A HOME DESIGN AND IMPR OVEMENT FEATUREM Installing new flooring This article if prouided by local realtors -and the Ont ario Real Est ate Association (OR"L4 for the benefit of consumers in the real estate market. Are the floors in your home lack-lustre and worn? Are they scratched, gouged or chipped? I so, maybe it's time te, consider giving them a facelift -- either by replaeing or refinishing them (if they're hardwood). New or refinished floors can give a home a fresh, distinctive look that can enhance its value. To many homeowners, there's nothing like the glow and warmth of hardwood floors. To others, ceramnic tule or resilient flooring are the ultimate choice. Still, many of today's homeowners are opting for more unusual choices like brick or stone te highlight special rnoms. And there are several others who prefer the look and conifort of carpeting. No niatter what type of flooring you choose, make sure you pi an your choice and its installation carefully. Today's flooring comes in a wide variety of materials and varying price rentes. If your budget is very limited, try to be practical when making choices. Opt for durability When choosing a flooring material, it's a good idea te pick something that's durable, easy te maintain and aesthetically appealing te both you sud your family. Ta e household traffic patterns and use of the room(s) you want te re-floor inte consideration when planning. If you're thinking of replacing your itchen floor, for instance, youldefinitel~Wn oehn thatwills upwell te heavy usage and cen be easily cleaned. For this reason, ceraniic tiles sud resilient flooring are very popular in kitchens. However, keep in mnd that ceramic tiles may feel colder sud harder underfoot than some other types of flooring. You cen easily work around this by placing a few scatter mats (secured under- neath) in areas of the kitchen where you spend the most tume. This will aise help deaden sound as people move about. Consider decor Ites aise important te consider the decor of the rooni you're re-flooring and the overaîl effect you want te create. Don't resign yourself te the cheapest flooring you cen find, simply because it's a good deal. Shop around, compare prices and consult seme experts. If the type of floering you really wsut is eut of your present budget range, it might be worthwhile te wait a littie longer until yoeve saved more nioney. AIler ail, quality is important and will affect the durability and life of your floor. Another factor te, keep in mind when choosing fiooring material is safety. Some surfaces can be very slippery, epecaily when something is'spilled on them. (This cen be hazardous in bathrooms and kitchens.) Se if you choose something that could become slippery, be sure to put down adequate protection - like small or large area rugs --and see to it that they are firmnly secured undemneath by special grip mats. Installation Also deterniine whether youl be able to instail the flooring yourself, or whether youl'ilhave to have it done by a professional. Obviously, your choice will have an effeet on your budget. If you're planning te have the flooring professionally installed, shop around and get some quotes. If you're going to do the installation yourself, make sure yeu have the preper tools te do the job. Subfloor One very important point that many homeowners overlook is the subfloor. Make sure it's suitable for the type of flooring you choose. Consuit an expert if you're not sure. If you're installing new flooring Remember when the perfect bathroom had the clinical sparkle of a hospital? Well, sparkle is stili important, but net ites turning up in baths designed with a littie self-indulgence in mnd. If you want te give rour bathroom a more luxurieus look, but don't wate oull eut the fixtures and strai over, why net add decorative wall-to-wall careting or area bathrugfs? taking their eue fromn the fashion world, bathrug manufac- turers are showing how te make a bathreom beautiful without sacrificing comfort sud prac- ticali ty. Bathrugs serve two purposes. The first is purely functional -- they prevent slippng sud sliding en wet fleers or having te steo ut of the tub ente a cold, Uhrd surface. The second purpose is aesthetic. Bathrugs cen soften the look of the room sud add a bit of 'pizzazz.' They allow yeu te change the entire leok of your bathroom, without a large investmeiit. As consumers have begun te ask for more elegance in their bathroems, the rules about decorating them have started te change. Patterns, both in bathrugs and towels, are gainmng on traditienal solid clours. As a resuit, the old rule that bathrugs sud tewels must bo the saine colour is being disregarded and co-ordinating colours ef patterned fabrics are being used te brighten up the room. Solid colours are aIse changing. The bathrug bestsellers are appearing in many different, new and exciting shades. Textures are aise ceming inte vogue, with manufacturers miing different fibres and multi-coloured y aras te create a streng, textured look. The most popular bathroom rugs are the high-pile saxonies that look like a lot of the pile carpts made for the rest cf the home. bath rugs is te take them eut cf the bathroom and into the rest cf the house. A few already on the market can be used in the bedroom as well as the bath. Bathrugs are aise used te alter the appearance cf the size cf the rooni. If y ou have a small powder rooni or bathreom where tee mariy colours weuld look busy or very bright colours would be over-powening, tri the textured- look rugs te give t he roem a more ai ?fieeling. ai -to-wall bathroom car- peting, virtually unheard cf until a few years ago, is aise good for giving a feeling cf more space as well as a touch cf luxury and elegance. You can use wafl-te.wall carpeting alone or with area rugs over it. Solid cleurs or muted pterns with a contrasting brder will give your bathrom a dramatic new look. Because moisture is ever- present in the bathroom, be sure yeu check the fibre content carefully when shopping for bathrugs. Nylon is the most popular bathrug fibre which gives bathrugs durability and resistance te mildew. Aise check the backing: rugs with backs well-covered in latex will last and kep their floor-grpping propertieslogr Arrned wih hs information, explore the many beautiful styles and patterns on the market. The right bathrug will go a long way toward making your bathroem the beautiful and comfortable oasis you want. Whitby Free Press. Wednesday, February 10, 1993. Page 25 nyou r home right over top of the existing floor, you'll want to first make sure the surface is dlean and even. With careful planning and a little imagination, you cen give the mroe in your homne a whole new look -- imply by replacing or refinihing ors. DRAPERY & WALLCOVERING GALLERY 8% TAX BREAK plus 20% DISCOUNT on al WALLCOVERING & DRAPERY SPECIAL ORDERS. Cotton Peints, Antique Satins., Moires starting at $6.00/m and Up. VINYL REMNANTS starting at $6.OOIsq. yd. INSTOCK - CARPET & Ca4pp(najtfeweht~ Bill Saunders Your choice of frame, WhripleQmattities Last. BRINC IN THIS AD AND CETl o% DISCOUNT ON ALL CUSTOM FRAJMNG Harwood Place Mal -~ Corner of 1Bayly & 1Jlarwood, Ajax IMISE EDI.ON.PINT 1112LPJ 61.MR ARP'Dk Bathroom carpeting can m ake -the d"ifference MI 1,