The Christmas tree is a symbol for hope, and togetherness and is a core part of the celebration and anticipation of the Christmas season. Families often look forward to picking out the right tree, and decorating in their homes during the Christmas holiday.

Whether your Christmas tree is a live pine, fir, spruce, cypress, cedar or an artificial tree, we have you covered. Here are some tips that will help prevent your floors from damages which can save you the hassle of floor repair costs during the holiday season.

Potential Issues and Damages

Sap Leakage and Stains

Sap leakage can occur from the trunk and branch of live trees. A newer cut tree will typically have more sap inside and thus be more prone to leakage.

Acidic stains can occur from fallen pine leaves also known as pine needles which can cause damage to your carpet and hardwood floors. Pine needles can also be a hazard to small children and pets.

Water leakage

Another potential issue which can be caused from over watering or not having the proper tree protection such as a Christmas tree mat. Carpet and under-pad staining is a potential risk factor.

Scratches

Improper use of or minimal floor protection with tree floor stands can cause damages to the surface of your hardwood floors.

Mild scratches can also occur from pine needles being left on your hardwood floor.

Proper Maintenance

Small children and pets should be always supervised while around a Christmas tree to prevent tipping. Barrier protection such as baby gates are a great option in ensuring the added safety of your pets and children.

Vacuuming and sweeping pine needles regularly, can prevent or reduce the risks of staining and scratches to your floors surface. 

Self adhesive felt pads should be placed on the legs of the christmas tree stands if you do not have a mat, this can prevent scratches and marks on your hardwood floors surface.

Watering your live Christmas tree frequently will prevent it from drying out which can turn your tree into a fire hazard. A Christmas tree stand is required.

Water guard Christmas tree mats are one of the the best options to protect your tree from leakage, and scratches. If you need something more decorative you can add a Christmas tree skirt, which can be found in a variety of colours. To play it even safer you can place a waterproof plastic garbage bag under the Christmas tree mat for that extra layer of water protection against your floors.  

Artificial trees might be most convenient alternative due to the minimal maintenance process involved. For those who want to lower the chances of  damages, leakage, and staining to their floors an artificial Christmas tree is recommend.

Hope you have a safe, and damage-free floor this Christmas holiday season. Merry Christmas.

The Louvre Museum is a Paris landmark and must-see for any visitor. The miles-long museum is renowned for its impressive collection of artwork including pieces like the Mona Lisa & Venus De Milo. But while enjoying the 35,000 pieces of artwork, sometimes visitors miss the most prominent piece of art: the building itself.

The Louvre Palace was first built in the 12th century. When Louis XIV choose the Palace of Versailles as his place of residence instead of the Louvre Palace, it left the Louvre as a home for the royal artwork collection.

The wood floors underfoot in the Louvre are as inspiring as the artwork on the walls. Simple oak planks are cut to size and put together to create unique patterns.

This two-tone herringbone is striking even with all the character marks.

This room featured an intricate hardwood pattern with star inlays.

A close-up on a stunning diamond pattern.

In the Napoleon III apartments exhibit, visitors can see what these patterned wood floors would look like at home – if you home also happens to be decorated in an opulent Second Empire style.

Tile floors are used throughout the Louvre as well – we love this pattern.

With 9.7 million visitors traipsing through the halls in a year, these floors are put to the test. On the stone steps, you can see how the middle of the step, where most people walk, has been worn down.

Get the look at home

To get the classic look of the Louvre at home, try Herringbone floors like these options from Kentwood, available in both natural oak and walnut.

Kentwood Couture Collection Chevron Herringbone Walnut and Oak Natural

To mimic the elegance of the natural stone and patterned tile used in the Louvre, try this combination of Carrara marble style tiles and basket-weave mosaic from C&S tile.
C&S Tile I Marmi series colour Carrara

Whether you call them white-washed, limed or “pickled”, white hardwood floors are beautiful. The growing popularity of Scandinavian design kick-started the design community’s love affair with white-washed floors.

If you’re not familiar with Scandinavian design, think white walls, light coloured wood floors and minimalist interiors. Choosing light interior finishes is a utilitarian decision for these northern countries. The long cold winters and few hours of sunlight need white walls and floors to brighten up the space. While Vancouver may not have Scandinavia’s snow and never-ending nights, a bright interior adds cheer to a long streak of Vancouver grey rainy days.

The white-washed look allows the natural beauty of the wood grain to shine through the finish. It’s softer and more natural looking compared to painted white floors. Here are a few of our favourite white-washed hardwood floors.

Newbury Locking Oak colour Arctic – $

The light-wire brushing adds a touch of texture to this classic 5″ wide oak hardwood.

Shaw Castlewood Oak colour Tower – $$
Castlewood Oak has a lightly-whitewashed surface that preserves the natural charm of white oak. Its knots, mineral streaks and natural splits add a touch of rustic character to these 7.5″ wide boards.

Vintage Hardwood Maple North Solid Sawn Etched Iceland – $$
The subtle grain pattern of the maple keeps these white floors simple. We love the low-gloss oil finish and variety of widths. (3″, 4.5″ and 5″)

Kahrs Oak Bloc White – $$$

The Oak Bloc is perfect for creating beautiful patterned wood floors. Its three sizes (12″x12″ 24″x12″ and 36″x12″) can be mixed and matched to create a unique pattern. The light wire-brushing and white oil finish add to a touch of simplicity to balance busy patterns.

Karelia Ash Story Shiny White – $$$
Go for an authentic Nordic look direct from the experts at Finnish company, Karelia Hardwood. Similar to oak, ash hardwoods have a strong grain. The shiny lacquer finish mimics the look of painted floors without losing the beautiful wood grain.

Just like white shoes or a white sofa, white hardwood floors can be tough to keep clean. Following basic hardwood maintenance rules like taking shoes off indoors, using walk-off mats and cleaning often will help to keep your floors white.

The safety of laminate flooring has come under fire in recent months with the 60 minutes story on Lumber Liquidators and Lowe’s pulling Chinese laminate over formaldehyde concerns. At a recent home builder’s trade show we were still fielding questions of how to talk about California Air Resource Board (CARB) compliance with customers. Everyone just wants to know their floors are safe for their families. Here are a few  frequently asked questions about CARB compliant flooring.

What are California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations?

The California Air Resource Board requires all composite wood products (e.g. particleboard, medium density fibreboard and hardwood plywood) for sale in California to be certified as complying with California’s formaldehyde emission standards. For flooring manufacturers, this means their laminate and engineered hardwood flooring has to be manufactured with certified composite wood products. Composite wood producers are required to have their products tested by a third-party certifier. Flooring manufacturers must label their laminate and engineered hardwood flooring boxes to indicate they were made using CARB compliant composite wood products. CARB regulations only apply in California. In Canada, there are no similar rules to regulate formaldehyde emissions from wood products.

What flooring does CARB regulations apply to?

CARB regulations apply to laminate and engineered hardwood since these products are made with composite wood products. They do NOT apply to solid hardwood and vinyl flooring.

What is formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is a colourless, strong-smelling chemical often used to make home building products. In everyday life, we are exposed to formaldehyde through tobacco smoke, cars, fires and even some glues and cleaning products.

How can I tell if my flooring is CARB compliant?

The CARB indoor air-quality standards were implemented in two parts. The second phase implemented in 2012 lowered the formaldehyde limit to a more stringent 0.05 parts per million. We recommend checking that laminate and engineered hardwood meet this second phase of CARB standards, known as CARB 2.

In the wake of the alleged issues with Lumber Liquidators laminate, flooring manufacturers are being more transparent about their supply chains and CARB certifications. The recent news has taught the flooring marketplace the value of asking more questions. Does the flooring manufacturer produce their own products or buy from others? If they buy from other suppliers, what do they do to ensure the products meet air-quality standards? Do they sell CARB compliant products to all customers or just those in California? Do they do additional testing? Do they go above and beyond CARB compliance by submitting their products for additional certification from independent third-parties?

Two flooring manufacturers that are exceeding expectations in their commitment to safe, sustainable products are Shaw Floors and Armstrong. Read the Shaw Floors laminate and hardwood certifications statement and the Armstrong’s eco-friendly laminate page for more information.

Last week we visited the Shaw Floors Market Show here in Vancouver. As one of the world’s largest flooring manufacturers, Shaw Floors stays on top of the latest flooring trends. The market is an opportunity for us to peruse new samples and discover the next big things in flooring for 2015.

Waterproof Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Floorté

This innovative new product from Shaw has the potential to change the luxury vinyl plank marketplace. Why is the vinyl plank so revolutionary?

• It’s completely waterproof. Floorté is made from an EVP polymer plastic that can withstand being submerged in water. Most vinyl plank flooring on the market is just water-resistant.
• A new locking system similar to a Tupperware lid. Thanks to the locking system, it’s easy to install and keeps water out of the joints for up to 48 hours.
• Unmatched realism. Since Floorté is more rigid than glue-down LVP, it feels more like hardwood underfoot. The bevelled edges add to the realism.
• No underpad is needed for Floorté.
• Wear layer features durable Armourbead nano-ceramic particle finish.

Shaw Floors Floorté Classico LVP colour Colori

Grey tones taking over

Grey is the trendy neutral colour in interior design right now. Flooring colour palettes are changing to keep up with the trends. Colours with names like sand, honey and coffee are being replaced with new colours names like fog, silver and concrete. Expect to see even more grey options available in carpet, laminate and hardwood. Here’s a few of our favourite grey options from the show:

Castlewood Oak Hardwood
The Castlewood Oak collection exudes old world charm. The natural beauty of the wood shines through with knots, mineral streaks and natural splits. Four rich grey-toned options give the grey-lover plenty of options to choose from.

Shaw Castlewood Oak Hardwood colour Armory

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Hearth

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Drawbridge

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Tower

Truly Relaxed Carpet
This luxurious nylon loop carpet is the redesigned sibling to one of our best-selling carpets. With many grey options to choose from, you can find the perfect shade to compliment your decor.

Shaw Truly Relaxed loop carpet