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Tips & Tricks Moving Appliances Without Damaging Your Floors

Tips & Tricks: Moving Appliances Without Damaging Your Floors

There will come a point when you’ll feel the need to rearrange your living space. As new ideas and trends arise, homes are being updated accordingly. Clearly, appliances come in all sorts of different sizes. While smaller equipment is easier to relocate, larger appliances can potentially cause damage if improperly moved. Without necessary precautions, you could unintentionally scratch and dent your walls or flooring. Take these safety precautions into consideration the next time you find yourself wanting a rearrangement.

Measure Your Space

Before you start to move anything, you need to be sure everything will fit nicely. Appliances such as refrigerators and stoves have limited entry space, so it is important to make sure that it will have exact or enough room. Not only should you measure the area in which you plan to secure your appliance, but measure the passageways you might take during the moving process. For example, if you are hauling a unit to your second floor, know if it will be able to fit up the stairs.

Plan Your Route

Moving furniture takes strategic planning. Not all homes have an open floor plan. Especially in tight and narrow passageways, you will want to plan exactly how you will get your appliance from point A to point B. At times, large appliances will have trouble fitting through even the front door. In this case, consider using your sliding door. Also, create more room by moving some of your current furniture out of the way.

Clean The Area

Dirt and dust accumulates in every region possible. You should regularly clean your entire house. But don’t forget about areas hidden under your furniture. Before you place the appliances where they belong, clean the flooring on which they will be placed. Nobody wants to be, much less, live in an environment full of germs and dust. A clean and sanitary home never disappoints.

Gather Your Tools

Once you’ve measured and planned your route, it’s time to engage in the manual labor. Gather all the necessary tools you will need along the way. When you have everything handy, you can avoid running back and forth during the process. Some helpful tools could be dollies, hand carts, carpet squares, or any preferred alternative. Never drag the appliances across your flooring. That is the easiest way to cause scratches and damage. Move at your own pace. As much as you’ll want to get through the process quickly, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Try Go Mobile Flooring

At Go Mobile Flooring, we can install any flooring of your choice form our mobile showroom. If you’re thinking about remodeling your home prior to rearranging your furniture, give us a call or visit our website to see our many selections of hardwood, laminate, carpet, tile, and vinyl. We bring our mobile showroom to homes in Brandon, Clearwater, Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa, Pasco County, Pinellas County, South Tampa, St. Petersburg, Wesley Chapel, and are more than happy to guide you through the selection and installation processes. Contact us today.

The Best Flooring for Cold Weather

Best Flooring Options for Cold Weather

Waking up to a cold flooring surface can be irritating. As the cold weather climate approaches, it is important to consider different ways to keep you and your family warm throughout the season. Remembering to stock up on winter apparel is easy. But other factors such as the perfect flooring, however, will only make for a warmer experience at home. Below are some of the best flooring options for cold weather to consider this winter.The Best Flooring for Cold Weather

Carpet

Carpet flooring is perhaps the easiest solution to warming up your home. It will insulate the room from heat loss and help save you and your family from pricy costs related to heating your home. In addition, carpet serves as other benefits such as comfort and style. Carpet will provide a comfy surface to walk, sit, or lay on as opposed to other hard flooring options. Unfortunately, carpet flooring can result in issues with maintenance. Consider investing in comfortable rugs that suit the ambiance of your home as an alternative.

Vinyl

When accompanied by padded underlayment, vinyl flooring presents great insulation and will prevent chilly flooring surfaces. Vinyl can come in tile-like or hardwood-like forms as well as flexible sheets. These types of flooring are water-resistant, durable, and easy to maintain. Due to its variability, vinyl is easily one of the best flooring options for cold weather.

Radiant Below Surface Heating Systems

When paired with the right flooring options, radiant below surface heating systems will guarantee a warm environment against the winter weather climate. The idea of these heating systems is to transmit heat directly onto to your flooring surface as well as in the atmosphere in which it is installed. Tile is a great conductor of heat therefore working well with radiant below surface heating. Check out a previous Go Mobile Flooring article on heated flooring in your bathroom.

Underlayment

Underlayment such as foam, cork, or rubber will not only present better comfort but will also help to insulate heat and sound.  It also provides moisture control which is great against the damage of the rainy and snowy conditions you may encounter throughout the winter. Even though snow in Florida is unlikely, these flooring options for cold weather will be just as beneficial for living conditions up north or in areas prone to snow.

Go Mobile Flooring Showroom

Visit our website or contact Go Mobile Flooring today for more information on flooring options for cold weather. Explore our varieties and find out what best suits your home. We will gladly bring our mobile showroom to neighborhoods in the Tampa, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco county areas.

 

Benefits of Porcelain Tiles That Look Like Wood

Benefits of Porcelain Tiles That Look Like Wood

While wood has been used for centuries as a primary flooring material, it nonetheless has its drawbacks. Primarily, wood is susceptible to many different types of wear and tear. Wood can be scratched or damaged by water and is not always the best choice if you have pets or children.

Fortunately, new innovations in floor coverings have led to alternatives. One great alternative to traditional wood flooring is porcelain tile that looks like wood. Let’s examine what it is and why it may be better than wood floors.Benefits of Porcelain Tiles That Look Like Wood

Porcelain Tile as Flooring

Due to its durability, porcelain tile is regularly hailed as a great flooring option. Porcelain is impervious to water, cannot be scratched, and resists fading. Porcelain tile is a favorite surface for bathrooms, kitchens, and entryways, because of its ability to withstand water. Accordingly, contractors and designers often dissuade homeowners from using wood in these types of rooms. For more details about porcelain tiles, check out our article here.

How to Achieve a Wood Look with Porcelain

The biggest argument against porcelain when considering wood is typically the style. Porcelain is fairly cool and can often be bland. The colors tend to be solid, and patterns are either very intricate for accent work or meant for larger spaces. However, new techniques now allow porcelain tile to mimic wood grain. The wood grain style is rustic-looking for a more Arts & Crafts or natural aesthetic.

Benefits of Porcelain Over Wood

If you’re wondering whether to replace any wood flooring with porcelain tiles, here are some of the benefits:

  • Sturdy and Long-Lasting: Porcelain isn’t impacted by water. It is also resistant to scratches, dents, and fading.
  • Anti-Microbial: Perfect for families with children or pets, especially in rooms where there might be a concern of bacteria.
  • Warmth for all Rooms: Now you can have the look of wood in your bathroom, kitchen or sunroom without worrying about water damage or fading.

For more information about porcelain tile that looks like wood, contact Go Mobile Flooring today. We are happy to bring our mobile showroom to your home. We offer service to the Tampa Bay and surrounding areas including New Tampa, South Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, and more!

Outdoor Flooring Options

Outdoor Flooring Options

From modern composite decking to traditional brick, today’s homeowners have numerous options when it comes to their outdoor flooring. Not only will the choice you make affect your patio’s appearance and function, but it could also impact the long-term resale value of the property. Check out Go Mobile Flooring’s roundup of some of the most popular patio materials on the market.

Outdoor Flooring Options

Composite and Traditional Wood Decking

Offering the sleek beauty of wood and the durability of vinyl, composite decking is a great option for families looking for an attractive deck that’s easy to maintain. And they’re also affordable, costing less than the real wood options.

Determined to outfit your outdoor space in traditional wood? You can expect to pay a higher rate per square foot. Natural wood is also less resilient, and you can anticipate shelling out for termite control, resanding, and refinishing.

Porcelain and Ceramic Tile

If style is your No. 1 concern when it comes to outdoor flooring, you might be tempted by some of the porcelain and ceramic options on the market. More durable than natural stone, these materials give your outdoor space an upscale appearance that’s ideal for entertaining. As a bonus, tile is renowned for being easy to clean and maintain – in fact, all you need is a broom and a mop. And with a low average price per square foot, porcelain and ceramic tile are affordable at almost any budget.

Brick

Traditionalists might have their hearts set on brick flooring – and with good reason. Although it’s one of the more expensive outdoor flooring options out there, brick offers a rich, dignified look that sets your home apart. And while it will likely come as no surprise that brick is durable, homeowners might be shocked to learn that the material comes in many different colors and patterns. If you want to save a little cash, opt for brick pavers, which offer the same stately beauty for a fraction of the price.

Contact Go Mobile Flooring for a Free Quote

At Go Mobile Flooring, outdoor flooring is one of our passions. Call today or contact us online for a free quote and measurement. We look forward to helping you enjoy the great outdoors without leaving your home.

Flooring Transition Tips And Tricks

Flooring Transition Tips And Tricks

Chances are you’re not going to use the same type of flooring throughout your house. Even with an open floor plan, different rooms call for different aesthetics. And, some flooring types are not necessarily the best for all uses. Carpet in the kitchen probably isn’t the smartest idea. So, what’s the best way to transition from one flooring type to another? Below are a few ways to achieve a clean and unified look through your flooring transition.

Flooring Transition Tips And Tricks

Look for Obvious Start-Stop Points

There are often natural transition points throughout your house. An entryway or hallway offers a clean stop and start point for a flooring transition. So do the architectural lines of your house. Line up different flooring types with the edge of a wall or elevation changes. If your living room or kitchen has a step or two in between, this creates a natural start and stop point.

Make Transitions Part of the Design

With such beautiful and cost-effective flooring options available today, it’s easy to use different flooring types as part of your design. Even a darker or lighter shade of the same flooring or a different type of grain can be used as a purposeful design choice. Consider lining hallways with a different flooring type to create a unique look; or outline your entryway with tile that might hold up better under frequent foot traffic.

Use Transitions to Define Your Space

In a truly open floor plan, the above options may not be available. In that case, take the opportunity to use your flooring transitions to define your space. If your living room and dining room flow into each other, where would a natural stop and start point be? What about your kitchen or entryway? If you are not working with a contractor or interior designer, considering sketching out your options first, by looking at your floor plan as a series of geometric areas.

However you decide to treat flooring transitions in your home, Go Mobile Flooring can help. To find out how to bring our mobile showroom to your home, please contact us today. Serving Tampa Bay and the surrounding neighborhoods, we’re happy to bring our full selection of hardwood, laminate, tile, carpet and vinyl flooring to your doorstep.

Cleaning With Your Pet In Mind, And Cleaning Up Accidents Too!

Cleaning With Your Pet In Mind, And Cleaning Up Accidents Too!

Pets are considered members of the family. And just like little ones – or even adults, let’s be honest – all kinds of accidents happen. Choosing the right flooring can be the difference between easy clean-up or damaged floors. Below are some of the key features of the best flooring for pets. We’ll also examine some things to consider when cleaning up after them, too.Cleaning With Your Pet In Mind, And Cleaning Up Accidents Too!

Skip the Hardwood

It might seem like a no-brainer, but hardwood isn’t the first choice for pet owners. Unlike other flooring types, it scratches easily and can cause permanent damage, including warping. You’ll also want to avoid carpet, for obvious reasons. And laminate isn’t always the best choice either. It can be slippery which could lead to injury, especially among dogs that might have hip issues. And it can warp, similarly to hardwood. If you’re determined to get hardwood, choose engineered hardwood with a high Janka rating.

Go With Durable Surfaces

The most durable flooring you can get for pets is stone or tile. Stone and tile flooring is water and stain resistant and relatively easy to clean. These flooring types are also resistant to scratches. One of the only drawbacks is that tile can get cold. While cats seem to have an easier time finding a warm, cozy spot to lay, dogs might need a dog bed or area rug nearby to avoid the chill, especially during the winter.

Use Cork, Vinyl, or Bamboo for a Warmer Look & Feel

If you like the look of wood flooring and don’t really want to go with tile, you have options. Cork, luxury vinyl, and bamboo are some of best flooring for pets. Each of these floor types resists staining and is easy to wipe clean.

Keeping it Clean

As with any cleaning, it’s most effective when it happens on a regular schedule. To maximize your flooring and avoid major pet accidents, vacuum and mop often. You’ll also want to be sure you clean up messes as soon as you see them. Adding mats under water and food bowls also minimizes the damage from spills.

If you’re ready to install the best flooring for pets in your home, please contact Go Mobile Flooring today. Serving Tampa and the surrounding areas, we’ll be happy to bring our mobile showroom to you, so you can see all of the options for yourself.

Best Open Concept Flooring Options For Your Home

Best Open Concept Flooring Options For Your Home

An open concept room design is full of possibilities. From furniture options to room dividers to flooring, an open concept floor plan is really only limited by your imagination. Below we will examine some of the best open concept flooring options to help you better identify and design your space.

Best Open Concept Flooring Options For Your Home

Select Hard Flooring

Flooring can serve many design purposes, including defining an open space. However, with an open space, maintenance might be your key concern. Since so much of the room will be visible from multiple angles, it’ll be a bit easier to see dirt throughout. This is one reason why experts recommended hard flooring for an open concept design. Hard flooring is easy to clean, much easier than carpet, and easier to maintain than most other types of flooring.

Choose a Neutral Option

Another benefit of hard flooring is that it is typically in natural, neutral colors. Hardwood and tile offer a “blank canvas” to the room, giving you almost free rein when decorating the rest of the space. Additionally, choosing one type of neutral hard flooring and using it throughout the space expands the look and size of the room.

Look for Durability

Open concept flooring bears the brunt of your family’s activities. It’s important to ensure that you choose a durable floor as well as an attractive one. It’s also okay to use different flooring types for different defined spaces. For example, even in an open concept floor plan, certain areas will be offset from others. A key example is the kitchen. While you may enjoy the hard flooring for your living room, tile might be a better option for the kitchen.

Use Accent Floor Coverings Sparingly

There is nothing quite like a well-placed floor rug. They can add a pop of color to a room and also help to “warm” up any environment. Rugs are also great at dampening sound, which may be important depending on how open your floor plan truly is.

No matter what your open concept flooring needs are, Go Mobile Flooring has you covered. Our flooring experts are happy to bring our mobile showroom to your door, giving you an up-close-and-personal look at all of your flooring options. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood is one of the most desirable of all flooring surfaces. But the obvious question is whether or not bathroom hardwood flooring is a good idea? The environment in a bathroom is much different than the rest of the home. Humidity, moisture, water splashes, and spills can do severe damage to wood.

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Some people in the industry would steer you away from bathroom hardwood flooring and recommend engineered wood.

Faux-hardwood surfaces – floors that imitate the look of real wood so well it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference – will work well. Many vinyl based floors can be matched to the look of hardwood quite nicely so that your faux-hardwood floor will appear nearly indistinguishable from the real wood

Remember that solid hardwood and engineered hardwood are still both consider to be REAL hardwood. Don’t let that word “faux” fool you.

The fact is that you absolutely can install hardwood flooring in bathrooms but there are common sense choices that need to be made:

Type of Wood for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Do NOT use:

  • Pine
  • Fir

These are woods that are very absorbent softwoods that are more likely to be damaged by exposure to water or moisture.

These are the woods you SHOULD use:

  • Oak
  • Cherry
  • Cedar
  • Maple
  • Ash
  • Hickory
  • Walnut

Using the right materials is always the best advice for any type of project.

Finishing for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Any of the above mentioned woods in their natural, unprotected condition are vulnerable to water damage. Application of a finishing agent is a necessary precaution to keep your floor beautiful and enduring.

The most common finish is polyurethane based sealers. It seals the wood and provides a protective coat. The ultimate type would be a marine grade sealant that is designed for outdoor exposure. It is critical to apply the coating several times and especially where joints or seams are present.

Maintenance for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Protective sealant can be re-applied as it ages, giving extended life. Mats and throw rugs can collect water after someone showers, but it is not good to allow a wet item to lay on the wood for lengthy periods of time.

Water under the sink can leak and spill onto the wood floor. This is not a problem unless you allow it to sit. Likewise splashing children getting out of the tub can quickly cover the entire floor. Again, the key is to not allow water to sit for a long time.

Watch for an uneven floor that may collect water at one side. This is not usually the case if the bathroom was correctly built, but a very small grade in the pitch of the floor, unnoticed to people, can collect hidden water behind toilets, etc.

Soaps, shampoos, and other cleansing chemicals can damage wood. Keeping them off the wood is the safest option.

The biggest advantage of hardwood is that it can be really beautiful. It lends a sense of nature and wonder to a space, while also providing an environment with a unique personality, that can be seen in the one of a kind features found in every plank.

Enjoy your magnificent bathroom hardwood flooring project. It’s worth the cost and effort, and it will certainly increase the value of your home.

Steam Floor Mops - Do's and Don'ts

Steam Floor Mops – Do’s and Don’ts

Steam Floor Mops - Do's and Don'ts

Steam floor mops are a terrific in-home tool to use in fighting grime. For just a few hundred dollars, you can use one of these super-powered mops to provide your hardwood, tile or linoleum floors with a deep clean. However, using steam floor mops requires a bit more care than a standard mop. The addition of steam means the mops can get very hot and cause problems if not handled correctly. Below are some guidelines for how to use a steam floor mop correctly:

What To Do:

  • Prep the floor first.
    A mop that uses steam to clean isn’t meant to treat heavily soiled floors. If this is your first time using one, make sure to clean your floors as you normally would and then use the steam mop for maintenance. By cleaning the floors more frequently, you’ll have less build up of dirt and grime and be able to use the mop to its fullest potential.
  • Invest in mop pads.
    The mop pad will absorb dirt. However,  reusing a dirty mop head with steam might result in the dirt smearing across other surfaces. The good news is steam mop pads are generally washable and hold up nicely. A few good mop pads should last you for a while.

What Not To Do

  • Don’t allow the mop to idle.
    Once the mop has been plugged in, it’s really best to keep it moving. The heat generated from a steam mop can  build up quickly and cause damage to flooring if left in one place for too long.
  • Don’t use on unsealed floors.
    Steam floor mops are great for a variety of surfaces, but can easily warp an unsealed floor. If you’ve been advised not to use hot water on the floor or if the tiles are adhesive and appear to be lifting, don’t use a steam mop.
  • Don’t plug it in before attaching the mop head.
    Most steam mops heat up fast. So, if you wait to attach the mop head, chances are it’ll be too hot to handle.

For more information about steam floor mop do’s and don’ts, check out this article. And if you’re looking to upgrade the floors in your home, contact Tampa Flooring Company today.

Financing Is Now Available Through Go Mobile Flooring

We are pleased to announce to our customers that financing is now available at zero percent through Go Mobile Flooring! This is good news for your flooring plans. You can now decide when you upgrade your flooring. There’s no reason to wait because we will finance your project today.

You will be issued your own credit card that you can . . .

  • USE
    Pay for your flooring and also qualify for special promotions.
  • VIEW
    Your information can be reviewed and managed online. Detailed billing statement are at your fingertips and on your screen.
  • MANAGE
    You have 24/7 access to control your account at your own discretion. If you enroll in eBill, you are allowed to view statements at any time.
  • SAFE
    For your protection, all personal information will be encrypted with Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology.
  • WHAT’S NEXT?
    You can also use your card at other merchant outlets that accept it.

As always, the team here at Go Mobile Flooring put the interests of our customers FIRST. We truly want you to enjoy the comfort and beauty of amazing floors. And we want you to increase the value of your home in the process.

If you would like to apply, click her and you will go to our simple application form.

Please call us today at (813) 605-1849 for more information. Our specialists would love to help you make your dream home a reality.