Specialty Product Ideas for Your Home

For Homes Where The Unusual Resides, These Products Hold A Special Allure

Some homeowners love to push the envelope, and their home shows it.

These are residences that house atypical and innovative ideas, where design elements are on the leading edge, and building materials are anything but mainstream.

If to some degree, this describes you and your home, and you’ve been through all the flooring sections and still haven’t found the right product for you, maybe something more specialized is required.

That’s why we created this section.

Within it, you’ll discover different and distinct products that are in a class by themselves.

All are durable floors, that means, as the name implies, they have some “give” or elasticity when you walk across them.

All are beautiful, stylish, and can create a special feeling and atmosphere in your home.

Maybe one of these products will be right for you.

Linoleum: Know That it’s An Entire New Floor

A Hotel Room with Linoleum Flooring Installation

Today’s linoleum is a far cry from the floor you crawled around on in your mother’s kitchen.

It’s enjoying resurging popularity as a flooring choice because it is made of natural ingredients including linseed oil, cork, limestone, wood flour, and tree resins.

A benefit to you is that the color in linoleum goes all the way through, making it extremely wearable and durable.

Another reason for linoleum’s resurgence is that, while it usually comes in sheets, it can be hand-cut for complicated patterning and one-of-a-kind artistry.

Thus it’s very customizable, giving you broad freedom to express yourself.

Linoleum is a quiet, warm surface that cushions your feet and needs minimal maintenance, although it may scuff or mark if not kept well-polished.

Its chief nemesis is dirt, grit, or sand that can be ground into the surface. Utilize walk-off mats or rugs whenever possible. And sweep clean.

Linoleum can be swiped with water but should not be left wet.

Cork: For Those Who Would Like To Uncork Something Special

Beautiful and unique, warm, and attractive, cork flooring commands attention, discussion, and a typical question: what kind of floor is that?

Cork is the bark of a tree commonly known as Cork Oak. Predominantly found in Spain and Portugal, Cork Oak is native to the Mediterranean region.

The bark naturally splits every 9 to 15 years and can be safely harvested, causing no harm to the tree. That’s excellent news for the environment.

The bark re-grows and the cycle continues for years and years. Some cork oak trees have been known to live up to five hundred years.

Cork flooring can be a viable option for any room in your home.

It is a natural product, so whether finished in color or left natural, it will show variations in characteristics, tones, and shades from tile to tile.

Cork flooring is installed like a hardwood floor in that, once installed, a urethane coating is applied.

However, the cork floor is much warmer than wood, as well as being durable and forgiving.

You should know that cork flooring is warm to walk on and extremely quiet with natural sound absorbing qualities. It’s also naturally hypoallergenic and naturally resistant to mold and mildew.

Maintaining a cork floor depends on the type of finish, but it is usually treated like wood, which means sweeping or vacuuming regularly to keep it grit-free.

Wipe up spills promptly, and only use cleaners that are recommended by the flooring manufacturer.

Cork flooring can be wiped with a barely damp cloth and towel-dried.

Never wet mop.

Waxed cork needs occasional re-waxing and buffing to preserve its beauty.