January 2021 - Diwaligiftz

Ideas For Master Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

How to Choose Your Engineered Hardwood Flooring

If you are thinking about hardwood floors for your home you are probably exploring options and prices. Engineered hardwood flooring may be the perfect choice for your needs.

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Engineered Hardwood Flooring is a type of wood floor with a few characteristics that make it different from traditional wood. Engineered wood flooring is constructed from wood particles that remain after the wood has been cut.

Instead of wooden planks for flooring, engineered hardwood flooring is made of the leftover wood particles, shavings, and dust. The result is a highly durable product that is much less expensive.

Why Use Engineered Hardwood When You Can Get Traditional Wood?

One of the main driving factors in choosing engineered hardwood flooring is the difference in price. It is an economical option with other benefits over traditional wood floors as well.

Engineered hardwood flooring is easy to install. It is easier to install than traditional wood and usually comes together with a tongue and groove feature like laminate. Instead of using glue and nails for installation, you slide the pieces of the flooring together.

Wood If the cost of traditional wood flooring is prohibitive, engineered hardwood flooring is probably the solution you need. It is not an actual genuine plank of wood, but nobody looking at your floor will know the difference because engineered hardwood flooring looks and feels like a floor made of traditional wood planks.

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing Engineered Hardwood Flooring

If you are installing your floor over concrete, you will need to take some measures to ensure structural integrity. You can install it over an existing wood floor or over plywood. Check on specific requirements or have a professional install your flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is generally not recommended for bathrooms or places with moisture and water.

Engineered hardwood flooring is easy to care for and maintain. Because it is built in layers it is less likely than traditional wood to bow or warp. A veneer gives engineered hardwood a look similar to traditional wooden floors at an attractive price.

Benefits Of Buying Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered hardwood flooring is more economical than hardwood but will not compromise your home’s aesthetics. It is made by bonding layers of wooden materials like plywood and a top layer of solid wood veneer. The thicker the top layer, the better the quality of the engineered wood.

The following are the benefits of engineered hardwood flooring that make it a coveted choice among homeowners:

It is extremely durable and with proper maintenance can last up to 30 years.
Unlike solid wood, engineered variants are not as susceptible to temperature and humidity.
It is more economical than hardwood.
Engineered wood comes in a variety of styles and textures.

Laminate Or Engineered Hardwood Flooring: Which To Choose?

One choice a Carmel homeowner may need to make when buying new floors is whether they want laminate flooring or engineered hardwood flooring. Initially, it may seem like there are more similarities between the two than there are differences, especially as new modernized laminate has become more popular. Read on to learn the differences between laminate and engineered hardwood flooring and to find out which is best for your home.

What Is Laminate?

Laminate flooring is made up of multiple layers of synthetic materials. It is able to closely mimic the look of genuine hardwood (as well as other materials). The core support layer of laminate is made mainly of resin and fiberboard, while the uppermost layer has a printed and textured layer with the desired look of hardwood, natural stone, or another pattern.

What Is Engineered Hardwood?

Engineered hardwood is made of multiple layers of wood. The bottom and middle layer is typically made of plywood, while the top layer is made of genuine wood. Engineered hardwood flooring is made from real hardwood, at least on the top layer. Laminate only imitates real hardwood and is made of all synthetic materials.

Which Option Looks Better?

In addition to their structural differences, there is an aesthetic difference between laminate and engineered hardwood. While laminate can be a great imitation at first glance, it cannot fully replicate the look of genuine hardwood upon close inspection. Engineered hardwood floors show the vast amount of variance found in natural hardwoods while laminate flooring will repeat a pattern every five boards or so.

What About Durability?

Durability can depend on the home. Flooring in high-traffic Carmel homes will have shorter lifespans, regardless of whether they are laminate or engineered hardwood. However, proper care and maintenance of either kind of flooring can allow homeowners to reach the maximum lifespan possible. Generally, laminate flooring will last anywhere from 10 years up to 25 years, and it often comes with a warranty. Engineered hardwood flooring can last for a person’s entire lifetime, but it will sometimes require spot plank replacement or sanding down to repair any damaged areas. However, engineered hardwood can only be refinished once or twice before it needs to be replaced.

How Much Maintenance Does Each Require?

Both laminate and engineered hardwood flooring are easy to care for. Laminate needs to be swept or dust mopped on a regular basis. Spot cleaning as needed with a damp cloth is usually sufficient to remove spills and stains. Engineered hardwood floors also need regular sweeping, and they will usually do best if they are periodically treated with a special hardwood floor finish.

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to any home. Whether you’re looking for the perfect touch of charm or want to add warmth in your design, hardwood floors are an excellent choice. But how do you know which is better, solid hardwood or engineered hardwood? There are many differences between solid and engineered hardwood, and we’ll help you understand the pros and cons of each to determine which one is best for your space.

Solid Hardwood Floors

Solid hardwood have been around for many years, and while solid hardwood has changed over time, the natural look and beauty of solid wood floors continue to offer a touch of warmth in any home design. Solid wood differs from engineered wood, particularly in its construction. Solid hardwood floors are milled from one piece of wood, while engineered wood floors feature a unique, layered construction. The unique construction of both solid and engineered floor make for many differences between their features, durability, and more.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered wood floors are another type of wood floor that are ideal for many homes. Engineered hardwood floors are constructed from genuine wood. However, when creating engineered wood planks, multiple plies of wood are glued together in a cross-grain pattern. On top of the cross-grain wood pattern, a genuine piece of wood is placed on top, which gives engineered hardwood its natural, genuine wood beauty. Then, the layers are bonded under high heat and pressure. Unlike solid hardwood, this construction makes engineered wood more dimensionally stable, which means less expansion and contraction with changes in moisture and humidity levels.

Water and Heat Resistance

Solid wood

Solid hardwood floors are not water-resistant. In fact, because this type of flooring is made from real wood, water spills and accidents can cause significant damage to solid hardwood. Cupping and buckling are two types of issues that can occur with high levels of moisture on the subfloor or other changes that involve water and moisture. Solid hardwood also expands and contracts as changes in moisture and humidity levels change over time, which is completely normal and natural. Solid wood floors should not be installed in areas where moisture is prevalent, like bathrooms or kitchens, and spills should be picked up as soon as possible to avoid water damage.

Engineered wood

While engineered hardwood is also constructed using genuine wood, its surface and layers below make most engineered hardwood water-resistant. Keep in mind, engineered hardwood is water-resistant, not waterproof, which means that it cannot tolerate every spill or liquid accident. It’s just as important to clean up mishaps when they happen to keep damages from occurring with engineered hardwood floors. Unlike solid wood floors, engineered wood floors can be installed in areas like kitchens, laundry rooms, bathrooms, and even below-grade rooms like basements.

Care and Cleaning of Hardwood Floors

Solid Hardwood

Maintaining solid hardwood floors will extend your floor’s life and keep them looking amazing for years to come. Solid hardwood floors can be swept or vacuumed with the beater bar turned off on a bare floor setting to remove dust and debris. It’s crucial that you turn the beater bar off, as it can damage the wood floors.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood floors are relatively easy to maintain, as dirt, dust, and debris sit on the surface. Sweeping engineered hardwood or vacuuming it with the bare floor setting turned on, and the beater bar off will remove loose dirt and dust. When cleaning engineered floors, always check with your manufacturer for approved cleaning products and solutions to ensure that you are not causing irreversible damages.

How Not To Choose A Wedding Photographer

How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer

It’s key that you book a great photographer to capture your wedding. Follow these steps to find the perfect wedding photographer to document your day.

Couples often say that their wedding day passes by so quickly that it’s difficult to soak up every little moment and commit all the emotions to memory. All of your wedding vendors will take care of the details so that you can hopefully sit back and take everything in, but your wedding photographer plays the biggest role in preserving the magic of the day. Your wedding photos will take you back in time and give you the opportunity to relive everything—from incredible moments you might have missed to your favorite memories to reminisce about.

Needless to say, it’s key that you book a great photographer to capture your wedding. If you aren’t sure where to start or how to choose your wedding photographer, you’ve come to the right place: follow these steps to find the perfect photographer to document your day.

Steps For How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

Set Your Budget

Your first goal is to set your wedding photography budget. There are a lot of photographers out there, so knowing what you can spend will help you narrow your search right away to photographers who are in your price range. Keep in mind that the cost of wedding photography varies a lot depending on your location, the photographer’s experience, and their package offerings. Today, the average price of wedding photography is around $2,000.

Figure Out Your Style Preferences

The next step is to figure out what photography style appeals to you. A photographer’s style will determine:

How The Photos Are Taken
What Your Photos Will Look Like
How the photographer will interact with you and your guests on the wedding day.

Do Some Research

After you’ve set your budget and settled on a style, explore wedding photographers online that fit your criteria and start compiling a list of your favorites. Or, ask your recently married friends and family about their photographer and if they recommend him or her. As you explore, make sure to look through each photographer’s portfolio of work and read reviews from other couples.

Connect and Request Quotes

When you’re ready, begin reaching out to the photographers on your list to introduce yourself, request a price quote, and ask questions. See the section below on how to request a wedding photography price quote, which includes a sample inquiry template and questions you should be sure to ask.

Meet With Your Favorites (Optional)

Having a great connection with your photographer is important. He or she will be by your side throughout your entire wedding day, so it’s essential that you feel comfortable and relaxed in their presence. A great way to get the know the individual behind the camera is to request an in-person meeting (or a video or phone chat) to talk through the wedding details and get a feel for each other.

Compare Your Top Choices

If you’re considering multiple wedding photographers, begin to narrow down your options by thinking through how they compare in the following categories:

Cost — Is one of your options significantly more expensive or cheaper than the others? Does the quality of their work align with the cost?
Personality — Is there anyone with whom you made a great connection? Do you feel comfortable with all of your options?
Experience — Who has the most experience? Does level of experience matter to you?
Reviews — How are the reviews for each of your candidates? Are there any trends—good or bad—in the reviews you read?
Offerings — How do the package offerings compare across your options? Which package gives you the most bang for your buck?

Book!

Now it’s time to book the wedding photographer of your choice. Keep in mind that if you wait a significant amount of time between your initial outreach and when you’re ready to contract their services, they may no longer have your date available. So while we encourage you to weigh your decision with care, it’s also important to not delay too long.

The booking process is different for every photographer, but it typically looks like this:

Let the photographer know that you want to book them and confirm that your wedding date is still available.
Your photographer should send contract for your to review and sign. Pro Tip: Never work with a wedding vendor who does have a contract. The contract serves to protect you and the vendor in the instance of legal disputes, outlines the exact nature of your business relationship, details what services and products you will receive, and communicates the vendor’s policies.
Sign the contract, return it to photographer, and pay the deposit.

What To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Booking a wedding photographer can be a tough process. You’re trying to find someone who is going to be spending one of the most important days of your life with you! You need to make sure there’s compatibility, but that there’s also appropriate coverage for everything you need, and that’s why it’s important to know what questions to ask your wedding photographer.

Wedding planning can amount to a lot of work, and sometimes it’s difficult to know exactly what questions to ask to get what you need out of your wedding photography. They have one opportunity to get it right, so these are the best questions to ask your wedding photographer to make sure you’re both on the same page and ready to go.

Background Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

How long have you been shooting weddings?
How did you first get into wedding photography?
What is the most memorable wedding you have shot?
What is your favorite part about shooting weddings?
How would you describe your wedding photography style?
Do you have multiple shooting styles?
Do you prefer candid or staged images?

Questions For Your Engagement Photography

Do I need engagement photos?
Do any packages include engagement photography?
How should we dress for our engagement shoot?
Do you have any location suggestions for engagement photography?

Photography Style

How Would You Describe Your Photography Style?

There are three main types of photography style, which you can find out more about in our photography glossary. Briefly, they’re reportage, which is candid and tells the story of your day; traditional, which focuses on formal, posed group photos and classic shots; and contemporary, which is more fashion-led and editorial.

Ask your photographer to show you their favourite wedding photo and you’ll get a good understanding of their vision and style.

Can I Speak to Some Former Clients or Read Testimonials?

Any good photographer will be happy to put you in touch with former clients as they know they’ll get great feedback on their work! If they try to put you off speaking to former couples or the testimonials on their website don’t match up with reviews on other sites, be wary.

Will I Be Able to Give You a List of Specific Shots We’d Like?

A shot list is a list a couple gives to their photographer with the absolute must-have photos they need them to capture, like a special photo with your Grandma and Grandad. Most photographer should accept this no problem, although don’t request too many or it can take time away from capturing the candid moments of the day. If a photographer refuses, the day may be more about their vision than yours.

Do You Offer an Engagement Shoot as Part of Your Package?

An engagement shoot is a brilliant way to get comfortable in front of the camera and get to know your photographer. You’ll get used to being directed and perfect your winning smile. If an engagement shoot isn’t included with your package, it’s worth negotiating one in or paying extra for one.

On the Day

What Time Will You Arrive at the Venue?

Get it in your contract whether your photographer will be there while you’re getting ready or they’ll meet you at the ceremony. Most couples will want the prep and journey to the venue captured as it’s such a special part of the day, but it can be cheaper if you’re on a strict budget to cut down on the photographer’s hours and not include these.

Do We Need to Provide You with Food?

It’s completely up to you whether you provide your photographer with food, but it’s the polite thing to do. They’ll be working 10+ hours for you and will need sustenance.

Ask your photographer what they’d like: you can arrange for them to have a plate and sit at one of the tables or somewhere else, or you can put money behind the bar or give them a meal allowance if they’d prefer to cater for themselves. They’re unlikely to be taking lots of photos during the meal anyway as no one wants the moment they stuffed half a chicken supreme in their mouth caught on camera.

Do I Need to Cover Travel Costs?

All this information should be clearly laid out in your contract to avoid unexpected charges. You’ll want to know if petrol or overnight accommodation need to be covered by you. Always expect that a destination photographer will require you to pay for travel and accommodation.

Will You Be the Primary Photographer on the Day?

National agencies have multiple photographers on their books so you want to know the person you’re talking to is the photographer you’ll get. Even if they are at the wedding in a second shooter capacity, make sure you meet the primary shooter in person before you pay a deposit.

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