:Wise Money Tips

A bed is a bed is a bed. Um, not so much. There are more types of beds and mattresses than Carter has liver pills. I didn’t realize more than when my last bed collapsed on me and I had to go out and get a new one. If you think shopping for a new auto is tough, try shopping for a new bed with all the options you have. So, how many types of beds are there? Well, let’s see. Let’s start with your typical twin bed. A twin bed is basically a small bed for one person. Trust me on this. You don’t want to try to squeeze two people into a twin bed and if you’re really obese you may have trouble fitting into one of these as well.

Then there are your beds for more than one person, which are basically queen and king. Honestly, there is very little difference between the two except that king beds are a little bigger. These are your typical beds that your typical married couple buy. I’ll cover variations of these later.

Then you’ve got your bunk beds. You know, the kind you and your little brother had when you were growing up. I actually had 2 friends who had bunk beds. The older one got the bottom and the younger one got stuck on top. That’s usually how it works unfortunately. First come, first served.

If you want to know the percentage of each of those general types sold it goes something like this. Queen beds, 50%, king beds 20%, twin beds 25% and bunk beds 5%. These numbers actually vary from country to country but in the US that’s pretty much the breakdown.

But it doesn’t end there. Then you’ve got your traditional flat beds, your wall beds, your water beds, your paediatric beds and so on.

Then you have the different styles of all these different kinds of beds. For twin you have long and extra long. Same for queen and king of course. You have traditional beds with straight head and foot boards. Then there are beds with neither of these. Then you have your twin beds made for inner spring mattresses. Then you have your canopy beds. They’re the ones that literally have a canopy over your head. You see a lot of these in movies. They do look kind of fancy. Then you have your drawer bed, which pretty much looks like a dresser drawer. Then you’ve got your slat beds. Those are beds where the footboards actually have slats in them. Oh and of course you can also get these in wide styles.

Then of course there are your types of mattresses. You have your feather mattress, your latex foam mattress, your water bed mattress, your tempur-pedic mattresses, your pillow top mattresses, and on and on.

You can literally write a book on all the different types of beds and mattresses that are available but I won’t attempt to do that here. As to which is the best type of bed and mattress for YOU, well, that all depends on your age, health, marital status, sleep habits and a lot of other factors.

Like I said. More beds than you can imagine.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Beds and Bedding

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Last year, we bought this big ol’ 1887 house. We are just now
coming to grips with the magnitude of the “upgrades” planned.

With a baby on the way and Little Lady all of two years old
burning calories faster than pillagers burn the Amazon
rainforest, how tough can “upgrades” really be?

Ever since we bought the house, my wife has been urging me to
tear “that thing” down.

“That thing”, at the foot of our lane, had been a shelter to
keep kids dry while waiting for the school bus. It had seen
better days. Like when paint could still be seen on the wood.
Like when it stood upright - taller even than the weeds! -
before gravity won the battle.

“That thing” was our very own Roman ruins … minus the Roman
part, of course. So I finally tore it down.

“What?” my wife asked. “You tore it down?”

“Yup.”

“But how will people find us, now?”

We had used “that thing” as a marker, even a beacon. “Turn right
on County Road 7, and just keep going until you see the eyesore.
You can’t miss it. That’s us.”

Houses grow and age just like people. Sometimes the old gets in
the way of the new. Sometimes you have to rip things apart to
build them up.

Recently, I was ripping apart a couple walls of the soon-to-be
nursery. I assured my wife it would be a two- to four-hour job.
To avoid inhaling an overdose of plaster dust, she and Little
Lady escaped to exile at Grandma’s for the afternoon.

Twelve hours later …

The clock ticked past midnight before those two to four hours
showed me mercy. Little Lady and her pregnant mom wisely chose
to remain in exile overnight. Instead of resting my weary
muscles, I had a jungle of - hack, hack - plaster dust nearly a
foot deep to dispose of. Beach party, anyone?

If tearing it all down took so long, how many hours will it take
to put up the new walls, including the wall overlooking the
staircase? (Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?)

How long will it take to cut and place the trim (baseboards,
casing, crown molding, and a new window sill - I broke the old
one trying to pry loose a lathe strip)?

How long will it take to hang a new door? To sand the old floor?
To clean up the big mess? To lift the wallboard to the second
floor? To return to the store for more nails or to replace
lumber I wreck or to pick up a few dozen items I forget? To
replaster the corners I plaster wrong the first time (and the
second and the third and …)?

I sat my wife down for a heart-to-heart. “Honey, we have a
business to run, a toddler to nurture, family members to help, a
house to clean on occasion, and a jungle that will need mowing
one of these days. We need ductwork to thaw our bedroom this
winter, the foundation needs crack-filling and this nursery
would take Hercules many long days of hard labor to complete. I
don’t know if we can find time for all this before the baby is
born.”

“Maybe we should put something off,” my wife suggested.

“Great idea!” I said, looking at my agenda. “Now, let’s see. How
long do you want to delay the delivery?”

I ducked just in time.

The easiest thing to reschedule turned out to be my sleep. Right
now I have a house to upgrade. There’ll be plenty of time for
sleep next year. That is, if I don’t grow too old in the
meantime and need to be torn down myself.

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Whether you plan to install new flooring in one room or all throughout your home, there are many floor materials to choose from out there and they can really make an impact. Today, there is a myriad of new hardwoods and even some old favorites are making a comeback (yes, you guessed it: linoleum has been on the radar the past few years!) No matter your budget, there are quite a few choices in flooring material that will make a dramatic difference to any room.

Your first consideration when picking out a flooring material is that you’d better really like it. Flooring can last quite a long time (with some carpeting and cheaper vinyl products being exceptions), in the cases of hardwood floors - 50 to 100 years. If you pick out the latest trend or latest fashionable color, it could become dated in a short period of time. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make a bold statement with your floors, but don’t always jump at the first color or pattern. Think it over for some time, ask friends and family for opinions, and compare it to your existing color palette in each room.

The next consideration is wear and tear. When installing new flooring, think about what kind of a beating these floors will be taking. Is the flooring in a “wet” area, like a main or side entrance, a bathroom, or a kitchen where there is the potential for a lot of moisture? Water can do a lot of damage to a wood. If you’re putting new flooring in a family or living area, will it be comfortable? Ceramic tile can be quite cold during those long winter months. Natural stone can handle a lot of traffic in a kitchen, but it can be hard to stand on for long periods.

Finally, consider what your budget can stand and take into account the overall value of your house. You might want to install marble throughout your house - but if you can’t afford it, well… you can’t afford it. Stay within your budget and you won’t need a second mortgage to replace or install your flooring. Also, if your home is in the low to medium value range, it might not be a great idea to install an expensive flooring material. An incredibly luxurious floor in a below-average home can really expose all the other weaknesses around it. And when it comes time to sell, it will be hard to recoup the investment if the floor is in perfect shape and the rest of the house is not up to par.

So, what are the latest flooring materials for your home today? Hardwood floors are still at the top of everybody’s “wish list.” Naturally. But there are a host of materials currently rising in popularity across the country, including: stone, concrete, laminate, vinyl, tiles, and - yes! - Linoleum is coming on strong. And don’t leave carpet out of the equation.

Carpet has fallen out of favor over the last twenty years. But many are still taking advantage of the new carpeting patterns, colors, and styles that are available today. Gone is the boring beige carpet found in nearly every apartment, condominium, and model home across America. It’s being replaced by stain-resistant carpeting with high quality padding and great designs. To recap some of the major carpeting styles, you can choose from Saxony, Berber, textured, velvet, frieze and sculptured. Saxony is the plush style that shows the footprints and vacuum marks. Frieze is the durable style that resists footprints and the short pile can really highlight the colors and textures in the carpet. The name Berber seems to be everywhere these days. Berber is usually made of non-allergenic wool with flecked colors, usually with short thick loops that make it easy to clean. It’s great for high traffic areas.

ADVANTAGES OF CARPET
- Great insulating capabilities; energy savings
- Soundproofing
- Excellent selection of colors, textures, styles, & designs
- Very comfortable to walk on

DISADVANTAGES OF CARPET
- Carpeting can hold onto odors, allergens, stains, and bacteria
- High maintenance
- Not as durable as other materials

Hardwood floors are probably the most popular and most requested flooring option these days. There are a huge variety of natural woods with oak, pine, birch and maple still at the head of the pack. But these days, people are branching out (sorry, couldn’t resist!) to new types of wood, including mahogany, bamboo, cherry, pecan, hickory, Brazilian walnut, and more. Why is hardwood so popular? It most likely starts with the durability of wood. Hardwood flooring should last the lifetime of the house (and in some cases, outlive it.) It’s also very easy to maintain. Even after years of wear, the surfaces can be easily refinished to remove stains, grooves, and cuts. Properly installed, hardwood floors can not only add to the beauty of a home, but also to the overall value.

ADVANTAGES OF HARDWOOD
- Easily cleaned
- Timeless beauty; works with nearly every design style
- Due to popularity, it’s a great investment
- Promote healthy indoor air quality

DISADVANTAGES OF HARDWOOD
- Easily stained; easy to scratch
- Water is the enemy of wood; can warp or shift and even rot, if ignored
- Expensive to install; pricing of material varies, but can cost a lot

Laminate flooring has been gaining in popularity because of an increase in the technology that makes it look exactly like hardwood, stone, or tile floors. It’s actually a man-made material that comes in either boards or tiles. It can be installed anywhere and it’s very easy to maintain. Of all the flooring materials, it’s probably easiest to clean.

ADVANTAGES OF LAMINATE
- Durable
- Easily maintained
- Stain and fade resistant
- Variety of styles, designs (look like wood, stone, or ceramic tiles)
- Easy and inexpensive; should be fairly cheap to install

DISADVANTAGES OF LAMINATE
- Can be noisy to walk on
- Cold and noisy to some
- When parts wear out, you can’t replace sections but need to replace the whole floor

Porcelain, Quarry and Ceramic Tiles are a perennial flooring favorite. It’s been big in kitchens for years because of the durability, low maintenance requirements, and the variety of designs and colors. Ceramic tiles are made from pressed clays and color is added. It will either be glazed or have a matte finish applied. Porcelain tiles are baked at a high temperature and the color is usually consistent all the way through (which is great if the tile chips.) Quarry is usually not glazed and maintains that flat matte look of natural stone. The tiles are impervious to water, mud, and grease.

ADVANTAGES OF TILE
- Looks very luxurious; adds value to home
- Easy to maintain
- Very durable
- Low maintenance
- Individual tiles can be replaced if damaged

DISADVANTAGES OF TILE
- Grout lines can stain easily
- Can be expensive for quality tiles; installation is expensive
- Cold underfoot; hard surface to stand on for long periods
- Can be slippery on glazed surfaces

Stone floor tiles are made up of a somewhat porous natural stone like marble, granite, limestone, travertine, or slate. These stone floors are the definition of the term luxury. Many love the unique look, the veins, and color changes within a natural stone surface. The material can last the lifetime of the home and most applications are usually considered permanent. Granite is nearly indestructible but some stones can be cracked or chipped or even dull from heavy foot traffic. It can be easy to clean, but… if you have marble floor throughout your house, you probably don’t clean the floors yourself anyway.

ADVANTAGES OF STONE
- Gorgeous natural look; elegant
- Very durable
- Perfect for radiant heat application
- Adds excellent value for the home; great ROI

DISADVANTAGES OF STONE
- Not great for long periods of standing
- Expensive
- Porous surface needs to be constantly treated to prevent stains
- Can be very slippery

Concrete? Really? Well, we’re not talking about the cold, gray concrete that’s out in your garage. Concrete is, of course, that mixture of sand, water, and cement, but it can be tinted and textured into whatever style you want. It can be made to be smooth and seamless or have the look of a tiled floor - at much less cost than tiles or natural stone. Another nice custom touch is when pebbles or broken glass are added to the concrete for a truly one-of-a-kind floor.

ADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE
- Inexpensive; cost effective replacement for natural stone
- Can be styled to look like aged brick, ceramic tiling, or even marble floors at a fraction of the cost
- Extremely durable; easy to fix problems or damage

DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE
- Surface is porous and needs to be sealed on a regular basis
- Can be hard and cold underfoot
- Hard to stand on for long periods
- Noisy

Vinyl flooring is next on our list. Vinyl has been around for ages and new technologies have helped it make a comeback. There are more choices in textures and finishes, designs and colors. The vinyl can either be inlaid, where color goes all the way through, or rotogravure, where the color and design is only on the surface. It can come in either sheets or tiles and it can be fairly easy to install. It’s very easy to clean and considered to be somewhat durable, depending on the quality of vinyl purchased.

ADVANTAGES OF VINYL
- Easy to stand on for long periods
- Least expensive of all flooring options
- Easily installed
- Readily available in a variety of styles

DISADVANTAGES OF VINYL
- Can peel off if not installed properly
- Easily stained if not treated and monitored
- Low life expectancy for lower end vinyl
- Not quite as visually appealing; lower end tiles can look cheap

Linoleum is sometimes confused with vinyl flooring, but it’s actually a natural material. It’s made with felt or canvas covered in linseed oil, resin, and cork - which makes it more environmentally friendly than vinyl. It also comes in sheets or tiles and looks very similar to vinyl. It’s durable enough to last 10 to 15 years (perhaps more with proper care.) As with the other materials, linoleum comes in a huge smorgasbord of bright, vibrant colors and patterns. It’s very durable, comfortable, and easy to maintain.

ADVANTAGES OF LINOLEUM
- Anti-static material; surface doesn’t hold on to bacteria or allergens
- Environmentally friendly
- Cost effective
- Doesn’t mark as easily as vinyl
- Water resistant if installed properly (although it’s not recommended for basements)

DISADVANTAGES OF LINOLEUM
- Needs to be waxed and polished on a regular basis
- Can smell for long periods of time after installation
- Hard to remove once it’s installed
- Not as many design or color options as vinyl

The shear number of flooring options has exploded over the last fifteen years so the decision can be mind boggling - the choices are probably ten times greater. When you’re ready to install a new floor, do plenty of research and visit a lot of showrooms or websites to find out what’s out there. Unsure how to find a flooring specialist? A great way to find a qualified flooring contractor is to post your project with ConstructionDeal.com - they’ll find you a local professional to install your new floor. Click on http://www.constructiondeal.com to start your new adventure in flooring installation.

Timothy K. Clark is the Director of Marketing for ConstructionDeal.com, a valuable website that matches Contractors with Property Owners for residential and commercial improvement, remodeling and repair projects. For more information, visit www.constructiondeal.com or call 866-663-4711

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