Saturday 21 May 2011

Granite Countertops for your Home

Article-Granite


Remodelling the kitchen of your home or even the bathrooms of your home with granite countertops will not only change the overall appearance of the room, but also make for a more durable surface.


This means that granite countertops are not only appealing, but also useable.


Traditionally, granite countertops last longer than manufactured countertops, and they give a home the appearance of being much nicer on the inside.


The granite chosen for the job can range in many different colours and the entire process is completely customizable.


Friday 29 April 2011

Add Decorative Style To Your Home’s Exterior

Dinesol Shutters

The exact origin of exterior window shutters is unknown, but it has been established that the ancient Greeks had louvered shutters made from marble to provide shade from window openings.

The use of shutters quickly spread across Europe and it wasn’t long before timber became the most commonly used shutter material.

Timber weather proofing shutters were simply boards of timber that could be fitted into slots or catches on a window frame, either inside or outside of a building.

The very poorest of people might alternatively use bundles of reeds or thatch to make mat-like shutters, if timber proved too expensive or was in short supply.

However, anyone wishing to make a statement about their wealth or standing in the community would have louvered timber shutters that opened and closed on hinges.

Today with the technology of windows, the need for operational shutters are not necessary, however Dinesol’s decorative shutters can add a touch of colour, class and beauty to any home’s exterior.


blog5-thumbDinesol’s Traditional Open Louvered, Colonial Raised-Panel & Board and Batten Shutters offer you the natural, deep-cut of textured wood but in a substantial durable copolymer material that’s maintenance free.

Dinesol’s 9", 12", 15" and 18" wide louvered and raised-panel shutters are UV- stabilized with colors that go completely through the shutter.

They won’t chip, rot or warp and are strong enough to withstand most weather conditions.

Available in 14 preferred colors and lengths from 31" to 80" to fit nearly every type of window, Dinesol Louvered, Raised-Panel & Board and Batten Shutters will beautify any home’s exterior.

For those who need to match a specific color they also offer a paintable shutter.

Features
  • 9", 12", 15" & 18" Widths
  • Extra Heavy-Duty
  • Extra Durable
  • Enhanced Wood Grain
  • Color Molded Throughout
  • Limited Lifetime Warranty

If you would like to know more or would like to touch, feel and see samples of Dinesol Shutters, please feel free to visit our beautiful Toronto showroom conveniently located in Scarborough or visit our Dinesol Shutters page.

The Home Improvement Centre
1200 Kennedy Road. #3 (North of Lawrence)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
M1P 2L1

Telephone (647) 351-3681
Fax (647) 351-3271

Web: www.thehomeimprovementcentre.ca

Cork, Not Just For Wine Bottles Anymore

Cork Flooring

The beauty and durability of cork floors are turning heads one luxurious plank at a time.

Not only does cork flooring look great, it is also completely biodegradable, renewable and sustainable.

No longer are people looking through countless samples of floor tile for their next flooring upgrade, instead they are being drawn to the attractiveness of cork.

So why should you choose cork flooring over traditional floor materials for your next home improvement?

As mentioned, the sustainable attribute of cork flooring represents a fundamental contribution to the preservation of the planet, since it plays an important role in reducing global warming.

It is recyclable, environmentally friendly and positively contributes to CO2 fixation.

Those are great reasons enough to switch to cork flooring, but let’s compare cork to a typical flooring material such as ceramic tiles.

Ceramic tiles are typically used in kitchens for their durable characteristics and water resistant nature. But have you ever stepped onto your kitchen floor barefoot in the middle of the night?

Ceramics tend to be a lot harder and because they don’t retain heat, can be much colder to the touch.

Also, as durable as ceramics are they can crack due to heavy or sharp impact. Imagine trying to replace a tile or two when they don’t manufacture the style of your kitchen tile anymore.

Cork on the other hand is resilient, durable and its natural properties reflect your body heat back into your feet.

So from late night snacks to crashing jars to your pets running around, your cork floors will surely stand up to whatever your life throws at it!

Let’s take a brief look at some other characteristics of cork flooring:
  • Hypo-Allergenic
    does not absorb dust
  • Impact & Step Sound Reduction
    creating a quieter home
  • Warm
    natural cork properties reflect your body heat back into your feet
  • Resilient & Durable
    high impact resistance
  • Sustainable
    manufactured from the bark of the cork oak tree
  • Easy to maintain
Below are samples of cork flooring we carry and install. More samples can be found in our Toronto Showroom.

Wicanders

Nordic Scandia

If you would like to know more or would like to touch, feel and see samples of cork flooring, please feel free to visit our beautiful Toronto showroom conveniently located in Scarborough.

The Home Improvement Centre
1200 Kennedy Road. #3 (North of Lawrence)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
M1P 2L1

Telephone (647) 351-3681
Fax (647) 351-3271

Web: www.thehomeimprovementcentre.ca

Four Ideas to Renovate Your Basement

Four Ideas to Renovate your Basement

Whether a newly finished basement is filled with game room furniture or billiard balls, it is likely to be a great space that is used and appreciated by all members of a family.

The reasons for refinishing a lower level space are different from every individual family doing the renovation.

Some people make the choice to finish their basements for more living space, while others opt for additional storage.

Consistently, however, are four end uses for refinishing this space.

These uses are a place that has a bar feature, movie theatre style viewing, workout facilities and possibly more bedrooms.

Love To Entertain
A family who enjoys entertaining would likely have a bar feature installed. This is a space that could have refrigeration, a sink, ice maker, dishwasher, entertaining glassware and selections of adult drinks.

This is generally an area that is utilized by adults or kids in their late teenage years. When hosting social functions, this type of space is ideal for providing and serving refreshments while keeping everyone located on the lower level.

A family can have the entire party located in this new space without having to go to their main kitchen area to retrieve drinks, cups and ice.

Home Box Office
Currently, movie theatre style seating and viewing is a highly desired feature in most new basement renovations. This type of viewing generally includes a really big television screen with DVD and cable functions.

Four Ideas to Renovate your Basement

Seating in this space is ample and comfy for large groups. Furniture is arranged in a way where the TV screen is the main focus. Typically there is surround sound that improves the quality of the experience of watching sports and movies.

The Home Gym
Many families choose a location in their remodelled area to store exercise equipment. This could include some sort of cardiovascular equipment, such as a treadmill or Stairmaster. There could be a TV for entertainment and to feature videos of different kinds of workouts.

Weightlifting, mats and other tools used during workout sessions are also located in spaces like this. Generally, there is a sound system of some sort to provide music for listening enjoyment too.

Hospitality at Home
Lastly, this new refinished space could include an additional guest bedroom and bathroom. Many times all of the rooms on the main floors of a house are used by the adults and their kids.

When out of town guests arrive, this new dedicated space will provide comfort and privacy during their stay. It allows guests to have a more hotel-like feeling where baths and beds are theirs to use alone.

Flooring for Your Basement

Armstrong
Luxury Vinyl Tiles


Armstrong
Luxe Plank


Daltile
Ceramic, Porcelin & Natural Stone Tiles

Laurentian Laminate

Of course these are just a few examples of how you can transform your basement to a more useable space.

If you like the above ideas or have any ideas of your own, feel free to contact us and discuss how our professional home improvement specialists can renovate your basement.

The Home Improvement Centre
1200 Kennedy Road. #3 (North of Lawrence)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
M1P 2L1

Telephone (647) 351-3681
Fax (647) 351-3271

Web: www.thehomeimprovementcentre.ca

Beauty in Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood Flooring

Beautiful floors can often make the difference between a nice home and a breathtaking one. Nothing can add to the aesthetics of your home like the natural beauty of hardwood floors.

Installing hardwood floors to your home is also an excellent way to increase the value of your home. Typically hardwood flooring in your home provides a solid return on investment (ROI) of about 70-80 percent on average.

Lets take a closer look at installing hardwood flooring in your home.

The first step in having hardwood flooring installed in your home, is to decided what rooms you would like to have them installed in. Do you want hardwood floors throughout your home or just in select rooms?

The next step in your new hardwood floors is to decide on the proper colour and type of hardwood flooring that matches your style and decor.

The Laurentian Hardwood Cafe Collection is a Canadian manufactured hardwood flooring line available in a coffee colour pallette of warm neutrals, deep mochas and medium latte options.

For a more higher end product, Laurentian also offers their Cafe Collection in "Exclusive" grade. This grade is a combination of #1 common grade (30%) and Select & Better grade (70%). Exclusive grade results in a floor with a pleasing natural appearance allowing for a limited amount of colour variation and character marks.

Installing exotic hardwood floors is a great way to dramatically increase the aesthetics and value of your home. With so many combinations, you’ll be able to find the right one to match your style!

Contact us today to have one of our professional consultants visit with you to discuss your next hardwood flooring installation.

The Home Improvement Centre
1200 Kennedy Road. #3 (North of Lawrence)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
M1P 2L1

Telephone (647) 351-3681
Fax (647) 351-3271

Web: www.thehomeimprovementcentre.ca

A Lovely, Updated Bathroom For A Lovelier Home


A Lovely, Updated Bathroom

As our homes get older, they require upkeep and maintenance. As years go by, damage and wear and tear take its toll on the most heavily trafficked areas of your house.

Usually the two rooms in the house that require beautification are the kitchen and bathroom. Rooms such as bedrooms and living rooms can be updated however; kitchens and bathrooms often require more than just a new coat of paint.

Over the years, the fixtures and appliances break down and become outdated. This is when you need a competent, creative renovation company.

In The Home Improvement Centre, remodelling is as simple as phoning one of our representatives or visiting our Toronto decor centre showroom.

Let us take a look at bathroom renovation.

Bathroom renovation can consist of new flooring, new toilet, new sink, updated bathtub or shower and paint.

Toilets have gone through almost a reinvention over the last few decades. The main goal has been to reduce the amount of water that is used for each flush. Most governments have passed laws that require all new toilets to be of the low flow variety. The other consideration is the characteristic of colour.

Back in the 1960s the popular hues were yellow, pink, green, blue, and turquoise. In the 1970s gold and avocado showed up in bathrooms as well as kitchens. These days, most fixtures are white, and that is a good thing. White goes with everything and never goes out of style!

Luckily for you, we carry the quality line of Gerber toilets which are WaterSense certified and come in vitreous china white.

Many bathrooms have ceramic tile on the floors and the walls. While tile is popular, there are other new alternatives that provide style, durability and added comfort over ceramic tiles.

Armstrong recently introduced 2 new products called Luxury Vinyl Tiles and Luxe Vinyl Planks. Both are moisture resistant, easy to apply, softer to the step and warm to the touch… for those late night barefoot visits.

Of course we do carry a large variety of floor and wall porcelain, ceramic and natural stone tile from Daltile.

Daltile is the largest ceramic tile manufacturer in the U.S. and one of the largest tile manufacturers in the world employing over 10,000 associates.

When it comes to your shower, there is nothing better than having the right amount of water flow come out at the right temperature.

With Cabano bath and shower products, you can have your dream shower or bath knowing that your components were built to last and function for a very long time.

The complete Cabano line is Made in Italy and has the quality and luxury you expect in a shower or product.

Now that you have your shower running, you need the proper shower glass door to ensure your water doesn't splash all over your brand new floor!

Fleurco bath and shower glass doors continually sets itself apart from the competition with its design and latest technology.

Fleurco specializes in the design, manufacturing and distribution of a full range of bath and shower glass doors and rely on the latest technology to offer top quality products.

Your new bathroom is almost ready to be comfortably used day in and day out again. We can throw some fresh paint on the walls and you can add some decorative rugs and bath towels to complete your little oasis.

Contact us today to have one of our professional consultants visit with you to discuss your next bathroom renovation.

The Home Improvement Centre
1200 Kennedy Road. #3 (North of Lawrence)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
M1P 2L1

Telephone (647) 351-3681
Fax (647) 351-3271

Web: www.thehomeimprovementcentre.ca