Radiant Heat Floors

One of the most luxurious things you can do in your home is add in-floor heating to your tile or hardwood. Radiant heating systems make hard surfaces much more comfortable to walk across and can actually warm your home.  In floor heat, or warm wire, can warm your flooring up to 15 degrees higher than it would be normally.

We've installed radiant heat under almost every type of surface, and for every kind of room.  We've used radiant floor heating for tile floors in bathrooms, stone floors in kitchens, and hardwood floors in family rooms and hallways.  We've even installed it under existing floors (we had access to the joists under the floor in the unfinished basement).

Radiant Heat or Hydronic

Hydronic radiant systems are most often installed in Whole House applications in New Construction, not remodels.  Preparations must be taken to leave space in the floor (up to 1-1/2″) for the tubes.  Hydronic systems use a Boiler, pumps, manifolds, valves, an expansion tank.  Never mind the mechanical room needed to house this equipment. Radiant heat warm wire or mats are used most often in small remodel environments (less than 1,500sf) and are simpler than hydronic, takes up less space, goes in faster and for smaller areas, the per square foot cost is much lower. Once the system is installed, your floors will feel wonderful regardless of the approach you choose.

We would be happy to answer all your questions about radiant heat or heating under floors.  Call us today!

(719) 391-9319

Luxury Flooring

Travertine, Custom Mosaic Tile, Handcrafted Hardwood, Pattern Theater Carpet

The video below shows a home, located in Flying Horse Ranch in Colorado Springs,  that US Floors worked on from beginning to end. We worked on the design, budget, supply, and installation of the flooring and tile. Our master craftsman are not satisfied with substandard work.  Our installers are some of the best tile, hardwood, and carpet installers we could find in the state of Colorado, and we're proud of them! See for yourself.

This home is a wonderful example of how beautiful natural products are in a home. You can see how warm and elegant the hardwood and travertine tile are in this home. US Floors Direct can replicate the look of this travertine and custom hardwood in your home for less money than you think! Call us today. We would be happy to give you an estimate to prove just how far we can stretch your dollar.

Green Flooring

Is it really good for the environment?

It seems like there is a new "green" flooring product released every week!  From recycled to sustainable, from hardwoods to manufactured goods; How do we know if they really are good for the environment?  (For our recommendations of products that are good for the environment in a tangible way, see "environment")

Hardwood

Bamboo and cork are all the rage.  Bamboo is much more durable, especially strand bamboo, and it grows to maturity at a fraction of the time!  But, it's harvested in China and transported across Asia using outdated engines with horrible gas mileage and terrible emissions.  Then, it has to be transported across the world on a cargo ship, many of which also have poor environmental standards (see also Hardwood Flooring Blog).  Cork flooring is harvested in Portugal.  Granted, it is mostly harvested and processed by hand, but it still has to be shipped.  Reclaimed lumber and sustainable logging projects are still our best bet for being good stewards over the environment.

Carpet

Carpet manufacturers have been using recycled materials to make carpets for years.  One example is carpet made from 100% post-consumer recycled food and drink containers (made with top quality PET, aka polyethylene terephthalate or PET Polyester Carpet, resins as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).  The downside is that PET Polyester is only good for medium-traffic applications, at best.   Shaw's Anso Nylon Carpet fibers contain recycled nylon and are recyclable.  To my knowledge, this is the only recycled nyloln.  Shaw claims that there is no difference in look, texture, or durability.  It's still too new to tell so,  nn my opinion, the the jury is still out.

Final Thoughts

When shopping for green products, it's best to pay close attention to how the product is made, how far it is shipped, and how long it will last.  We can learn a valuable lesson from the propaganda surrounding the Toyota Prius a few years ago.  Even though it gets great gas mileage, the environmental impact that the manufacturing process inflicted on the earth made it less environmentally friendly (when you add up the costs from production to disposal) than a Hummer H3.  Compact Fluorescent Lamps aren't as good for the environment as the government wants us to believe, either.

It turns out, "Green" is not as cut and dry of a concept as we all hoped it would be.  (See also: commentary on the environment by William Baldwin of Forbes)

For our recommendations of products that are good for the environment in a tangible way, see "environment")

Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile

We get these questions all the time:

1. Why do we refer to certain tiles as porcelain and others ceramic?
2. Aren't porcelain tiles a type of ceramic tile?
3. Which kind of tile is better: Porcelain or Ceramic?

The short answer is that a porcelain tile is a type of high quality ceramic.  Porcelain tiles are more pure and refined and usually have a higher resistance to stains and freezing temperatures.  When we say "ceramic tile," what we mean is that the tile is a non-porcelain ceramic.  More confused than you were before?

Porcelain Tile: The Bottom Line

Porcelain tile is more durable and of a higher quality than other ceramics.  Porcelain is typically fired at a much higher temperature than regular ceramic tile, which makes it much harder and more dense.  It's great for use on the floor, even in high traffic areas.  Simply put, it is a more versatile and higher quality product.  However, because it's more resilient, it's more expensive.

Ceramic Tile: The Bottom Line

Ceramic is a non-porcelain fired tile.  Ceramic tile is typically used in very low traffic areas, such as a residential bathroom or on counter tops, backsplashes, and showers.  Ceramic tile is derived from a variety of clay, porcelain, sand, and natural mineral mixtures.

Have more questions?

If you live in Colorado and are interested in more information on which tile is best for you, call us!

We'll get you in touch with one of our friendly flooring specialists.

(719) 391-9319

Ask about our current flooring specials and sales.