Using Cork Flooring In Your Home

Cork is the bark of the Cork Oak that grows primarily in Portugal. As they’ve done for generations, small teams of skilled craftsmen carefully remove the bark of each tree with hand axes every nine years. This hands-on approach has a low carbon footprint and can even prolong the tree’s life. This task requires a delicate sensibility that no machine can replicate.

Once the bark has been stripped, numbers are painted onto the tree to track the years until the next ‘harvest’. Workers collect and stack the cork bark on trailers where it is then transported to the curing yard. After weeks of curing, the cork is sorted and graded. From there it is determined what the best use is for the bark, and it starts on it’s path to becoming anything from bottle stoppers, a part of the space shuttle, or an amazing plank of flooring.

Cork is an intriguing product because its usage is slowly becoming more widespread. Manufacturers of cork flooring have created different styles, colors, and designs, which allow people to use cork in very creative ways.

Unlike hardwood floors, cork flooring reduces stress on the lower back, feet, and joints. While extremely durable, it’s softer than hardwood or ceramic tile so it’s best used in areas like the kitchen where people spend most of their time standing. If you’ve ever felt cork before, you know that it has a very soft feel to it. This softness helps to reduce noise in high traffic areas.

Cork is a healthier floor due to the presence of Suberin, a natural substance found in the cork. This creates a natural ability to resist mold, mildew, and allergens. It also repels insects and even has fire-resistant properties. It’s durable and requires no more maintenance than a prefinished hardwood floor, so next time you’re starting a home project, consider the use of Cork Flooring!

Adding Window Treatments To Your Home

Whether simple and casual or refined and formal, window treatments can play a profound role in enhancing or even defining the character of a room. They can frame a view, support a color scheme, and add a sense of softness and comfort. They can also serve practical functions, as discussed in our “Home Improvement & Maintenance” blog, such as: controlling light, creating privacy, and providing insulation.

If you plan to stay in your home and can afford them, investing in custom-made curtains or shades will reward you with comfort and beauty for years to come, and can even help protect your furnishings from fading in the sunlight as well as save you money on your heating and cooling bills.

If you plan to sell your home in the near future, you can opt for ready-mades and slip them onto rods with clip-on rings that you can easily remove and take with you to your next home. Even the most thoughtfully furnished rooms don’t look quite finished without window treatments. Window treatments will enrich your rooms with a sense of comfort and style that will appeal to prospective buyers.

Energy Efficiency During The Spring And Summer

You just got through winter and those costly heating bills and now you have to worry about being energy efficient during the spring and summer? Your home is not without maintenance, there are several small things you can do to beat the heat, keep your energy bills down and your comfort levels up.

Fix Caulk Joints

Especially in places like Buffalo, the ever-changing weather contributes to swelling and shrinking, hence the potholes that our thruway department love so much. Caulked joints can dry out and crack and separate from their edges. Especially around windows and doors, cracks in your caulk can allow unwanted airflow and moisture to get into your home. This can drastically reduce the life of your windows/doors and cause a rise in your energy bills. At the very least, caulk should be replaced once a year to ensure you are protecting your home from the elements

Clean & Vent the Attic

Keeping your attic cluttered and dirty is like giving your house asthma. Homes need to breathe, it’s airflow that keeps your home cool in the summer months. Especially after the wind, rain, sleet, ice, and fun of our Buffalo winters, it’s not a bad idea to have a roofing professional come to the house and help with the spring clean up. Clean out attic and roof vents as necessary, and while he’s there, have your roofing contractor replace shingles that may have blown off in the winter, correct problems that resulted from icicles and ice damns in your gutter, and check for any problem areas that can lead to future leaks. It’s a good idea to have a roofing professional come to the house twice a year (Spring and Fall) to inspect the roof.

If you don’t have A/C and you’re not ready to make that investment, consider adding a fan to your attic. Fans help the attic to breathe and keep temperatures close to the temperatures outside. Promoting airflow in the attic will cool down your house in the summer months, and even help to prolong the life of your roof.

Use Your Window Treatments, Blinds, and Drapes

We will have a post next week about the benefits of window treatments. Besides adding visual appeal to your home, they serve as a barrier to sunlight entering your home. When leaving the home, close the blinds on the windows that will be exposed to sunlight. Note: try not to close all blinds as burglars may pick up on this.

There are several other steps that can be taken to increase the energy efficiency of your home. Things such as programmable thermostats, adding insulation, planting trees and shrubs outside to help break up the suns rays, etc. can help to decrease your monthly energy bills.

The Power Of Green

Grass Green is the most restful color; a color of self-respect, well being and balance. It also means learning, growth, and harmony. Using green in your color palate can create a calming and relaxed atmosphere. If you choose a monochromatic color scheme, you can use different shades of green, along with a neutral such as white or gray. Add an accent color such as red to bring attention to the areas you want noticed.

When we first see the color green we think LIFE. Bring live plants into your space to promote well being. Color affects everything around you including office spaces as well as the home, so choose it wisely and ENJOY!