We caught up with John Glista, Territory Manager in the Greater Phoenix area to get his inside scoop on the flooring industry.

What is your specialty, John?

Wood flooring and bathroom remodeling projects are what I enjoy to work with. Being from Chicago, wood flooring is the most popular surface used throughout the entire house because it creates a warm and comfortable feel. Today’s products are far more durable than years ago and are more maintenance free than ever before.

I also enjoy taking old cultured marble shower stalls down and replacing cabinets and putting granite tops on to create a SPA like feel.

What is your favorite part of working in the flooring industry?

Being able to bring the floor to a customer’s door and help them pick the perfect material for their project.

What is your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge is preparing concrete floors for wood flooring. Although, in my 29 years in this industry, I never met a challenge that I could not overcome.

What is your favorite type of floor and why?

New carpet can give an overall feel of freshness that gives off the new car smell that we all love. Most of the time it is much less expensive than people think and creates a warm and inviting space.

What have you found is the most popular?

Wood flooring is on most people’s minds when doing a remodel project, wide boards and scraped floors are the most popular choices. Porcelain tile that looks like Travertine is over taking natural stone due to the face that they require no maintenance and look so natural it’s almost impossible to tell the difference.

What is your favorite part of working in this industry?

I absolutely love seeing the customer’s faces when they walk thru a completed project and are extremely satisfied.

What is the biggest compliment you have received?

When customers refer their friends and family, it’s the greatest compliment anyone can ask for!

When you’re not helping people with their flooring what do you like to do?

I love to fish, golf and work on home remodeling.

Thanks, John for all the great information!

Don’t forget that our flooring specialists at StarFloors are always here to answer any questions and concerns you may have regarding your area rug choice. We are available toll free at 866-503-STAR (7827) or on the web at www.starfloors.com. You can also submit your questions to us at www.facebook.com/starfloors or on twitter @starfloors_

Looking For A Flooring Company You Can Trust?

About Us

For four generations, StarFloors has been providing customers with the highest quality flooring products available and outstanding customer service.
From the time we knock on your door to the moment you are standing on your new floor, our team provides the most pleasurable and positive experience possible. Our flooring specialists are the best at what they do and with our elite Showroom on Wheels we “Bring the Store to Your Door!”
With corporate offices in Dallas, Texas and flooring experts strategically located nationwide, StarFloors is one of the fastest growing flooring companies in the world.

Why We’re Different
StarFloors is a rock-solid company you can rely on. We’ve built our reputation on dependability, fair pricing, superior materials and workmanship.  Our strategically located facilities provide StarFloors managers with the ability to procure products and schedule expert installation for consistent, on-time delivery anywhere your properties are located.

Our unique business model and nationwide buying power allows us to provide a rare combination of competitive prices with the highest quality materials and personalized customer service. At StarFloors “We Bring our Store to Your Door!” saving the customer time and money and allowing customers to see what flooring works best with their existing décor.

Our turn key installations give peace of mind and offer the ultimate convenience. In addition to years of experience, our technicians undergo rigorous training, installing according to our exacting specifications and under our direct supervision. Installers clean up after every installation, removing old flooring, debris, vacuuming carpet and hauling away trash.

Our experienced flooring specialists are experts in the flooring industry. More importantly our territory managers are locals who know your housing market, the dynamics of your region (humidity, temperature, etc.) and design aesthetics. StarFloors’ territory managers are experts in their field and are prepared to exceed every expectation with their knowledge and expertise.

Customer service always comes first!  We ask each client to complete our online customer survey at the conclusion of every project and use the information to continually improve our products and services.

Our Products:
StarFloors takes care of all of its customers’ flooring needs. This includes replacing existing flooring with any grade of carpet, wood, ceramic and porcelain tile, natural stone and vinyl, as well as restoring hardwood floors and stone.

Harwood: From complete installations to repairs of worn and buckled wood flooring, StarFloors offers onsite installation of pre-finished and solid wood flooring in a range of hardwoods, finishes, sizes and patterns. We also sand and finish existing hardwood floors, restoring them to their natural beauty.
Vinyl: Our Company has a variety of versatile vinyl flooring available in a range of colors, designs and textures, including the look of traditional and distressed wood, natural stone and decorative and geometric patterns. This durable product is skid and mar resistant, easy to care for an ideal for high-traffic areas.

Carpet: StarFloors offers a range of carpet options, from Berber to Frieze. Whether you’re changing out the carpet in an entry-level home or adding plush texture and rich color to the master bedroom in a luxury home, we offer quality products and installation at the lowest possible prices.

Natural Stone: We install natural stone flooring, countertops, backsplashes and showers in any room of the home. Whether you’re replacing a travertine entry or restoring a granite tile countertop, StarFloors provides the highest quality material, installation, and restoration.  We do our own fabrication to ensure quality and reject slabs that are substandard due to fractures or fissures. Natural stone selections include granite, marble, limestone, travertine, slate, onyx and more.

Ceramic & Porcelain Tile: StarFloors offers quality ceramic and porcelain tile in a range of colors, textures and patterns. Our factory-trained installers understand the importance of correctly laying tile. We use appropriate underlayment materials under tile installed over subfloors and proper edging to ensure clean, solid connection, as well as remove and reinstall toilets.

Window Treatments
Star Floors carries a full line of high quality window treatment products uniquely engineered for value and fashion, and custom built to fit each window perfectly.  We carry everything from Faux Wood Blinds to Real Wood Blinds, Vertical Blinds, Honeycomb Shades, Shear Shades, Vertical Soft Sheers, Woven Woods, and Roller Shades.  Many of these products are available with motorization via wall control panel, remote control, or they can be integrated in to a home automation system.  

Media Rooms/Entertainment Centers
StarFloors’ brother-company StarPower provides clients with the finest experience in high-end custom installations of audio, video, security, and electronic automation. StarPower features the finest brands of equipment, some of which are rarely seen outside of Hollywood’s top studios.  StarFloors professionals work in conjunction with StarPower’s electronics and media room specialist to provide you with a custom designed media room to fit any space in your home. When we look at the word “customer”, the first word we see is “custom”. At StarCompanies, we put the customer first in every custom installation. We listen carefully to make sure to understand what a client is hoping for in their entertainment and media room. We pay close attention to a client’s budget, so we both know we can give them the maximum value for their price point. Our team of entertainment system and flooring experts create the highest quality entertainment rooms available- leaving no detail untouched. Our job is to create a one-of-a-kind theater environment without disrupting the existing home or business.
For more information on StarPower visit their website http://www.star-power.com/

http://www.starfloors.com/

The Great Debate: Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Hardwood

Without question Hardwood floors create a feel of elegance and simplicity in your home. Hardwood floors are stunning and can easily create whatever feeling you are hoping to evoke when someone enters into your home.

A hardwood floor will provide decades of beauty in your home, but when it comes to budget, many people for-go a solid hardwood floor and opt for the more economical choice of engineered hardwood floors. However Solid hardwood floors can be refinished for changing tastes or excessive wear. It may initially cost more, but as trends evolve, your floors can too.

StarFloors hopes to help you make an informed decision about whether solid or engineered hardwood floors are best for you.


Types of Hardwood Finishing:

Pre-Finished Wood- Pre-Finished solid hardwood flooring is just that- Pre-finished hardwood is already sanded and sealed, by the manufacturer, with at least four coats of ultraviolent-cured urethane resin. This finish offers consistent quality, quicker installation and immediate gratification, meaning you can walk on it as soon as it is laid. Installation is quick and easy and you can live in your home while the installation takes place.

Unfinished Hardwood Flooring- Unfinished solid hardwood flooring must be sanded and sealed on-site. While it does offer more color choices, it requires a lot of preparation. The sanding process is messy; significant drying time is required after each sealing application requiring up to five days for completion. Often times occupants of the home will have to move our during the installation process.



Engineered Flooring- Consisting of a plywood base that’s covered with 1 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick layer of wood, works well in bathrooms and basements where light moisture might be a concern. Engineered flooring is pre-finished and because the wood layer is so thin it can usually only be sanded and refinished once.

Solids vs. Engineered

Solid Wood:
Solid wood floors are manufactured as one complete piece of solid wood, generally 3/4" thick and board widths are generally 2 1/4" and 3 1/4" wide. The length of the boards may vary from 9" to 72", with an average of 32" long. Solid wood floors react to the environment in which it is placed. In the winter heating months, the moisture content of the wood reduces causing the floor to contract or leave gaps between each board. In the summer months when humidity enters the wood, it will cause the wood to expand and if there is too much moisture, it can cause the floor to cup. Solid wood floors are most commonly installed by nailing down to a wood subfloor.

Solid hardwood flooring comes in many different wood varieties, including exotic woods. It's slightly more expensive than an engineered wood flooring, but if you are a diehard wood enthusiast, then you may want to stick with a solid hardwood flooring.

Solid hardwood can't be installed (or isn't recommended) in high moisture rooms, like the kitchen, bath and basement. This is because the higher moisture content in the air -- or even on the floor -- can cause the wood to ripple or buckle, which will destroy the flooring.

Because you can refinish a solid wood floor more times than you can an engineered wood floor, this flooring type lasts longer, helping balance some of the environmental problems associated with some wood floors.

If you have children or pets, then you may want to consider the durability factor of solid hardwood flooring in your decision. Most solid hardwood flooring will need to be professionally installed, so if you are a do-it-yourselfer, then this is something that you will want to keep in mind.

Deciding between engineered vs solid hardwood flooring is a decision that should be made carefully. In some cases, your budget will be the determining factor, but if at all possible, it is better to let other considerations make your decision for you. Consider the rooms that you will be installing the flooring in, the people who will be walking on and enjoying the floors, and what your dream flooring is to help you determine the winner between engineered vs. solid hardwood flooring.

Engineered Wood:

If you’re not sure hardwood flooring is best option for you, consider engineered hardwood. It is just as beautiful as natural hardwood, but it will maintain its shape much better.

ed wood floors refer to products that have multiple layers of wood veneer glued and pressed together. Engineered wood floors have layers of wood veneer that are cross-laminated for dimensional stability. These floors will be less affected by moisture than solid wood floors. Engineered wood floors can be installed on grade, below grade, or above grade in almost any room in the home. Engineered wood floors have several options of installing; nail down, staple down, glue down, and some can even be floated.

Engineered hardwood flooring is less expensive than solid hardwood. It made of a wood layers, but the layers below the surface are often composed of less expensive, stronger wood layers. The top layer is the decorative wood you have chosen for your home or office. Engineered hardwood flooring is also more environmentally friendly than solid hardwood floors because the sub-surface layers are made from "junk" or "scrap" wood, not the ornamental wood. This approach saves more forests because each tree of the desired ornamental wood can go further than it does with solid wood flooring.

Unlike solid hardwood flooring, engineered flooring can be installed in any room that you choose, even a basement, because it can withstand moisture due to the layers of flooring that withstand buckling and rippling. Engineered flooring can also be installed over radiant floor heating, which can keep your feet warm during those cold winter months. It's also easy to install and looks just as beautiful as hardwood flooring at a much better price that will fit almost anyone's budget.

You'll be able to get three to four resurfacings from most engineered hardwood floors. So it's not as long lasting as solid wood flooring, but it's a durable floor during its lifetime.


Request a quote instantly at http://www.starfloors.com



StarFloors primary manufacturers for hardwood floors are: Mohawk, Mannington, Anderson, and Trinity Hardwood. However, StarFloors can get any hardwood you desire.

Thank you Anderson for the stunning pictures in today's blog!

Call a StarFloors Professional Today!

Toll-Free: (866) 503-STAR (7827)

Caring for Your Hardwood Floors

If you have dogs, then you probably know what it’s like to come home from work and finding an unpleasant surprise on your hardwood floors.
StarFloors knows what you go through in cleaning your floors and that's why we're providing you with this blog: Caring for Your Hardwood Floors!

Whether its pet mess, dirt, juice, baby food, or dust---cleaning your hardwood floors can be a scary process.

Although StarFloors highly recommends speaking with one of our flooring professionals before cleaning your hardwood for the first time, we wanted to provide you with some tips…just in case!

Keep you Hardwood Floors Clean and Beautiful by doing the following:

1. Vacuum and sweep your hardwood floors regularly. General cleaning once every week is recommended.

2. Lay down good quality door mats. These mats will help collect dirt, grit, and other substances such as oil. Do not use rubber or foam backed plastic mats as they may discolor the flooring. To prevent slipping, use a rug underlay.

3. Use protective pads or caps to put on the feet of furniture.

***Use Grandpa’s Money Saving Trick: Take an old piece of carpet and cut it into small squares. Then attach the carpet pieces to the feet of your furniture using Velcro. Now your floors are protected against your furniture and you can easily glide furniture across the floor if needed. Thanks Grandpa!!***

Cleaning Tips

1. Remove spills promptly. Use a quality floor cleaner and cloth

2. Don’t let sand, dirt, or grit build up on your wood floor. They can act like sandpaper on your floors and will damage and dull your floor’s surface.

3. Avoid using a mop on your wood floors. Too much water can cause the wood to swell and warp.

4. Have pets? Clean up pet messes quickly. The ammonia in urine will take off the finish on your hardwood.

5. Avoid allowing sharp objects to touch your floors: high heels and pet claws are two things that most commonly scratch and hurt your floors. Take off your shoes when walking on hardwood and keep your pet’s claws trimmed.

6. Don’t use wax, oil soap, or other household cleaners on polyurethane finished wood floors. They can dull hardwood floors and ruin the finish, making refinishing difficult.

Other Tips:

1. For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum- rub the spot with ice to harden the stain. Then gently scrape with a plastic scraper.

2. Do not use any type of buffing machine.

3. For hard stains, look up the best floor cleaner for you specific type of hardwood or contact a flooring professional at StarFloors for more information.

www.starfloors.com

866-503-STAR(7872)