage, your floor’s expiration date depends on the material it is made up of. Every material lasts for different lengths of time. However, the material used is just one indicator of how long your floor will hold up. Other factors include:

• Quality of the material
• If your flooring was properly installed
• The amount of traffic that your floor experiences
• If you are maintaining it regularly

The Lifespan of Common Flooring Materials

The lifespan of materials can’t be exactly predicted. Rather, there’s a range for each type of flooring’s lifespan. If you are properly maintaining your floor and minimizing the amount of damage it’s exposed to, your floor will tend to last longer.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring can last a lifetime, but the glossy shine of original wood flooring will fade over the course of its life. You’ll notice fading after about 25 years. Hardwood floors, if installed properly, can last 100 years.

Living in Florida, we experience higher levels of humidity and moisture which make hardwood floors deteriorate quicker compared to other parts of the country. Hardwood floors will also need to be replaced if there is shifting or movement in the boards. This is a result of improper installation.

Laminate

Laminate floors mimic the look of real hardwood floors without the high price tag. Laminate flooring will last anywhere from 15 to 25 years, depending on the factors mentioned previously. These “floating floors” are cost-effective but will need to be replaced more often than true hardwood floors.

Vinyl

Another cost-effective flooring option is vinyl flooring. Vinyl floors will last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. Though its lifespan may be shorter when compared to more traditional options like hardwood and tile, vinyl is extremely durable and resilient in your home. Plus, vinyl flooring won’t warp from moisture, an added bonus in our humid state.

Tile

Tile flooring can last over 50 years with proper care. Glazed tile lasts longer because it is better protected against the wear and tear of daily life and it’s better protected against moisture, especially wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms.

Tile can prove to be harder to maintain because broken tiles will need to be replaced. Just one chipped tile throws off the entire look of the floor. If you are installing tile, it’s best to get at least 10% more tile than you actually need for installation so you have spare tiles in the event of chipping or damage.

Carpet

Last, but certainly not least, is carpet. Carpet is an attractive floor option because of its price point and it’s soft cushioned surface. Carpet will typically last anywhere from 5 years (for lower quality carpet) all the way up to 25 years before it needs replacing. Depending on the quality of the carpet, you’ll notice fraying and lackluster appearance when it’s finally time to part with your carpet.

Carpet absorbs the wear and tear it receives. This goes unnoticed on top, but the pad underneath will reveal the damage. With regular cleaning and vacuuming, your carpet will last its full lifespan. However, if you own pets, your carpet will need replacing sooner.

Time to Replace Your Floor? Call Speedy Floor Removal

If your floor’s time is up, call Speedy Floor Removal to handle the removal! We take the time to carefully remove the top layer of your flooring as well as removing components all the way to the subfloor. This ensures a smooth surface for your new flooring to be installed on top of.

View our service areas and request a free floor removal estimate today!

Before starting the floor removal process, you have to buy new flooring to replace your current flooring. Purchasing new flooring for your home can be an intimidating process. There are several considerations you need to think about when making this decision. Here are the eight most important things, according to Speedy Floor Removal, to keep in mind before buying new flooring.

Room Location and Use

Where is the room located? What is it used for? If the room is located where people will be coming and going from outside, you might want to think about hardwood flooring or tile because they are easier to clean and maintain. If you will be standing for a long period of time in that room, you may want to go a different direction other than tile, due to how uncomfortable it can be to stand on tile flooring for long periods of time.

Climate

Before choosing your new flooring, you should consider where you live and the climate. Wood can warp and buckle and carpet can mold in humid environments. In Florida, the best types of flooring for the climate are tile or laminate flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to better withstand the climate of Florida.

Coordination

Not only will you want to think about what colors, patterns, and textures appeal the most to you, but you’ll also want to think about what compliments your current decor. If you won’t be redecorating afterward, you will probably want to choose a flooring that coordinates with your current furniture and accessories in the room.

Floor Care

Different flooring requires different maintenance. You will need to factor in what kind of upkeep and cleaning. Will you need to refinish the flooring later? Will it require steaming? You will need to determine how much time you will have for the required upkeep before making a decision.

Allergies

If you or someone in your home has allergies, carpet flooring may not be the best option for you. Carpet can accumulate allergens like dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, and other potentially aggravating proteins. Tile and hardwood flooring collects fewer dust mites and allergens.

Installation

If you will be installing the new flooring yourself, you will need to know how to install the flooring you buy. If you choose to do the installation yourself, you will need to make sure you can identify and repair a faulty subfloor and know how to safely dispose of the old flooring. Some flooring may require professional removal.

Speedy Floor Removal can assist you in the floor removal process through our Speedy Assist program. Speedy Assist will provide you with industry-leading equipment and a highly trained expert so that you can get the job done quickly and efficiently!

Refinishing

If you currently have hardwood flooring, don’t be so hasty to rip them out before doing your research on your refinishing options. You may be able to preserve it with a new stain. Refinishing your current hardwood flooring can restore the wood’s original appearance and shine. You can even change its color or finish.

Additional Costs

Not only do you have to think about the cost of the new flooring you choose, but you also have to think about the cost of underlayment, delivery, and installation, as well as additional materials such as baseboards, stains, or adhesive. You should also factor in removal and disposal of your previous flooring.

Speedy Floor Removal removes all types of flooring and coverings, such as carpet, tile, and hardwood flooring for industrial, commercial, and residential facilities. We will prepare your surface by removing any epoxy, glue, oils, dust, and more in order for your flooring to look its best. We also will safely dispose of your old flooring when we are finished.

Contact Speedy Floor Removal today to get a free quote for your next project.