by Arimar | Aug 8, 2017 | Arimar International, Blogs, Floor Art Collection
3 Tips To Protect Hardwood Floors This Summer
St. Tropez Rustic European Oak
Hardwood flooring is one of the most practical and popular forms of home improvements today that offer the luxury of choice. They not only add style but also adds great aesthetic appeal and provides an air of class and elegance. However, proper care and maintenance is needed especially during seasonal changes for preserving the beauty of your wooden floors. Even the most carefully installed wood floors tend to expand and sometimes cup or even buckle due to high moisture content and high relative humidity in the air. Here, we give you some tips to maintain hard wood flooring.
Tip 1: Protect flooring from sunlight
Due to the natural qualities of the wood, sunlight can quickly damage or discolor this type of flooring. If your current windows are not equipped with the proper coverage, it may be wise to get new drapes or shades installed. Rule of thumb is to protect your floors from the sun when applicable, so close your curtains and blinds before you head out for the day to avoid unnecessary exposure.
Tip 2: Control indoor humidity levels
During the summer months, hardwood flooring can move as changes in humidity occur. If your floor planks are swelling over the summer a small amount, don’t be alarmed. If you have major shifting or floor swelling occurring, call a professional to see if it’s a bigger problem. You can control the humidity levels by maintaining air conditioning systems, watching for spills and leaks and installing a dehumidifier.
Tip3: Ensure proper floor maintenance
The summer brings about the time when people are most enjoying the great outdoors, and more likely to trek in dirt, mud, outdoor allergens, and other contaminants back inside more often than during any other season. It’s a good idea to place floor mats by all entrances. You may also want to kindly ask family and visitors to kindly wipe their shoes before stepping on your beautiful hardwood floors. If spills occur or dirt makes its way in, vacuum right away. Vacuuming is preferable to sweeping because it allows the dirt and dust to be pulled from between the boards.
We at Arimarwood are dedicated to hardwood floor care. Contact us today.
by Arimar | Aug 1, 2017 | Arimar International, Blogs, Floor Art Collection
Design Inspiration: Bold Interiors
Why play it safe with uninspired design, when out-of-the-box styles, like these, make such a big impact? As popular as neutrals are, they’re not entirely exciting. Decorating wisdom recommends keeping major investment pieces like sofas and cabinetry neutral, but sometimes the unexpected can be just what your client is looking for. You can play with patterns and mix-and-match colors and fabrics in the bedroom, infuse color in expected spaces like the kitchen cabinets, make space for quirky pieces of furniture that inject personality into an otherwise muted living room. The point is, there are many ways to bring in bold design into décor, and it doesn’t always have to be bright colors or richly patterned designs. Here are five bold original interiors for inspiration.
Albatron Rustic French White Oak
Combining different shades and hues of a single color is a popular design move in monochromatic schemes, but it becomes bold and original when you layer in dark, stately pieces of furniture and add unexpected design elements like a zebra-striped rug like these homeowners did.
St. Tropez Rustic French White Oak
Stairs are an oft-overlooked place to take a chance with design. Stairwells are small, contained spaces without furniture and other elements that might compete with an unexpected floor or wall treatment. This is a staircase we saw in Lourdes, France, and we thought it simply stunning.
If you’re ready to go all out with an expressive color, but aren’t quite ready to commit, then find a knock-out accent piece of furniture that excites you and weave that into the room’s décor. You don’t always need a ton of patterns to make a bold statement. Sometimes, the combination of a striking color and single pattern (like with this magenta chair) is enough.
You can still get an original, eclectic look without going wild. Try painting an accent wall or mounting colorful artwork like these homeowners did when they wanted to start experimenting with color.
Find more inspiration in our Gallery.
by Arimar | May 2, 2017 | Arimar International, Blogs, Exotic & Tropical Collection, Floor Art Collection, Iberian Collection
What To Know About Color Variation in Wood Flooring
Wood is a natural product. Maybe it goes without saying, but it is important to note that because wood is a natural product, that means each piece of wood is unique. This includes coloring and variations within that coloring. Natural hardwood boards vary in color from board-to-board. Every piece you get is different. This variation is part of the wood’s beauty and it is normal.
Floor Art Collection
Many factors affect the color of the board: the species of the tree, where the tree grew and the local climate, when the tree was felled, how it was sawn and dried, when or if it was milled, for how long it was stored, how the wood accepts the stain. With so many variables to consider, it is understandable then that you my notice differences in color and grain as well as imperfections that make each board unique. For this reason, when you open a box of hardwood flooring, you may see that there are variations in shading, tree markings and grain patterns. Remember to assure your homeowners and clients that these attributes are normal and should not be cause for concern to them.
Exotic & Tropical Collection
Also note that hardwood floors can change color naturally over time. Most species will darken with time into richer shade variations than from when you originally purchased and installed it. Some species will lighten over time. Again, this is normal.
Now, that we have covered what is considered natural color variations, it is also necessary to review what problems with color variations may arise, such as fade markings or spots. Fade markings can occur where furniture has been placed and or moved around or where flooring is hit with constant direct sunlight. Rotating furniture on a regular basis can help prevent fade markings. For rooms that are sunlit for the majority of the time, consider placing an area rug in those areas consistently within direct sunlight or hanging light opaque curtains or blinds over windows, which filter sunlight while maintaining room bright.
Iberian Collection
Contact Arimar and our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about color variations and other hardwood flooring needs.
by Arimar | Jan 10, 2017 | Arimar International, Blogs, Iberian Collection
The Well Traveled Look Global Design Style
Colorful hues and big, bold patterns, with influences from South America, are behind the latest home and interior décor trends, including hardwood floors. More and more, consumers want to adopt some sense of personalized history and authenticity to their homes. Designers are taking their cue from this trip through design styles from around the continent, giving spaces a personal touch.
This trend is joyful, colorful and vibrant. The result is an unexpected style with re-purposed product design, spontaneous improvisation, and an eclectic mix of color and pattern. Some of the items you might see trending inspired by this big, bold trend are: scrap wood re-purposed as wallpaper, a fan reclaimed as a lamp, cork and felt transformed into a rug, recycled skateboards made into stools, bulbs recreated into a vase. Handcrafted wood flooring, such as the Valencia Rustic White Oak from our Iberian Collection pictured above, with authentic wire-brushed finishes lend themselves well to this new trend.
Pictured: scrap wood repurposed as wallpaper by Piet Hein Eek
This design style is characterized by ornate accessories and details. A reclaimed and repurposed design agenda is inspired and reinforced by the exuberant energy of a fusion of cultures. Important materials include reclaimed woods, handcrafted wood flooring, brightly colored woven and knitted yarn constructions, cork, scuffed leather and bamboo. The strength of inspiration which derives from global art, cultural motifs and specialized techniques can be applied to all manner of colors, textiles and decoration – from accents, decors, wall treatments, rugs, cushions, throws, towels and bed linens. What emerges is truly unique and show stopping.
