Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ceramic Tile Problems? Choose the right Subfloor!!!

Ceramic, porcilan and stone tile certainly have its problems, or is the problem the subfloor that is under these tiles that is the problem?

Cracking, Buckling, Broken, Grout issues, Cold on the feet, and damp are all issues I have heard about when talking to customers about tile. What if I told you these problems are not related to the tile, and in most cases they are a direct result of the subfloor that is installed below the tile.

The truth is at first I agreed with the common norm, there is and can be many problems associated with tile, however it is so strange to me that all these homes built from the 1970's to now have had tons of issues with their tile, meanwhile humans have been laying tile for thousands of years and today thousands of years later, some of that tile is still in good condition. Therefor I have to ask the question Why?

Well as humans we have gone through 2 major methods of Installing tile subfloor, the historic but quality method called the Uncoupling method and the more modern method called the Direct Bond Method.

Direct Bond Method
or more formally known as the Thin-set method is exactly how it sounds, the tiles are installed directly on a subfloor or concrete using a thin-set mortar as an adhesive, shown in Figure B. Cracking, Buckling, Broken and Grout issues become present when the subfloor, floor joist, even cement moves or shifts below the tiles.

Ancient Uncoupling Method This method has been present for thousands of years and has proven to be a much more stable installation method than the Direct Bond Method, however the steps involved are far too extensive to do in todays construction. Thousands of years ago installers would lay an ultra thick layer of sand over top of the sub-floor and the tile would get adhered over the sand, so if the subfloor were to move or shift in anyway the sand was able to move under the tile without causing the same issues as the Direct Bond method.

The Answer? Well obviosly we are not going to come into your home with pounds of sand, so the answer is Schluter Ditra, Ditra XL, & Ditra Heat!



Why? Because these three Schluter Ditra products are uncoupling products designed to work the very same way as the Ancient uncoupling method, with a much lighter and more basic installation method.

How Does Ditra Work? Ditra products provide uncoupling through its open rib structure, which allows for in-plane movement that effectively neutralizes the differential movement stresses between the substrate and the tile, thus eliminating the major causes of tiles to crack, buckle, break and have grout issues.

What About the Tile Being Cold & Damp? Good question! Ditra Heat is a subfloor with heat option built in, although a bit more expensive than the traditional Ditra, well worth it for people that do not like the cold. Also you should know that Ditra, Ditra XL & Ditra Heat are all made with polyethylene composition making it a vapour barrier from dampness from below. Many people that install Dirtra/Ditra XL under their tile believe their tile is warmer because of it, when in reality the Ditra is just stopping the vapours from below, removing the damp feel of the tile floor.

Monday, February 2, 2015

What Is The Most Durable Hardwood Flooring For Pets?

Mirage Imagine Old Hickory Barn wood
Many Canadians are dog owners and dog lovers and if you are like me your dog is part of the family! Does this mean you cant have a hardwood floor? Well... not necessarily, although I do not recommend hardwood flooring to most dog owners, there are some hardwood floors that will scratch less than others, along with other hardwood looking options.

Type of Finish & Finish Lustre 
This is the most important part of this blog post, although others might start by recommending a rock hard type of wood, this is not as important as the quality of the finish, as in most cases it is the finish that scratches not the wood itself. I generally recommend the Mirage Nanolinx HD  because it has proven to be 5 times more resilient than the nearest competition. I would also recommend that you pick a low luster finish like the Cashmere or DuraMatt option from Mirage or Oil FX that Seasons Flooring offers. All of these options are low luster finishes that are designed to look like an oiled finished floor without the maintenance and other disadvantages of oil and is the most practical wood finish for families with children and pets. I personally love the Mirage cashmere finish on a nice wire-brushed product.

Style
Mirage Imagine Collection Old Hickory Seashell 

The Style of a hardwood floor is also a very important decision, personally with pets I always recommend a wire-brushed or distressed product like Mirage Imagine Old Hickory Seashell. Wire-brushing and distressing a floor will actually give you a floor that has been marked, nicked, and well... wire-brushed, this means that if and when your loving dog scratches your floor, the scratch will be less visible because your floor will already be marked up. There are also many other  quality distressed lines available like the Mirage Imagine Collection, Kentwood Floors,  Seasons Winery CollectionWickham Mountain Home or one of my personal favorites the Vintage Hand-scraped.


Type Of Wood
Yellow Birch, Red Oak, White Oak, Maple & Hickory are all very good hardwoods to use as a flooring product with animals, they are all very hard types of wood. My preference is actually yellow birch & red oak, although they are the softest of the five woods, yellow birch & red oak seems to be the best wood species for flooring because of its combination of hardness and elasticity.

Brands
You will notice that I suggest the Canadian made Mirage hardwood throughout this blog post, if you are wondering why, it is because Mirage is the best hardwood flooring manufacturer in the World and if you read What Hardwood Flooring Brand Should I Choose? Blog I am confident you will see why. I also mention Canadian manufacturers like Wickham Flooring, Seasons Flooring and Vintage Flooring, I do this because these companies are also wonderful Canadian made products that are built to last and are generally more affordable than the #1 Floor in the World, Mirage. If you want more information about Seasons Flooring, check out this blog post Seasons Canadian Made Hardwood.