A Stroll Through Hardwood in Autumn

A Stroll Through Hardwood in Autumn

Another season is upon us and like you, we cannot believe it is Autumn already. It is such a beautiful time of the year when everything seems to burst with its last beauty. As you stroll outside you can’t help but capture the warm tones of the colored leaves on the trees. You can feel the cool air on your skin as a slight breeze brushes by. As you inhale the beautiful day, you can smell the rich earth as it decomposes the bountiful vegetation of the summer.

Our topic for today is hardwood and there is no better time to talk about it than the present.

As the leaves fall from the trees you can’t help but notice the hardwood much more than the season before. The different bark on the trees are more apparent showcasing the many hardwood (and softwood) options that are available locally. But most of us aren’t Arborists and cannot distinguish the difference of the tree species just by the bark. So just as mother nature saved up all year for the grand finale of the Autumn color burst, we have saved up a few of our best hardwood floors to show you the different hardwood installations we have done in the past few months. Exciting times!!

Solid hardwood adds warmth, character and value to any room in your home. There are a variety of finishes, colors, widths and options to match your style – rustic to modern. Let’s talk about some of those options.

Back in September, we installed a lovely Baltic Oak hardwood floor in a large family room in Kittery, Maine. The method of installation was a floating floor. Unlike traditional solid wood planks that are nailed down, a “floating floor” is where the planks are snapped together. Our customer had a cement sub floor instead of the usual plywood underlay. This was the best method to transform the cold modern look of cement to that of a rich, warm classic floor. No matter what angle we shot the photo or the time of day we took the picture,  the new hardwood floor works beautifully in this space.

October Blog Baltic Oak 1

Another hardwood floor project we did last month was in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The customer chose Sommerset 7” engineered wide plank hardwood floor Color:Mist for their kitchen, dining area and staircase. The hardwood floor installation was the standard method of nailing the hardwood to the wooden subfloor instead of using the method used above.

The look and feel of these new spaces are light and airy. Have you ever noticed that walking into a brightly colored room can lift your spirits? In the same way, flooring design elements like colors, styles, textures and finishes influence the way a room feels. Vast rooms can be made to feel cozier with matte, warm tone floors. Add sophistication with a dark hardwood floor. Use light colored floors to make a room feel more spacious and airy as was done with this project.

Autumn Hardwood 2

The third hardwood floor we would like to share with you was in a home in North Hampton, New Hampshire. This month we worked closely with the Powell Builders in Hampton, NH (http://powellbuildersllc.com) and our customer on this hardwood floor project. Our customer chose Maple Natural Bistro, Coastal Grade 3 1/4” wide throughout the foyer, kitchen, dining room, 2 bedrooms, 2nd floor hallway and a sitting room.

Autumn Hardwood 3

Autumn Hardwood 4

New Tile Flooring Finishes Like Distressed Brick and Wood Add Character and Durability

New Tile Flooring Finishes Like Distressed Brick and Wood Add Character and Durability

Lots of new trends, exceptional products and flooring wow-factors are taking the flooring industry by storm. Talking turkey about the latest and greatest, top-notch tile flooring finishes opens new doors and new tile flooring options in Portsmouth. Ready or not, here they come!

New England Charm Demands Durability

Extreme temperature changes, rain, snow and flooring maintenance concerns can give home owners a lot to think about when purchasing new tile flooring. Durability is a must where foot traffic and seasonal wear and tear come in the picture. Fear not – tile flooring with the designer look of distressed hardwood planks has finally arrived.

The enchanting character that distressed hardwood tile invites into a space offers more than aesthetic appeal. It brings modern style with a rugged twist to the table where no man has gone before. No more warping. No more splinters. No more scratches, cracks and crevices to scrape the dirt and grime from. Owners get nothing but extra tough, traffic-tested, beautiful durability to create the most livable and lovable spaces available today.

Plank sizes come in many different widths and lengths to accommodate the pickiest tastes. Multicolored plank tiles and monotone colored plank tiles each add their own variety of visual and wonderfully touchable textures to suit every space. Grays, whites and browns are just the beginning of appreciated style. A whole host of patina-inspired tiles superbly portrays stunning quality and variety.

Mix It Up with Distressed Brick and Cobblestone Finishes

Chicago - Old Chicago 8 x16

Chicago – Old Chicago 8 x16

Chicago Stateside 9 x 12 Hexagon

Chicago Stateside 9 x 12 Hexagon

Chicago Southside 9 x 11

Chicago Southside 9 x 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, tile flooring appreciators are re-awakening to the sophistication and demand for highly functional flooring. Gorgeous, distressed brick flooring adds a solid statement of strength, consistency and energy to any room, patio or driveway.

Nothing captivates that old-fashioned feel more than brick and cobblestone touches. Days of old fashionable and alluring detail with charismatic flooring appeal.

Clay brick tiles sporting natural color sprays within each brick is nature’s way of providing tough, yet stunning flooring capacities. Cobble stone flooring choices exhibit another breed of fabulous flooring options all their own. Adding the flair of authenticity by donning a well-worn look delivers a daring yet hopelessly romantic magnetism to all types of living spaces. Various textures, colors and sizes make for truly intriguing flooring design.

Today’s flooring selections offer more promise and satisfaction than ever before. With savvy style and superior tile durability on your side flooring problems are no longer under foot. It’s time to get creative using the newest and greatest tile flooring finishes you’ve been waiting for. The only distress you will experience is the amazing tile finishes you love.

KITCHEN BACKSPLASH IS A HIT

KITCHEN BACKSPLASH IS A HIT

Sharing Our Customers Experience

We usually don’t put testimonials on our blog, we save them for our testimonial page but we thought we would make an exception for this one and share it with you.

Dear Carol and Brett, 

I cannot thank you enough for all your help and patience throughout the process of choosing a new backsplash for our newly remodeled kitchen. You did such a great job on our foyer that there was no question that we had to use B & C Floor Store!

I am not one to write a recommendation as I am about to do right now (although I regularly compliment those face-to-face who provide us with great service.) But I feel the need to do so for you and your crew for another outstanding job. I hope that you are able to post this testimonial where many can read it because we feel that it is important that your readers  know what an amazing company B & C Floor Store is.

I know that this has been such a busy season for you and I just want to refresh your memory a bit on our project. My husband and I were torn between two backsplash ideas we found on Houzz – #1, a  black vertical tile and #2 a herringbone Carrera Marble. Carol, we were thrilled you were able to locate and also send us a sample of these tiles so that we could match it up to our cabinets, countertop and paint choice. When we received the samples we were able to narrow down our choice to the Carrera Marble. Although the photo of the black backsplash looked stunning, we wouldn’t have been happy with the dark bold look of it. Thank goodness we had the sample to help us come to best backsplash choice for us – the Carrera Marble. My husband felt the black was too bold and we both loved the Carrera Marble. Although we were madly in love with the herringbone pattern, we were a little reluctant to choose this wondering if it was going to be too trendy (the herringbone pattern goes way back but not necessarily for a tiled backsplash).

 

BC Nov blog bk back

BC Nov Blog tile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wanted to send you photos of the finished backsplash and a close up of the tile installation. Just beautiful!! We couldn’t have done it without you! The standard, classic 3” x 6” honed subway tile in Carrera marble with Carrera marble 12” bull-nose trim, honed with white grout was the best choice for us… we couldn’t be happier!  Thank you so much for the level of service we received. Your attention to detail and customer dedication cannot be beat,  and your expert installer far exceeded our expectations.  Every person that has come to visit our newly remodeled kitchen raves at our backslpash (and kitchen too)! 

BC floorstore blog

We cannot thank you enough, Carol and Brett, and we would like to tell everyone out there that is in need of tile and flooring, PLEASE give B &C Floor Store a call, you will not be disappointed!

We looking forward to working on our next project with you!

Kathy & John N
Windham, NH

To our Readers:  Brett and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post this testimonial but our real intent is to let our readers know that we are here to help you throughout your flooring projects. If you are searching the internet and find a look you like, we can help you replicate it or find something similar just like our Windham NH customer.

We are very particular with the brands we carry, always keeping in mind availability, versatility, durability and affordability. Please visit us, our showroom has a gallery like setting with an open floor plan so our customers feel right at home.

Carol & Brett

 

Making a Statement in Your Kitchen with Just a Backsplash

Making a Statement in Your Kitchen with Just a Backsplash

Stratham, New Hampshire Couple Chooses a Beautiful Backsplash for their Kitchen

Some rooms simply function and others tempt you never to leave. Whether you are remodeling or just thinking of making a transformation to your your kitchen that offers richness and texture – we suggest tiling your backsplash as your captivating feature.

Our Stratham, New Hampshire customer has lived in their beautiful neighborhood for about 10 years. And for them, resale value is always considered when doing any renovation project to their home. They always try to balance what is best for resale and what they like sometimes this can be a difficult task. When we met them they were ready to take on a new project.

As many of us homeowners know there is always something that needs attention in the home, and it is always good to have some extra cash at hand for those projects. Our customer had built up their slush fund and decided that their next project would be a new backsplash for their kitchen. They were tired of the paint on their backsplash and wanted more of a pop to give more personality to the space.

They love working as a couple and they both searched the internet (no particular site) looking for tile ideas that would look good with their dark cabinets and Galaxy black granite counter-tops. They both love natural stone and neutral colors but they also wanted something that cleaned up easy. The husband loves to cook and wanted something with a bit of a commercial feel, maybe using a stainless steel element on the backsplash. His wife wanted to stay traditional. They wanted to keep it simple but did like having a design feature over the stove and decided that is where they wanted to add the stainless.

We worked very closely with them on this project. We guided them on the size of the tiles to choose – to be in keeping with the dimension of the area, we kept within their budget and offered suggestions to combine their styles. We provided them with several tile samples to take home to make sure it was exactly what they wanted for their kitchen.

Stratham NH backsplash tile

The final choices were Porcelain Tile Marmol, Color Cr.me Brulee 4 x 4 & 2 x2 with Tec Grout, Color Birch, Natural Stone Switch plates for all their outlets, Color Sand.

The majority of the backsplash was 4 x 4 tile installed on a straight lay. Over the stove we switched to a 2 x 2 set on a diagonal surrounding the Daltile Urban Metal 6 x 6 Stainless Tile which is centered in the middle. The Daltile Ellipse Stainless Liner .” x 12” encircles the area around the porcelain 2 x 2 tiles & 6 x 6 stainless tile.

Our customers were most pleased with our installers Steve and Sonny. The wife felt comfortable being around them while she was home alone with the kids and they were great with her older dog. Both of which are very important to her. She loved the fact that we were flexible and easy to work with and most important we were able to help her put her vision onto her backsplash. We truly enjoyed this project!

Stratham NH backsplash #2

Cork Flooring

Cork Flooring

 

Cork flooring is one of the most sustainable types of flooring our customers can buy.

Cork grows on a species of oak tree that’s native to the Iberian peninsula. It makes up the tree’s outer layer. The remarkable thing about cork is that it can be harvested from the tree without damage. Cork is taken from the tree about every nine years or so. After that, the cork is simply processed and ready to be installed.

The top cork layer on the planks is laid over several layers that are bonded together under high heat and pressure. This makes them very strong and resilient.  Also available but not as popular are 12″ x 12″ cork tiles but do offer flexibility of design.

Cork planks are considered floating floors and are installed like laminate, clicking together.   The cork is placed on top of a subfloor but not secured to it. The floor beneath it needs to be a hard surface and relatively flat.  Cork should never be laid over carpeting.  Cork tiles are glued down to the subfloor.  We recommend that the cork planks or tiles be left in the room where they’re going to be installed for about 72 hours. This gives the cork time to acclimate to the room’s humidity.

Another great thing about our cork flooring is that they come in a wealth of colors. They range from blues to grays, greens, reds and an amazing palette of browns. This makes it versatile product that will complement the decor of any room.  Cork is also naturally fire resistant and resists moisture, though it does expand and contract a bit according to the humidity in the room. Though it shouldn’t be cleaned with a soaking wet mop, customers shouldn’t be afraid of having cork installed in their kitchens!

We at the B & C Floor Store are pleased to offer our customers in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area the beauty, durability and comfort of cork floors. For more information about our cork floors, feel free to visit our showroom or give us a call at (603) 436-9686.

 

A Natural Selection – Bamboo

A Natural Selection – Bamboo

Dover NH FamilyThe Family of Dover, NH
This wonderful couple’s family home had a fire that destroyed the upper level of their house. It was such an unfortunate and devastating experience for them but in the end it had a positive outcome. They were able to reconfigure their kitchen and their master suite to what they always dreamed of and their house became a home once again.

As soon as the renovation started so did the healing process. And we were thrilled to be part of it.  We replaced all of their flooring using cork, bamboo, tile and carpet. We are delighted to share photos with you of all the rooms we installed flooring and tile but we really want to talk more about bamboo and the wonderful benefits and qualities it offers, it is a natural selection!

                                                                                                    BAMBOO

Bamboo floor in kitchen

The family’s new kitchen with natural 3” solid strand woven bamboo flooring.

The growing popularity of bamboo floors is used as an alternative for flooring due to its similarities to hardwood and its unique renewable source of material. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. As a grass, bamboo grows much faster than wood and can be harvested without the need to replant because the root system is left intact. It has a comprehensive strength that is higher than wood, concrete or brick and has a tensile strength that measures up to steel. Not only is it eco-friendly, strong and durable, it now comes in a variety of colors and is easy to install.

We used natural 3” solid strand woven bamboo flooring in the this new kitchen. The warm contrast of the natural bamboo floor against the dark cabinetry makes this kitchen welcoming for family and friends.

We have provided below some of the bamboo floor choices available. There are many more to choose from and we hope you will stop by our showroom to look at the options available to you. You will not be disappointed!

Bamboo floor hand scrapedBamboo floor acorn Bamboo floor natural

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the rooms and products we used in completing the Dover family home.

            ENTRANCE STAIRS – CARPETED
 Dover home entry carpet

 

 

 

 

                                DINING ROOM
Dining Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

MASTER BEDROOM – Carpet installed in bedroom and walk-in closet
Master bedroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master Bathroom – Tile throughout the bathroom (shower, shower floor and bathroom floor)
Master Bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAUGHTERS BEDROOM – New Carpet Installed
Daughter's Bedroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAUGHTERS BATHROOM – Tile Floor
Daughters Bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

                  GUEST BEDROOM – New carpet installed
Guest Bedroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     POWDER ROOM – Cork Flooring
Guest Bathroom