In 1860, rubber manufacturer Fredrick Walton invented linoleum, the floor and wall covering often used in Victorian homes. Three years later, Walton received a British patent for his invention. Fredrick Walton was inspired to invent linoleum as a cheap substitute for the more expensive rubber composition called Kamptulicon. Walton got the idea for his product by observing the skin produced by oxidized linseed oil that forms on paint. Read the rest of this entry »

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Laminate is easy to install, stands up to all kinds of wear and tear, and is relatively inexpensive. It doesn’t require removal of any type of existing flooring except carpet, and in most cases, no special prep work is needed to install a floating laminate floor.

What Is a Floating Laminate Floor?

Laminate floorboards are made of densely pressed wood fiberboard, topped with a layer of paper or other material that looks exactly like wood, then covered with a durable coating that protects the look and gives it its durability. It’s often generically (and mistakenly) called Pergo flooring, but that’s only the trademark name of the company that pioneered the laminate-floor product.

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This article is a guide for the DIYer to install underlayment pads and a laminate floor. It includes a tool/material list and tips the maunufacturers don’t tell you.

How to Install Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring has become the floor of choice for many homeowners in the past several years. There are many good reasons for this. Notably, it needs very little maintenance (unlike carpet), it is incredibly durable, and it comes in a vast array of colors/styles. Since being introduced to the US back in 1982, laminate flooring sales has seen a growth of up to twenty per cent per year. This article is a step by step guide on how to install laminate flooring in your home. Read the rest of this entry »

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SOMETIMES neither wood, tile nor carpeting seems like the right choice for a floor. An alternative worth considering is laminate.

“Laminates are probably the most exciting change the flooring industry has seen in the last decade,” said Tom Kraeutler, who is a host of The Money Pit, a radio show, and with his co-host, Leslie Segrete, author of “My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure” (Globe Pequot Press, 2008). Read the rest of this entry »

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The Associated PressArchitect Dr. David Fisher unveiled the Dynamic Tower, the world’s first building in motion. The rotate skyscrapers, which are planned worldwide, have floors which rotate independently to create a building that constantly changes shape. (June 24)Is it the skyscraper of the future? Or just a “pie in the sky” idea? Italian architect David Fisher unveiled in New York the design for what he’s calling the world’s first “building in motion.” It’s an 80-story residential tower with revolving floors, ostensibly set for construction in Dubai this fall. ((David Fisher, Architect)) “It’s the first building that is dynamic, changing its’ shape. You can adjust the shape any given moment.” Fisher says he is also slated to build one of the “dynamic” buildings in Moscow, and, he hopes, New York City. He says the buildings also double as power generators: wind turbines on every floor will provide power. “Wind has a very negative affect on skyscrapers we all know. So I say ‘why do we want to fight the wind?’ Why don’t we use the wind, to our own benefit? The Dubai condos are going for three-thousand dollars a square foot. Lifts will allow penthouse residents to park their cars right in their apartments. Fisher says the building parts will be prefabricated in a factory in Italy then assembled at the final location. The architect says he’d like to have the Dubai building ready to live in by 2010. Ted Shaffrey, The Associated Press, New York

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It’s definitely not your grandmother’s kitchen floor. Linoleum is back, and it’s better than ever.

What’s new is that the product comes in vibrant colors and updated designs in sheet goods (79 inches wide) and square tiles (13 inches x 13 inches). It’s also made increasingly from renewable raw materials, but in fact, maintains many of the same natural ingredients as when it was originally developed some 114 years ago, says Kate Macaulay, owner and manager of Green Living in Dallas. Green Living is a retail store that offers earth-friendly and unique eco-products and the latest information on global green issues. Read the rest of this entry »

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