Kid Friendly Flooring

Congratulations, you're expecting! You have a little less than 9 months to get your affairs in order before all hell breaks loose. One area you will spend time redecorating and redesigning is your new nursery. We know you are going to paint the walls, buy new furniture, bedding and fixtures you need to consider the type of flooring you will have in the new nursery. Flooring choices can be difficult in any circumstance, now throw in the fact that you may not find out what the sex of your child will be before the big day comes.

Here are a few thoughts about your flooring choices:

Carpet - Great for floor time with baby as it is soft (depending on your selection). Select natural fibers. Vacuuming and cleaning regularly is essential.

Wood - Be careful of spills and spit-ups. Easy to clean up. Hard surface, not great for floor time, though if you add rugs that changes.

Asthma Friendly Flooring

Asthma, a respiratory disease, according to a 2009 report, affects over 25 million Americans including almost 8 million children. Advancements have led to treatments allowing many  affected to lead normals lives including the likes of US Olympians Jackie Joyner-Kersee & Amy Van Dyken as well as former NFL All-Pro Jerome Bettis and NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. Creating an environment at home that reduces the possibility of an attack is important. The South Florida Asthma Consortium provides many guidelines for how to prepare your home for an asthmatic.

What are some of the things that I can do to help prevent an asthma attack?

Avoid the use of cleaning products that have strong or caustic odors.

Use hypoallergenic pillows, with a  dust mite proof cover.

Can’t sell your home? Remodel and get the home you want

Many homeowners would love to sell there home and move into their dream home. Given the current nationwide housing environment, selling is just not an option for many reasons. As a result, remodeling your current home is on the rise. Most people remodel their kitchens, bathrooms and master bedroom first as the majority of the time spend in the home is there.

Upgrading a kitchen is very costly and experts say that will not give you an high return on your investment. Here is a list of bedroom remodeling trends for 2012. For bathrooms, many homeowners are looking towards green options for 2012.

For flooring, porcelain tile, scraped wood and engineered wood flooring are top choices for 2012.

Not selling your home? Remodeling is hot right now

Many homeowners are making the decision to stay in their home vs. selling in this real estate downturn. As a result, they are choosing to remodel portions of their homes that require updating. Kitchens and bathrooms are among the most popular areas of the home people are choosing.

Popular flooring choices are wood, wood laminate, ceramic and porcelain tiles and marble. An increasingly popular choice is bamboo as it is environmentally friendly and comes in a wide array of color choices. Technically a grass, bamboo grows rapidly and is ready for installation after only five years of harvesting.

Bathroom Before & After

Many homeowners are choosing to renovate portions their homes rather than move for many reasons. As a result, out of date bathrooms and kitchens are receiving an update from out of date cabinetry, appliances and flooring. Owners are choosing between porcelain tile and natural stone for the floors and walls.

In this "Before & After", we show you an update of a bathroom floor and shower. Take notice how much more appealing the restyled bathroom is.

Bathroom

After