They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and when you have visitors to your home, the siding does this for you. Exterior construction material trends have changed dramatically over the decades, and adding a new facade can make a huge difference in your house’s curb appeal. Here are some of the best choices out there for all kinds of budgets.
1. Wood
Wood is one of humanity’s oldest building materials. While modern suburban homes might not be made entirely of lumber anymore, there is still a demand for wood siding. It can require some maintenance, but it provides a gorgeous natural look. When well taken care of, it can last up to 100 years.
2. Stone
If a man’s home is his castle, then there’s no better siding option than stone. It can be expensive and might be challenging to add to existing structures, but for homeowners that are breaking ground on new properties, stone siding can provide a unique and durable look. Its beauty is unrivalled.
3. Stucco
Stucco has a bad reputation for being weak or unstable, but when properly installed, it can easily last the entire lifetime of the property. It is an extremely rigid material, especially when dry, so installers need to work quickly and carefully to prevent the exterior from cracking. Traditionally, you’ll see stucco siding on wood walls, but contractors can also apply it to brick, stone and other surfaces.
4. Vinyl
Vinyl is another type of siding that often gets overlooked, or even looked down on as a cheap option. However, this durable plastic can help improve the look of just about any property. It’s also resistant to moisture and decay and will help to prevent insects from moving in. Some brands of vinyl siding can even withstand storm winds up to 200 mph, making it ideal for homes in areas that are prone to hurricanes or tornadoes.
5. Stone Veneer
For homeowners that want the look of stone siding but don’t want to foot the bill or rebuild their entire home, there is stone veneer siding. It creates the appearance of stone without any of the hassle. It can even be made from synthetic materials, making it lightweight and durable. Homeowners looking for a low-maintenance option might want to consider this option. All they need to do to maintain it is to hose it off once a year.
6. Fibre Cement
Fiber cement is a popular option for individuals who want to give their home a new look without breaking the bank. This siding comes in several designs, mimicking the look of wood, stone, stucco and even masonry, depending on what the homeowner wants. It’s also nonflammable and termite-resistant, helping to protect the property while giving it a bold new look.
7. Brick
Brick is available as a siding option for those who love the iconic look of this classic style. It is expensive and extremely labor-intensive, but as long as the contractor installs a membrane between the siding and the home to prevent moisture from causing damage, brick siding can last a lifetime. It also offers top-notch curb appeal.
Choosing the Best Material for the Job
Homeowners may want a new look for their property but may not always know all the exterior construction materials that are available, or what might work best in different parts of the country. This information can help both contractors and homeowners choose the right materials for the job and help them end up with a finished product they’ll be proud of and enjoy looking at for many years to come.
About the Author: Emily is a green tech writer who covers topics in renewable energy and
sustainable design. You can read more of her work on her blog, Conservation Folks.
Before you decide whether or not carpet tiles are right for you and your home, you need to know important things about it first. First, it’s important to realize the fact that this type of flooring can be both durable and beautiful at the same time. This article will help you understand why you should consider using this type of flooring in your home or commercial space.
What Are Carpet Tiles?
Carpet tiles are also called square carpets or modular carpets, which are cut from wall to wall rolls, and they’re fitted together to form a carpet. The sizes of carpet tiles are available in 48×48 cm, 50x50cm, 60x60cm, and 96×96 cm.
Carpet tiles come in different shapes, such as triangles and hexagons. This type of flooring is installed in restaurants, bars, and other uncomplicated flooring projects.
Now that you know what carpet tiles are, it’s time to know the important details about this type of flooring:
Extremely Durable
Rawson Carpet Solutions explains that one of the most important things you should know about carpet tiles is that they’re extremely durable and hard-wearing. Thus, you don’t have to worry about them rotting in the middle of winter, which can happen with other types of flooring materials.
If you have children or elderly people living with you, this is a huge advantage that you should consider when it comes to investing in carpet tiles.
Easy To Clean
In addition to being incredibly durable, carpet tiles are also easy to clean. There’s no need to hire a professional cleaner to do this job, which can be very expensive.
If you want a simple floor covering that you can keep up with the daily routine and which doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, you should consider using carpet tiles.
Add Style And Class To Your Home
This type of floor covering is also a great way to add some style and class to your home. When you’re looking for floor coverings to use on your property, you should look at carpet tiles and think of all the different styles and colors that they come in.
With so many different designs available, it shouldn’t be hard to find something that’ll go well with your home decor.
Environmentally Friendly
Another thing that you need to know about carpet tiles is that they’re also environmentally friendly. In many cases, they’re made from recycled paper, so they’re making their way to your community recycling center.
Aside from being recyclable, carpet tiles can take a tremendous amount of abuse.
A Cheap Hardwood Floor Alternative
Finally, you need to understand that carpet tiles are a cheap option compared to hardwood floors. When you’re looking at the benefits that you get when you choose this type of flooring over a traditional one, you’ll see why it’s such a good choice.
There are also no additional health risks associated with using carpet tiles, unlike hardwood flooring installation since it uses finishing with volatile organic compounds (VOC), as long as you follow the proper installation process.
Important Things To Consider When Choosing Carpet Tiles
When choosing carpet tiles, it’s important to take into account a number of important factors. It’s important that you choose and install a carpet tile that suits the area, you’re placing the carpet on and the decor in your home.
When looking for carpeting, here are some considerations you need to keep in mind:
Color: First of all, when selecting carpet tiles, it’s important to consider the color of the carpeting. If the room is small, it can be used to give a room a sleek and elegant look. To add dimension to the room, you should consider using a darker colored carpet.
Style: It’s important to consider the style of carpet tiles you decide upon. A good example of this is carpet tiles with an embossed look. There are also other styles such as solid-colored carpet tiles and also some carpet tiles with a pattern on the carpet.
If you have any allergies, you may want to ensure that you don’t pick carpet tiles with a pattern.
Type Of Carpet Tiles: It’s important to consider the type of carpet tiles you’re going to use in your home. You should try and get carpet tiles that’ll look good in any type of decor.
Carpet tiles come in a wide range of colors and textures. As mentioned above, there are some tiles with patterns on them, but they can still be made in other shapes and sizes.
Conclusion
There are plenty of good reasons to choose carpet tiles, and you just learned the five important things about this type of flooring. Carpet tiles are extremely durable and they’re also easy to clean, adding class and style in your lovely home.
Also, carpet tiles are environmentally friendly and more affordable option than hardwood flooring.
As part of a large scale refurbishment programme, the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has upgraded the operating theatres at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
The trust wanted to completely overhaul parts of the hospital to make space for new, state-of-the-art operating facilities. The complex renovation work was split into four phases. As part of phase two, Henry Boot Construction, the main contractor on the project, approached resin floor and concrete repair specialists Frescrete to prepare and install the new floors in the operating theatres within the audiology department.
The hospital was still in use throughout the project so Frescrete worked within strict hospital guidelines and to the contractor’s tight timescales. Joshua McKinlay, contracts manager at Frescrete, was responsible for ensuring that all works were completed within the 72-hour window they had been allocated.
“Buildings like this can’t just be shut down for long periods of time. In some circumstances, they can’t afford to be closed or in the case of hospitals, closing could cause a backlog in treatments,” said Frescrete. “It’s our job to work alongside our customers and cause as little disruption as possible. For this project, it meant deliveries were arriving throughout the night enabling work to commence early in the morning. We were working next door to a live operating theatre, so we needed to work efficiently and keep the noise and dust to a minimum.”
The new floor needed to comply with strict health and safety guidelines. The final substrate had to meet surface regularity one (SR1) levels of flatness, due to the precise placement of operating tables and equipment. Under BS8203:2017 for the installation of resilient floor coverings, the class of local surface regularity of a directly finished base or levelling screed should be selected according to the use of the floor. SR1 is the highest standard and should be used where a thin floor covering is to be applied and where minimum irregularity is required.
With a fixed timeframe to prime and install the floor with no room for error, Frescrete turned to Saint-Gobain Weber. Andrew Cooper, regional specification manager for flooring at Saint-Gobain Weber helped them to find the optimal products for the project.
“Frescrete were very clear about what they needed from the screed; ease of application and fast drying time,” said Andrew. “We specified weberfloor 4716 primer and weberfloor smooth rapid 4160 as both have fast drying properties. The weberfloor smooth rapid 4160 was ideal for this project as it can withstand light foot traffic after just a few hours and the final floor covering can be installed after as little as 24 hours.”
The weberfloor smooth rapid 4160 is a self-smoothing thin topping screed that can be applied to depths of 2-30mm. Designed for levelling traditional sand and cement, anhydrite screeds, Weber base screeds or for application onto concrete substrates, the 4160 has ultra-high wear resistance making it suitable for very high traffic areas. It also benefits from Weber’s Low Dust Technology that reduces the amount of airborne dust released during the mixing process.
As this was Frescrete’s first time working with Weber’s flooring products, Kevin Grainger, applications manager at Saint-Gobain Weber, worked alongside Frescrete to provide any technical support that was needed.
“We were really pleased with the product and with the technical support provided by Weber,” said Joshua. “It’s a very nice material to use, and it does what it says on the tin: flows well and dries quickly.
“We primed the substrate within a day, applied the screed within 24 hours, and by the third day it was ready to have the vinyl covering fitted. Three days to install 600m2 of flooring to such precise levels of flatness is impressive.”
The final floor covering was a specialist vinyl finish installed by Fresco Flooring, the sister company of Frescrete.
This phase of the project was completed just before the UK went into lockdown in March 2020. The scheme will be completed in autumn 2020.
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Reflecting its commitment to taking concrete action on climate change, LafargeHolcim, the parent company behind Aggregate Industries, has become the world’s first building materials supplier to commit to hitting net zero emissions by 2050.
The significant announcement sees LafargeHolcim become the first company of its kind to join the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – a scheme that determines how much and how quickly firms must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Under SBTi’s ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’, an urgent target set by UN agencies, business and industry leaders, LafargeHolcim has committed to speeding up thereduction in CO2 intensity per tonne of cementitious materials by 2030.
Setting an ambitious standard for green construction, to achieve this, LafargeHolcim, which operates in over 90 countries, is working with SBTi to develop a roadmap for helping the global cement sector hit the 1.5°C target – the temperature at which we can avoid irreversible damage due to climate change.
This includes spearheading a number of initiatives that will be rolled out across its UK business Aggregate Industries such as recycling 100 million tons of waste and byproducts for energy and raw materials and accelerate the use of low-carbon and carbon-neutral products.
The announcement comes as last year the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to become Net Zero by 20501. Committed to supporting this ambition and that of its parent company, Aggregate Industries said it will continue to reduce its CO2 emissions and lead the way on sustainability.
Recent years have seen the firm achieve notable milestones in this area such as becoming the first company to be certified to BES 6001, The Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products, developed by the BRE. It was also the first construction materials supplier to achieve the BSI PAS 2080 verification for its commitment to supply low carbon solutions to infrastructure projects. Aggregate Industries currently purchases the entirety of its electrical grid demand from 100 renewable sources.
Guy Edwards, Chief Executive Officer at Aggregate Industries UK, said: “We’re proud to be part of the LafargeHolcim Group as it makes the bold and ambitious pledge to go Net Zero by 2050. By being the first building materials supplier in the world to sign up to the SBTi’s ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ demonstrates our genuine desire to achieve real and lasting change in protecting the environment.
“In our capacity as one of the UK’s leading construction materials suppliers, we fully support LafargeHolcim’s pledge and accelerating the use of low-carbon and carbon-neutral products is just one of the initiatives we’re currently working on to help create a greener construction industry.”
Jan Jenisch, CEO: “I believe in building a world that works for people and the planet. That’s why we are reinventing how the world builds today to make it greener with low-carbon and circular solutions. I am very excited to be working with SBTi, taking a rigorous science-based approach to shape our net zero roadmap and accelerating our efforts to substantially lower our CO2 footprint. I will not stop pushing the boundaries to lead the way in green construction.”
Helping customers to reduce CO2 emissions released from buildings and infrastructure over the whole-life cycle of a project, Aggregate Industries offers a wide choice of sustainable products, like SustainaCem cement, which has reduced embodied CO2 and is a pre-blended material with robust quality testing or ECOPact, our low carbon concrete which is due to be launched shortly on the UK market.
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Whether your team has grown or you’re simply moving to another location, you’ve decided to have an office fit out. Congrats, this is a big decision. But it’s only the beginning of the process.
Next, you’ve got to consider what functionalities you need, what could make your employees more productive, and, most importantly, the size of the budget.
All of which leads to the question of choosing between a Cat A and Cat B fit out.
What Is a Category A Office Fit Out?
Category A is more basic than Category B, and is often seen as preparation for a Cat B office fit out. If you’re moving your premises into a new building, or a building that hasn’t been used in a while, you need a Cat A fit out to make it suitable for your activities.
The first phase is installing mechanical and electrical services, providing you with lighting and air conditioning. This type is suitable for those who want to create their own space. If you’re working in a creative industry, you may love the challenge. On the other hand, if you’re a highly practical person, you may prefer to have it all done by the company you’ve hired.
Therefore, you can’t expect a lot of furniture, but you should expect things like painted walls, grid ceilings, raised metal flooring, toilets, etc. If you’re a landlord who owns an office building, this may be a good solution for you. That way, you’re allowing each tenant to customize their working space. We could assume that if it’s an established company, they already have some furniture that serves their purposes.
Of course, some building companies offer new office equipment, tailored made for your business. So you could opt for types like A+ which is in between.
What Is a Category B Office Fit Out?
Category B is a much more detailed process. By choosing this option, you can get professionals to create an optimal office fit out. London residents often don’t have enough time to design their offices and think about all details. They prefer to get furnished offices, so they don’t waste their precious time moving things around.
It’s essential to choose a building company that you can trust to create a space tailored-made for your business. You should look for a company that asks many additional questions and pays attention to your needs. Of course, they could suggest some solutions from their broad experience, but your opinion matters as well.
Their first task is to shape the interior spaces and construct different rooms if they aren’t any. It also includes creating special areas, such as a small kitchen or a staff room. Some of the things that often come with Cat B office fit outs are tiles and parquet flooring, doors, furniture, and decorations.
If you want to go beyond with your office fit out, London companies also offer a branded fit out. This is essential for those who need to impress their business partners and customers. Never underestimate the power of interiors.
Which One Is Better?
Some businesses opt for Category A because they assume it’s more cost-effective. And yes, it can seem much cheaper, but don’t forget that you still have to do all other things if you want to create a usable space. This option can work for those who already have office furniture, and just have basic requirements.
On the other hand, Category B doesn’t have to be that expensive either. Remember that you can choose materials and brands, and it’s always possible to find something that fits into your budget. Another important factor is time. If you need to have your office ready, a Category B fit out is a much faster solution than furnishing it yourself.
What Do Your Employees Need?
Some business owners forget to ask their employees what they need, and they spend a small fortune creating a space that turns out to be little more than functional. That’s why it’s essential to talk to your employees and ask them what kind of space they want. Remember that a working area has a high impact on both motivation and productivity.
