What make artificial grass ideal for gardens in spring?

With spring just around the corner, you may be shrugging off the winter months and stepping back into your garden. While you’ve been staying warm inside, you may find that your outdoor areas require some care. Your hedges need a trim, flowerbeds are due for a weeding, and worst of all, your lawn is in a terrible state. Overgrown in some places while patchy and waterlogged with mud in others, it’s also scattered with various debris from the wintry winds, from loose leaves to broken branches.

You’d be forgiven for wanting to head straight back indoors, but with the warmer weather on the way, action needs to be taken if you want to enjoy the coming spring. If you must tackle the lawn, a wise idea is to make sure you’ll only have to do it once by choosing a new one made from artificial grass. In the following sections, we’ll explore why this synthetic option can be an excellent choice to get your garden in shipshape for spring.

Lower maintenance

One of the key advantages of an artificial lawn is that they are exceptionally easy to care for and never need cutting. All the flotsam and jetsam you find on your lawn after stormy weather can be easily brushed off, rather than painstakingly picked up before you can even get your lawn mower out. You won’t need special solutions like weedkiller or plant food to keep your grass looking great either, as synthetic solutions stay evergreen all year round. If weeds do poke up through your lawn, you can just pull them up easily or trim them back to be unobtrusive if you prefer.

Perfect for pets and little ones

Let’s face it, an English springtime won’t arrive without April showers. When your kids are playing with the family dog out in the garden, artificial grass can keep your chores indoors to a minimum as well. Perfectly safe for pets and kids alike to play on, you won’t have any muddy pools to deal with that find their way inside on feet – this means no more mopping up muddy foot and pawprints after playtime. You’ll also find your laundry pile isn’t quite so large either, as artificial grass won’t stain clothes like the natural kind.

Avoiding allergies

The UK’s grass allergy season typically begins in the spring month of May, but with a man-made lawn solution, you can appreciate a zero-pollen count in your garden. Statistics suggest that grass pollen is the greatest source of seasonal allergies and impacts around 90 percent of those who suffer from hay fever.

To sum up, artificial grass is an easy-care option that can reduce your workload both outdoors and indoors, while also ensuring you keep allergy free when enjoying your garden. Always green whatever the weather and designed to make sure your outdoor areas will stay neat and tidy, there’s no doubt that putting an artificial option in place will ensure that when spring rolls around next year, you’ll be much better prepared.

How long can carpet tiles last for?

A flexible and affordable option with many advantages, carpet tiles are used by homeowners and enterprises alike as a sought-after flooring solution. Whether you opt for wall-to-wall carpeting or more modular options like tiles, purchasing floor coverings for the rooms you use represents a significant investment.

With this in mind, it’s little wonder that many property owners are interested in exactly how long the solution they choose will endure. In the following passages, we’ll explore how long carpet tiles can be expected to last, what factors will affect this and how you can get more years of use out of your flooring choice.

Built to last but easy to replace

High-quality carpet tiles are an incredibly hardwearing option for flooring, and they have been known to last anywhere between 10 and 20 years when properly cared for. Understandably, the amount of traffic they see will also be a factor that can vary this term considerably. However, by being easy to maintain and even stain-resistant in some cases, carpet tiles can be a wise choice for areas that see considerable footfall.

Among the most beneficial features of carpet tiles is how easy they are to replace if they become damaged or discoloured. When purchasing your stock of carpet tiling, it’s always a smart move to pick up some extra tiles so that you’re well prepared for accidents. If a tile becomes too worn, or is stained beyond repair, simply swap it out with a fresh tile.

Due to their modular nature, tiles are extremely simple to store, so if you buy some extras, you’ll have no trouble tucking them away for emergencies.

Simple maintenance

As mentioned, the length of service you’ll receive from your carpet tiles can depend on how you look after them. The good news is that tiles are supremely simple to maintain, and for the most part, only require regular vacuuming, just like ordinary carpets. If a spill occurs, tiles can be easily removed for cleaning, exchanged for a new tile or moved out of site and situated beneath furniture instead.

You may be able to get even more life out of your carpet tiles if you periodically deep clean your flooring, although the manufacturer’s instructions should always be consulted first, and detergent-free products should be used for cleaning.

Avoiding excessive wear

Finally, you’ll find carpet tiles located near doorways and other entrances will likely become more worn than others. Combat this by adding entry mats or walk-off tiles in these locations to protect your carpet tiles from the worst of the dirt dragged inside on people’s shoes.

A hardwearing and adaptable option

Exceptionally simple to install, highly dependable and easy to care for, there’s no doubt that carpet tiles can provide an ideal flooring option that you can enjoy years of use from. Unlike other floor choices, such as wall-to-wall carpeting, if the worst should come to pass and irreparable damage is done, you can also benefit from being able to replace a single tile or two, rather than the whole floor, saving yourself considerable expense.

Stacey Solomon shows why dyeing carpets is a bad idea

Celebrity Stacey Solomon demonstrated why it's not a good idea to dye a worn carpet.

Solomon uploaded images to Instagram of her spraying a carpet with dye, saying:

"Thought I'd try and dye my carpets. They're so gross and beyond repair... so I thought before I buy new carpet I'd give this a go for £30."

Fans of Solomon watched as she sprayed her carpet dark grey late at night before going to bed, with a promise of an update the next morning.

The next day, she showed a picture of the completed dyeing job. Unfortunately, the colour was uneven and patchy.

If a carpet looks worn, it could simply be dirty. A deep clean using a carpet cleaning machine or hiring a professional carpet cleaner could restore its appearance.

If the carpet is clean and still looks worn, dyeing is an option. Compared to the cost of a new carpet, dyeing is cheap. However, as Solomon discovered, many carpets don't absorb dye evenly.

If a carpet looks great when it’s dyed, this is not the end of potential problems. The dye may transfer to socks and pets’ paws, which can then stain other rooms in the home. After a while, the dye often fades or the carpet looks patchy.

Homes with worn carpets in North Wales, Chester and Wrexham should replace them with quality carpets that will last a long time. If you want your rooms to look their best, don't be tempted to dye old carpets.

What is an ideal flooring solution for home gyms?

If lockdown is making getting out and about for exercise a little tricky, you may have considered hiring or buying some equipment to set up your own gym at home. Establishing a room around your house as a dedicated place to keep fit can be ideal for many reasons. Having your exercise bike ready and waiting whenever you’re in the mood can be far easier than clearing a space each time you want to do a workout, while the privacy offered by a home gym of your very own can be welcome if you don’t want an audience while getting in shape.

The floor you choose for your home gym must tick a lot of boxes. It must be able to take the pressure of both your exercise equipment and your activities, while also providing a surface that can cope with moisture when you perspire. You’ll also want your gym floor to be easy to maintain and have an attractive appearance if you’re going to encourage yourself to keep exercising.

To this end, the best option by far is a vinyl floor, and in the following sections, we’ll explore the merits of this option and why many owners of home gyms across the UK consider it a perfect choice.

Taking the strain

If you’re going to install heavier pieces of fitness equipment in your home gym, vinyl can provide staunch support. Incredibly durable, vinyl can cope with the weight of cross trainers and stationary bikes, although you should always rotate where equipment is placed to avoid excessive wear in one spot. For extra shock absorption and comfort during floor exercises, adding some underlay is also a wise idea.

High-quality vinyl flooring has been known to live well beyond its expected lifespan of 20 years, making it a sound investment for your new gym.

A wide array of styles

Exceptionally versatile, both vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are readily available in an unbeatable assortment of colours, shapes and styles, ensuring you can find a floor to suit your personal tastes with ease. Whether you’d like to recreate a traditional wooden gym floor with LVTs designed to resemble natural boards, or you want bright colours that really pop for a contemporary look, you can find an extensive array of options on offer.

Easy to clean

Vinyl is entirely waterproof, making it perfect for when you work up a sweat, unlike a hardwood option, which can suffer from warping when exposed to constant moisture over time. Extremely low maintenance, you can ensure your gym is always clean and ready for use, with only simple mopping required in between sessions for it to stay fresh.

To sum up, a vinyl floor will provide you with a stylish surface for your home gym that can handle your new fitness regime with ease. Far simpler to care for than carpet, this easily maintained option will ensure you have plenty of energy left for your exercises, making it a great choice to get your home gym up and running with.

Can you have a wooden floor with underfloor heating?

If you’ve had an underfloor heating system installed already or are planning to acquire one, you might be curious as to whether it’s compatible with the wood floor you’d like to fit. The combination of heat underfoot and the rich, warm appearance of natural wood may seem like a match made in heaven for those with an eye for interior design, but how do they match up in reality? In the next sections, we’ll discuss adding a wood floor to your home when you have an underfloor system installed already, or if are seeking to buy one soon.

A perfect fit

Welcome news to homeowners seeking a wooden floor and a heating system beneath it is that the two products are indeed an ideal match. Engineered wood floors are particularly well suited to underfloor heating systems. This type of wooden flooring is less expensive than a solid wood floor and comprises boards constructed using cheaper but robust wood, which are topped with a layer of finished hardwood.

Engineered wood provides a highly stable flooring solution. The strong layers beneath the hardwood surface can effectively contract and expand in line with the underfloor heating system’s changing temperatures, ensuring no unwanted buckling or displacement occurs.

Advantages of an engineered floor

As mentioned previously, engineered wooden boards present the same natural warmth of a solid wood floor at a fraction of the cost. However, they are also incredibly hardwearing and can offer a more luxury look and feel than laminate and vinyl, which can also impersonate real wood.

Engineered wood can be a suitable solution when you want a cohesive look for the interior design of your home, as it can be used on any level of a building. In contrast, hardwood floors are not an advisable option in basement levels of properties, as humidity levels can negatively impact them, causing damage.

Solid wood floor and underfloor heating

Don’t worry if you had your heart set on a solid wood floor for your home. If you want solid, timber-planked flooring, use a wood choice that has been kiln-dried and possesses a minimal moisture content of between six and nine percent.

Excessive moisture can be an enemy to wood flooring, as boards can become warped and change shape overtime. This can lead them to lift or be ill-fitting, ruining your floor’s appearance. While solid wood floors can be compatible with underfloor heating, the narrower the boards, the better, and installation in homes that require high levels of heat is not recommended. Always follow your wood floor supplier’s advice on acclimatising your boards prior to installation.

To sum up, you can definitely enjoy the warm appearance of a wood floor in your home combined with an underfloor heating system. However, for the best results, you might find that an engineered wooden floor can be an easier option, with more variety available than when choosing a solid timber solution. It will also cost far less, while still looking just like a real wood floor.