3 minute read
Flooring wayinoffering
attractive, easy-care options
By Alison Stucke For Duluth NewsTribune
It’s an exciting time to shop for flooring for your home or business. That’s because so many beautiful, durable, and easycare options exist today. There are new looks and materials, as well as traditional classics. All you need to do is select your favorite.
“It’s really amazing how far we’ve come in 20 years,” said Mike Yeaton, store manager of Johnson Carpet One Floor &Home in Duluth Yeaton is aflooring expert whocan help guide you thru the many options and the advantages of each flooring product. Here’s what he had to say about today’s most popular flooring products:
Carpeting
“Plush carpet is still what we sell the most of,” Yeaton said. “We’re aKarastan Carpeting company. They specialize in premium nylon carpet that’s extremely durable and won’t pack down when you walk on it. There’s twice as much backingonitfor cushioning.”
Yeaton says they sell the most of aKarastan product calledSmart Strand that’s made of 38 percent corn oil which is extremely soft, durable, and stain resistant.
“Because we buy and sell so much Karastan, they get very aggressive with pricing,so the customer gets the best value,” Yeaton explained.
As for colors, tweedy looks in greys, beiges and taupes are most popular. For officesettings, multi-color carpets that help disguise stains are popular, he said. Pet-friendly and eco-friendly carpet options are available.
“We even have apartment-grade carpet, which is the most reasonable, for people who are going to sell their home,” Yeaton said.
Wood-look &ceramiclook vinyl
The most popular hard surfacefloorings todayinclude woodlook luxury vinyl plank and ceramic-look luxury vinyl tile. These amazing products truly fool the eye as they don’t look like vinyl at all but impersonate the natural products thatinspire them. Yet they clean up easily and come in awide variety of gorgeouscolors and styles “Lots of people watch HGTV and seeitthere, andthentheywant it for their homes,” Yeaton said. “Either the customer can put it in or we can. It’s waterproof and verydurable, and it’s low-maintenance. You don’t need to strip the floor or wax it.”
Another option is sheet vinyl flooring thatcomes in 12-footwide rolls in looks from nature like stone or hardwood. It hascushionedpadding on the back andissofttowalk on.
Porcelain Tile
Porcelain is amore traditional material, but it’smore modern in howit’s being used in today’s kitchen and bathroom designs. “We do alot of custom showers, kitchen floors, and backsplashes in porcelain tile,” Yeaton explains. “We useall state-of-the art materials, such as grouts that don’t need to be sealed.
FLOORING: Page 6
MARCH 2019 DULUTHNEWSTRIBUNE.COM/HOMESPACES HOME SPACES PAGE 3
CHOOSING GUTTERS FOR YOUR HOME IS EASY WHEN YOU ASK THE EXPERT
By Alison Stucke
For Duluth NewsTribune
ain gutters do the important work of gatheringrunoff water from rain and melting snow that comes down from your roof. The gutters divert the water away from your home’s foundation and siding, protecting yourhome against damage from all that water.
R
“Aluminum lasts forever,” Kennedy explains.“Even if the screws, brackets, end caps or sealants go bad, you can replace them and still have agood product.”
Even steel is an inferior product to aluminum when it comes to gutters
“Steel rusts, and it’s not as stiff and thick,” Kennedy said.“At 48 feet, it can still roll over, causing it to crease or buckle. Aluminum is thicker, heavier, and it doesn’t roll over.”
Aluminum won’t crack, even duringthe winter monthswith snow and ice. Cheap vinyl will crack and split with the expansion and contraction of ice. While you can find gutters made of other materials at acheaper price, they’ll cost you more in the long run, as they’ll need to be replaced much sooner, Kennedy says.
Kennedy gives an additional “neverfail” tip to follow when selecting gutters for your home.
When it comes to choosingguttersfor your home, aluminum is definitely the material to go with—especially in our land of snow and ice, saidChuck Kennedy, owner of Gutter Helmet of Northern Minnesota in Culver, Minn. He’s been in the business for many years, and he’s seen it all when it comes to home gutter systems.“Get agood contractor —they’ll tell you whatthe warrantyis and they’ll stand behind it,”hesaid. “Ask your friends andneighbors for the names of contractors they’ve worked with and had agood experiencewith. Then ask for awarranty, and make surethe contractor puts it in writing. Be wary of contractors or individuals who don’t have aprofessionally-
