Ugly Kitchen Winner

 

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but even David C. knew his kitchen was downright ugly.  Lucky David—he was the winner of the KOSP/Color Tile and Carpet Ugly Kitchen Contest.

More than twenty Springfield-area homeowners entered photos of their kitchens in the station’s online contest and David’s photo was chosen by the listeners as the one most worthy of a remodel.  Over the next several weeks Color Tile and Carpet will join Kitchenland USA and Metro Appliances in making over David’s Ugly Duckling kitchen into a thing of beauty.  Check back for more photos and updates!

Lately Zillow has established itself as the national web expert on real estate values, so we turned to its site for the stats on home improvement ROI.  And according to Zillow, guess what returns 101.3% of its investment?  A bathroom remodel, including new ceramic tile in the tub surround, new flooring and new fixtures.  Of course, you’ll only get that ROI if you choose your tiles wisely and that’s where expert advice comes in handy.  Our team works with some of the area’s top builders because Color Tile and Carpet has the contemporary styles that buyers like to see in a home and we know how to match the right product to a specific installation.

Thinking of a new kitchen backsplash?  You can recoup an average 98.2% of a minor kitchen remodel.  Convert an unfinished attic with drywall, windows, a closet and new carpet and you can return 92.7% of the investment on resale.  Upgrade your unfinished basement with finished walls and new flooring and you’ll not only have an excellent family room to enjoy during the holidays, but you’ll also see an average 90.1% return when you sell. 

In today’s economy even Santa needs a little help packing his gift bag, and if carpet’s on your list this year, Color Tile and Carpet has you covered.  Now through Christmas we’ll install Aladdin’s Smartstrand carpet for only $1.99 a square foot, pad included.  Smartstrand is naturally stain-resistant, inherently soft and incredibly durable so you’ll be creating value in your home and adding cushy warmth for your toes.

Being green is easier than you think—just ask the experts at Color Tile and Carpet.  Jerry and Cheryl can match your style to natural products such as hardwood and tile or what may be the ultimate in today’s smart flooring choices—amazingly durable carpet made from renewably sourced polymers.  

Just follow them to the SmartStrand displays.  Mohawk leads innovation in sustainable flooring, and their SmartStrand carpet with DuPont Sorona offers fiber made with Bio-PDO, which is a fancy name for what is basically corn sugar.  Yes, corn sugar.  And that’s not all the good news about SmartStrand carpet, because its production not only produces 63 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than a nylon carpet, but it also has a really great stain resistance built right into the fiber.  Since the protection can’t wear off, you never have to use harsh chemicals to clean it.  Even tough stains like mustard, red wine and cherry Kool-Aid can be removed with environmentally-friendly warm water and a mild detergent. 

Spinning corn into carpet is a neat trick, but let’s say you want to reduce the nation’s landfills—then ask Cheryl and Jerry about Mohawk’s EverStrand.  One out of every four bottles recycled in North America now becomes EverStrand fiber.  Mohawk’s exclusive manufacturing process turns your water bottle into a luxurious yarn. 

And you won’t pay more for green floors.  Both SmartStrand and EverStrand are affordably priced at Color Tile and Carpet, and measures and estimates for your home are always free.

Here’s what one user had to say about Bona: 

“We have 10 year-old wood floors that have truly been lived on. We raised three kids and now have two big dogs and four cats.  The floors have taken a beating. 

We followed the instructions on the Bona bottle, and it is amazing how nice our floors look now!  The polish gave them a new life and helped to cover some of the scratches. 

I wish I would have discovered your products years ago!  I will never use anything else on my floors again.  Thank you!” 

Bona’s high quality cleaner is only one of the new products Color Tile and Carpet has recently added, but it’s one we like a lot.  Cheryl has been using it for years and loves it, but we want to know what you think of it as well.  Leave us a comment after you’ve tried it out.

The flooring choice of many top decorators, Karndean vinyl perfectly replicates the look of slate, marble, stone, ceramic, mosaic, metal, glass and hardwood.  It is not only an affordable alternative to the often budget-busting expense of high-fashion flooring, but it is also durable, low maintenance and versatile. It truly does give a hand-crafted feel to your floors.  

Come see our new displays of Karndean vinyl and experience for yourself how natural vinyl can look. 

Karndean Vinyl With The Look Of Real Hardwood

Recently one of our St Louis friends shared a photo of their new entry, featuring a “welcome mat” of mosaic inset into their newly-installed bamboo floor. This was a DIY installation and here is their beautiful results:

Do-It-Yourself Inlaid Mosaic Entry

This mosaic inset is a blending of ceramic and glass, giving their entry the sheen of both products, but presenting challenges which are better addressed with the assistance of a flooring expert.  A few of these are:

1)      Selection:  While normal tiles distribute weight evenly, the mosaic tile’s smaller surface can compromise their ability to hold up under the pressure of heavy traffic.  Dirt and sand tracked in at the entry can also cause abrasion, making an expert’s knowledge of the tile’s strength critical to the installation.

2)      Preparation:  Any tile installation depends on an even surface and strong bonding, but again the mosaic’s smaller imprint makes these considerations even more important.  The choice of thinset mortar and backing board can make the difference between a permanent installation and one which simply doesn’t hold up.  An expert can ensure the correct products and procedures are used.

We trust that our friends followed these guidelines in their installation and wish them many decades of enjoyment.  If you’re considering a similar accent, it’s a great idea to talk to one of our flooring professionals before adding tile design concepts to your home.  We have some great new displays of the latest styles and can advise you on the proper installation products and methods.  Or allow our professional installers to do it for you—we guarantee they’ll do it right. 

Have you added a tile design to your home?  We’d love to see it.  Email us your photos and we’ll post them here on our blog.

By now you’ve probably done the basic clean-up, which would include shoveling out any mud and scrubbing surfaces with hot water and a heavy-duty cleaner.  Since floodwaters introduce contaminants to your home, you should also disinfect with a solution of ¼ cup chlorine bleach per gallon of water or a product that is labeled as a disinfectant to kill germs. 

Hopefully your flooded area was on concrete but if the subflooring was wood then the flooring will have to be removed to allow the wood subflooring to dry thoroughly.  This process may take several months but is necessary to prevent warping and discourage mold growth.  Open windows and doors and use fans to move as much dry air as possible through the area. 

If your flooring was carpet you will probably find it best to discard both the pad and the carpet.  If you attempt to save it, first remove it and drape it over a large object outdoors and hose it down.  Then use a broom to scrub in a disinfecting carpet cleaner, following with a rinse of 2 tablespoons bleach to 1 gallon water (unless carpet is wool or nylon).  Dry the carpet and floor thoroughly before relaying.  Padding should be discarded as it is nearly impossible to save.  If you are unable to remove the carpet from the floor, you can try using a wet/dry vacuum, dehumidifiers, and fans.  If possible, at least lift the carpet for increased ventilation.  Be aware that mold grows quickly in damp carpet and your efforts may be vain.  Don’t risk your health by keeping a moldy carpet in your home. 

Wooden floors should be dried gradually as fast drying may further damage the wood. Remove a board every few feet to reduce swelling pressure, and allow the wood to dry completely before attempting repairs.  Minor warping may be planed or sanded after the wood has dried. Wide pine boards will recover with less long-term damage than other woods. 

Of course a restoration company is your best resource for recovering flooded floors but if neither their efforts or your DIY attempts save your floors, then look on the bright side—upgraded tile or hardwood is one of the best investments you can make in your home. 

Best of luck with your clean-up.  And may it never rain that much again!

Some of those who did make it by during the remote were winners.  Congratulations to Deborah K of Long Lane who won 150 square feet of ceramic tile, and to Mell J. of Shell Knob, Sandra C. of Bolivar, and Debbie H. of Springfield who each won an area rug.  Watch for more prize registrations to be coming soon.

But the specials didn’t end with the KTTS remote.  We just made a special buy on hardwood flooring and while it lasts you can update your home to durable hardwood for only $1.99 a square foot.  Right now you can choose from three beautiful colors but hurry before our builders snap up this budget-stretching buy.  And the frieze sale continues for a limited time, with family-friendly frieze and installation for only $1.54 a square foot. 

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our big remote and let us know what you think about our changes by adding a comment here or visiting us in the showroom.  We look forward to seeing you again!

If you’re looking for ideas on how to update your home with glass tile, come see our new displays full of the latest styles or sit down with one of our flooring professionals. And when it comes time to install your new look, you’ll be glad to know that while glass installation can require a bit more experience than ceramic tile does, our installation crew has been doing it for years. As with every Color Tile installation, your glass tile installation is guaranteed to be done right.

Need any more reasons to check out our new styles of glass tile? Stop by our showroom between now and August 14th to register to win 150 square feet of ceramic tile, including thinset and grout. We’ll be giving away other great prizes too and KTTS will be broadcasting on-site from noon to 1pm Friday the 13th with free pizza and cokes and a chance to win $1,000 in gas.

All these changes are thanks to a great team. Jeff’s been with us since 1992, working in the store and with our in-house installation team, guaranteeing that every floor Color Tile and Carpet installs is perfect from an accurate measurement to a flawless performance. But you may not have met Cheryl Lauxman yet. She joined us this spring after 28 years in the flooring design field, including 16 years at a competing flooring store. When that store relocated from Springfield to Marshfield, Cheryl chose to stay with her Springfield customers and we were lucky enough to get her. If you don’t remember the name, you may recognize the picture. That’s her smiling in front of one of our recently painted walls.

Everyone will be invited to a Big Open House when the renovations are done, but why wait? New displays and new products are arriving weekly, so stop in and see how it’s coming along. We promise to drop our paint brushes to help you choose and design your floors. That’s what we do best.