Category: Product Notes

Who says functional, utility spaces must look like the inside of the garage? We all need a front entrance that can handle the kids and the dog on a rainy day or where we can unload groceries and smelly sport bags. But it doesn’t have to look utilitarian and permanently piled with clutter. Today, there are storage options and finishes that can meet the challenge of the family front entrance and still maintain a sense of style.

First rule: select a floor that stands up to dirt, water, snow or whatever the dog drags in and still looks and feels great. Consider luxury vinyl tile, it delivers the look you want but it will stand up to whatever your entrance demands.

The second rule is build in lots of easy access storage. Install shelves, cubbies, coat hooks, storage benches and cabinets and assign everyone their own drop off point to help keep it organized.

Finally, make sure you add colour with paint or decorative accessories it will give the entrance a personality, making the space a pleasure to enter. Interior by Crisp Architects.

The innovations in commercial and industrial flooring have given contractors and designers so much more choice and freedom to create unique spaces. However, unless you know exactly what you want, how much a floor truly costs and the overall impact it will have on your facility, all the choice and style in the world is not going to benefit you. Take the time to explore your needs before you explore your flooring options.

The Importance of Prioritizing

The first question you should ask yourself is: “What do I need in a floor?” Aesthetics—the hue, look and feel of a floor—is usually a person’s predominant priority, but there are other important features to consider. While a new style may be trendy now, will it still be popular in five years? Picking a classic looking floor that complements any decor will allow you to redecorate to remain on-trend instead of switching out an outdated floor in a couple of years. Durability and environmental impact should be high on your list of priorities, as well as ease of maintenance and installation.

A TORLYS floor addresses many of your priorities because they have an EDGE: Ease, Design, Great Value and Environment. TORLYS offers beautiful, intelligent and durable floors that are environmental to their core. The LEED® Green Building Rating System is a certification tool for new construction and renovation. A TORLYS smart floor can directly increase credits achieved in a LEED designed building.

The Real Cost

The initial price of a floor isn’t its total cost. There’s installation, underlay as well as the cost of upkeep. Consider the lifetime expense of the type of flooring you’re looking at before you make a decision:

• Is it durable? It looks good today, but what about tomorrow?
• Is it easy to maintain?
• Will it require frequent waxing or refinishing?
• If an area gets damaged or stained, do you have to replace the entire floor?

All TORLYS floors are designed to be durable. From their core to their finish, they are built to stay beautiful. All have exceptionally hardwearing surfaces and are easy to clean and maintain. If there’s an accident and part of the floor gets damaged, TORLYS Bulldog™ Easy Plank Replacer allows you to switch out individual planks instead of replacing your entire floor.

Total Impact

The type of flooring you choose should depend on where it’s being installed. Think about your space. Where are the high-traffic areas? Is there a higher chance of your floor getting wet in a certain area? What about noise—will footsteps echo down a hallway and disrupt the entire building? Today’s innovative flooring allows you to mix and match styles and consider new, unique options.

TORLYS offers more than hardwood and laminate. Cork and leather floors can create a look no one else has and perform like you wouldn’t believe. TORLYS latest innovation EverWood and EverTile are elegant, contemporary and remarkably long-lasting. They will accommodate the high-traffic needs of the busiest facility. Plus, the cork underlay of a TORLYS EverWood floor meets many industry sound standards, allowing you to get the look of hardwood without the noise.

If TORLYS was not on your list of flooring companies, it should be. When it comes to durability and environmental priorities, total cost of ownership and overall impact, a TORLYS floor will check off all your boxes. Learn more with our Four Musts for Flooring Your Establishment.

If you’re like most business owners, you want your establishment to impress your guests to keep them coming back. Nowadays, aesthetics are important to guests, especially savvy millennials. Everything from paint colour to decor to lighting to art on the walls helps you create the atmosphere and look you’re going for because as everyone knows, little touches make a big difference.

But what about the floors? They cover a large area of your establishment. Choosing the right colour can help make your space look bigger or cosier, more modern or traditional. Choosing the right surface can help your floors resist any wear and tear resulting from high-traffic or the moving of furniture.

The point is, choosing the right floors for your establishment is a big decision, and we’re here to help you make the right one. Here are four things to consider when choosing the floors for your establishment:

Beauty

When guests visit your establishment, they want a little bit of luxury—nice linens, amazing drinks, impeccable food and trendy décor. After all, it’s their getaway or night out. Deciding on a floor is just as important as selecting a picture. The right floor can make your establishment look stunning, stylish and in some cases, more spacious.

Today, hotels, restaurants and bars are featuring more hardwood because of its impressive good looks. While hardwood is beautiful, it does have some downfalls (e.g., it can scratch and dent easily). However, TORLYS EverWood and EverTile takes hard surface flooring to a whole new level. Available in a variety of the latest colors and styles, this hybrid floor is gorgeous and then some.

Durability

The amount of traffic a hotel, bar or restaurant sees—and we hope your establishment sees a lot—can cause substandard floors to crumble under the pressure. Dropped plates and glasses, wheels from luggage, high heel shoes and daily wear and tear caused by constant foot traffic can leave a floor scratched, stained, dented and dull. Even if your floor can stand up to your patrons, humidity from a kitchen or pool can cause certain floors to cup or warp.

Hard surface flooring typically last longer than soft surface flooring. You also want to select a floor with a strong core that will stand up to dents and a finish that is scratch resistant. TORLYS EverWood flooring has both and is repairable plank-by-plank thanks to TORLYS’ unique patented Bulldog™ Easy Plank Replacer. Plus, it’s waterproof and incredibly quiet.

Cleanliness

Guests can be messy. Waiters can drop drinks. Chefs can spill dishes too. Your floor needs to be durable and easy-to-clean to prevent health hazards. Again, hard flooring is the best choice. Simply swipe-mop a TORLYS EverWood or EverTile floor and it’s clean. TORLYS floors also feature Uniclic joints that eliminate dirty grout lines as well.

Floors that are easier to clean have less dirt and grime, which means less mold and mildew growth. Guests with allergies will be more comfortable, the air will be cleaner, and “musty” carpet smells will no longer be a problem. All TORLYS floors are anti-microbial.

Affordability

Solid hardwood flooring can be expensive, but who says you need SOLID hardwood flooring to achieve a trendy and stylish look? EverWood flooring looks just like solid hardwood, but outperforms it. And it costs less. Plus, all TORLYS floors feature Uniclic joints that allow you to replace one plank at a time. If only a few planks are damaged, then that’s all you need to replace—not the entire floor.

Whether you’re remodelling a space or creating a brand new one, don’t forget about the flooring. They make a major impact on your establishment’s design and atmosphere while affecting your expenses. That’s why we recommend luxury vinyl flooring.

The right floors for your establishment will impress your guests and create a welcoming space for your employees. When looking for the perfect floors, look for something that look good, will hold up against daily wear and tear, is easy to clean and is within budget.

Luxury vinyl floors, like TORLYS EverWood and EverTile are the perfect combination of beauty, durability, cleanliness and affordability for your establishment. Take a look at how other businesses have incorporated our floors in their establishments, and explore our flooring options to find the right design for you.

Choosing the right floor for your home is no easy decision, but it’s an important one to get right.

When you’re choosing your flooring there are multiple elements to consider so that you look at realistic options, stay on budget, and finish your project on time.

Here are seven key tips to make sure that you don’t make silly mistakes during this decision-making process:

1. Consider the Room

As expert contractor, Tom Silva reminds us, during any reno you need to consider the varying needs of each room in the house. That means you’re probably going to pick a completely different floor for a bathroom versus a living room.  Here are some room-specific tips to keep in mind:

• Living rooms: These rooms are often central open spaces that take a lot of foot traffic. Go for a floor that is highly scratch resistant, and can handle the weight of heavy furniture.

• Bathrooms: These rooms get wet. A lot. Go for a floor that is mould and mildew resistant. You may also want a more textured floor if you’re looking for slip resistance and something warm on your bare feet.

• Bedrooms: If your bedrooms are upstairs, chances are you’ll a want a floor with a soundproofing layer. This way you won’t hear trampling feet above you when you’re downstairs.

• Kitchens: These rooms get a lot of foot (and food) traffic, so go for a floor that is low maintenance and won’t showcase a bit of dirt.

2. Consider Your Lifestyle and Life Stage

This is one of the most important elements to consider: how are you primarily using the space? Do you have kids, pets, lots of people over on weekends?

Getting a great looking floor doesn’t mean much if it becomes a constant chore to upkeep because it doesn’t suit your lifestyle. Be honest about where you’re at in life and choose a realistic option.

That being said, if you’re remodelling or buying a home, it’s smart to think long-term. Are you considering a family? This will make a big impact on your purchasing decision.

3. Honour Your Budget (and Timing)

What’s your price point? Are you looking to do multiple rooms or just one? Get quotes early on based on the square footage of the room. This way, you can map out how much to allocate for the room or multiple rooms, and you won’t run the risk of going way over budget during your renovation.

Timing is also a super important factor to consider. For example, if you’re doing the floor installation yourself, you’ll want to order all the materials well in advance. A special order may take several weeks to arrive.

Pro Tip: If you have leftover flooring after your installation, store it in a safe, dry place. Replacing one plank from your existing stock is much easier and cheaper than sourcing and buying another shipment of your flooring.

4. Think about Future Upgrades

Is this floor remodelling part of a long-term upgrade in your home? If so, it’s worth picking out styles in advance and choosing the best floor that matches those styles. This way your new floor will match your upgrades, not your current, soon-to-be-changed furniture. It may sound obvious, but this key point can often get overlooked.

5. Know your Style

What kind of style inspires you? How would you define your style? When you’re choosing your floor, you want to make sure that it meshes with the vibe of your home. Unless you’re doing a complete remodelling, you’ll want to make sure that it complements your current furniture and uses for the space.

Flooring stores will let you take samples home for a couple days. Definitely take advantage of that. Here’s why: your home’s lighting is much different than that of a retailer’s. You want to make sure that the flooring you pick looks as good in your home as it does in the store.

Pro Tip: Examine the floor samples in your home at different times of the day. You’ll notice how different they look in the day versus the evening. You want to love your floor at all times of the day.

6. Invest in Longevity

Can you easily replace flooring planks or tiles? What’s the warranty? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask as a savvy floor purchaser. There’s no real right or wrong answer to these questions, but you need to think about how long you plan on being in your home and how much the space gets used.

7. Make Your Flooring Count by Planning in Advance

It’s worth the time and energy to plan in advance before buying a floor. This way, you make an informed purchase that you’ll be much happier within the long-term.

How did your last floor renovation go? Looking for more advice on how to choose the right floor for you? The TORLYS Team loves to help. Contact us on Twitter or Facebook to get in touch.