Tips to make a room look bigger.

XXL and Grande boards. longer boards, wider boards, random length boards all affect the look and size of a room. So do colour and light in a space. Here are some tips to make the most of your space using a few illusions.

Colour

Dark colours tend to absorb light making a room look smaller. For an optimum effect, select soft tones of off-white, blue and green, these colours recede away from the eye and create a sense of space. Remember that brighter rooms look bigger and more inviting. Try painting your wall trim and mouldings in a lighter colour than your walls. Painting one wall a dark colour can make a room seem longer, whereas vertical stripes can make it seem taller.

Also painting the ceiling with a shiny gloss or metallic paint can make the room look taller and the ceiling bigger. Of course, using all of these tips at once may make the room far too busy, so its best to use these tricks in minimal amounts.

The size of your room

If you have a large room, then long, fixed-length boards will reinforce the size of your room and may even work to make it look bigger.  If this is what you want to achieve, then choosing long, fixed-length boards aren’t an issue.  However, if you want to make a cavernous room appear smaller, then there’s no getting away from the fact that either short, fixed-length boards or random boards will achieve that objective better.

Small rooms. If you have a small room, wide boards will give an impression of greater volume to your room, particularly if they are light coloured.

Big rooms. In big rooms, you can normally get away with either narrow or wide wood floorboards, but ironically, while wide boards will make a small room look bigger, they can also make a big room seem smaller.  In big rooms, where you want the room to seem more proportioned, it is a clever trick to mix wide and narrow boards to create an illusion of bringing in the walls.  For example, if your room is rectangular, you could create a rectangle of either wide or narrow boards in the middle of your room where the sides run parallel to the walls.  Thereafter, you could place a border of the opposite type of board around the outside.  That’s to say, if you’ve created a central rectangle with narrow boards, you could create the border with the wide boards or vice versa.  Cutting your room up in this way will cleverly reduce the impression of volume and add interest to your décor at the same time.

Narrow rooms. A clever way to make narrow rooms seem wider is to use wide boards that are laid perpendicular (at right angles) to the long side of your room. The effect of this will be that your room will seem immediately wider.

Long rooms. In the same way, that wide boards laid perpendicular to the long side of narrow rooms will make the room look wider, wide boards laid perpendicular to the long side of long rooms will make them look shorter.

While all of these effects are only visual rather than actual, the right choice of the board can make a huge difference to the look of both your décor and your room size or dimension.  All of that said, with the immense choice of boards that are available today, making the right choice for your project can seem overwhelming. 

We are manufacturers and distributors and do not sell directly to the public. Our products are available from all leading specialist flooring retailers.  

What flooring is best for pets?

When it comes to picking a perfect floor, there’s a massive range of variables to consider. What kind of underlay? What kind of subfloor? What will fit be the perfect decor alignment? Will it suit the room? Is it affordable?

The list goes on and on, and pretty soon customers discover that finding their dream floor can turn into a bit of nightmare. Will the kids love it, maybe their partner hates it, but they’re not important… will their furry friends be happy with their choice?

Picking the right flooring for pets is essential, it’ll save money and a slew of headaches in the long run.

Solid Wood Flooring Does not agree with pets, pure and simple. Pet urine can stain a hard wood floor almost instantly, and it’ll leave a horrible smell that’d be tough to shift once it’s seeped into the wood.

No matter how quickly it can be cleaned up, the damage will be done. Consumers might have to strip, sand and refinish the offending plank, but if there happens to be little spots all over the place, then they might need to replace the whole floor. With young tomcats likely to spray and excited dogs sometimes forgetting their potty training, a solid wood floor is a risk consumers don’t want to take. Pet claws would also need to be trimmed to avoid damage to the floor and surface.

If consumers have to go hardwood, then we suggest they opt for Bamboo flooring. Bamboo is much harder than other woods, and therefore more scratch resistant, so better suited for a home with furry friends.

Laminate Flooring Pet owners can turn to laminate flooring instead of solid, due to the hardness of laminate, as well as it’s scratch resistant nature. It’s important for consumers to consider their pet when choosing the right style of laminate floor, however. A laminate floor with a high gloss or a smooth surface can cause pets to slip and slide, which can be uncomfortable and distressing. It can also cause them to damage furniture or knock things over, which could be an extra hazard if glass is broken.

For best results, a floor with a textured finish, or a floor with a V-Groove finish is ideal. Not only do they look more like real wood, but they’ll also help pets maintain their grip. Due to the hardness of laminate, a rug may be essential for a spot to let any pet to kip and camp.

It’ll make it easier to maintain the floor as well, as pet owners can simply hoover and clean the rug as needs be. Laminate flooring hides scratches and scrapes well, and it’s partially water resistant, meaning that accidents are less of an issue. Just don’t let spills soak into a

V-Groove floor, as it can get under the floor and cause it to warp and buckle.

Bamboo Flooring As mentioned before, bamboo is excellent for homes with pets in the mix. Bamboo is harder than the hardest hardwoods. it’s the diamond of the flooring world, and makes ideal flooring for pets. It’ll easily stand up to traffic, it won’t wear out, it’s resistant to scratches and stains, and as an added bonus, it’s green, good for pets and good for the environment. Bamboo’s durability means the extra cost over a laminate or vinyl will be off set by the fact that bamboo will require much fewer repairs and refurbishing.

Stone Tile Flooring Stone tiles are another prime choice. They’re nearly impossible to scratch, and they’re completely water and stain resistant, so any accidents pets might have won’t be a problem at all. Granite is the hardest of all tile floors and will provide the most resistance, while softer floors like marble or slate will require a little more care, especially with a polished surface.

Tile Flooring Regular porcelain or ceramic tile floors are also ideal. They’re not easily scratched, and urine and other unmentionables won’t cause any lasting damage and can be easily wiped away.

Vinyl Flooring While some might have some preconceptions about the quality and appearance of vinyl, modern luxury vinyl is just as gorgeous as a high quality laminate, while being extremely hard wearing and durable. Vinyl is water proof, scratch and stain resistant, and soft and quiet under foot.

LVT flooring such as Rockwood and Egger's Design Pro LVT may just be the perfect pet friendly choice. Perfect for small children and pets alike, it’s low in allergens and economic price wise. It’s the ideal choice for flooring for pets on a budget. It’s perfect for bathrooms and kitchens too.

Carpet Carpet just might be the worst choice for pets. Even normal wear and tear on a carpet happens much faster than other flooring choices, without adding pets into the formula. If you must opt for a carpet for budget reasons, consider vinyl flooring instead.

If consumers go carpet, make sure they choose one without a loop pile, as pets might snag their claws in a loop carpet, hurting themselves and damaging the carpet in the process.

Final Tips It’s clear that the best choices for pets are either bamboo flooring, stone tile flooring, ceramic tile flooring, or vinyl flooring. However, it’s easy to narrow it down to what would work best depending on the situation.

If budget isn’t an issue, bamboo, stone, or ceramic are best, depending on the type of theme and fit. If looking for a more cost conscious approach then opt for vinyl. Avoid carpet. Carpet can become saturated with pet hair, and their claws can tear it. Plus, any stains or accidents will quickly ruin a carpet, and if left all day while, the smell and the stain will linger for a long time.

And remember, it’s worth the trouble and the stains to see their happy little faces…

We are manufacturers and distributors and do not sell directly to the public. Our products are available from all leading specialist flooring retailers.  

Top Tips to ease you through your First Day at Flanagans

You've waded through hundreds of job adverts, met a tonne of recruiters, gone through the nail-biting interview stages and because of your hard work and preparation you've been offered the job! Well done, now it's time to sit back and relax - except you find that your interview nerves have immediately been replaced with first-day jitters.

Each workplace is completely different. They have different ways of working, different products, computer systems, different decision-makers and even how they 'do lunch' will differ. What if you're not dressed right, sit in the wrong chair or get someone’s name wrong? First days are daunting but at Flanagan's, we're here to ease you through it.

The week before you start we'll be in touch to run through some of the basics like how to dress, where to park, and the best Saintfield eats this is the perfect opportunity for you to ask any of those burning questions you may have. To save you the stress we've put together a few pointers to help you on that all-important first week:

1. Shadowing someone is working hard.

For your first few days, you'll probably not feel like you've done much "actual work" because you'll likely be shadowing another member of staff. But we want you to be confident before you get started giving you the best opportunity to succeed. It's hard work to learn a new role so don't be concerned that it's taking too long, we'd much rather you take your time learning the ropes rather than rushing in before you're ready.

2. Asking questions is great.

The best way to the top is by asking others for help. The very first thing we want you to learn is who's best to ask for what job and to make sure you're comfortable enough in the workplace to ask. As a company, we have a lot of products, customers and moving parts so there is no question too big or small, and if the person you ask doesn't know they'll help you find out.

3. Be open.

We're a friendly bunch, the office is lively and good-natured and we'll be ready to get you involved in any conversation. There'll be many opportunities for you to get to know your team, whether that's while you're working alongside them or having a chat at tea break.

We want your first day to be exciting so focus on getting to know the rest of us and learning as you go and you'll feel a part of the family in no time.