Best Flooring Options for Homes with Active Children

Life with young children brings endless joy, spills, drops, and active play. Parents quickly learn that their flooring choice impacts daily living more than they imagined. Your floors face constant challenges, from morning milk accidents to afternoon art projects.

Understanding Family Living

Many families discover that their pre-children flooring choices don't meet family life's demands. White carpet, though beautiful, often shows wear patterns and stains within the first few years of active use. This common experience leads many parents to seek more practical alternatives.

Safe Surfaces for Little Feet

Research shows that proper flooring plays an important role in child safety and development. Pediatric studies indicate that surfaces with moderate give can reduce injury risks while maintaining necessary stability for new walkers. This balance becomes crucial during the early years when falls are common.

Material Options and Benefits

Luxury Vinyl

Professional installers at flooring St George Utah and nationwide report increasing demand for luxury vinyl among young families. This modern material stands up to daily wear while offering comfort and style.

Studies of residential flooring durability indicate that quality luxury vinyl can last 15-20 years under heavy use, making it a practical long-term investment. Its water-resistant properties protect against spills, while its softer surface cushions falls.

Natural Cork

Cork flooring provides natural antimicrobial properties, making it resistant to mold and mildew growth - a valuable feature in homes with young children where wet toys or spills might go unnoticed. This sustainable option offers natural warmth and sound absorption, creating peaceful spaces even during active play sessions.

Laminate Innovations

Modern laminate flooring has evolved significantly. Current manufacturing techniques produce surfaces that resist toy scratches while maintaining attractive appearances. These improvements make laminate a practical choice for busy families.

Room-by-Room Analysis

Different rooms face unique challenges in homes with children. Here's a practical breakdown based on typical family needs:

Room Type	Common Challenges	Recommended Features
Kitchen	Food spills, dropped dishes	Water resistance, easy cleaning
Playroom	Art supplies, rough play	Stain resistance, impact absorption
Bedrooms	Quiet needs, comfort	Sound dampening, warmth
Bathrooms	Constant moisture	Waterproofing, slip resistance

Practical Testing

Before making a final decision, many families find testing different flooring samples in their home environment helpful. This approach provides real-world insight into how materials perform under specific family conditions. Dark floors often reveal dust more readily, while high-gloss finishes tend to highlight scratches from toys and daily wear.

Investment Planning

Quality flooring represents a significant investment in your home. Current market research indicates several cost factors to consider:

• Material expenses vary by quality and type

• Installation costs depend on current floor conditions

• Maintenance supplies add to yearly expenses

• Professional cleaning services might be needed periodically

Maintenance Guidelines

Establishing a regular maintenance routine helps protect your flooring investment. Simple practices like daily sweeping prevent dirt from grinding into floors, while prompt attention to spills prevents lasting damage. Teaching age-appropriate cleaning habits can help children understand the importance of caring for home surfaces.

Looking Ahead

As children grow, their impact on flooring changes. Toddler spills give way to sports equipment and teenage traffic. Choose materials that adapt to these changing needs while maintaining appearance and function.

The best flooring choice creates a foundation for family life, supporting daily activities while protecting your investment. Take time to research, sample different options, and evaluate your specific needs before making your decision.

No single option suits every family. Your ideal choice balances durability, maintenance requirements, and comfort with your needs and preferences. Focus on finding flooring that matches your family's lifestyle while providing long-term value for your home.

Brighten Your Home With Stunning Permanent Holiday Lighting

When decorating for the holidays, lights bring a special kind of magic to the atmosphere. Holiday lights transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, invoking childhood memories and bringing warmth to every gathering. Given the hassle of putting up and taking down traditional lights yearly, many homeowners are exploring permanent holiday lighting solutions. This article explores the benefits, setup, and maintenance of permanent holiday lighting, ensuring your home stands out with brilliance and ease year-round.

Dive Into the World of Permanent Holiday Lighting

What Are Permanent Holiday Lights?

Permanent holiday lights are designed to be installed once and left up throughout the year. Made from durable, weather-resistant materials, they can withstand various environmental conditions. With advanced technology, these lights offer multi-color options and various settings, from a gentle twinkle to a dynamic festive vibe. They're controlled through a centralized system, often via a mobile app, which means no more untangling cords or climbing ladders every season.

Benefits of Permanent Holiday Lighting

1. Convenience: Say goodbye to the annual ritual of putting up lights and the dreaded task of taking them down come January. Permanent lights save time and energy.

2. Cost-Efficiency: Though the initial investment may be higher than traditional string lights, the longevity and durability translate into savings over time.

3. Aesthetics and Flexibility: These systems blend seamlessly into your home’s architecture. The lights work for all occasions, not just the holiday season.

4. Safety: Built with high-quality insulation and protective casings, these lights reduce the risk of electrical hazards compared to their traditional counterparts.

Environmental Impact

Permanent holiday lighting systems are often energy-efficient, utilizing LED technology. LEDs consume significantly less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs, reducing your carbon footprint. Furthermore, due to their longevity, these systems generate less waste.

Setting Up Your Permanent Lighting System

Installation Process Overview

Proper installation is crucial for the performance and longevity of your permanent lighting system. Here is a general roadmap for setting it up:

• Assessment: Consult with an outdoor lighting specialist to assess your home’s needs. They will check for electric capacity, the structural condition of installation sites, and design the layout to enhance your property's features.

• Budget: Understand potential costs, including materials and labor, to prevent unexpected surprises.

• Installation: Experts will meticulously install the lights according to your home’s architecture, ensuring they are discreet during the day and striking at night.

• Testing: Once set up, the system will undergo a series of tests to ensure optimal function and user satisfaction.

Maintenance Made Easy

Permanent lights are designed for minimal maintenance. However, some tips can ensure they last longer:

• Regular Cleaning: Dust and debris can accumulate on lights, affecting their brightness. Gently clean fixtures with a soft cloth periodically.

• System Checks: Monitor performance. If you notice dimming or sections not lighting up, contact a professional.

• App Updates: Keep your controlling app updated to access new features and enhance user experience.

Personalizing Your Lighting Experience

Endless Customization Options

A significant advantage of permanent holiday lighting is the wide range of customization options. Modern systems let you tailor the light colors, patterns, and intensity to match your preferences or mood. Some popular uses include:

• Holiday Themes: Matching colors and patterns to the occasion's theme, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Halloween.

• Special Events: Celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or sports victories with customized lighting displays.

• Architectural Highlights: Accentuating specific home features like columns, windows, or balconies with focused lighting.

Real-Life Scenarios and Recommendations

Engaging the Community Spirit

Consider integrating your lighting system with community events. For instance, in neighborhoods where homeowners have permanent Christmas lights St George Utah, creating synchronized displays can foster a sense of community pride and togetherness.

Expert Advice

1. Choose Quality Materials: Ensure that the lights and fixtures are of superior quality. Inspection of certifications and reviews can help make informed decisions.

2. Professional Installation: While DIY might be tempting, professional installation guarantees safety and efficiency.

3. Explore Warranty Options: Invest in products with good warranties to protect against defects or early failures.

Bringing it All Together

Installing a permanent holiday lighting system is more than just a home improvement project; it’s a lifestyle upgrade. These systems beautify your home and provide convenience and peace of mind, enhancing special occasions and everyday moments.

To bring this vision to life, consider your style, climate needs, and budget. Connect with experts to create a tailored experience that will shine brilliantly season after season. Your home will become a beacon of celebration, sparking joy and awe throughout the community year-round.

7 Ways To Update Your Outdated Living Room

If you’re growing increasingly bored with your surroundings but aren’t prepared to part with a small fortune to renovate your home, simply upgrading certain rooms is often enough to transform your space. With this, there’s a good chance that you spend most of your time at home relaxing in your living room, so this is a great place to start your makeover project. 

With these practical tips, you can instantly freshen up your outdated living room. 

Clear Out Clutter

But before you can start shopping around for new furnishings or decorative details, it’s best to start with a clean space. Declutter your living room to get rid of all the excess items. As soon as you have contained all the unnecessary clutter that’s cramping up the space, you will be able to identify whether or not you need additional storage solutions in your living room. 

Large bookshelves and ottoman boxes are great storage ideas to consider. Moreover, a storage sofa or a multifunctional coffee table are wise investments for smaller living rooms.

Replace Coffee And Cocktail Tables

While your coffee table should grab attention as the room’s centerpiece, luxury cocktail tables that echo certain colors or finishes can have a similar impact. With this, you can bring various elements together by matching them to your choice of coffee and cocktail tables. Simply updating the tables in your living room can transform the interior appeal of the room by tying decor details together. 

Repaint The Walls 

A fresh coat of quality paint is another quick way to transform your living room. If your living room walls are currently white or cream, you could consider a neutral palette with muted undertones to uphold luxury interiors. Otherwise, you can try repainting one wall in a bold jewel-tone color to create an accent wall. 

When choosing the paint palette for your living room upgrade, it’s wise to use the same palette throughout your home. This way, your interior style will flow from one room to the next. 

Upgrade The Flooring

If your living room floors are currently covered up with dusty old carpeting, installing hardwood flooring can make a huge difference to property value, the overall appeal of your living room, and even your sinuses. 

Replacing the flooring is not the most pocket-friendly undertaking, although you can boost property value substantially if you decide to upgrade the flooring throughout your home. Even so, you can replace the flooring one room at a time to afford the expense with a bit less financial stress.

Invest In The Perfect Sofa

While the coffee table should act as the centerpiece of the room, the sofa is usually the main attraction. Beyond that, a living room simply is not complete without the right seating. But when shopping for the perfect sofa, you must consider more than aesthetic appeal; your lifestyle, living room size, comfort preferences, and budget are other critical factors to consider. 

Your lifestyle will determine whether you need a sofa that’s easy to clean, multifunctional, or comfortable enough for movie nights, while a furniture size guide will help you find a sofa that fits perfectly. Nevertheless, only investing in a new sofa can change the entire atmosphere of your living room. 

Replace The Art

Unless you have invested in prolific timeless art pieces, there’s no reason you can’t switch up the art that adorns your living room walls. There are also no real rules when it comes to choosing a style of art. However, it is wise to consider the size and dimensions of canvases or frames to prevent your art selection from clashing with interior design principles.

Bigger is always better when scaling art; many small art pieces can easily create visual clutter. It’s also vital to place canvases and frames at the right height. 

Change Up The Decorative Details

If you are looking for a way to give your living room a makeover on a budget, only decluttering and changing the decor details can transform the space. Shop for new scatter cushions, throws, candle holders, and other decorative touches, and store away or sell your old items. At the same time, it’s still worthwhile to change the decorative details if your living room makeover is not as restricted by your budget. 

Upgrading your living room is a great way to upgrade your everyday comfort. Whether you decide to change the sofa and invest in new art, repaint the walls, or replace the flooring, it’s important to create a budget for your living room makeover before you start shopping around for upgrades that can transform your home. 

How to Add a Personal Touch to Your Home

Your home is your personal space. It’s your area to relax and be yourself.

 

What turns a house into a home are those small personal touches. The things you display around your house convey your personality, or showcase your achievements and memories.

 

Here are the best ways you can add a personal touch to your home. Even if you're renting or you hate clutter, these tips are easy and appropriate for you!

 

1. Print Out Your Own Photos

 

The photos you take capture the most special memories that you want to remember forever. There is no better way to keep these memories at the forefront of your mind than to print them out and hang them up around your house.

To add an even more meaningful touch, you might consider creating a Moon Phase Print that encapsulates the magical moments in your life. For example, check out what was the moon phase on your birthday? It's a unique way to highlight those special dates that you and your loved ones can treasure forever.

 

Lots of people are using laser printers to print out their favorite family photos. These machines are an affordable way to bring your photos to life in bright colors.

 

Get yourself a laser printer, print a few photos, and you’re ready to display them across your home. You could even print some out to gift to other people if you have photos with them.

 

2. Show Off Your Achievements

 

If you’ve had an amazing achievement in the past, and have an award to show for it, you should be proud of yourself. What better way to display your pride than having up your awards in your home?

 

You could hang up your certificates in some beautiful frames, or place your trophies on your sideboard. Whatever achievements you have to show, having then displayed is a great way to add a personal touch to your home.

 

3. Display Your Homemade Accessories

 

For those of you who love arts and crafts, displaying your homemade accessories is a lovely way to add your personality to your home. They reflect who you are, and showcase your skills and hobbies.

 

Maybe you have painted your own canvases that could be hung up in your bedroom. Or maybe you have created patterned ceramic vases that would make a great addition to your living room. Because these accessories are home-made, they’re one of a kind and add a unique touch to your house.

 

4. Hang Up Your Children’s Work

If you have young children who love painting and drawings pictures for you, it’s always lovely to hang them up around your home. Not only does this add a personal touch to your living space, but it also makes your child proud and happy that you’re showing off their work. You may want to laminate their artwork to keep it looking like new.

 

5. Display Travel Purchases

 

If you love going on city breaks, chilling by the beach, or exploring exotic countries, you likely have lots of items that you’ve purchased on your travels. Displaying these in your house helps you to re-live the memories and show them to any guests that visit your home. It's like showcasing your steps across the world!

 

Whether you have a bunch of fridge magnets or unique seashells that you’ve spotted whilst on vacation, displaying them gives your home an amazing personal touch.

Color is Key When Picking Doors

Door color completely alters the atmosphere of a home. Internal glazed doors will outlive even most the durable and long lasting of interior design trends. Color needs to be carefully considered when choosing doors. Doors can be painted in the future, but it is often more hassle than it is worth. 

Set the Mood

The internal doors are going to outlive the paint or wallpaper. Color comes down to more than personal tastes. Colors can calm or excite. A home is a place to relax, but it is also a place to entertain. 

Colors on the cool spectrum, such as blues and purples relax. Warm colors, such as reds and oranges, excite. 

Neutral colors impact the overall mood of the home too. Sleek blacks and greys are very modern, but can lead to small and dark spaces feeling oppressive and claustrophobic. Whites stand out against any interior but can help open space. 

Natural Wood

Natural wood finishes remain a popular choice. Doors see many interior design fads before they need replacement. Natural wood will match most of these. Darker and lighter woods are available, plus there’s dark or light stains. A lighter wood isn’t going to stand out in the same way as a brilliant white door. 

Glazing

Glazing adds another layer of options to pick from. Even the smallest and darkest of spaces can have dark with the right amount of glazing. Internal glazed doors allow natural sunlight to travel from room to room, further changing the atmosphere. Sunlight is a mood booster that works with both relaxing and entertaining. 

Unfinished Doors

If you have the space and the patience, unfinished doors are a consideration. The advantage of unfinished doors is you can have them any color you want. The disadvantage is you have to paint them yourself or have the additional expense of hiring someone to do it for you. 

Unfinished doors cannot simply be hung up. They need to be painted first. They need to be laid flat to paint, otherwise the paint drips. Painting doors is very consuming in both time and space. 

Painting doors yourself means you can tone down brilliant whites by adding a barely-there touch of blue, pink or magnolia. They would need to be entirely stripped down and repainted if brilliant white walls ever come back into fashion. Something even a little off-white looks dirty when up against brilliant white walls. 

Door color goes beyond tastes. Colors impact moods. A high anxiety household will want to stick to cooler colors. Colors affect the overall atmosphere of a home. An oppressive atmosphere can be altered by the use of color. Internal doors are going to see more than one interior change. Buying doors to match the current interior is going to be wildly inappropriate a few years down the line when styles change. The lightest house becomes oppressive when out-dated. Internal doors are one of the simplest ways to change a home’s energy, but the color needs to be carefully considered. 

Pergolas - The Ultimate Garden Structure

What is a home garden without an outdoor structure that is a multifunctional and multi-seasonal addition that not only offers you protection from different types of weather but that also defines your space in style? Extravagant features like pergolas are what designers, architects, and homeowners are raving about nowadays. 

Pergolas vs Other Outdoor Structures 

Outdoor structures are the easiest and inexpensive way to transform your dull home garden into a luxurious living space. However, the structure that you end up choosing depends on the vision that you have for your space. You can choose these several different types of outdoor structures for your garden.

Pergolas

A traditional Pergola design can trace its roots back to the Italian Renaissance. Pergolas are typically large outdoor structures that are attached to the house to serve as protection, link pavilions, or extend from the back door onto an open garden feature such as a pool. This versatile outdoor structure can also be freestanding to provide a sitting area like a patio to offer much-needed protection from the sun. They are commonly mistaken for Arbors and Gazebos. 

Arbors

This is a structure very similar to pergolas, but the difference is that they are relatively smaller and simpler in their design. Unlike pergolas, arbors are never attached to the house, they are always freestanding or attached to a fence to house a gate. They are generally used to define an entry point, divide outdoor rooms, or frame a focal point in your garden. 

Patio Covers

These are structures that are attached to the house and can either be built with a trellis or lattice or they may have a solid roof. They are a lovely way to add more space to your outdoor entertainment area while preventing the heat from messing up with your relaxation in summer. 

Gazebos

Sometimes there is confusion between Gazebos, Pergolas, and Arbors. Gazebos are freestanding, typically octagonal structures that have a solid roof and open sides. They provide ample shade and allow you to enjoy uninterrupted views making them the perfect outdoor structures to entertain. They can also be used to host intimate dinners.

Pavilions

Bigger than both Gazebos and Pergolas, pavilions are designed with entertaining larger large crowds in mind. The roof is solid and covered to make sure that even the heaviest rain cannot interfere with your hosting plans.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money in the city in a picturesque place to have your lunch, you can turn your home garden into an exquisite oasis with outdoor structures like pergolas. They are the most common additions to outdoor spaces because of their flexibility with design and size.

Pergolas will accentuate the quality of your home garden with their aesthetically attractive design without being obtrusive in your garden. They are made from simple materials such as treated wood. It is easy to build your own from scratch if you are the type who wants to erect your structure and possess intermediary building skills. There are loads of DIY hacks for pergolas online that include ways to waterproof your wood.

How To Maintain and Care for Pergolas

Like many outdoor structures, pergolas need to be maintained and cared for to increase their lifespan. Since they can be made from different types of wood, it’s important to know how to take care of them.

• Using a high-pressure hose helps to give it a thorough cleaning and eliminates any dirt that may cling to the surface and harder to reach areas.

• Wash and rinse any visible stains on the wood with a recommended cleaning solution. It’s important to know the characteristics of the wood to avoid any unintentional damage.

• Pergolas need a bit of touching up and repair work after some time. A home kit and paint will do the trick. Some wood like cedar changes color over time. If you want to preserve its color it needs a sealant to be sprayed on it. Clean it well and spray it with some oil, leave it to dry and then apply a sealant to it.

• If you’re the kind that enjoys growing creepers on pergolas because you love the touch of greenery for ambiance, you need to remember to trim your vines. It will lessen the amount of weight on the pergola. 
  
  
  

It's a Pergola Lifestyle 

Pergolas are the right kind of outdoor style accessories with a practical purpose. They not only offer the right amount of shade, contrast, color, and privacy to your home garden, they are also easy to maintain, add value to your property, and can be added anywhere you see fit. So, if you want to enhance the quality of your outdoor living experience by giving it more visual appeal pergolas are the perfect solution to your design needs.  

The Interesting World of Skirting Boards In The UK

Skirting boards are typically overlooked when planning interior, renovating, or even when buying a home. The truth of the matter is, that they actually provide not only protection to walls but that they also add an additional design flair to any room. 

These wooden or vinyl features are actually much more interesting than you might think. In this article, we will look at the interesting world of skirting boards in the United Kingdom. 

What is a Skirting Board? 

Also known as a mopboard, baseboard, skirting, base molding, or floor molding, the skirting board is a vinyl or wooden feature that covers the part of the wall closest to the floor. It can be cut into different lengths to fit the room’s layout and are typically screwed, nailed, or glued to the wall. 

First designed in the Victorian era as the elite’s decorative pieces for their homes. Because the area where the floor and the wall met would usually have bad painting jobs and uneven brick textures, the area would be covered with moldings to create a more luxurious and appealing look. Watch this video to discover more about the history of these underrated pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75sQvwZ_PIA&feature=emb_logo. 

They are not only made from different materials, but they can also be found in many different designs and molds. Depending on the design you are going for, baseboards can measure up to a height of 1.5 meters high. These higher skirting boards are named wainscots and covers between 1-1.5 meters of the lower part of the wall. 

Characteristically, baseboards cover only up to ankle height (less than 20 centimeters) of the wall.  

Skirting Material 

Materials used for baseboards vary between price, durability, texture, and color. Here is a list of the most typically used materials when manufacturing them: 

• PVC: The most commonly used plastic when manufacturing baseboards is PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). It is used because it is hard, flexible, and durable.  These designs are typically found in white or other shades of white. Owners do have the option to paint and repaint vinyl models too. They are a popular choice because they can fit any kind of wall, no matter the uneven texture, compared to wood which isn’t as flexible.
  
  Because they are glued to the wall with strong adhesive, they can be difficult to replace and remove. Regardless, Vinyl is durable and can last for a very long time without any maintenance. Furthermore, they are much more affordable than expensive timber types.
  
  

• Wood: Traditionally, wood was used to create different molds in Victorian homes. Today, it’s still a material of choice for many builders and home owners. The type of wood used to create these baseboards are usually softwoods like Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Cypress, and Yew. Hardwoods like Birch, African Blackwood, Maple, Oak, Teak, and Walnut can be bought raw to be stained or lacquered.
  
  Boards made from wood are either sold as one single piece or are finger jointed to create a longer unit. Recently, more home owners have
  
  

• Engineered Wood: Different woods that are engineered and combined like plywood, wood-plastic composite, glue laminated, hardboard, MDF (Medium-density fiberboard), cross-laminated, and OSB are also popular material choices.
  
  

Function

Its main function is to provide protection to the area of the floor where the wall and the floor meets. This area can easily get damaged because of walking, furniture being pushed against it, abrasion, and accidental kicks against it. When left unprotected, the area can easily look unpleasant. Floorboards, carpet, or tiles can lift up and will need to be replaced much more often if there isn’t any skirting protecting that area. 

Furthermore, it can also be used for decorative purposes. Either casing the door or windows, crowning the area between the ceiling and the wall, as well as placed running through the middle of the wall as a chair rail. Check out this illustration for an example of its different decorative molding purposes. 

Different Treatments

To treat the skirting boards in order for them to fit a specific design aesthetic, manufacturers use different treatments. The treatment of the skirting will have an effect on the overall price. Different treatments can include: 

• Oil

• Paint striped

• Thermal 

• Varnish

• Waxing

• Adhesive

• Heat bending

• Wood stain

• Wood preservation, finishing, and drying

• Steam bending

• French polish

Design 

The United Kingdom is known for different design and architectural eras. Derived from these different eras, skirting is usually named according to the era in which it was designed. Periods like the Edwardian and Victorian eras are popularly used in modern designs today. 

There are loads of different wooden and plastic designs available for home owners, interior designers, and builders to choose from. Here is a list of the most popular designs available:

• Chamfered: This design features a subtle rounded middle that is sleek and polished. It remains a go-to design because of its simplicity and clean shape. They are popularly used in the UK.
  
  

• Bullnose: Another very popular design is the bullnose. It features a thick top and a gradual decline to the floor. It’s popular in many modern homes because of its simplicity and adaptability to any design aesthetic.
  
  

• Torus: The Torus is an ornate skirting board that features a half circle design at its top and an angular downward cut to the floor. This design looks great in MDF material, like the ones found at Metres Direct skirting boards.
  
  

• Ogee: Perfect for all classically styled dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms, the ogee is an extremely ornate design that can be made from hardwoods, softwoods, and engineered woods. 

Additionally, designers and builders can choose different architrave designs to add an extra touch of design to door and window frames. Just like skirting boards, architraves are made from all kinds of materials and can be customized to fit the shape and size of any room. 

When you are planning to renovate an old room or design a new room’s interior, be sure to add skirting boards to the plan.