The fall season is considered to be a transitional time of the year – when the kids are back in school, new endeavors are underway, major holidays are just around the corner, and the year is drawing to a close. It is also a great time of year to consider redoing the floors in your home! You may need to completely replace your flooring, or only need to replace damaged boards or refinish the flooring. Whether you need a complete floor renovation or just a minor makeover, a floor renovation is the perfect DIY project to completely transform your home.

Considering a floor renovation may leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed. There are a lot of details involved that need to be taken into consideration. Which type of flooring best suits your lifestyle and decor? This is just one of the questions you need to ask yourself before choosing the perfect flooring. Other things to keep in mind are budget, floor maintenance requirements and durability, and the weather conditions where you live.

Types of Flooring

Laminate
Laminate is a very popular and widely used choice of flooring and is created from synthetic floor materials. One of the major reasons laminate flooring is so popular is because of the cost. It’s a great choice for those who want the look of wood or stone without the high price tag.

Other reasons laminate flooring is so widely used include durability and longevity, resistance to damage, and perhaps best of all – it’s easy to install! There is no professional training needed to install laminate flooring. It’s also easy to replace laminate tiles should damage occur.

A laminate tile is made up of three layers:

  • the top layer is a simulated design pattern or stone, tile or wood
  • the middle layer contains a dense fiberboard inner core
  • the bottom layer has moisture resistance barrier

Wood
Wood flooring has been used for centuries. It is classic and timeless and never goes out of style. In earlier times only the wealthiest of homes had wood flooring, but today that is no longer the case. While the cost of wood flooring is higher than that of laminate, it is still an affordable option for those with a little higher budget. Not only does wood flooring add aesthetic appeal to your home, it increases your home’s value as well. When properly installed, the visual appeal of wood flooring is unsurpassed. It does not lose its beauty as it ages, is fairly low maintenance, and is extremely durable.

Tile & Stone
Without a doubt, tile and stone flooring are extremely strong types of flooring. When installed correctly and properly taken care of, the longevity of stone flooring is practically limitless. Stone and tile flooring are the best choices for hot and humid climates as it is naturally cooling, and resistant to the moisture caused by very humid climates. Cleaning up dirt and dust is a breeze. Installation is a bit more involved than other types of flooring but is not overly difficult. It is a more time consuming process, but this process can be easier with the use of Zenith tools.

Essential Tools

Thankfully, floor renovations do not require you to own or purchase an extensive amount of specialty tools.
The most essential tool when undertaking a floor renovation is the Zenith Floor Lifter & Pro-bar. The Floor lifter is ideal when removing hardwood and tile flooring. It safely removes hardwood floors, ceramic tiles, trim, and nails. The integrative center wedge and long design provides ultimate removal efficiency & deep insertion of flooring materials, baseboards, and trim. The Floor Lifter is also excellent for wooden or vinyl siding, and oversized boards and planks. Wood, ceramic tile, just about any surface can be worked efficiently with the Floor Lifter.

The Zenith Pro-Bar is also a must-have tool in floor renovations. The pro-bar is a precision demolition tool perfect for removing large floor tiles, planks, framing, sub-flooring and decking. The Pro-bar contains a unique self-prying action and the strength of a closed center wedge makes the demolition process easier. Two nail removers are located on the pro-bar, one on the center wedge & the other located on the tail of the tool, making it ideal for renovation projects. Both tools also contain a 48Rc heat-treated steel construction, which guarantees lifetime durability when driven between flooring materials, trim, and baseboards.

Autumn is a great time of year to start on a floor renovation project. It’s important, however, to do your research before you begin ripping out flooring to determine which type of flooring best suits your needs, your home and your lifestyle. Once that decision is made, the Zenith Floor Lifter & Pro-bar will make the renovation process a breeze!