Tips to choose a Wood Floor

When homeowners are choosing new flooring, they should consider all the benefits and beauty of wood. Wood floors are comfortable, durable and very affordable, and nothing quite compares to the character and warmth they bring to every room in the house. While there are a great variety of woods, colors and finishes available today, not every type of wood flooring is suitable for every proyect.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you three things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect wood floor for your home:

1. Type of wood flooring:

There are two types of wood flooring products: Solid hardwood and Engineered hardwood. Both types offer the same beauty of real hardwood, but the primary difference between solid hardwood and engineered flooring is in the floor’s composition. Since solid wood flooring is subject to expand and contract relative to a home’s humidity it needs to be installed on the ground floor or above grade. Engineered flooring, is more stable due to its multi-ply construction and can be installed on all levels of the home, making it perfect for basements and bathrooms where dampness and moisture can be issues.

2. Type of finish:

The finish is the real determining factor in the overall appearance of a wood floor. The same wood species will look completely different finished in a clear gloss, versus a distressed, hand-scraped or wire-brush finish. There are different gloss levels and finishing techniques that change the overall look of the wood floor, a low gloss matte finish imitate the look of an oil-rubbed European finish, but without the constant care and maintenance.  

Flooring is sold either unfinished or pre-finished: Unfinished floors are sanded and finished on-site, which provides for a consistent seal and prevents dirt and moisture from penetrating the seams between boards. Pre-finished flooring is factory-applied in a controlled setting, and typically receives seven to eight coats of sealant. 

3. Color and Appearance:

Because wood flooring comes in so many different species, styles and finishes, it is fairly easy to select a floor to match any room decoration. If you have a country-style interior, wide plank floors with highly defined wood grains and a distressed appearance will be a good fit.  For Colonial homes, consider wide, random plank width flooring in Oak and Maple.  For traditional interiors, hardwood flooring in Oak, Maple or Walnut, or parquet flooring, will be a perfect choice. Generally, any type of wood can be used in a contemporary setting, depending on what stain or finish is used for example pewter, dark charcoal or whitewash finishes can transform any wood species into a modern masterpiece.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

Home Remodeling trends

Any remodeling project can seem overwhelming, but it is guaranteed to go more smoothly if you know the trends in home remodeling. You must keep in mind that it is very important to create a space that is totally personal and modern.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, located in Atlanta, we give you the three most popular remodeling trends to make the most of your space:

1. Natural floors:

Step away from the super-dark, hand-scraped floors for a second. Consider engineered woods with a lighter, more natural finish. White, gray, and washed-wood finishes are making a comeback. Think about bleached, limed, or fumed woods with matte finishes or sealed-only floors. Stone floors are also showing up in unexpected places, like master bedrooms.

2. The outdoors:

People are realizing that the backyard has been underutilized. In the quest to make every inch of property useful and liveable, indoor spaces are opening directly to the backyard or to patios with pizza ovens and fire pits. For this home renovation consider stone flooring, stone fireplaces, natural stone outdoor kitchens or floors with interesting concrete finishes.

3. Bedroom wood palette wall:

The bedroom is the place where we should feel as warm as possible. With a wood palette wall, you will see how the cozy effect will transform the atmosphere in your bedroom. Just try to incorporate these panels in one of your bedroom walls and see how your bedroom is renovated.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

Proper Siding maintenance

With a proper preventative maintenance, your home's siding could be trouble-free for over 50 years as the siding cleaning removes the dirt and mildew that shortens the life of the siding. And that means you will not have to replace siding as often.

Cleaning the siding of your home every year and keeping it in good condition helps prolong the life of any siding and avoids replacement costs.

At  SMART  CHOICE   CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you some methods to keep your siding in good shape:

1. Start with a bucket of warm, soapy water. Mix 1/2 cup trisodium phosphate (TSP, available at grocery stores, hardware stores, and home improvement centers) with 1 gallon of water.

2. Divide your siding into 10-foot sections. Scrub each section using a soft-bristled brush attached to a long handle. Work from bottom to top to avoid streaking, and rinse often.

3. If you do not have the experience or would rather have someone else do the maintenance for you, call a siding contractor as a siding professional has the expertise to prevent water penetration at joints, seams around windows and doors, and electrical fixtures.

4. Siding is vulnerable to water infiltration where it butts against windows, doors, and corner moldings. Look for caulk that has cracked due to age or has pulled away from adjacent surfaces, leaving gaps. Reapply a color-matched exterior caulk during dry days with temperatures in excess of 65 degrees for maximum adhesion.

5. You’ll want to repair any defects before cleaning. The sooner you make repairs, the better you protect your house from moisture infiltration that can lead to dry rot and mold forming inside your walls.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

3 Ideas to add value to your property

If you are looking to sell your home or if you simply want to increase its value, you should not only consider aesthetic improvements, you need to consider basic structural repairs as well. Even when these do not equate to big dollars, they may help increase the value of your property faster. For this you must keep in mind what are the correct improvements that you must make to avoid unnecessary updates.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you 3 easy ways to add value to your home without spending a fortune:

1. Fix the roof:

Problems with structural essentials can easily reduce the value of your home, but a damaged roof is on display for everyone to see. Keep in mind that your roof forms part of the image of your home, unlike foundations or pipe work, because of this any visible damage will be immediately apparent to people. The best thing to do is repair any damage before it becomes a serious issue. Cleaning gutters and drains is also an inexpensive way to improve the appearance of your roof.

2. Painting and decorate:

Doing detailed jobs such as fixing door handles and painting some walls can make a significant difference in the look of your home.

It is worth thinking, every job you do and every room that you decorate is a task that will increase the value of your property. Economic updates can make all the difference.

3. Flooring:

If the floors in your home are quite old then you should consider deep cleaning or replacing them.

If you have wooden floors in your house then you should consider renovating them up by sanding them down and adding a nice varnish finish, or again just give them a thorough wash.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

Living room flooring ideas for your home

Renovating the floor of your living room is exciting, but it can be a bit overwhelming since selecting the floor can take a long time and you will need to keep in mind the style of the house, the budget and the look and feel you want to create. From standard wood flooring to stone or concrete, living room flooring options are plentiful and offer a range of pros and cons.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you some options so that the renovation of the floor of your living room adapts to your needs, your style and your budget:

1. Wood:

The wood gives a classic aspect, charm and elegance. Wood floors last a lifetime and gain "character" with age.

Hardwoods run the gamut from blond to black, depending on species and finish. You can get hardwood floors that look shiny and new, or you can buy brand new wood that looks like an antique and adds timeworn character to your room.

If you already have hardwood, consider matching and refinishing. Remember that it seems better to have large continuous areas of a material rather than a different floor material in each room.

And if you need to start from scratch, there are hardwood options that can be adjusted into your space while providing a sense of age and patina.

2. Carpeting:

Carpet is soft, cozy and practical. Because carpet fibers hold heat, this floor surface insulates up to 17 times better than other surfaces, reducing energy bills. It's quiet to walk on, durable, nonslip, and overall a great value. Carpet comes in so many colors and surfaces that it can fit most any design style.

Although wall-to-wall carpet in bedrooms is still a popular choice, in the living rooms, not so much, since though the carpet is usually less expensive than hardwoods and many styles are easy to keep clean, it can absorb odors and liquids in high-traffic or public areas, and may stain.

The right carpet can offer a high-end look in any home regardless of the price, there are even many indoor/outdoor rugs that are soft enough for babies and children to play on. Natural jute, sea grasses and sisal rugs are hugely popular, but can be harsh on bare feet.

3. Vinyl:

Vinyl can look like hardwood, tile or stone and it comes in a variety of colors. Is the most popular type of resilient flooring, is durable, low maintenance, and easy on the budget. Vinyl is soft underfoot, so it's comfortable to stand on for long periods. It's also warmer to the touch than hard surfaces like tile. Vinyl comes in various levels of gloss so you can get a range of looks.

Maintenance is very simple, sweep, dust, or vacuum regularly, and occasionally wipe the surface with a damp mop or cloth. For glossy floors, occasionally strip and reapply polish as necessary. Avoid waxing or buffing the surface.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

Spring Maintenance of your Gutters

Spring officially arrived, and that means there are a lot of outdoor tasks for homeowners. One of the most important but often overlooked tasks is checking the gutters for winter debris and damage.

With all the list of house maintenance tasks that accumulate in the spring, it's easy to forget about cleaning the gutters, but do not ignore this important task! If you do not clean the debris from your gutters, you could head to roofing, cladding and foundation problems in the coming months.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you some tips to help you properly maintain  your gutters:

- When a gutter system is working properly, it protects your home from water damage by draining water from the roof and channeled it away of the house. However, when gutters and downspouts are clogged, water can back up and damage the roof, fascia, soffits, and siding.

- The most common problem is that fallen leaves and debris obstruct the gutters, causing the water back up over the top and damaging the fascia board, then the decking, the rafters, and in some cases the foundation of the home itself, it is important that the problems are fixed as soon as possible, because the damage accelerates rapidly, as the gutter starts to sag, it can cause more water to run over, which in turn leads to more and faster damage.

- A simple way to check the efficiency of a gutter is to wait for a rainy day and see if the water is emptying from the downspouts. If the water does not flow freely from the bottom of a downspout, or if you notice that the water overflows the edges of the gutter, there are debris that obstruct the gutters or downspouts or both.

-The best way to avoid the problems of gutters is to do a regular cleaning. Most debris consists of small leaves and twigs that can be picked by hand or removed with a handheld leaf blower or wet/dry vacuum. You should flush the gutters with a garden hose to remove dirt and small particles. For denser residues, we advise you to call a professional roofing or gutters contractor.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.

What is the best season to make improvements in the roof?

When you are thinking of replacing or renovating your roof, you should plan ahead so you do not make a quick and hasty decision. Usually when any homeowner is facing the need to repair or replace a roof, scheduling the work can be a difficult task. So at SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY located in Atlanta, we give you some tips to help you decide what is the best time of year to do it:

- There are two times when people have to make arrangements on their roofs when it is convenient and in an emergency, but our advice is to renovate your roof when it needs to be renovated and don´t wait until you have a bigger problem.

- No one is expecting to spend on a new roof. But if you wait for your roof to begin leaking, there is a good chance your roof won’t be the only thing you’ll need to replace. Even if your roof survives the winter, it could be the last winter it does last.

- Autumn tends to be the most popular time for people to do renovations of their roofs, as homeowners look to get their properties prepared for winter. As a result, it is a time when the best contractors are more active and where supply and demand can push prices up.

- Spring and early summer, are not always busy seasons in the roofing industry and it can be great times to get a great deal on getting your roof replaced or renovated. And if you're not in a hurry, it's also a good time to start talking to roofing contractors about scheduling work for later in the year.

At SMART CHOICE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, we are Siding, Roofing and Flooring specialists and we can help you to renovate your home. 

Our qualified team have years of experience in all aspects of Siding, Roofing and Flooring in Atlanta and surround areas, contact us for a free quote and to see how we can help you!

For more information on our services in Atlanta, give us a call today for all inquiries (678) 628-9987 and visit us at www.atlchoice.com for a free estimate.