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    10 Different Types of Flooring Materials Used for Your Home and Office

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    10 different types of flooring materials used
    Selecting floor types and colors for home or office.

    With thousands of reviewed remodeling projects our team has decided to discuss all potential types of flooring for your home. There are plenty of options and depending where you live and your choice of style will define how to remodel your home flooring.

    Some floors are literally impossible to install in certain conditions and some we recommend not doing for simplicity or possibility of damages.

    Here are top 10 popular floors in America for our discussion:

    Type of FlooringBenefitInstallation CostMaterial Cost
    LaminateEasy to install$1.2 / sq ft$2 / sq ft
    HardwoodCan Refinish$1.6 / sq ft$5 / sq ft
    EngineeredWithstands weather$3 / sq ft$6.5 / sq ft
    CarpetSoft and worm$1 / sq ft$2.5 / sq ft
    TilesVery Durable$8 / sq ft$6 / sq ft
    StoneFashionable $10 / sq ft$7 / sq ft
    ConcreteEasy to maintain$- / sq ft$7 / sq ft
    VinylCheap and strong$1.2 / sq ft$2 / sq ft
    CorkNoise resistant$2 / sq ft$4 / sq ft
    RubberProtects from liquids$1.5 / sq ft$6 / sq ft
    This data may not be relevant to your region. It is based on average costs across the country.

    On Point Remodeling can suggest your local suppliers and installers for flooring of your choice.

    1. Laminate Floor

    We can say that the most popular and used types of flooring material used for condo buildings is laminate. To someone not in the industry of flooring or remodeling it may look exactly like hardwood, but there is a big difference.

    Even though laminate flooring is cheaper than hardwood, it is more practical in use.  It’s more flexible and often used in basements. Laminate does not react to cooler and moist air as hardwood does.

    The benefit of laminate floor installation is that you do not need to nail it or glue to surface underneath. It is installed on click mechanism at each side of laminate plank. Since it floats the expansion due to wet and dry air is held much better.

    The average cost of laminate flooring is $2 per square foot but you can always find something on sale for less.

    2. Hardwood Floor

    Good old hardwood can be seen in most of older places throughout US houses. Very rarely hardwood installed in new condos or any commercial spaces. It is not recommended to be used in environments that often change in temperature, air concentration and humidity.

    One of the qualities that set this material apart from everything else is the ability to refinish floor years after it is installed. There are floors in some homes that are sanded and stained after 30-50 years of being there.

    Regular hardwood is usually nailed to subfloor with tiny nails. Subfloor for hardwood floor in best case scenario is plywood for ability to nail. Hardwood can be installed on poured concrete with glue.

    The average cost for hardwood material is $5 per square foot. It can range from very cheap material at $2 per square foot to exotic wood with price tag of $12 per square foot.

    3. Engineered Hardwood

    Inventions of new materials happen all the time and engineered hardwood was one of the most popular. It came on market about in 1960s and initially was designed for moist and cold areas.

    Later on this types of flooring materials caught up with new home builders and home owners with popular colors, designs and sizes of wood planks. Great feature of engineered hardwood that it can be glued, nailed or both with planks larger than 6 inches.

    Yes this floor has more resistance to different temperatures and water, but the problem with engineered hardwood that it can be refinished only once or twice if lucky. This work is very precise and in some situations is not even doable.

    Engineered hardwood is one of the most expensive products for floor finishing and goes on average for $6-$7 per square foot.

    4. Carpet

    Carpet rolled and glued on subfloor
    New construction carpet flooring installed.

    If you talk about materials that go out of style and getting used less in home remodeling projects than carpet is definitely one of them. Very much used in condominium bedrooms and cheaper quality homes.

    What carpet is good for is definitely ability to change it easily. It does not cost much as materials and installation is not complicated. You can cover larger areas of floor in not time with little knowledge.

    Stairs can be covered with carpet as well. Home owners with small kids like carpet versus other types of flooring materials, because it is softer for landing when kids fall down.

    Why carpets are getting turned away by most of home owners is they get very dirty and dusty quick. These things create health problems and allergies.

    Regular carpet should cost around $2 – $3 per square foot in local chain stores and suppliers.

    5. Tiled Floors

    It’s very rare to have a house or condo without any tiles on the floor. We see it everywhere. Tiles are in bathrooms, entrances, laundries, hallways, kitchens, basements and sometimes throughout entire houses.

    There are tons of styles, shapes and sizes of tiles and it is easy to find something you will like. Tiles are very durable and easy to clean. If you have pets at home, tiled floors would be the least of your worry.

    Basement and bathroom floors with tiles are often get heated with electrical or radiant water pipe heated floor systems

    It is not practical to use tiles as material of floor finishes in main living areas in cold weathers without heated floors. Tiles get cold quickly and walking on them during the winter is not pleasant at all.

    There is no average material cost for tiles as range is quite high. They go from like a dollar per square foot to several hundred dollars per square foot.

    6. Stone Flooring

    Natural stone is very similar to tiles in installation functionality. It’s installed in most of areas where regular tiles are installed and on top of that natural stone is used for outside.

    Stone is durable and usually larger in thickness than ceramic. It transfers heat but does not react to it. Because it is not mass produced by humans, but rather found in nature and refinished, it will have different shape and lines all the time.

    Warmer climates are perfect for stone tiles inside and outside of your home. The downside of this flooring is it may be rough and even sharp on your feet. The other downside of stone it is extremely heavy and delivering it to remote places.

    Average costs for natural stone and same category types of flooring materials for your floors are around $7 per square foot.

    7. Concrete Types of Flooring Materials

    Concrete finished floors at home
    Modern concrete stained and polished as floor surface.

    The floor that everyone used to cover with other materials but now becomes popular on its own is concrete. Largely used before in commercial properties and now in many residential homes.

    Concrete is greater transmission of heat and even with thought out heating system for home, even in cold weather cities concrete heated floor can be seen in modern homes as finished material.

    It is easy to maintain and colorful finishes can be used. Lifespan of concrete is insane comparing to other materials and lasts for many decades.

    Problems with concrete are it is very hard and cold. Without proper heating you will not like it with barefoot. In multiple stories home concrete becomes loud if there is no other noise resistance system.

    To pour new concrete with material and installation it costs on average $7 per square foot. Keep in mind other listed materials are averaged without installation costs.

    8. Vinyl Tiles or Plans

    Next to carpet, easy to install material for homes is vinyl. It can be used for many purposes with tons of style options. Vinyl products can imitate laminate wood flooring as well as tiles. It is very good for surfaces that get wet or damaged all the time.

    Normally we see vinyl as different types of flooring in high traffic areas such as local businesses, stores, home that are built on budget. It is cheap and easy change weather it is tile shaped or planks similar to hardwood. It is 100% resistant to moisture and will not change shape if exposed to water.

    With all these great features the issues with vinyl come as well. Even though its used in traffic areas, vinyl gets scratched and damaged easily. It is also very hard to remove due to artificial material being glued to subfloor.

    Vinyl is relatively cheap flooring option and it goes for $2 per square foot

    9. Cork Mats

    Cork floor material surface in roll
    Soft and noise resistant cork flooring material.

    Not often you see these floors in new homes, but there are home owners that install cork floor in few parts of home. It absorbs water and other moistures, therefore not popular in kitchens, entrance areas and obviously bathrooms.

    Cork floors are soft to walk on block noise very well. It has very similar good and bad qualities of carpet flooring, but rarely installed because it costs more. You wouldn’t ever guess but cork floors can be refinished.

    Changing color will disappoint home owners that install cork or similar types of flooring materials. It is also hard to clean and reinstalled once damaged.

    The cost of cork flooring in America is $4 per square foot.

    10. Rubber Floor

    We have never seen rubber floors installed throughout the house, but some areas or rooms may definitely have that. Commercial areas rubber floors often used for gyms, yoga studios and entrances to stores.

    Rubber floors are very soft and often resistant to liquids. The greatest benefit of rubber floor materials are being non slippery. To protect themselves from lawsuits for accidents, businesses often install rubber floors.

    At home rubber floors are used as well in basement areas and in home gyms. Rubber floors are not attractive and it has very intensive smell.

    The cost of rubber floor installation is $10 per square foot.

    Conclusion for Different Types of Flooring Materials with Costs

    You should select what is suitable for your residence and absolutely works for you in terms of looks and functionality.

    Working with different budgets will be a big factor as well but we recommend functionality over money because if you plan to live in your current home for many years.

    Subscribe to our newsletter and follow or new posts for more information on flooring and overall remodeling process.

    Laminate and Wood Chevron Pattern Flooring Installation at Home

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    Laminate and wood chevron pattern flooring
    5 star hotel room with chevron floors.

    Chevron flooring patters can be seen on paintings that were made many centuries ago. Some resources claim it originated in France between 16th and 18th century, but it is actually when it became very popular for luxurious residencies and got its French name “chevron”.

    Just like Kings and other history figures wanted to live in luxury, chevron flooring was underlining their wealth and importance by complexity and very detailed work that requires perfection. Only certain people could afford it, but those who did were fortunate to enjoy unique design of their chevron hardwood floor.

    In those days there were no prebuilt boards of wood chevron pattern and manufacturing of hardwood planks was not done with exact same sizes. Everything was falling down to ideally preparing the floor and carefully installing it.

    Maintenance Requirements for This Specific Floor Style

    When you spend tons of money on installation of chevron floors in your home we recommend maintain the looks that you wanted to achieve from the beginning.

    To protect your floors from spills and casual small damages there are oils that can be put on top surface. They cover floors with tiny coat that repeals liquids and organics that can ruin the color. Manufacturers and suppliers usually have recommended oils with direct instructions of how often to apply and other details.

    Just like other hardwood material it can be damaged with sharp objects, furniture and even scratched by animals’ claws. Chevron style is Bentley of flooring and it would make sense to be extra careful to it.

    Popularity and complexity of this floor is because of tight connections with no gaps in between all planks. To keep it tight all the time interior temperature and humidity level has to be continuously as per recommendation of supplier. Otherwise floor may shrink or expand creating small gaps on connections.

    What You Should Budget For Wood Chevron Pattern Floors?

    Not every flooring contractor is able to install laminate or wood chevron pattern. It requires years of experience and practice working with specific product. Professionals will charge you at least $5 per square foot and it easily go up to $10 depending on how big the area of installation is and how complex are corners and other details.

    Materials prices are definitely one of the highest you will come across to on the market. Chevron pattern floors average at $10 per square foot, but there are so many types that can cost much more. The best way is to work directly with suppliers and ask them for reputable installers or see if they have in-house team.

    There are underlayment mats and protection oils that you can purchase as well that averages all materials and installation of chevron hardwood floors at $18 per square foot.

    Installation Steps for Wood Chevron Floor Setup

    Preparation of subfloor

    Before installing the floor, contractors have to prepare the floor and make it perfectly level. In older homes center of the room sometimes sags down and you have to even it out with shimming or layer of materials (pads, concrete, and mats).

    In renovation or new construction there may be nails that you have to remove and make sure not to miss anything or it will push the floor up during installation. Some manufacturers recommend layer of underlayment for their floors to be spread on subfloor prior to hardwood being installed.

    Layout Design

    This is not your regular floor pattern where you just start from one wall and follow each row. Exact layout is very important to see if the room has leveled walls, if corners are as you expect them to be and where the material will point.

    The simplest way is to start on paper and with measurements of room and flooring boards you can draw the layout. If everything checks out installers will put marks on the floor of each row to follow the drawing.

    Installation oh hardwood

    Every material should have instructions for wood chevron pattern. Some manufacturers simply pre-cut the planks in 45 degrees and have exactly the same sizes for each plank. Others may have connection or click mechanism at the end of each plank to avoid nails and glue.

    These days with technology chevron floor is made even easier with full boards/sheets of planks already compacted together without any gaps in between. In any way you follow the line of your upper point on both sides of floor and stick to the plan on paper. Use both glue and side nails for attaching to subfloor.

    Slightly tap with rubber hammer to minimize the distance between each plank and leave no gap. After completing each row, see if you went off course and if any correction is needed. During remodeling this floor must be protected and we recommend covering them up with ram boards or similar material till the end of construction.

    Pros and Cons of Chevron Pattern Hardwood

    Pros –

    • Chevron Floor has amazing looks. Everyone has their own taste but there are not that many people that can say negative things about how this floor looks.
    • Materials used in installation process are very durable and will last a long time. Especially if you take care of it with suggested oils from manufacturer.
    • The way these floors are installed we can create a way of direction or importance of room side. For example in main living room it will point to centerpiece such as fireplace with TV.
    • Chevron has been around for many centuries and was always considered one of top luxury options for the floors. You can be sure that it will not go out of style anytime soon.

    Cons –

    • Let’s start with one of the first home owners look at and that is cost. Materials and installation costs are very high for chevron flooring and that is definitely a con.
    • It does take a long time for preparation and putting these floors down. What normally takes several days, with chevron can take a week or even more.
    • To keep original sleek looks you will need to protect it with oils regularly. Wood chevron pattern floors require constant maintenance.
    • It is not easy to find good installation contractors for this pattern and in some regions even materials are not available.

    Finding Professional for Complicated Floor Pattern

    Finding professional for isntallation of chevron pattern
    Dark oak wood hand cut and installed with chevron pattern.

    If you are from small city or town, it will be next to impossible finding contractors that have knowledge and experience working with chevron pattern hardwood flooring. Companies that do provide installation of floor in this pattern are often booked for weeks and sometimes even months ahead.

    The best way to find someone in this type of business is through a referral. If you know the industry or homeowners that have done chevron floors at home, ask them for contacts and check out what they have been doing on latest projects.

    With complex product one of the ways to guarantee proper installation is for the company to do both: supply and install. Ask manufacturer’s recommendation or maybe they have installers within their company that can help you out.

    Online or local contractors can be approached for chevron pattern as well. On Point Remodeling wants to remind you that these company has to specialize in this type of work specifically.

    Recommended Manufacturers and Suppliers for Luxury Floor

    Chevron became popular in Europe and most of the manufacturers are located in Europe as well. They sell to almost all countries and local reseller can order the material for you.

    We wanted to share our research on chevron floor and list some of the top manufacturers:

    Coswic – Manufacturing facility in Belarus with main office in Toronto, Canada. They use top quality wood mostly from US for their product. Ship worldwide and can be transported to your city in America within 6-8 weeks.

    Granorte – flooring manufacturer that was found in Portugal almost 50 years ago, and till this day they make top quality hardwood and cork floors. Shipping 90% of their product to 50 countries. Main offices are located in Germany and United Kingdom.

    Mardegan Legno – Italian Floor Manufacturer established by Hungarian born. They have twelve wood finishes to select from with almost 120 color shades. Their timber comes from nearby counties in Europe like Slovenia and Hungary.

    Tilo – Family owned business that operates for 70 years now and has over 250 employees. They are based and established in Austria. Their elegant floors stand out from many competitors in Europe and even the world.

    Parchetifficio Toscano Srl – Another Italian manufacturer that was created by carpenter in 1950s and carried on by family members till this day. They specialize in chevron production and another high end wood.

    Havwoods – European established and now partially American supplier of hardwood and engineer boards with chevron layout for home owners and contractors.

    Types of Material Used for Chevron Style

    Types of materials used in chevron style installation
    Staged dining area with beautiful chevron floors.

    Hardwood – As the original method, cutting each wood plank on the job and laying it perfectly into shape of chevron is how the hardwood installed. Also hardwood may be precut into exact sizes just for the wood chevron pattern floor.

    Engineered Wood – This is the most popular and preferred materials for chevron floors. Engineered hardwood does not react to temperature change or humidity like real wood and will not expand or contract to create gaps. Also engineered wood is used to create large boards of chevron pattern for easy installation.

    Laminate – The cheaper version of wood that can be as beautiful is laminate. They also produce sheets of planks already tightened together. The boards are on average 1 foot in width (1 section) and 4 feet in length (6-8 planks).

    Calculating Waste Materials for This Pattern

    Buying materials and calculation how much you actually need for the work is not as easy as you may think. Professionals will know as soon as they walk in the room what the process will be like and how many cuts they need to make.

    On Point Remodeling suggests to start and measuring the room and rounding up to the full foot. If length is 9’ 10” and width is 13’7” we would want to round it up to 10 and 14 feet, making it 140 square feet.

    For rectangular room like this professionals need 8% – 10% extras for cuts and damages, but doing it DIY will require a bit more.

    Tying DIY Laminate or Wood Chevron Projects?

    For those of you who are reading this post and want to try DIY installation at home, we highly encourage you to think twice before costly mistake is made.

    This is not regular floor installation and even contractors who have been installing floor for who life, but never dealt with chevron or herringbone patter will not want to attempt your installation. It just needs tons of practice.

    It may be easier with prebuilt boards, but if nothing will convince you from hiring contractors, ask suppliers for full instructions, how to measure and what tools you require.

    Time for Installation Required

    Schedule time for installation of hardwood floors in chevron pattern is at least doubled from regular straight plank installation.

    Prebuilt sheets or boards will speed up the process, but planning and preparing is still time consuming.

    A team of 2 people can install up to 1000 square feet straight style hardwood in a house within 3 days. Pieced hardwood chevron style should take close to 8 days and prebuilt boards probably 5-6 days.

    Stained and Polished Concrete Floor Costs and Installation

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    Stained and polished concrete floor costs and installation
    Living room finished with perfectly smooth concrete floor.

    The idea of concrete floors originated more than three thousand years ago in Greece and Cyprus. In warm countries it was popular and very easy to mix mortar with sand and water to make floor together with platform for homes.

    It was never considered as luxury or something extraordinary throughout the years and people were using it for its durability and very reasonable costs. Nowadays concrete floors with high end finish may be considered as modern feature in a house that stands out from the rest.

    After writing an article about 10 types of flooring for home, On Point Remodeling team has received several requests to expand provided information on polished and stained concrete flooring finish to understand if this is something our readers would want at their home.

    Stained and Polished Concrete Floor Installation Process

    1. Preparation

    Every job has its own problems and obstacles prior to start. Weather inside or outside concrete work has to be done; contractors clean the area and compact sublevel.

    1. Forming

    Borders of new concrete are set with forming. Smaller jobs are formed with regular construction wood and pieces of plywood on sides. Larger projects require metal forms to withstand pressure of concrete.

    1. Rebar Installation

    To make concrete stronger sometimes installers would add rebar before pouring. This is mostly done for structural concrete purposes. Stairs made of concrete also need rebar, but simple floor concrete finish would not require it.

    1. Pouring

    Next step is actually pouring concrete mixture into the forms. Trucks arrive to the job and stream mix of sand, cement and stone to where you tell them. The process is similar to epoxy floor installation.

    1. Smoothening

    Even though we think of concrete to be liquid before it sets, but contractors work on smoothening it out to make it look good.

    1. Grind

    After manually leveling the surface of our new floor, it is time to step it up with machines and grind it using blades taking out bits of rough edges and any imperfection.

    1. Staining

    Adding color and texture to new floor is our next step and concrete contractors stain the product as per your request. These have tons of options and styles to choose from.

    1. Polishing

    The last step is making everything shine. Stained and polished concrete flooring finish will feel and look like walking on glass on top of painted and stained floor.

    Design and colors for Concrete Floor Stains

    Design and colors of concrete floors
    Concrete floors have tons of options for colors and designs.

    Polishing concrete is the simplest design finish you can do. Your new or even old concrete floors can be polished to create industrial style. Unique finish can be created with adding few colors to polish.

    Staining can be added to polishing process or simply installed with new concrete floor. This brings simple gray to life with amazing looks of patterns, colors and even imitations of hardwood or tiles.

    Design can change the game with adding texture and create completely new style. Professional contractor can create ledge lines and shades to create almost 3d image on your concrete floor.

    Pros and Cons of Stained and Polished Concrete Floors

    Pros

    Benefit of concrete floors over other types is has No Joint Lines to trap the dirt. This makes cleaning process much faster with less frequency.

    The building materials concrete floors are made of exist in our nature and 100% recyclable. Entire manufacturing and installation is Environmentally Friendly unlike other floors.

    Buildings can have subfloor and floor as concrete to save on Construction Costs. Maintenance and repair costs are significantly cheaper than any other floor finishes.

    Cons

    Keeping the looks of new concrete floor with shine requires Annual Stain and Wax. Not only extra costs involved, commercial areas will be shut down during the process.

    Just like quartz and few other stone materials, concrete floors Absorb Colors from Spills if not taken care of fast enough.

    In commercial spaces you walk with shoes on, but at home Walking Barefoot is Extremely Cold if you do not have heated floors.

    How Much Does Concrete Surfacing Cost?

    Unlike other flooring installations, concrete costs are always considered to be combining installation and material. For example tiles or hardwood you can purchase from local supplier and have contractor install them.

    In 99% of all concrete installations the contractor provides all the materials and charges you for the entire job. Thus stained and polished concrete floor finish has to be compared to other floors with average material cost.

    Commercial concrete floors are typically less expensive because square footages are larges and the access to jobs requires less effort. When doing over 1000 square feet of concrete flooring installation your costs should be $5 – $6 per square foot.

    To complete your house floors with concrete finish it takes a long time to protect interiors from getting damaged. Also in new homes the job quality standards are very high. This puts residential concrete flooring installation with polish and stain at $9 – $10 per square foot.

    We decided to average it out to $7 per square foot because at this point there are more commercial projects with concrete and costs has to be closer to their range.

    Maintenance and Repairs of Polished Concrete Floors

    The look that you will get on the floor is not the same as you imagine in garage or parking lot. Livings spaces or high traffic areas in offices are polished to give it better shiny look. The cleaning is not that complicated and requires just a mop with bucket of water.

    Protecting the polish finish of concrete is done either by layer of sealant or by wax. We recommend refinishing floors once a year to keep original looks and keep the floors from getting damaged.

    In large commercial properties it should cost around $0.50 per square foot to restrain or wax the floors, while in smaller residential homes it goes up to $1.00 per foot.

    To repair it is more difficult for stained and polished concrete floors than to regular concrete. Polished floor cracks cannot just be filled with rubbery substance to seal and call it a day. You actually need to expose the crack with removing all small bits and dust particles. You carefully repair with same materials that were used originally and polish around 12 inches around that area to smooth out surface. This should cost $200 – $400 per crack or damaged spot.

    Where Concrete Floors Usually Installed?

    Where to install concrete finish floors
    Areas where home owners decide to install concrete finish floor.

    Full House – Very modern new home construction projects may end up with concrete floors throughout the house. This requires either worm weather or heated radiant flooring system to increase temperature of concrete. Stained and polished concrete floor in homes look spectacular.

    Kitchen –The area with most traffic at home. To avoid constant repairs, joint lines and sensitive materials, home owners can install concrete floors in the kitchen that will definitely compliment design and modern/industrial style.

    Bathrooms – Almost all the time we see tiles installed in bathroom to protect from water spills and high temperature, but grout does need maintenance and can have water go under. With concrete floor finish in bathroom most of the problems go away. Do not forget to create slope towards the drain and curb less shower.

    Mudroom – So the mudroom has the purpose in its name. This is the spot where you come in from garage and all your mud from shoes goes on the floor. The grout lines get dirty all the time and we recommend doing concrete instead of tiles in mud rooms.

    Garage – Every house has concrete floors for in garage. It is very practical to hold weight of cars without causing any damage and does not require much maintenance.

    Basement – The slab in basements are already made with concrete. Polishing and staining is needed to make it look better for finished basements. On Point Remodeling strongly recommends installing heated floors in the basement under finished concrete floor.

    Commercial – Concrete flooring in commercial properties was always in favor. There is no need for constant replacement of expensive hardwood or tiles, when you can simply install concrete flooring with cheap maintenance.

    DIY Polished Concrete Floors vs Hiring Contractor

    Home owners are always looking to learn new things to do and at the same time save money by avoiding hiring professionals. We always encourage self-educating and trying out new construction work. There are 5 criteria in DIY work that you want to consider:

    Know all details of work from start to end

    Have all materials and equipment that professionals use

    Have someone to help you – it is not single person job

    You have to like this work – otherwise you will do “OK Job” at best

    DIY work takes double the time of experienced contractor

    On Point Remodeling’s opinion to find perfect middle ground. Saving money is always the main point of doing things DIY, but concrete work is not the easiest and cleanest to do. Also concrete installation is not that expensive, you mostly pay for the material and equipment used in process.

    To save money and get the job done perfectly fine you as hiring manager or home owner need to prepare by learning all the steps and knowing exactly what concrete floor you are trying to achieve. Find contractor that is experienced (preferably by referral). With complete list of details professional contractor sees opportunity to finish job without wasting too much time.

    Difference between Residential and Commercial Application

    Residential and commercial concrete floor difference
    Durable concrete finish on floor at commercial building.

    The actual work and details to it are somewhere different in residential project from commercial. On Point Remodeling wants all our readers and subscribers to understand the difference with difficulties associated in concrete floors installation with polishing and staining.

    Material Used on these two types of jobs are always different. Small deficiencies are not as important in commercial buildings giving contractors the option to use cheaper materials for concrete as well as stains.

    In houses the work is more expensive than in offices and malls. This can be explained by large square footage in commercial properties and houses do not have massive work. Residential requires more perfection in small given area.

    Thickness of installed floor is more in commercial properties simply because in those places human traffic and machinery on top of the floors should not cause cracks on stained and polished concrete floor finish. Single home family does not need more than few inches slab.

    In house you are looking for preparation dragging the timelines and lack of possibility to work with many people. In commercial, on other hand, time is always an issue and management will not allow contractors expand timelines for installation.

    Different Types of Coffered Ceilings and Designs with Costs

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    Types of coffered ceilings and designs with costs
    Luxury coffered ceilings with wood finish around.

    What is Coffered Ceiling?

    Coffered ceiling is architectural design feature for house ceiling that adds character with small separations and moldings. In other words beams are attached in certain area of ceiling and covered with moldings to make it look as finished product.

    There are many types of coffered ceilings in the world and most popular we are listing below to discuss and give our readers better ideas of what they are trying to achieve in their homes.

    Types of Coffered Ceilings and Designs:

    Traditional – to follow the traditional style of homes with crown moldings and wainscoting patterns, coffered ceilings are made with the same style of edges and molds. White color is used for paint and 5 to 8 inch moldings are attached to beams.

    Modern – newer homes are sticking to new designs, which now have to be complimented with creative ceiling designs. Open concept modern homes need slick coffered ceilings with sharp edges and preferably unique color. You can even cover them with veneer or accent material to stand out.

    Venetian – luxury places that require additional feature with antique look can definitely use charm of coffered ceilings. This custom work requires tons of details and shapes to be added to beams on ceilings. Images and colors are often complement sides or flat part of drywall. You simply will not get away with just moldings and expect to pay out of this world costs for Venetian coffered ceilings.

    Wooden – homes that have wooden interior finishes for casings, baseboards and even wall panels should also have wooden coffered ceilings. Same material or stain color is better on the beams as the rest of the wood. Home offices often have these ceiling details.

    Commercial – in office spaces if coffered ceilings are installed, they are almost always the simplest you have ever seen. Some managers go far and try to mimic industrial look with metal coffers, but overall we see only straight shapes with sharp edges that have no significant compliment to it.

    Prebuilt – cheapest way out to create similar design on your ceiling is to purchase prebuilr product for coffered ceiling. There are few options on the market that are similar to custom made features, but not quite the same in originality and size. Prebuilr coffers are usually thinner due because they are non-structural.

    Purposes of Coffered Ceilings Installed

    Originally coffered ceilings were installed only in homes of wealthy people. Back then every additional feature would be considered extraordinary and average home owners just did not have money for it.

    Long time ago, when materials became cheaper and average citizen had some money to spend, this method of design was used to cover level deficiencies on ceiling. Nowadays it is more of luxury feature for custom homes.

    If your home already has coffered ceilings and it suits your style of finishes it is logical to keep it and refinish once in a while. Newly build homes do not have any intent to hide deficiencies with coffered ceilings as drywall and plaster can do the job for fraction of costs.

    Most Common Areas for Beam Coffers

    Be it house or a commercial space, the ideal place for installation of many types of coffered ceilings is open area with feature items and high ceiling. In commercial areas these are lobbies, large sitting or luxury private office areas. At home common places for coffered ceilings are main entertainment and open areas such as dining room, living room, kitchen or private office.

    Rarely but sometimes can be spotted such design items in bedrooms or to be more specific in master bedroom. Of this to happen the house needs to be completed in specific style with wood accents or wall panels and ceiling height in the bedroom has to be at least 9 – 10 feet.

    If the entire house originally does not all coffered ceilings, than we never see them in closets, bathrooms and other narrow areas.

    Main Things to Consider Before Installing Coffered Ceilings

    Main things to consider before building coffered ceiling
    Antique looking wood beams on ceiling.

    Height – Coffered ceilings do not look good in homes and buildings where ceiling height is lower than 8 feet. Your place needs to have clearance for installation. On Point Remodeling suggests optimum height of 10 feet for regular celling feature.

    Open Area – It does not make sense to stuff already closed up spaces. The place of installation needs be wide open to catch the beauty of coffers with first look. There is not minimum standard but in our opinion it should start from 400 sq ft.

    Size – Depending on ceiling area the size of coffers may change. If the plan is to cover 1000 sq ft of open ceiling with coffered ceilings, the size of coffer boxes and beams may be larger than in smaller areas. Average of each box is 3 feet by 3 feet.

    Thickness – The beams are installed mainly for structural support but it holds only small load of moldings and drywall. Your thickness illustrates style and has to be big enough to fit moldings or side feature. Usually coffered ceilings are between 6 and 10 inches thick.

    Style and color – This you need to decide from the beginning. Coffers with beams have to match the style of the building. There are tons of types and colors to choose from. Literally you can do anything with custom molding and painting.

    Prebuilt Products Available

    The alternative for custom built coffered ceilings there are manufacturers that pre-construct them from similar materials. The market is not that big and cannot be customizes once installed. Prebuilt coffers are not structural and are lighter in weight.

    Although the quality is not the same, the benefits of purchased ceiling features are affordability and time. You can save more than half of costs by purchasing ready to installed materials and can install it within a day or two.

    As this ceiling design became popular, small private stores and even large franchises like Home Depot started selling coffered ceiling systems. The regular models sell in straight and cross sections with average cost of $10 – $15 per linear foot. Suggested size boxes in 600 sq ft room will have 400 linear feet of coffered ceilings, which makes the cost of materials $12 – $8 per square foot of ceiling (materials only).

    Coffered Ceilings Installation Process

    Coffered ceilings installation process
    Newly built home with white custom coffered ceilings.

    1. You hired a contractor or decided to do it DIY, the mind is set on which rooms will be worked at. Carefully measuring and properly designing types of coffered ceilings is the key to success in installation. Measure each line that will be installed to calculate required materials.
    2. For all custom work there are beams installed first that create square shapes on the ceilings and hold everything that will be attached to them. Beams can be structural or nonstructural and this can be verified by architect.
    3. Raw wood is covered with typical to your area construction material. In some cases it can be MDF boards and others will be covered with drywall or plaster that needs to be taped and sanded to hide edges.
    4. Imagine at this point you have ceilings with perfectly square boxes that lack character. Contractors install moldings that match your house. They are made out of wood, MDF, plaster and even PVC. Some modern ceiling features don’t have moldings.
    5. Even though most of finish product is painted white, there are home owners that want to create different styles and shades by painting with different colors. Wooden products are stained.

    Types of Coffered Ceilings and Costs Involved

    The main question home owners have is always about how much it will cost them for such feature. Every one of us has budgets in our minds to spend for specific remodeling projects in our house and before considering anything we need to know how much different types of coffered ceilings can cost.

    We wanted to separate few styles and after careful research On Point Remodeling team came up with average costs for coffered ceilings:

    Custom Coffered Ceilings Cost: $28 per square foot

    Wood Coffered Ceilings Cost: $36 per square foot

    Prebuilt Coffered Ceilings Cost: $10 per square foot

    More complicated spaces that require same types of projects have higher costs. (e.g. Manhattan penthouse, office space with night time work only, less populated areas with lack of supply)

    Other factors that affect costs can be uneven rooms, some demolition prior to installation and structural changes on the project.

    Materials Used By Contractors

    To understand what materials are needed for installation of different types of coffered ceilings in homes we have to go back to process of work and to styles that are selected.

    In custom work all the parts are installed separately and beams are attached to the ceiling first. They are made of some type of wood or metal. Interior work does not require any specific type of material or pressure treated wood.

    The covers of beams are made with several materials and they differ mostly because of regional weather and how these materials will react to temperature and humidity.

    Cheapest material to cover the beams is PVC and MDF. They are used for shelves, trims, boards, and can be purchased in all hardware stores and all contractors have worked with them for one or another purpose.

    More detailed and complicated materials are drywall and plaster that are used for installation in between skeleton of the house and beginning of finishes.

    Actual moldings can be made with MDF, PVC, plaster, gypsum or wood product. And to cover all that there are primer products, paints and stains.

    Conclusion for Different Types of Coffered Ceilings

    Not everyone is a fan of coffered ceilings and most home owners prefer to have their places without it. This decision can be made due to costs for custom work, limited space and height that restrict installation or simply not liking the types of coffered ceilings.

    Complimentary lighting can be attached to ceiling feature for even better effect and stylish look. Overall there are tons of options how you can design coffers and have it your way, but remember everything costs.

    Average carpenter contractors can be unfamiliar with this type of work and may not know all the details for proper installation. We suggest hiring professionals that do specifically coffered ceilings as their primary work on daily basis.

    When Condo Remodeling Costs Higher than in House?

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    Condo remodeling costs higher than house
    Explanation how costs in remodeling differ

    We have written many articles about remodeling condo apartments as well as house renovations, but have never compared them against each other. On Point Remodeling shares our thoughts on which remodeling is more expensive and why.

    There are two sides to this discussion and in first we are comparing overall renovation with the most possible upgrades. Second comparison is what we like to call apples to apples. The idea is to analyze exactly the same services by contractors in condo and house.

    There is no doubt that every place is different and prices in condos will change for the same services depending on region, city, and even exact location. Same goes for the house as you expect that one day of electrical work and multimillion dollar home in Beverly Hills is going to be priced differently than similar work in small New Jersey townhome.

    House Remodeling is More Expensive

    On average there is more money spent nationally on regular house renovation than on condo apartment. The number is more than ten times higher and there are few explanations to this:

    Number of Properties – If you take into consideration all houses in America that were remodeled during last year and compare them to condos you will see that numbers are very different. Statistically speaking there are more houses in the country than apartments/condos.

    So if we base our information on annual money spent on renovations, this point helps us understand why there are more total expenses in house remodeling.

    Condos are Newer – Looking at history of housing and how it developed with years passing by, we see that condo apartments are relatively new constructions. Most of them have been built in centers of fast growing cities and vacation destinations to keep up with workforce and tourists.

    Because condos are not that old, there should not be too many things for remodeling. There are more outdated houses that require extensive remodeling and that are why house upgrade can be considered more expensive.

    Exterior Renovations – Condo apartments do not normally have exterior remodeling, unless you are the owner of entire building. This is never taken into consideration when discussing upgrading your unit and how much it will cost. In your house the lifespan is 20 – 40 years for windows, roof and exterior façade that costs tons to replace.

    Exterior renovations are very costly and time consuming. They increase overall budgets required for up keeping houses in good condition and push them over the line of condo apartment renos.

    Restrictions on Remodeling – In apartments there are many systems that are centralized and not allowed to be touched by unit owners or renters. This keeps it much simpler for contractors and home owners. Heating system, plumbing lines and exterior walls are kept untouched, and all there is left to remodel inside the condo are finishing stages like kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and lighting.

    Some buildings do allow bigger renovations that include structural changes and private heating systems, but overall these processes and costs are not calculated when upgrading condo apartment.

    Outside Work – living in the house is not as easy and cheap as condo, because you always need to work or spend money on outside upgrades. Landscaping is not going to take care of itself and all year round there is work to do outside of the house, be it simple grass cutting or replacing old fence on exterior of your property.

    You can spend hundreds of thousand dollars on expensive landscapes next to your house with luxury pools, beautiful decking and many more items that condo apartments do not have.

    When Condo Apartments Renovation Costs Higher

    apartment renovation more expensive
    Married couple calculating apartment renovation project

    Upgrading condo does not normally happen several times with the same owner. It gets renovated for the sale or after damage is made to unit, because moving no new unit is faster and easier.

    Bathroom Remodeling – In case you wanted to upgrade your bathroom with complete remodeling and wondering about approximate costs, you can easily expect your quotes to be at 50% more than in regular houses. And we are comparing complete renovation that includes demolition of all walls, tiles and building it again with new fixtures, vanities and tiles.

    While home bathroom remodel average at somewhere close to $10,000 for regular 3 piece bathroom, the same size and scope of work project will be $15,000.

    Kitchen Remodeling – We want to justify or point before we get attacked and thrown tomatoes at for saying that tiny kitchens in condo apartments are more expensive to replace than full home size new cabinets with countertop and all additional items. On Point Remodeling compares exactly the same size and type of kitchen that you would have in condo to be installed in house.

    New custom kitchen in condo apartment can cost 60% – 65% than in average house. For cheaper quality kitchens and prebuilt cabinets the cost difference should be only around 20%.

    Electrical and Plumbing Connections – Hiring single trades for specific work will have difference in price as well. They are aware of all the restrictions and complicated work procedure for work that needs to be done in condo apartment. There are not including in our comparison any heavy delivery like tubs and electrical fireplaces.

    The cost increase has to do with time restriction for work, all procedures for safety and sound, difficulty for transport or parking, and dealing with management. Condo licensed trades will charge you 10% – 30% more than in residential houses for the same work.

    Flooring and Carpentry – Although flooring and carpentry work may seem the same, it actually requires more effort to do it in apartments. First of all you have to carry up all the materials with saws and other equipment. This can take full day just delivering and preparing jobsite. Saw’s size and level of noise has to be adequate for building management.

    Cleaning and dust control is very crucial step for which you overpay in condos. In regular house you can just open windows and sweep entire job after everything is complete. The benefit of condos is cheaper materials and it does save some of the costs.

    Painting and Staining – Walls have to be painted and wood stained at the very end of remodeling process. In condo apartments this comes at higher price, because of 2 things. Time is a problem and with short workday hours and delays with access it becomes even worse. To speed up the process painter use material that dries faster and special fans to circulate the air and help the paint cure.

    The cost of materials is another factor. Paint and stain used in condo projects are primarily water based and does not have strong smells or toxins that would bother neighbors.

    DIY Projects Cost Comparison

    DIY costs renovating apartment
    Doing apartment renovation without contractor

    On Point Remodeling has done many tutorials on DIY Projects with explanation of work and materials required for the job. We do not see significant difference in cost for either of the properties. Materials are somewhere the same and because you are doing work by yourself there are no expenses for labor.

    Houses have more space to cover and condo apartments are inconvenient to work with, but you will spend the same amount of money on the work you do.

    Before Sale Touch Ups

    Preparing for sale condo is much easier and less expensive than house. Condo apartments are very simple and have neutral style. There is no structural or mechanical upgrade requirement when you sell the unit, while in the house many things behind the walls have to be corrected to attract potential buyers.

    Touch ups before sale in condo apartments should not exceed few thousand dollars with hired contractor and several hundred dollars if you do it yourself. In house expect this number to at least triple.

    Decoration Costs Difference in Condo and House

    To decorate house it takes more effort and money. Condo apartments with large windows scream open concept with less congested areas. You do not need much to decorate. Few pieces of art and plants can do the trick if you don’t count furniture. Even furniture should not be complicated and expensive.

    Houses on other hand have way more space that requires at least some sort of decoration to avoid looking completely empty. You can purchase decoration items through our website – See in Menu.

    Conclusion

    To summarize this article and our research on costs involved in condo remodeling versus house renovation expenses we can see that overall costs and expenses are higher in houses due to larger sizes and more things to remodel inside and outside.

    However comparing exactly the same type of work will cost more in condo apartments because of complicated rules and access to the unit. Subscribe to our email list and receive updates on new articles that also include costs of specific remodeling processes and products for the job.

    10 Condo Renovation Tips for Resale That Work

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    10 Condo Renovation tips that work
    We describe best renovation options for resellers.

    There will be a day that your condo will be going on market eventually. Regardless of your situation and location, the place has to be presentable before real estate agents walk in with potential clients and we will discuss how to make it look better. There are condos that will sell below hundred thousand dollars and there are prime location luxury places that will enter the market with price above ten million. The question is how to present the place for ideal buyer.

    Our team came up with 10 condo renovation tips in all markets:

    1. Tiny touch ups and paint job
    2. Upgrade hardware and outlets
    3. New Flooring Installation
    4. Open room separations and bulkheads
    5. Remodel bathrooms
    6. Complete kitchen transformation
    7. Install new appliances
    8. Walk in closet
    9. Upgrade lights
    10. Get new doors and door handles

    Some of touch ups you can do by yourself within few days and some remodeling jobs will require month and month of work with contractors.

    Tiny Touch ups and Paint Job

    In situation where your place is relatively new and there are no damages than you might get away with work that will not cost much to bring condo unit back to its original state.

    Moving in and out furniture even in brand new condo will have marks on the walls and drywall dents that will require fixes. You can easily do it by yourself or hire local painter and within few days it will look fresh again.

    Fixing dents and repainting works for all types of condos. It can be very cheap place for quick flip or luxurious unit that has nothing wrong with it to get back on market.

    Upgrade Hardware and Outlets

    Another quick item to change in condo before selling it is hardware and electrical outlets. These things wear out in time and have out-dated look that turns away some clients.

    Outlets and hardware does not cost too much to change. Some people may think you need to hire licensed electrician for this work, but in reality you just need a screwdriver. Obviously if you don’t want to get involved in any physical work you can hire handyman.

    Hardware is something that people pay attention to all the time. It gets loose and starts showing rust on edges. You can easily purchase it online or in local chain shop like Lowes for quick condo fix.

    Condo Renovation tips and New Flooring Installation

    Floor definitely can brighten up new condo or underline specific style look. One specific reason to update the floor is because in older condos carpet was popular and now it is not. Forget that it is old, dirty and has many holes in it; the problem is that carpets are not in trend anymore.

    In some condos previous owners could have had beautiful hardwood, but after moving furniture or living with pets, hardwood will have tons of permanent scratches. If you have leftovers of that floor material it can be very quick fix to replace damaged planks but in most cases you would need to change entire floor.

    Expect to spend over $10,000 on materials and installation for new floors.

    Open Room Separations and Bulkheads

    After 2020 it is hard to find people that don’t go for modern, and modern style screams open concept. Our idea to make your condo sell faster is to open up unnecessary walls and bulkheads.

    We often see those ugly bulks by the window that were built to hide connection of the curtains. There are separation walls between kitchen and living room that make entire concept look just wrong.

    Our team suggest thinking of open concept looks as one of your condo renovation tips before selling it. Be careful with removing walls, because flooring will need to be filled in those areas.

    Remodel Bathrooms with Tips

    Recommendation of remodeling bathrooms before sale can be heard everywhere. The only two situations when we suggest renovating bathrooms before market set up are:

    1. When your condo value is higher than average and updating bathroom with match the needs of buyer
    2. When bathroom is in horrible condition with broken tiles, mold, or other damaged items that turn off all buyers immediately

    Keep in mind that bathroom remodeling is expensive upgrade and performing it requires a lot of time. If bathroom remodeling is absolutely not required for condo before resale due to damages items or intensive upgrade we recommend not doing it.

    Complete Kitchen Transformation

    Complete kitchen transformation in apartment
    Dishwasher installed during kitchen renovation in condo

    Most of kitchens in condos are very basic. Builders use same materials and layout to complete the job. If you open up real estate website and find listings in the same building we almost guarantee that kitchens are going to look the same.

    Our idea to increase the chance of selling the unit is to attract with unique kitchen cabinets and countertop that would differentiate from everything else they see.

    There are many ideas and materials for kitchen remodeling and it can range from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands, and the requirement for this upgrade will depend on location of your condo.

    Install New Appliances

    When you want to purchase a place and move in without any issues, old appliances could become the barrier you don’t want.  On Point Remodeling suggests buying new appliances for kitchen and laundry before selling to increase chance of selling faster and at higher price.

    Of course this method works best when current appliances are completely out-dated. Newer condos will not need you spend all these money for appliances if they will look similar to what you already have.

    A trick we suggest for home buyers to notice this upgrade is to leave plastic on new appliances.

    Walk-In Closet Cabinets

    The extra space in your close could sell the place in no time. Women love walk in closet and new organizers and shelves with beautiful lighting is something they have been dreaming of.

    Two issues with building walk in cabinets is first of all you need to have walk in closet already and the return value has to be higher than you spend. In other words your condo is in higher bracket.

    Custom cabinets in walk in closet average $12000 for work and materials with amazing features and lights, but can spike up the interest of buyers.

    Upgrade Lights Inside and on Exterior

    It is very easy and cost efficient to upgrade lights in condo renovation tips. Sometimes you can simply change light bulb and have completely different look.

    Suggested areas where to upgrade your lighting for condo resale are: kitchen area and cabinet under lights; bathroom vanity fixture lights and front entrance with hallway lights.

    Some condos do not have living or dining area lights and we suggest to install them there if you have a chance.

    New Doors and Handles

    New doors and handles installed by contractor
    Measuring newly installed door with trims in apartment.

    Door hands are one of the cheapest upgrades that you can think of in condo apartment, but may have significant difference in overall look. You can literally get awesome door hands for under $30 a piece and with screwdriver install them in less than an hour.

    Actual door change is suggested when they are damaged or in really poor condition. Most builders originally install hallow doors and upgrading them to solid doors with modern design.

    Conclusion For Condo Remodeling Tips Article

    If you want to get detailed analysis of your situation with suggestions in what you should be remodeling for reselling purposes you can contact On Point Remodeling directly be email. Subscribe to our newsletter for more upcoming articles.

    5 Reasons Why Condo Remodeling Will Take Longer Than Home

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    5 reasons why condo remodeling will take longer time than home
    Estimation on condo apartment project is higher than expected.

    Living in condo means you are closer to top locations of the city or possibly even to shoreline. These condo apartment buildings are new in house market. Therefore most of units are in good or at least decent condition.

    Typically remodeling is done just to cover up minor problems and damages inside condo apartments and if there is a major issue, home owners would just move to another place.

    However damages can be extensive to the point where you have to remodeling entire unit. Alternative cause of full condo reno is when you purchase high end place and want to change everything completely with designer and styles that appeal to you.

    In condo apartments the whole process of remodeling is entirely different from upgrading older home. Contractors that work in residential single family homes are not used to condo work and you will need to find companies that specialize in construction at multistory buildings.

    You cannot compare same costs and time schedules of work in condos and regular houses. In apartments costs may be higher, but you are defiantly looking for extended schedules because of:

    • Approvals from Condo Corporation
    • Restriction on Time to Work
    • Access to the Unit
    • Disposal of Waste
    • Smaller Working Space

    Professional teams know all the tricks how to plan faster renovation process in condo and can help reduce overall time for the job. Trying to find cheaper company can lead to hiring workers that are not less knowledgeable and it can increase the time of work.

    1. Approvals from Condo Corporation

    Home owners of condo apartments are almost never actual owners. Technically they are corporation stakeholders that represent the building with specific rights to their unit and common elements.

    To make any significant change to the interior of the unit you will need approval from the management or from board of directors. Your specific building would have rules on how to apply and notify about your remodeling ideas. Some areas are not allowed to touch and your request can be denied.

    Even if renovation project you are acquiring for is not that big and is allowed for the rules, management still needs time to approve it. Be open with all the details of work and do not try to hide anything. If you are caught doing work that only building has right to fix, the entire project may be stop and penalties laid. Good examples of that is moving central duct system or removing support wall.

    When everything goes well building office approves your job with giving your contractor access to elevator, loading dock and possibly parking spot. Your neighbors are notified about possible noise due to remodeling work for condo upgrades.

    Larger buildings sometimes have waiting list for apartment units remodeling because they cannot allow multiple contractors to constantly wonder through the building and use their access area with service elevator.

    2. Restriction on Time to Work

    To keep an order in the building, condo corporation with board of directors establish specific working hours. Within these hours your contractor may work inside apartment and make noise with their tools.

    The rules apply to everyone and if you ignore them, there will be consequences. With noise complaints the work can be stopped immediately even with help of police. Further on more penalties can be applied if you do not cooperate. Entire project can potentially be shut down and police can write a ticket for disturbance.

    In most condo buildings expect working hours to be between 9:00 am and 4:00 PM. Saying that we see variety of different hours and to be exact, we recommend asking someone from management office of your building.

    This includes not only physical work with tools inside, but also preparation for the work and delivery upstairs. Because of this restriction and longtime preparation, there is not that much time for actual work and the entire job drags for many more days.

    Working time restriction rules are based on when residents are less disturbed. We understand that some people work during night and try to sleep during the day, while contractors are working next door, and some condo owners work from home.

    3. Access to The Unit

    In comparison to houses, the third reason why condo remodeling takes longer is the access to the unit. It’s quite the path just to the door of the apartment that requires different level of access, keys, permissions and other assistance from security workers.

    Premises are protected with some sort of locks that only residents have. For remodeling work in condo apartment contractors will have to ask security to either escort them or give temporary keys for access. Make sure to introduce them before the job even starts to avoid delays when they come to work.

    Instead of getting to work as soon you walk in the front door of the house, condo jobs require contractors to go up and down using the elevator that takes time. Elevator is inspected prior to use and at the end of the day for potential damage with tools and materials brought to the jobsite.

    Unlike wide open streets with tons of parking space, condo buildings almost never have parking available. Remodeling contractors will be lucky to get even paid parking near the building. This increases traveling to the job much longer for all workers that come on site.

    4. Disposal of Waste

    All the waste that accumulates from demolition and project cuts needs to be thrown out and disposed somehow. In house contractors simply put disposal bin in the driveway and throw garbage there as it comes. In condo as we explained previously the elevator is used to go up and down.

    Keep in mind that garbage always has to be in construction bags to avoid debris from falling out at any time and damaging carpet, tiles or other flooring.

    Newer condo buildings can even request protection of the floor surface from elevator apartment door. You can purchase durable ram boards that protect floors and hard enough to drag on dolly cart.

    Also the bin near the condo building is never an option. One option, contractors use for garbage is live load disposal. They collect everything in bags throw everything out within 30 minutes while driver is waiting on the street.

    Other way is to collect garbage in company trucks and drive it off the jobsite. Its time consuming and companies that work in condos charge premium for their work.

    5. Small Working Space

    Small working space in apartments
    Tile installer struggles in tiny apartment bathroom.

    Major remodeling requires many different trades, materials and tools to be used. Of course in ideal world you can schedule back to back trades and have only two people working at the same time, but if one gets delayed you have to push back next worker that comes in.

    Getting your apartment crowded with many workers doing things at the same time will only delay everything and get them mad at each other for being in the way. That’s why hiring company that will do exact scheduling is crucial for success.

    On Point Remodeling helps design all sorts of project with takeoff for materials and trades involved. Our document will lead you in faster completion, explaining step by step process and getting the best price for fixtures.

    Due to lack of space remodeling company is not able to stack and preorder materials. Even slight delay on flooring, doors, vanities or any other product has domino effect on next steps of work.

    Dealing with suggested suppliers and having trust in them makes a big difference. They need to perform on time, because time is money and delaying contractors can cause you extra costs as well.

    If you are looking for trustworthy company to perform remodeling in your condo, our team can suggest reliable contractors to finish everything on time.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion of this article we encourage all condo owners who plan to hire contractors for full remodeling requesting strict schedule process. In ideal world you would agree to sign addendum to contract that specifies start and end dates of work with daily price reduction as penalty on each extra day work.

    Exceptions can be made due to city strikes, lack of materials from main suppliers and few others that construction company cannot control. For projects around $100 000 On Point Remodeling recommends $100 – $200 daily penalty. This will encourage workers to complete everything on time.

    On our website you can find more information on how to schedule remodeling in houses and in condo buildings. On Point Remodeling provides services in design and take off material for any renovation project with complete list of materials with sources to purchase from and detailed schedule of trades.

    7 Condo Renovation Issues During Process

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    7 condo renovation issues during process
    What to overcome during condo remodeling.

    Here we want to discuss how condo remodeling process is difficult and why we struggle during it. It is more complicated and more expensive than regular house renovation and we listed below all the points that will have you thinking twice before committing to it.

    Condo apartments are relatively new in real estate and remodeling is not happening that often inside units. In fact few times when it does happen is: before selling the place, when there is a lot of damage to interior (including fire, flood, mold and other types of damages), and when you simply want to completely change the look of your condo.

    Because of all these problems you will pay more for the same remodeling that you would in regular house in the same city. And here are the seven difficulties in condo remodeling:

    • Timing
    • Parking
    • Delivery
    • Noise
    • Location
    • Space
    • Permission

    Not every company or contractor that does renovations in your area would agree to work in condo apartments simply because of these problems or some other issues they have experienced before. To find good match for your project, contact On Point Remodeling be email and we can suggest at least few companies.

    1. Timing and Scheduling for Remodeling

    In condos everything is different when you start remodeling the place. Single task like flooring installation will take double the time if you compare it to installing floor in regular house.

    Scheduling becomes extremely hard, because now you are dealing not only with workers completing each step of work, but also with management of the building, deliveries of materials and even ability to use elevator.

    It will take very experienced contractor and remodeling company to properly schedule entire job for upgrading your condo. Do not fall for promises that it will take only few weeks and prior to signing contract ask for detailed schedule break down and follow it every step of the process.

    We see time after time condo owners getting frustrated because their expectations of timing for renovation do not match with reality. Our job here is to prepare you and expect delays with condo remodeling issues.

    2. Parking for Contractors is Impossible

    If you think that management of the building will allow you to park anywhere simply because you are renovating the unit, you have another thing coming.

    Condo buildings are located in highly populated and main traffic areas where parking outside is almost impossible. Even if there is parking downstairs expect to pay for it each and every day till the end of remodeling. Because of that contractors will either automatically raise the price or ask clients to pay for their parking space while working.

    Most workers and contractors have large trucks for necessary tools and equipment that may not fit in underground parking.

    You can try and ask management for additional temporary parking spot to accommodate renovation company while the complete everything or rent a parking spot for that time. By helping contractors and spending few hundred dollars you may win much bigger cost negotiation of overall remodeling cost.

    3. Delivery Issues in Condo

    Delivery of materials issue in condo
    Curbside workers with materials ready to go up.

    When delivering materials for regular home remodeling it takes almost no planning and can be completed within few hours at most. In condo apartment remodeling it’s one of most devastating things you can imagine.

    It all starts with ordering materials way ahead of time to notify management and security. They will schedule a date for you and reserve an elevator with some protective material on walls. None of the companies can give you specific time of delivery if its days or weeks ahead.

    So your strategy would be to have a crew of workers waiting for delivery and be ready to get everything up when it comes.

    During large deliveries it may take full day for the work. Imagine brining up 60 sheets of drywall and mud boxes from parking lot to upper unit through long hallways and elevator, where you can fit only few things at a time.

    4. Noise Complaints and Regulations

    Whatever you do, the idea is to have good relationship with neighbors. They will absolutely hate the idea of someone drilling and hammering next door for a long time.

    There are tons of rules and regulations on how remodeling should be done in one of condo units. These rules are established by Condominium Corporation and management has to do everything in their power to follow them.

    No matter how accurate and law abiding you or your contractors are, expect complaints from your neighbors. People just need a reason to start complaining and thin walls of condo will definitely give them one.

    Remodeling time is very specific in condo apartments and most likely you get time lines during week days 9 am to 4 pm.  They will also have list or noise level limit for tools to use for renovation.

    Some buildings will make you protect the floors in hallway all the way from loading dock to elevator to your unit for the entire time you are upgrading the condo.

    5. Location of Existing Fixtures

    To understand more about fixtures in your condo apartment and abilities to move them let’s start with how entire building is constructed. Condos are typically made out of poured concrete and therefore have structural concrete floors through each level.

    Builders plan for drain stacks to go vertical and position all washrooms and kitchens on the same line to properly drain water with waste. HVAC and heating system is somewhat the same. It hides behind the walls and has connection to main unit for air/water circulation.

    Very often we receive question about moving or adding new bathroom in condo and in 99% of situations it is impossible to do. Here is an easy explanation. For washrooms you need water lines, drain lines exhaust vent and electrical lines.

    Electrical is very easy to adjust and add. Exhaust vent has to be either connected to main system or have separate exit to exterior of condo. To add drain lines for shower and toilet you would literally need to break concrete floor and run the drains under.

    6. Space Limitation Inside and Outside

    In condo you are stuck within the premises giving from the beginning and unit boundaries are very firm. In houses for example you have ability to build up, extend building structure on sides and even to dig down with expansion of foundation walls (underpinning process).

    Neighbors are everywhere around you and only remodeling can done inside of the unit. Even then there could be many restrictions of moving or demolishing walls, creating extra bedroom with simple separation or even doing anything on your balcony.

    This problem is very frustrating to home owners and sometimes plays a big role when deciding between purchasing house or condo.

    Before starting renovation, get familiar with local bylaws and rules of corporation in your building. The last thing you want to do is spend tens of thousand dollars only to find out that what you are doing is not allowed.

    7. Permission Needed From Management

    Permission needed from management to remodel in condo
    Manager giving strict directions to worker.

    Technically condo apartment is not yours. You buy only shares of corporation of entire building with occupancy to specific unit and ability to use common elements.

    For anything and everything you need permission from building management. It should be allowed to do small remodeling or decoration without notifying the building, but anything large or mid-size, they would be very curious to know about.

    Many home owners get pissed off because of it, but you should always put yourself in neighbor’s shoes. Would you like when someone from the building takes up several elevators for remodeling delivery or starts demolition next to you without prior notification.

    It is listed as our 7th difficulty in condo remodeling, but there should be an order and procedure for all renovations.

    Conclusion

    We encourage all owners of condo apartments to prepare and be ready for renovation process that is longer and more expensive than in regular home. Ask companies that you are about to hire, how they will tackle these issues in condo remodeling and how you can help them to make the process easier.

    Often enough only a quick conversation with security or someone from management office can make things a lot smoother. Let them know ahead of time to prepare and potentially warn your neighbors about noise and inconvenience.

    Learn more about remodeling and products to purchase during the process in our other articles. Subscribe on our website and receive notification with new articles in this category.

    Top 10 Popular Kitchen Bunting Ideas

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    Top 10 Popular Kitchen Decoration Ideas
    Beautiful decorative kitchen in blue tones

    Kitchen is the most popular place in your home. Here you cook, eat, entertain or just read a book. Kitchen space can be bland and On Point Remodeling decided to bring few ideas how to decorate kitchen area and what items to use.

    Regardless if the intention, you can improve the look at home with below listed items and techniques. Some home owners want to increase the value with decorating before putting it up for sale and some want to design it for their mood and style.

    Email us if you have kitchen bunting ideas and examples for home, but for now we are suggesting these ideas:

    • Plants and Flowers
    • Bottles and Cans as Stash
    • Chairs with Additional Furniture
    • Rugs and Carpets
    • Real or Fake Fruits
    • Silverware or China
    • Added Shelves
    • Pot Rack
    • Faucets and Pot Fillers
    • Small Appliances

    Your style can be minimalistic with only one item we suggest or it can be a mix that creates bigger picture and complete layout specifically for you.

    1. Plants and Flowers

    Something green always adds life to space with cabinets. Plants have been part of decoration for centuries and are still popular items for staging and casual living.

    Costs for regular and most unique plants range from several dollars to several hundreds. You do not need to make it a forest and eatable greens or nice flower pot can make a big difference in décor.

    Purchasing plants is not that big of a deal and you can get them without leaving your room. Amazon or other online stores can deliver within few days almost any plant you can think of. Local stores and florists can help you with their selection as well.

    Biggest issue with having plants as décor items in the kitchen is the maintenance. They need to be watered and looked after for proper growth.

    2. Bottles and Cans as Stash

    Recently more and more everyday use cans and bottles compliment open shelves and countertops of kitchen areas. To properly use them as décor, they have to be placed properly with inside stash that does not ruin the look.

    On Point Remodeling recommends placing pasta, spices with no bag, dry fruits, chocolate or any other colorful items with texture that add charm to the kitchen style.

    These items can be bought everywhere, and they cost only several dollars. The challenge with cans and bottles home owners have is lack of ideas what to put inside. Use few of our suggestions or ask On Point Remodeling team be email and we can add list of ideas.

    Not everyone likes bottles and cans as main decoration pieces. They may not match your style and look as some would say “cheap”. This idea is more for modern, rustic and industrial kitchen looks.

    3. Chairs with Additional Furniture

     
    Chairs with Additional Furniture
    Luxury kitchen with different types of chairs.

    Countertop space and cabinets are not enough complete designer look of the kitchen and you can make it feel more like home. Of course every home needs a kitchen with place to sit, but style and quality of this furniture can significantly change the atmosphere.

    You do not need costly designer to tell you how to place chairs and table in the kitchen, but the actual furniture is the most expensive way to change design from out list of 10 popular décor items for kitchen.

    Furniture local stores would be the first choice to look for chairs to purchase but they may not have the options you prefer.

    Purchasing online is the second most popular option for the furniture, and our partners have large selection of chairs and additional furniture for the kitchen in stock.

    4. Rugs and Carpets

    We always forget the floor of our kitchen, but it needs to have some character as well. Luxury homes may have crazy expensive flooring with high end patterns that ultimately should not be covered. All other floors can be decorated with custom rugs and carpets.

    There are tons of options with different sizes, colors, patterns and texture. Some prefer white fluffy rug that feels like a cloud when you step on it, other prefer colorful Persian rugs with exotic and luxury attributes.

    Expect to spend up to few hundred dollars on this type of décor for your kitchen. If you don’t see rugs as the perfect fit for your home, you can pick any other option from our list.

    5. Real or Fake Fruits

    Real or Fake Fruits
    Fake fruits serve as a decoration of the kitchen table.

    Other small items for staging or adding colorful touch to kitchen counters and shelves are fruits. You are supposed to eat fruit anyways, so why not use them as decoration too?

    This will not change the style or design of the entire kitchen by any means, but can slightly contribute to warm colors and natural feel.

    Natural growing plants and fruits are always better as decoration adding vibe of life. Professional stagers use this technique for visitors to imagine themselves eating it in the morning before going to work.

    Don’t simply get bucket of bananas, oranges, pine apples and grapes. Get colorful fruit that fits the house with uniqueness. Most staging companies use oranges, apples and bananas for decorating kitchen, and we suggest going off the grid with dragon fruit, papaya or coconut.

    6. Silverware Kitchen Decoration Ideas

    Traditional way to show off your house was silverware for hundreds if not thousands of years. It does not really suit modern style homes and kitchens, but can go along well with retro and luxury designs.

    Honestly no one really cares if you spend several hundred dollars or ten thousand. The idea is to create a spark and to fill in the space with unique plates and glasses.

    On Point Remodeling team thinks that average amount of money spent on silverware or china as decoration in your kitchen decoration ideas should not go over 500 dollars.

    Things like silverware look better and more valuable if they are older and possibly passed through generations. You can find suitable items on Amazon Store.

    7. Added Shelves for Even More Decoration Ideas

    When you are looking to upgrade or design kitchen, it is either outdated, small in size or lacking character. These objectives can be solved with additional shelves in kitchen that all women absolutely love.

    We are leaning towards open single shelves next to countertop, but it can be cabinet shelving, open pantry shelving or even folded shelves.

    Shelves are hard to make, but easy to purchase and install. If your existing kitchen is made in popular colors (brown, grey or white) you won’t have any issues matching the color of new shelves. We have seen ideas of metal accent shelves and even products made out of glass.

    Some kitchens don’t have enough space of extra shelves and they will be looking for other alternatives in kitchen decoration ideas.

    8. Pot Rack With Cooking Attributes

    Pot Rack With Cooking Attributes
    Kitchenware fits comfortably on pot racks.

    We always wanted to hide that we cook with from everyone to see, but recently the ideas changed completely. Pot rack became popular item in kitchen décor and now is our top 10 list.

    The idea is to create hanging or stand rack that will hold all your pots and decorate the counter with its shine and different shapes. Of course if your pots are old and rusty it will create the opposite effect and will scare people off.

    Other benefit of rack is you don’t require much cabinet space for hiding pots and even small kitchens can use this technique.

    Installing pot rack in the kitchen may take away absolutely needed headroom space and it will not work for some homes.

    9. Shiny Faucets and Pot Fillers

    All kitchens have some sorts of faucets and the idea under this point is to install the one that will not just blend with everything else, but to stand out and be accent piece.

    Pot fillers are similar to standard faucets. They are placed above the stove with only cold water switch and their main purpose to fill heavy pots that are already placed on the stove without carrying them across the room.

    Their functionality is great but benefit to kitchen decoration can be even better. New custom home owners or people who just renovated their kitchen always brag about unique items like pot fillers.

    We suggest buying these items from reliable sources with warranty and return policy.

    10. Small Appliances in Large Kitchens

    New trend for décor items in kitchen is to place small appliances on countertop. The movement started for hipster type funky and small kitchens with retro appliances that serve only 1 specific purpose.

    For example, a bright red stainless steel bread toaster from the 60s is a great attribute to industrial kitchen bunting ideas. It is very hard to find small appliances for decoration of your kitchen and they can be costly sometimes.

    Home owner with wide open modern concept are less likely to décor their kitchen with small appliances but today it is on our top 10 décor items for kitchens, because we want to discuss all styles and possibilities to add charm with small or large items.

    Conclusion about Popular Kitchen Bunting Ideas

    All of us look for things to distinguish our homes and in this particular case our kitchens from others. We have listed top 10 most popular décor items for kitchen in North America, but in fact there are much more things you can use for decoration purposes.

    Our in-house teams of designers work on designing specific parts of your home with outsourcing exact items just for your style. We specialize in trends and where to buy them.

    For more detailed information you can read On Point Remodeling other posts or email us directly for questions or requests.

    10 Modern Hallway Decoration Ideas for Your Home

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    10 Hallway Decoration for Your Home
    Сomfortable shoe racks in a modern hallway.

    One place that we almost never think of decorating is hallway. Everyone is focused on kitchen and bathroom, but there are at least two or three hallways at your home and we would like to discuss how to decorate them.

    Following hallway decor ideas is not a complicated process to do without hiring anyone. You simply need to select matching items with existing design of home and place them properly.

    If you are looking for specific items to purchase for improving your home and decorating specific areas, On Point Remodeling has section in menu for you to brows and find the items you like.

    Items we want to discuss and suggest as decoration pieces for hallways are:

    • Mirrors
    • Custom Carpentry
    • Art
    • Plants
    • Furniture
    • Lighting
    • Feature Walls
    • Fireplace
    • Shelves
    • Rugs

    Decorating is delicate process but we try to make it simpler for home owners and our readers. We suggest selecting one to three items at most for placing in hallway and not congesting the area.

    1. Mirrors Create Continuous Vision for Hallways

    For some reason we like to put mirrors only in bathrooms. It is the only place where original builders install mirror, but not for decoration purpose and rather for functionality.

    Mirrors have beautiful frames that can complement the house and make it look even fancier. After all why would you not want to look at yourself while walking through the house?

    Hallways in the house are typically three to four feet wide and sometimes feel slightly congested with lack of light. Mirror will add the feeling of more spacious place and reflect that extra needed light.

    2. Custom Carpentry Adds Character

    Hiring carpenters for installation features in your hallways is one of the ways to decorate it as well.  It can be something like wainscoting feature or custom paneling with all sorts of edges and shapes.

    These types of panels are normally installed throughout the open area of main floor, hallway and continue through stairs. Bedrooms are almost never involved in such design or have completely different finishing design.

    Two types of materials are used for paneling and it can be purchased in regular hardware stores as well specialized suppliers. Sold wood panels, trims and moldings can be installed on wall with painted or stained to have natural wood look for the finish.

    Other material that can be installed is MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) and painted on top. This creates unique look of your hallway, but requires some work from trade and can be expensive.

    3. Art as Hallway Decor for Luxury Homes

    Art as Hallway Decor
    Prints with plants for decorating walls in the hallway.

    Hanging something on the wall in hallways can also upgrade the looks. Art pieces will decorate bold looking walls that have no character. Your home should already have design flow and art will be hung in hallway walls to underline it.

    Options for art are endless, and the simplest one is buying oil painting or print that you like. There are millions of those and we are sure you can find something you like.

    Also you can look at artistic DIY projects in frames made with wood, strings stones and many other items. Be creative and select items that are very unique.

    The budgets for art decorations have no limits, and you can find very expensive art for millions of dollars. Our strategy is to decorate without spending too much and you can easily decorate hallway with several art pieces for few hundred dollars or less.

    4. Plants Can Always be Useful Decoration Piece

    For larger hallways at entrance or in homes that go way beyond average size On Point Remodeling suggest decorating with plants.

    This strategy of decoration is used to infill extra space with life and exotic objects. Not all homes are meant for doing this we suggest not using plants in hallways in small homes because it will restrict you on space.

    Plants should not be too expensive to purchase or grow, but this is the only type of decoration from all discussed that requires constant maintenance. You will need to cut leaves, trim it and water all the time. Keep in mind that some of the plants require a lot of sun light to survive and grow.

    5. Furniture Compensate for Larger Spaces

    Some sorts of furniture can be helpful in upgrading and kind of decorating the hallways. It is meant for creating storage space most of the times but we see things like antique tables, creative benches and other unique furniture pieces that compliment design.

    This is something you cannot build yourself and need to purchase from very specific stores. We have few suggested furniture items in our suggested shop menu.

    Just like other decorations in our list, furniture does not need to blend in with hallway walls and other already existing cabinets. The actual purpose is to break the pattern with different touch of material and style that is not seen through the house.

    6. Lighting Decoration for Hallways

    Lighting Decoration for Hallways
    Floor lamp for additional lighting in the hallway.

    There are so many different options and features with lighting in hallways. First of all the lighting can be installed on ceiling, on walls, near the floor, on baseboards or crown moldings and several more.

    After figuring out where you will put decorating lighting, it’s time to select the style. You can go from traditional to antique to modern to rustic. They all are different in size and amount of light for actual bulbs.

    Lighting will either direct the path of the hallway or break the scene and attract all attention. You should not be spending too much money on lights in regular homes, but of course you can find products that are super expensive.

    7. Feature Walls Differentiate from Rest of House

    The actual meaning of feature wall is to decorate. It has feature accent and in most cases different material for this wall.

    Back in the days it was popular to do brick or stone looking wall to separate the looks and have the outdoor vibe. This is very expensive and it takes a lot of space from small hallways.

    Now we see more modern materials with creative ideas used for decorating hallways with feature walls. Hardwood looking materials is very popular to create feature walls.

    We see mdf and aluminum panels getting used more and more. Even more creative feature walls with glass and metal materials are seen in very modern homes.

    8. Fireplace Connects Hallway with Other Space

    Definitely not the most popular way to decorate hallway is by using fireplace. Obviously you would have to purchase one and install at hefty price, but how does it really benefit and help with decoration?

    Your house has to be large enough to fit the fireplace and have it as attraction unit. Instead of interfering with boring flow of walls, the purpose of fireplace would be to create open concept.

    The only way to make it work is to install double side fireplace inside of the separation wall between hallway and other open area like dining or living room. This way you could see through box of flames into the other room and have additional natural light.

    9. Need Even More Decorations? – Use Shelves

    We wanted to separate shelving from furniture as modern hallway decoration at home because it serves a slightly different purpose. Shelves are installed to put something on them. They are more of supporting piece for hallway decoration ideas.

    With installation shelves you can put something on top of them and it can be glasses, picture frames, books and plants.

    This method of decoration is very cost effective and easy to do without hiring contractors. Simply select the shelves that you like and that will comfortably fit in your hallway. Installation takes few simple tools and up to an hour of work for entire hallway.

    10. Warm Feel and Decoration Ideas with Rugs

    Warm Feel and Decoration Ideas
    Decorative elements for convenience in the hallway.

    One feature piece for the floor that can help decorate hallways in your home is rug. Like everything else rugs have many styles and shapes.

    Originally rugs were used to make the floor warmer for the step. With less than average heating in the house, walking barefoot on cold hardwood floor is not the most comfortable feeling.

    Rugs do not overpower overall design and do not take space at all. They can freshen up the looks with rustic or modern style and there is no installation required, like some other decorations. Buy it from our recommended suppliers or simply by going to amazon and selecting what matches your home.

    Conclusion

    On Point Remodeling team created this post to encourage home owners and our readers not to forget hallways when decorating home. We want to provide options and discuss what items can help with decoration process.

    Our choices underline cost effective ways to make hallways to look better and our team is providing options for readers to purchase all the items online.

    If you would like to add your opinion and share other ways to decorate hallway at home, email us with your ideas.

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