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Dog vs. family room

“Kahia … get off the couch. Kahia … stay! no! stop! Nooooo … you have muddy paws! OMG, Kahia … did you pee on the carpet, again!

Since my adult daughter moved back home with her 70-pound American bulldog, they have been slowly destroying my home — room by room.

I’ve been in this house for 30 years. Eighteen of those were spent raising my daughter as a single parent. Every penny I earned went to provide a roof over our heads.

Spring of 2011, I had started talking to contractors for quotes on electrical and plumbing work in my kitchen/family room, as well as new flooring for both rooms. The project was long overdue.

Around that same time, my daughter’s fiancé was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They had just moved into a rental home and had a 1-year-old puppy, Kahia. As his illness progressed, he required 24-hour care. A decision was made … they each moved back with their families. Life was put on hold while we tried anything in our power to help him. Sadly, on Aug. 30, 2012, he lost the battle.

While my daughter and her dog continue to live with me, they do have plans to move out … soon. The family room carpet has been ripped up; exposing cracked and faded 50-year-old peel-n-stick tiles. The couch has long since turned into a dog bed. The walls have dog slobber on them. I have a console TV from the 80s, and two of the walls are painted over paneling.

If I won this contest, it would be perfect timing as my daughter and her dog will be in their own house, and you will have given me back my family room.

Design by Century Tile

Ÿ Budget: Ceramic tile ranges from 77 cents to $5 per square foot. Laminate floors range from 99 cents to $5 per square foot. Floor warming systems vary depending on size needed, but you can figure about $10 per square foot.

We did several design renditions, but when a customer submits a picture to our website after opening a workbook, they can choose from hundreds of different patterns prior to ever making a purchase. The neat thing is it costs them absolutely nothing!

Customers today are so afraid of making a mistake that this technology helps alleviate that fear. When selecting a floor basic principals apply:

Ÿ Take in consideration your traffic areas and lifestyle choices. The type of flooring you select comes in a broad range of colors, textures, patterns and sizes. A wood visual can be found in ceramic, vinyl, sheet flooring, laminate and hardwood. Knowing the limitations of each product will make a difference in the long run. For example, ceramic tiles are based on a hardness rating and depending on how durable a pattern needs to be, you can install some elegant commercially rated tiles in your home. Ceramic is water-resistant and easy to clean. A solid hardwood floor in a wet environment would be disastrous. Just be sure to choose something that is designed for your space.

Ÿ Simple decorating principles should be applied. Dark colors close in a room, lighter colors make it look larger.

Ÿ Most people think that if their room is small they need a smaller tile. This is a common mistake. With larger tiles, you lay more square footage per piece so you’re handling and installing fewer pieces. As a result you have fewer grout lines and seams in a floor. These areas sometimes need more maintenance, so minimizing them makes clean up easy.

For more details about selecting the right floor visit our website www.century-tile.com.

Color can shape your room, experience

Here’s an example of ceramic tile, specifically American Olean Treymont, a porcelain tile wth a durable finish that’s easy to clean. It can be installed over a floor-warming system such as NuHeat or Laticrete FloorHeat. This energy efficient low-cost system heats the floor on a programmable thermostat, creating a comfortable environment for families and pet. Laticrete Spectralock grout gives you a stain-proof grout to resist accidents from pets. Courtesy of Century Tile
Laminate flooring is designed to look like reclaimed wood. It can be used with a floor-warming system such as NuHeat and FloorHeat. Laminate floor floats over most existing flooring to make installation easy. It’s very durable and resistant to pet issues. Courtesy of Century Tile
A luxury vinyl tile, such as the Armstrong Alterna shown here, is extremely durable and easy to maintain. It will withstand pets and trackings from outdoors. Courtesy of Century Tile
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