Category: Flooring & Stairs

You've seen it-and heard it-in so many scary movies: a stair creaks in the night, startling the homeowner into nervous wakefulness. But in reality, creaky stairs are a common and usually merely annoying problem. The basic cause is generally wear-and-tear on the wooden staircase components causing one wooden section to rub against another or against…

Understand how prefinished hardwood planks differ from traditional hardwood flooring to pick the perfect product for your home improvement job.

If you're considering travertine tile and weighing it against marble and granite, here's what to expect of the stone's appearance, maintenance, and cost.

Maintaining the luster of wood floors starts with the right commercial cleaner. See our guide for 5 highly-rated picks for the best hardwood floor cleaner.

Bold patterns and vibrant colors of cement tile floors are trendy-but they're not appropriate for every setting. Read this before you install them at home.

Learn all about tile underlayment materials and installation to ensure a smooth, stable surface beneath your tile flooring project.

This part of a tile project can be easily DIYed if you've brushed up on how to tile grout and begin with the right supplies. Get the illustrated guide here.

Vinyl is the most popular form of resilient flooring (a category that also includes linoleum and cork) because it's low-maintenance, water-resistant, cost-effective, and long-lasting. It also has the perfect balance of firmness and “give,” meaning it springs a bit when you walk on it for a comfortable feel underfoot. And thanks to recent technological advances,…

Using household products, a bit of elbow grease, and this guide on how to clean grout, you can whiten the lines between tile once again.

Curious about a DIY alternative to tiling your floors? Find out if a floating tile floor is actually any easier, cheaper, or better to install in your home.

Laminate floors are low-maintenance, affordable, and DIY-friendly-to a point. Learn the pros and cons of laminate flooring before you begin a project.

Learn about the colors, patterns, quality, and costs of posh, popular marble flooring to decide if it belongs in your home.

Fed up with the wear and tear on your hardwood floors? Rather than commit to a total floor refinishing, start with these tips for wood floor scratch repair.

Hardwood floor finishes have varying levels of ease, durability, even glossiness. Brush up on the basics of 8 popular options before choosing yours.

To achieve safety and style, follow this cheat sheet of considerations-material, density, color, and more-when searching for the best carpet for stairs.

Before installing rigid flooring, determine if your substrate is even enough-and learn the first steps for leveling a floor.

Carpeting brings wall-to-wall softness and warmth to a room, both visually and physically. But over time, its attractive pile can begin to show signs of wear from heavy traffic, stains, and even steam cleanings. Nothing dates a home more quickly than dingy or stained carpeting, so if that spilled soft drink was the last straw, you may…

Dull floors? Waxing hardwood floors is an economical, tried-and-true way to restore their gleam and prolong their life. Learn the proper technique here.

Not excited about plastic barricades between rooms to childproof your home? Get the tutorial for a DIY baby gate that's good for your kids, pets, and style.

Your hardwood flooring gets a beating every day. Learn how to polish wood floors to give them like-new luster with a few simple steps.