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Spring Projects: Embracing the Blooming Season

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With the soon-arrival of the blooming season, homeowners may find themselves busier than ever. In fact, homeowners may even be participating in springtime’s associated activity “spring cleaning.” The activity derives from the fact that our homes will need a little more TLC since we are transitioning from colder, drearier months. During winter, we put these necessary home projects on the backburner until the weather begins to warm. Therefore, the opportunity to tackle these must-needed home projects is almost here. And to help you prepare for the day, we have created a list of five spring projects that you may want to start this season. Let’s take a look!

An Effortless Landscape

When you take a step inside, does your house feel underwhelming? If so, you may be in need of some new floors. In fact, flooring can set the stage for your design. So this spring, take some tips from the light and airy season by renovating your floors with this year’s hottest trends, including light-colored floors. From hand-scraped to wire-brushed trends to marble looks, the design possibilities are endless in 2020. Plus, with innovations in the industry, you do not have to settle for only one type of flooring in your home.

A Fresh Look

Every year, the global color authorities, Pantone Color, determine a “Color of the Year.” This year, Pantone Color chose “Classic Blue,” and its definition is not far from its name. This color is described as “calm, confident, and connective.” It provides a peaceful slate for our designs while captivating us through its thought-provoking properties. In fact, Classic Blue is the perfect paint color choice for any room that needs a relaxing yet timeless tone. You can incorporate this effortless color into your room’s landscape this spring for a refreshing twist on your interior design.

A Delightful Addition

Since spring embraces new plant life, we think that there is no better way to highlight your countertops than through the use of plants and flowers. In fact, plants can help provide greenery and life to a space while adding to the overall aesthetic. However, if you notice that your countertops are not as pristine as they once were, you have two options. One option is that you can have your countertops replaced. The renewing season of spring is the perfect time to refresh your design, especially when it comes to countertops. If you are looking to refresh your countertop design this spring, currently homeowners love the natural, one-of-a-kind beauty of marble and quartz countertops. Marble countertops feature an authentic, beautiful veining that is unmatched by any other countertop. However, if you are looking for a more durable & low maintenance countertop, quartz is a great option, you can opt for beautiful quartz countertops. Quartz is composed of natural crystals, which makes it an insanely gorgeous countertop option. Plus, quartz countertops are perfect for homeowners who love to cook because they are scratch-, stain-, and heat-resistant.

A Sweet Escape

With the weather warming, there is no time like the present to upgrade your backyard. In fact, we like to capitalize on this sweet oasis during warm nights by utilizing our space. If you have not created an outdoor oasis yet, you can simply add items that make you happy. For instance, you can incorporate some comfortable seating for entertaining, build your own firepit for warmth, hang decorative stringed lighting for creativity, or make a beautiful paver pathway to and from your house. The options for your outdoor retreat are truly endless – just remember to add items that will have you coming back for more.

A Warm Welcome

Nothing says “welcome home” quite like awesome curb appeal. Plus, spring is the perfect time of year to spruce up your front yard. For instance, you can replace your house numbers, repaint your front door and shutters, add potted plants to your porch, incorporate a new welcome mat, and swap out your mailbox. Much like our backyard projects, our front yard projects are all about your personal preferences. Start with whatever you currently dislike about your curb appeal and work from there.

With these simple spring projects, you can create an inspiring, noteworthy design that is ready to take on the new year. We hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!

What to Expect for Your Flooring Install

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New flooring is an exciting process to revitalize your home’s design as well as tailor your space to your needs. The process from start to finish can take some time, and it can be a very exciting but difficult waiting process. So when you first go to see a flooring distributor, like ICC Home, there are several steps involved. To help you better understand the process, here is everything you need to know about the flooring process from start to finish:

The Measure

When you first decide that it is time to replace your old flooring, you will need to have a professional come out and measure your space. Every home and layout can come with its own set of challenges that need troubleshooting and analyzing. For instance, carpet may need to be discussed and figured where the seam will work best in a given situation, which can account for heavy traffic areas, entryways, doors, and even your furniture layout. Other flooring types like hardwood may need to be looked at to see your subfloor, whereas, for LVP or tile, you may need to see how transitions will accommodate the new flooring’s height. In conclusion, this process can have many variables that need to be analyzed to get the most accurate quote for the job. To receive a quote or estimate, visit us here.

Choosing and Ordering Your Flooring

Once your home is measured and you know which flooring can work for your home, you now have the privilege of selecting your new floors. Remnants and in-stock flooring will have the quickest install times. However, ordering the color choice from a manufacturer can increase the wait time. When an order is placed, it can take several business days for your flooring to arrive and be ready to install.

Selecting an Install Date

This step is when you have to opportunity to select an install date. The right installer and team will be chosen for your job to guarantee the best work for your time and flooring needs. Picking a date can be relatively quick once your flooring arrives, depending on your schedule.

The Installation Process

The installation process can take serval hours or multiple days, depending on how much flooring you are doing in your home and what flooring option you chose. Every room will need to be empty of furniture and prepped for a new installation. In certain instances, some flooring can allow furniture to remain in the room and be moved around during the installation process. Different flooring may call for underlayment, seams, old flooring demo, and much more.

The flooring process can take several days from start to finish, but it is very exciting. Whether you choose hardwood, carpet, LVP, tile, or sheet vinyl, each flooring can come with its own set of needs. Remember, having a new floor installed right will ensure longevity for years to come!

Remodeling for Beginners: After the Project | Part 2

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Tips for Cleaning & Maintaining Your New Floors 

Flooring can completely transform a room in more ways than one. Not only does flooring help offer a beautiful aesthetic upgrade, but newer flooring comes with significant upgrades. In fact, many flooring options have featured a substantial amount of updates over the last decade. For instance, flooring today can offer better stain-resistance, more durability, and better longevity. So now that you have gotten your new floors, you need to make sure you help prolong its lifespan with the correct maintenance and cleaning. If you just got new flooring, here is what you need to do:

Prevention

Your best plan of attack is to prevent the mess. Whether carpet, hardwood, LVP, or tile, dirt can be your floors enemy. Consider making your new floor a shoe-free zone and facilitating a welcome mat. Preventing dirt from getting on your floors is your first step to help prolong the life of your floors. Additionally, you will find that carpet and hardwood are vulnerable to liquids. You may want to stop eating or drinking in rooms where you put this flooring or be extra careful with spills and accidents.

Cleaning

Each flooring system can be cleaned a little differently. Dirt can compact deep down into carpet fibers and begin to initiate wearing. So make sure to vacuum your floor consistently and steam clean new carpet once a year. Hardwood floors are durable, but water can wreak havoc on them. So avoid liquids from coming into contact with them and use a broom to remove dust and debris regularly. If your hardwood floors do begin to show traffic wear over the years, remember you can always sand and refinish them. LVP is pretty easy to keep clean. Typically, a broom or wet-mop is enough to maintain this flooring’s cleanliness. Tile can be cleaned by a quick sweep. For more caked-on dirt, you can use a mop with a vinegar and water solution. Grout lines can be cleaned with a grout brush or toothbrush and a baking soda paste.

Maintainance

Lastly, keep up with your flooring’s maintenance. This step will include projects like sanding your hardwood or steam cleaning your carpet once a year. Manufacturer-recommended products will always give your floor the best longevity. For more insight on your floorings annual maintenance, make sure to check with your sales representative or check your flooring manufacturer’s website.

Do you have any post-renovation questions? We would love to answer any and all of your questions below in the comment section. Thanks for reading!

Remodeling for Beginners: After the Project

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How to Move Furniture Back into the Room 

As we have learned in our previous ‘remodeling for beginners‘ blog series, remodeling your home can change the entire feel or function of a room. From remodeled kitchens and bathrooms to even renovated bedrooms and living rooms, every project comes with a new set of dilemmas. For instance, furniture that worked in your old design may not be functional with the new layout. In fact, a new design can also mean new room themes.

During these extensive renovations, all your previous furniture is removed from the room. However, whether new or old, the furniture will need to come back into the room. Have no fear; while this may seem like a daunting task, with a little preparation and planning, this can be done safely and quickly. Here is everything you need to know:

Start with The Big Furniture

Every room can come with its own set of challenges, from doorways to hallways and everything in between. Know your limits. Most moving projects will almost always require a team of two. If you are moving a bed, start with the frame. Build your bed completely before bringing in the box spring or mattress. Remember, disassembly is your friend. Sectionals can also be a real hassle. Many sectionals can be taken apart; however, they cannot fit through doorways by being carried at 0 or 90 degrees. Chairs or sectionals may need to be carried into the room at a 45-degree angle to fit through doorways. You may also need to remove legs or feet. If you must take anything apart, make sure you put all hardware in screws in a safe spot. Extremely large, bulky, and heavy items like billiard tables and pianos are very meticulous. They need to be moved exceptionally carefully, balanced or turned, and should not be tackled without experience. These items may take several men or women to move and may need to be adjusted after they are moved.

Move to the Smaller Items

Smaller items or furniture can be handled by one individual. This category may include chairs or nightstands. Always be safe and pick up with your legs, not letting your back round. It is safest to carry items close to your body as well. Once the big pieces are in place, you can fill the room with the rest of the smaller furniture. Begin with items that will reside furthest from the entry point. You do not want to bring in furniture and begin to create a puzzle around yourself and lose access to the entryway. Lastly, your final items will be your décor and wall-mounted items. These may require tasteful and careful placement in your home but should not be over encumbering.

Be smart and know your limits. You may need to remove doors to bring furniture into the room. When you remove a door, place the door’s pins back in the hinges on the frame to keep track of them. Also, make sure to check out the rest of the series to understand how to manage other challenges that may come after remodeling.

Shop from the Comfort of Your Home

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Currently, many homeowners find themselves quarantined and working from the comfort of their own home. While this transition can at first be difficult, we want to reassure our customers that we offer a variety of tools for your convenience. In fact, many of our website features allow you to shop and browse online galleries right from your living room couch. Today, we are going to take a look at several website tools that ICC Home offers to help make life a little easier. Let’s take a look!

Online Showroom

Our online product catalog allows you to browse a variety of high-quality flooring brands right from the comfort of your house. From hardwood and carpet to tile and luxury vinyl, we have all of the hottest styles and trends right at your fingertips.

Shop at Home

Are you looking for a little more personalization and assistance? If so, our shop at home brings the showroom to your living room. We bring the best samples right to your home. Simply fill out our form to set up an appointment that fits your schedule.

Order Samples

While browsing our online showroom, did you find a product that you may want to try in your house? Fortunately, you do not have to make a commitment without seeing how it would look in your lighting and layout. On ICC Home’s website, you can conveniently order samples of your favorite products.

Square Footage Calculator

If you need to determine the square footage of your room, no worries! Our website provides a quick and easy tool for determining the (approximate) square footage of a room.

Virtual Room Designer

Are you looking for inspiration and want to see what products will look like in your space? If so, look no further than our virtual room designer tool. From upload your room to our room gallery, we provide a variety of design resources for your next project.

Free Estimates

While you are spending your days working from home, one of our experts can come out and provide a free estimate for your project. Simply fill out our form to get started!

With all of our website tools and resources, you can shop from the comfort of your home. That being said, if you have any questions about products, tools, or anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at ICC Home.

Remodeling for Beginners: During the Project

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Last month, we focused on remodeling for beginners, and we discussed how to start your project. This month, we wanted to focus on what to do during your remodeling project. Let’s get started!

Prepare Your Space

Before any home renovation or remodeling project, it is imperative to prep the space for your workers. However, the amount of work you do entirely depends on the type of project. If you are just having your floors redone, you will need to remove everything off of the floors. But if you are doing an entire kitchen renovation, you will need to take everything out of the room, much like you would do when you move houses.

Also, remember to be courteous of your workers’ time and schedules by preparing the room one or two days before their arrival. If there are large appliances that you physically cannot move on your own, mention the items to your workers and see if they can assist you. Otherwise, items in drawers and cabinets should be fully boxed up before their arrival to ensure a quick and easy transition.

Be Flexible

While it is important to have a timeline in mind, it is also essential to be flexible. Unfortunately, manufacturer delays and unforeseen circumstances can disrupt timelines; therefore, try to roll with the punches.

Create a Secondary Kitchen & Bath

If you are having your kitchen or bathroom remodeled, it is crucial to create some sort of “backup” room. For instance, when your kitchen is out of commission for several weeks, you should capitalize on another spacious area of your home to hold your backup kitchen. For example, you may have room in the corner of your living room for a small table. This table can house your microwave, toaster, and convection oven during the remodel. Plus, having this area will allow you to still eat meals at home during the renovation.

Communicate Kindly & Effectively

Whenever possible, try to be a nice boss by communicating your thoughts, ideas, and feelings kindly and effectively. If you are frustrated by any hold-ups, kindly let your contractor know your concerns. You do not want to build any unneeded tension between you and your workers because remodeling should be a fun experience.

Set Aside Extra Money

Lastly, when budgeting for your project, it is important to set aside a little extra money. This money will help be a cushion in case any unforeseen circumstances or additional costs arise. Plus, if you do not end up needing/using it, you have extra money saved for a rainy day.

We hope that you found these five ideas helpful, and be sure to check back weekly for more expert advice. Thanks for reading!