Choosing the right floor to beautify your space

Homeowners are eliminating carpet in at least part of their homes in record numbers. Hard surfaces such as wood and tile have become extremely popular for their good looks as well as their practicality, many of them being made for a lifetime of use. Carpeting is probably the most budget-friendly of floor coverings, but many find that it’s just not a practical surface, especially in high-traffic areas such as dining, living and family rooms and works out to be more expensive in the long run.

Many of us know the situation well. Something spills on our carpet or we find phantom spots, which someone has left behind. Additionally, everyday soiling from our feet starts to grind into the carpet and we can never quite get these out. Carpet cleaning is good but never great and even with diligent care, carpets begin to break down after a number of years. Dust from carpet fibers and the deteriorating pads below them (they can dry-rot and turn powdery with age) can greatly contribute to allergies and irritate asthma sufferers.

But with wood and stone, the surfaces must be kept thoroughly clean to avoid these irritants. Shirley Pai Hilton of Kahala Pacific Floors recommends Bona Kemi products to keep wood and other hard surfaces clean with minimum work.

“Often, the most important things to address (are) sand and other small granules which can do the most damage to your floors in the long run. A roving vacuum is ideal for this as well as normal dust and pet hair. Then all you have to do is do some light wiping with the Bona microfiber mop,” said Hilton.

And Hilton also has heard the comment from customers that their home feels a lot cooler with the hard surface. One customer felt that the carpet seemed to retain the heat while the wood flooring did not.

But Hilton is not ruling out carpet altogether.

“We have wood and stone throughout our home, but we wanted the coziness in our bedrooms and opted for a deeper tone, textured carpet so as to camouflage some of the inevitable soiling, especially when you have small children,” said Hilton.

Suffice to say that the consumer has a lot of choices and everyone has different preferences. Hilton invites you to visit Kahala Pacific Floors’ beautiful 3,000-square-foot showroom in Kalihi, where you can view its extensive selection of wood, stone, tile, vinyl, laminate and carpet. Also, if you would like to learn more, get a basic education by attending the company’s Wood and Stone Flooring 101 seminar, held monthly. The 90-minute session has been attended by thousands of Hawaii consumers who always exclaim how much they enjoyed it and how much they learned.

The next session will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at the showroom located at 926 Kohou St. Call 847-7711 to reserve a seat.

KAHALA PACIFIC FLOORS
contact // 847-7711
address // 926 Kohou St.
web // kahalapacificfloors.com