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Comparing the Best Options: PVC vs. Wood Siding for Your Home

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  Choosing the right siding material is crucial, as it not only impacts the aesthetic of your home but also its durability and energy efficiency. Options such as vinyl, wood, fiber cement, PVC, and metal each offer distinct advantages, allowing homeowners to select a style that fits their vision and budget. Additionally, modern advancements in siding technology provide enhanced insulation properties and lower maintenance requirements, making it a smart investment for long-term home improvement. Wood Siding    Real wood is one of the many options available to homeowners who want to go green. It is readily available and can be installed quickly. It is ecologically friendly and never has to go into a landfill. Wood is easy to paint and can be stained or painted in practically any color. Even though this is an obvious benefit of this style of siding, it is also one of its main disadvantages. To protect wood from the outdoors and insects, it must be treated. Wood...

Spring clean-up: where to start

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  After a long winter and as the weather warms up into spring, Canadians start venturing outside. With this change of seasons, you can take advantage of the longer, warmer days by beginning your outdoor spring clean-up. Getting your property cleaned up now will make a big difference in how your property looks.    Yard Clean Up  Rake Excess Leaves  On one of the first dry days, its a good idea to rake any leaves left over from Fall. We recommend using a large poly leaf rake like this one .  Check for Litter Over winter, Litter can pile up around your curb or where snow is pushed. Once the snow has melted its a good idea to take walk around and pick up any litter you see.    Gardens  Clear Garden Beds Pull out and weeds that may have started growing in your gardens and any dead leave that may have found their way into them.  Replace any Missing Aggregate Over the winter months its not uncommon for Mulch or rocks to go missing, spring i...

Best Type of Flooring for your Next Project

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    Ready to choose unique flooring types for your home? From gorgeous hardwood to affordable laminate to versatile vinyl plank and tile, there are countless options available.The right flooring should match your desired aesthetic and durability needs while keeping costs within budget.    Make a list of Option Considerations include aesthetics, price, durability, and upkeep. In addition, every room has different needs—you might want carpet for bedrooms, for instance, to muffle footsteps, or waterproof flooring for the basement.  Hardwood Flooring Best for: Entire home, except for wet environments Hardwood flooring has remained a top flooring material throughout history for many reasons. It's durable, can last several lifetimes, and is unmatched in authentic beauty. After all, it's the real thing, not a replica. Oak is the most commonly used hardwood flooring species, but other species like cherry and maple are popular options. Every h...

What is OSB?

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  Oriented strand board (OSB) is a common building material made from chipped wood. It is similar to chipboard or particle board but is made from bigger, coarser pieces of wood giving it increased strength and water resistance. OSB panels are lightweight and easy to handle and install. It is available in assorted sizes, grades and thickness and each is engineered for a specific use and performance level. In home construction, it is a common material for roof decking, wall sheathing and floor sheathing. It can also be used as a subfloor under wood or wood-look floors. This type of OSB usually has a tongue and groove edge. It should be noted that OSB is more flexible than plywood as a subfloor so should not be used under tile or stone floors that tend to be heavy. OSB will also swell at the cut edges significantly more than plywood when exposed to moisture. There are many opinions among flooring experts as to whether OSB or plywood makes a better subfloor. One of the b...

How to connect ceramic tile and wood flooring

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    Transitioning from wood flooring to tile flooring where the two floors meet, usually in doorways, is something that should be part of your flooring project planning. Key considerations when transitioning between tile and wood or other materials include: Aesthetics Location of installation Installation technique and order Floor height variations and underlayment Material thickness and thin-set application   Transition strips allow a smooth traffic flow and act as a visual break between two different flooring materials. Commonly used are manufactured transition strips that are made from PVC, metal or wood and are available in a wide variety of colors. They can hide gaps between the two floors and can bridge any change in floor height. There are also other less common ways to transition from wood to tile when there is no height difference in flooring materials. A classic look is installing a plank of wood flooring material perpendicular to the wood flooring d...