Tag Archives: flooring

Choosing the Right Carpeting

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design center 3What factors are important when choosing the right carpeting for your home? Most people want a lighter tone so that it doesn’t make their home feel too dark. But you don’t want to go too light so that it doesn’t show the dirt too easily. But beyond that, what should you look for? Here are a few things to consider.

Stain resistance: Will the carpeting have to stand up to children or pets? If so, look for something that will recover from spills with an easy wipe up. There are special carpeting techniques that include overdying and stain-proof coatings that make carpeting almost completely stain-proof. Talk to your designer about the specifics of the maintenance requirements of whatever carpeting you choose. It may be worth a higher price to get carpeting that will withstand the onslaught of a tough audience.

Durability & finish: Are there certain rooms that will have to withstand heavy traffic? If so, certain types of carpeting handle that demand better than others. For example you may be tempted by the soft feel of plush carpeting, but its tendency to show every footprint means that in a high-traffic area you will find yourself vacuuming constantly to keep it looking nice. Instead, you may want to choose a more forgiving option.

Color: Although most people select a neutral tone, carpeting often has an underlying color. Make sure your choice works well with other colors you may use in your home. Be sure to bring your final choice into natural light to see how the color looks in daylight and with your tile, paint and cabinet selections. After all, you will be living with your choices for a long time. Make sure everything coordinates well together.

Tile with the look of wood

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Design Center 015It can be difficult to choose between tile and wood flooring. Wood feels warm and inviting, and the look works with both traditional and modern homes. For many people, wood will always be their first choice. It may have been the flooring they grew up with, or the way wood works in a space fits their taste and style.

Others prefer tile. Particularly in our hot Arizona climate, tile makes a home feel cooler and is more comfortable for pets in the summer. Maintenance for tile – with the grout sealed – is easy. Little wet kid feet coming in from the pool or pet paws don’t damage tile, and a damp mop makes it look like new again.

One recent entry to the market combines some of the look of wood with the durability and ease of tile: rectangular tiles designed to look like wood. Minimal grout or grout in a similar tone can give you all of the benefits of tile while still appealing to the wood lovers.

The photo above shows just one finish available in this new tile. Others mimic the rich browns of cherry or walnut flooring and all provide enough variation to keep the same organic style you have with wood flooring.

For an opportunity to see the wide choice of colors and finishes in this tile, why not visit the Fulton Design Center this Thursday September 18th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for our browse night?

For more information, visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center. We look forward to seeing you there!

Fulton Homes Design Online – Wood Flooring

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walnutWood flooring has been a preferred choice for many people for generations, and the popularity of wood floors is again increasing.

It’s no wonder; with its elegance and reflective glow, hardwood floors make every home look classically beautiful.

Fulton Homes Design Online allows you to preview your hardwood choices. This photo shows walnut hardwood. The dark tone and tonal variation provides a rich complement to the lighter glazed. Mixing woods creates a space that is more informal and eclectic.

birchPerhaps you prefer a lighter wood. Take a look at this birch wood flooring. It has a gentle honey tone that provides a flexible base for any combination of colors. Some people like to put lighter woods in bedrooms and upper halls as even bright colorful children’s rooms work well with it.

Hardwoods vary in terms of hardness, variation, color and tone. Each type has its own unique grain. You also have to choose between engineered floors or solid wood floors. The best option for you depends upon your expectations and goals from the perspective of maintenance and durability as well as style factors.

bambooA surface that is growing in popularity is bamboo. Although it is one of the most sustainable natural surfaces, growth and processing steps ensure that bamboo is a sturdy option. Notice that it has a stranded look, which is typical for this choice.

 

You may want to start your exploring with Fulton Homes Design Online. Be sure to watch the two videos provided on Hardwood floors. The first explains the difference between engineered and solid floors and outlines other product characteristics. The second, the Hardwood Disclosure Video, helps explain how to maintain wood flooring.

It’s worth the time to review these before your Design Center appointment, because these videos can answer some of your questions. Then once you sit down for your appointment at the Fulton Homes Design Center, your designer can help you make your final decisions. And the end result? A beautiful floor designed to last.

 

Fulton Homes Design Online – Carpeting

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cable carpetingIt’s hard to know where to start when it comes to flooring – there are so many wonderful choices. Today we’ll take a look at carpeting.

Fulton Homes offers  carpet that varies widely in texture as well as color. Some are particularly workable in high-traffic areas, while others have a softer plusher feel which makes them ideal for creating warmth in spaces such as bedrooms.

The carpeting above is in the cable category. Constructed of a thicker yarn that is typically longer than most carpet fibers, this is extremely comfortable and inviting for bare feet or floor-sitters, however it may crush in higher traffic areas. This makes it perfect for a bedroom. Select a thicker carpet pad, and your flooring will feel absolutely cushiony.

frieze carpetingFulton Homes offers classic Frieze and Saxony, as well as Cut & Loop and Looped or Berber options. Frieze carpeting like the sample on the right is a cut pile with a very tight twist level which makes it work well in high traffic areas. Differing pile heights add a stylish appearance and vary the look.

looped or berberThe selection to the left is a looped pile, often called Berber. A long-lasting choice due to its uncut loops of carpet yarn, it has an unusual design look. Berber handles family rooms and other high use areas very well. Take a look at the selection of tweed-like fleck options and the varying loop levels.

To select the right carpeting for you, start with the Fulton Homes Online Design Center, but be sure to get an in-person feel for your choices and talk with your Fulton Homes Design Center designer about your lifestyle and requirements to ensure that you select the right carpeting for you and your family.

Choose the Right Area Rug

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With flooring such as wood or tile, area rugs help soften key areas and create a design focus in a room. Even carpeting can benefit from a rug to highlight a conversation area.

The Fulton Homes Design Center offers a generous selection of area rugs from Feizy, a company with 35 years in the business. Feizy Rugs is renowned for producing the highest quality hand knotted, hand tufted and power loomed rugs in the marketplace today.

This area rug section provides photos of full rugs plus samples that allow you to view the colors and experience the rich feel of these choices.

If you would like to add an area rug to your home, select your permanent flooring first, bringing a sample with you to determine the right rug choice. Rugs range from Oriental style, more traditional patterns and contemporary options.

For a dining room rug, be sure to select one that extends at least two feet past the edges of your dining room table on all sides. This allows your guests to push their chairs back without ending up off the carpet.

Living room rugs can sit inside the sofa and chairs or you can select one large enough to contain all of the living room furniture on it. This way it becomes an island in the space. Be careful to avoid a rug that leaves some furniture half-on and half-off, creating a makeshift look.

If your home is open-concept, area rugs can define specific areas in your space, and add a splash of color or pattern that finishes your home’s design. Take the time to consider an area rug or two to add interest and style to your living space.

Wood floors add classic style

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Whether you’re drawn to the strong face of a hand-scraped wood in a traditional oak finish or the more contemporary feel of dark rich ebony, wood flooring makes a statement in a home. This inviting light maple works anywhere, but is particularly apt for a nursery or children’s room. Its bright versatility makes it the perfect foil for children’s furnishings in pastels or bright colors. Also, as a child grows, it can handle the changes in décor over time.

Wood sends a message of luxury and permanence. It can complement a kitchen with an old world styling while remaining durable enough to handle spills when wiped up fairly quickly. Wood is also a soft flooring surface, which means that it doesn’t wear out your feet at the end of a long day.

Today’s wood options are much more versatile and durable than they used to be. Plank widths, wood tones, and special features such as hand scraping, beveled edges, and strong finishes make wood a virtually permanent flooring option.

Wood flooring can be chosen to contrast with your cabinetry or furniture. This allows you to enjoy a wood-filled home without worrying about matching the stains. A kitchen with painted cabinets and wood flooring provides an old-fashioned look that is as inviting as yesterday.

When choosing your wood flooring, take the time to look at a variety of options. The photo on the right shows the Fulton Home’s Design Center wood flooring selection. Take a look at your possibilities on the floor so that you see them from the right angle. A number of our models also show several wood flooring options.

When you choose wood flooring, your home will be a joy to live in and have a higher resale value when it is time to sell. Consider investing in wood flooring for one or two rooms, or even your entire home.

Choosing Carpeting

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As this photo from Fulton Home’s design center demonstrates, choices today for carpeting are about more than just color. Different textures, heights and even patterns and sculptured effects are now available.

The most common carpet type in use today is still cut pile. This category includes textured plush, which is a  flexible enough look for whole house carpeting in busy households because its’ surface hides footprints and vacuum marks.

Saxony and plush (velvet) are more formal. Plush shows footprints and vacuum marks quite a bit, but the texture is luxurious. This makes it best for more formal spaces and low-traffic areas.

Frieze has become more and more popular. Its textured surface comes from very twisted yarns. This carpeting has a very casual look and also minimizes evidence of traffic on its surface.

Color is a critical component of your choice. With today’s easier-to-clean carpeting, it’s possible to choose a lighter color without risking spots. Lighter colors open up a room and darker colors can make a large space feel cozier. Most people will choose a neutral tone but if you’re feeling bold, why not try a color that works well with your furniture or window coverings? If you have tile and carpeting in the same area, be sure that the colors complement each other.

You will also want to ensure that the carpeting you choose works well with your paint choices. At Fulton’s design center, you can compare your carpet possibilities with the paint option you chose, to ensure that they work well together. Set your carpet samples on the floor so that you can see how they look at that angle.

For more advice on selecting the right carpeting for you, talk to your designer or come to one of our browse nights and take a look at your choices.