December 2012 Newsletter

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American Cabinet & Flooring | December 2012 | E-Newsletter      New Design Center Opening Soon! We are excited to announce that we have expanded and will be opening a second design center at 120th and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton, CO at the Mission Trace Shopping Center. It will be a pleasure to serve you at our additional location with the same quality and service you have come to expect from us. Please keep an eye on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and email announcements for our official grand opening! We hope to see you soon! In-Stock Merillat Cabinets Attractive. Economical. Simple. Our in-stock Merillat cabinet collection features a clean, modern style with a traditional overly door and a flat center panel design providing you, our valued customer, straightforward choices that can create exceptional looks. All at a price point that makes them extremely practical and simple. Click here to print a listing of our in-stock cabinet collection. Holiday Home Improvement Projects The run-up to the holiday season is a good time to be taking care of home improvement projects. Friends and family will be dropping by a bit more frequently, so they'll be able to see the fruit of your labors. Even if your home isn't a major social setting, if you're like most of us, you tend to spend a bit more time indoors in the winter, so you might as well be making the most of your home for the people living in it: you! Seal the driveway and fix those cracks in the sidewalk Salt on the roads and frequent temperature changes can break down your entrance-ways. Make a good impression on the outside of your home and avoid curious looks from guests thinking "was that crack always there?" Home theater area You've got a big screen television and a great sound system, but what about the stand that the TV rests on? How about the decor? You may want to look at custom cabinets or storage for your DVDs and related items. Is the couch your guests will be sitting on looking a bit worn? Upgrade and replace as needed. You may also want to consider mounting your flat screen television on a wall for more effective use of space and a sophisticated look. The kitchen: the most used room in the house When you've got company over the holidays, even if the main event may be in the living room, people naturally gravitate towards the kitchen for an extra cup of cocoa or a gingerbread cookie from the pantry. Think about new cabinets, solid slab countertops or a coat of paint that brightens up the room & can create a welcoming feel. And if you've upgraded your kitchen utilities like your dishwasher, you'll have an easier time after the party is done. Bathroom fix-ups New tiles and re-grouting can add a fresh look to your bathroom. Maybe it's also time to add little touches like a new mirror, shower curtain or bathroom mat. Designer fireplace and maintenance A lot of holiday parties tend to center around the fireplace. Custom fireplaces that double as art installations are becoming more popular. More homes are also including them in other parts of the house besides the living room, such as in the kitchen or master bathroom. If installation is a bigger job than you were thinking and you've already got a working fireplace, at least get your maintenance done, cleaning it up, checking connections and ventilation and ensuring cracks in the mantle or other areas get sealed properly. Give yourself a home improvement schedule You're not going to want to deal with dust and packaging from home improvement projects while your guests are arriving. Give yourself plenty of time to work through your improvements, and don't bit off more than you can chew. Give yourself a realistic list to accomplish and if you can't get it done before New Year's Eve, well, there's always next year! We want to know how we are doing! Submit a Review We value feedback from our customers and want to hear how we did on your project. You can easily submit a review as well as see what others are saying about American Cabinet & Flooring by clicking on the following links. Angie's List Facebook Google Places CitySearch Yahoo Local Yellow Pages DexKnows Houzz GE Capital Fast. Smart. Simple. Quick credit decisions Simple & fast application process Low minimum monthly payments See a Sales Associate for program details and apply today!

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November 2012 Newsletter

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American Cabinet & Flooring, Inc. | November 2012 | Newsletter      NEW! In-stock Cabinetry Attractive. Economical. Simple We are pleased to announce our new in-stock Merillat Cabinetry has arrived! Featuring a clean, modern style with a traditional overlay door and a flat center panel design these in-stock cabinets provide you, our valued customer, straightforward choices that can create exceptional looks. All at a price that makes them practical and extremely simple. Visit our website to see our complete selection of in-stock Merillat cabinets! 20 Holiday Essentials to Get You to New Year's   No matter how much we prepare for the holidays, something usually slips through the cracks. And without fail, it goes unnoticed until the exact moment that we need it. Avoid last-minute scrambles this year by stocking up on these essentials. Photo & Article Source: Houzz.com   1). Brown kraft paper can be used for wrapping gifts, covering up the kids' (or adults') table, making place settings, as a table runner or for gift tags. 2). Colorful tape makes any wrapping job more fun, stock up for birthdays while you're at it. 3). Twine in cheerful colors can be used for wrapping pretty presents and packages, tying tags, hanging decor and more. 4). A gold pen can be used to dress up brown kraft paper and colored gift tags or make a thank-you note look extra special. 5). Scissors - consider buying a colorful pair for extra holiday cheer.  6). A hole punch and colored paper to make gift tags and confetti, at the same time! 7). White twinkle lights can make any room look festive, keep these on hand for quick decor. 8). Candles in all shapes and sizes should be on hand. Stock up on scented candles for bathrooms, decorative candles and votives for table settings, and Hanukkah candles for those eight special nights.  9). Matches should be ready for all your candles, a cozy fire and maybe a New Year's Eve sparkler or two. 10). Cloth napkins make even impromptu meals feel formal, and can take the wear and tear that comes with heavy holiday meals. 11). A serving tray will present your annual holiday cheese ball in style. 12). Tide pens will take care of those inevitable red wine and gravy spills. 13). A bottle opener. Don't be the host who has to run to the store 15 minutes before the midnight toast! 14). Coasters strategically placed on every table to protect your furniture. 15). DIY drink tags in holiday colors help your guests keep track of their glasses. Just trace the bottom of a wine glass on a piece of paper and trace a dime in the center. Cut both circles out with a silt between and use your gold pen to label each one. 16). A doormat in a bright color can help remind guests to wipe their shoes before coming in. 17). Thank-you cards. A handwritten note is a great way to show family and friends your appreciation. 18). Holiday stamps announce the arrival of a special invitation or note before the envelope has even been opened. 19). Cleaning supplies will take care of any pre- and post party messes.  20). Whether you're sore from late-night dancing or have a headache from too many Christmas carols, you'll want to keep a bottle of ibuprofen around this holiday season! Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday from all of us at American Cabinet & Flooring! We will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd for the holiday but will be open on Friday, November 23rd. Come see us for Black Friday shopping and take advantage of the great promotions currently running before they expire! Forward to a Friend GE Capital Fast. Smart. Simple. Quick Credit Decisions Simple & fast application process Low minimum monthly payments Come in & see a Sales Associate for program details and apply today! We want to hear from you! We value feedback from our customers and want to hear how we did on your project. You can easily submit a review as well as see what others are saying about American Cabinet & Flooring by clicking on the following links: Angie's List Facebook Google Local CitySearch Yahoo Local Yellow Pages DexKnows Houzz

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ConsumerReports.org Buying Guide: Flooring

Photo: American Cabinet & Flooring Designer Clay Bernard

Getting Started

Begin by considering where the flooring will go and how much traffic, sunlight, and other wear and tear it will get. Vinyl proved tops in our moisture tests and most linoleum. Plastic laminates, and solid wood fared nearly as well. But many engineered woods, as well as some solid woods, and a linoleum product we tested flubbed that test - a serious drawback in a busy kitchen. And while the best vinyls and plastic-laminates fended off wear better than solid wood, they can't be refinished when worn. 

How to Shop

Before settling on a product, spend a few dollars on two or three samples. That can be a lot less expensive than winding up with flooring that looks great in a catalog or on a website and then awful in your home. Manufacturers generally match most wood or engineered-wood flooring for color or grain. But variations can occur from one batch to the next, so buy the flooring you'll need all at once. All the plastic-laminate floorboards in a package often have a similar pattern, so you may want to pull from multiple packages to avoid repetition.

To determine how much flooring you'll need, measure the room's square footage by multiplying its length times its width. (Divide an irregularly shaped room into smaller rectangles, calculate the square footage of each rectangle, and then add them together.) Then buy 7 to 10 percent extra to allow for mistakes, bad samples, and waste. You might also want to invest in an extra box of flooring for future repairs or additions. 

Where to Save

One way to save is on overstocks. Also, take advantage of mistakes. You can often save on opened or damaged boxes or on flooring with minor flaws that no one will notice.

Hiring a pro to do the installation? You can trim hundreds of dollars off the job by doing the time-consuming prep work like prying up the old flooring, leveling or filling the subfloor, and removing any baseboard that's in the way. 

Green Floors That Didn't Cut It

Bamboo is considered renewable because it's a fast-growing grass. The best bamboo floorings we tested area stranded products such as the EcoTimber solid and Teragren engineered flooring, which are made of fibers that are shredded and compressed for strength. Cork floors are made of tree bark in a process that doesn't kill trees.

Know How Rough You'll Be

The best products in every category were also the best overall in our simulated foot-traffic tests. For less busy kitchens, you may want to consider the top engineered wood or bamboo, with its blend of natural veneer and easy installation.

Pick a Factory Finish

Prefinished wood and bamboo floors cost about 40 percent more than unfinished products. But you're likely to save overall because a factory finish tends to last longer-and paying a pro to apply the finish adds costs, mess, and hassle. Factory finishes are also warranted by the manufacturer. 

Check for Certification

Vinyl floors with the industry's FloorScore certification emit relatively low levels of volatile organic compounds, substances linked to health problems and pollution. All vinyl we recommend has that certification. For wood flooring, certification by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative offers some assurance that it comes from responsibly managed forests, a plus for the planet. The product and manufacturer must be certified; check the packaging. 

When You Get it Home

Before installing wood or laminate flooring, unpack it and let it sit for one to three days in the space where it will be installed so that its temperature and moisture match the levels in the room.

Keeping New Floors Looking Good

If you need to heat the room soon after installation, raise the temperature gradually over the course of a week - especially if you have radiant heat - to allow the flooring to adjust. Sweep or vacuum floors with a soft broom or brush, and clean with a damp but not overly wet mop. Check the manufacturer's guidelines for recommended cleaning products. And put felt pads under furniture to prevent scratching. 

Types of Flooring

Though you'll find a growing array of styles, most flooring falls into one of these six types. The type of flooring you choose will depend on your taste, needs, and budget.

   Solid Wood

Photo: Mohawk Solid Wood in Oak ButterscotchAdvantages include its natural warmth and the ability to be sanded and refinished several times, along with impressive wear resistance for some. But except for the best solid bamboo, all the solid-wood products we tested dented easily, and some wore quickly and became discolored from sunlight. Pre-finished floors should hold up better than those finished on site, and their warranty comes from the factory, not the installer. But you may not like the beveled edges on many pre-finished products. While unfinished flooring costs about 40 percent less, higher installation costs can offset those savings, since the floor must be sanded and finished over several days to seal it from moisture. Wood flooring shouldn't go in basements and other damp spaces. 

Engineered Wood

Photo: Mohawk Engineered Wood in Oak Natural

This flooring uses a thin veneer of real wood or bamboo over structural plywood. Most engineered wood doesn't wear as well as solid wood or plastic laminate. It also dents easily, and small spills can damage it. Most can be carefully refinished once, but the veneer on some may be too thin. 

Plastic Laminate

Photo: Mannington Laminate in Black Forest Oak

Generally made of dense fiberboard with a photo beneath a clear plastic protective layer, laminate can mimic nearly anything from oak to marble. Some brands use real cork beneath the clear layer. But the repetitive pattern on some products compromises realism. The best laminates resist scratching, denting, and discoloration from sunlight better than most wood products, but as with engineered wood, a big spill can cause damage. You may be able to touch up minor flaws, but you'll have to replace the flooring when its outer layer wears through. 

Vinyl

Photo: Shaw Resilient Vinyl Tile in Grey Skies

This option can be especially good at fending off wear, dents, scratches, discoloration from sunlight, and stains. Easy installation is another plus, especially for tiles or planks, as are more color and design choices than before. Premium vinyl does a better job of imitating stone, tile, and even oak, but even the best products still look like vinyl. And the best can cost at least as much as the best solid wood and laminate floors. 

Linoleum

Photo: Armstrong Linoleum in Firebird Red

Made of linseed oil and wood products, linoleum is a natural, resilient material. Today's products offer far more styles and colors. Linoleum tends to fend off discoloration from sunlight, but resistance to wear, scratches, dents and moisture has varied widely in our tests from product to product. Linoleum can also be relatively expensive. 

Ceramic Tile

Photo: Shaw Ceramic Tile In Cappuccino

This classic material tends to resist wear, moisture, scratches, dents, and stains. But tiles can crack and grout can stain, and dropped cups and dishes break more easily on its hard surface. It's also relatively expensive and hard to install. While some can now be floated without the usual cement and grout, that makes replacing cracked tiles a challenge. 

Flooring Features

Different flooring materials require different installation techniques. Homeowners install about half of all flooring. Floated floors that go down without glue or fasteners are easiest. In the case of vinyl, planks or tiles; they are easier to install than sheets. 

• Nail- or Staple-Down Installation: These are the methods of choice with solid wood and engineered wood over a wood subfloor. Standard, ¾-inch-thick solid-wood strip and plank flooring is traditionally nailed to the subfloor; thinner solid or engineered material is almost always stapled. The fasteners are usually driven diagonally through the tongue side of the material and into the subfloor (blind-nailed) so they are invisible once the floor is finished. Solid flooring can also be nailed straight through the surface (face-nailed) with decorative cut nails or fastened with screws, which are typically countersunk and concealed with wood plugs. Installers often sandwich a layer of 15-pound felt or rosin paper between the subfloor and floor to prevent moisture between the two and to deaden sound.

• Floating Installation: This works with engineered wood, plastic laminate, linoleum and some ceramic tile over a wood or concrete subfloor or existing flooring. Tongue-and-groove planks or tiles lock together mechanically. Some products must also be glued together at the joints. The material generally goes over a thin foam or cork pad, which fills minor flaws in the subfloor and absorbs sound. Installations over concrete require a thin plastic vapor barrier.

• Glue-Down Installation: Engineered wood, vinyl, linoleum, and tiles are typically glued. You trowel adhesive onto a clean, flat, wood or concrete subfloor or existing flooring and lay down the sheets, planks, or tiles. No vapor barrier is required. Some glue-down flooring is simply peel-and-stick, the easiest to install. You'll also find vinyl flooring in sheets and easier-to-install tiles. 

Flooring Brands

The national flooring brands listed below are sold by home centers and specialty flooring retailers. Use these profiles to compare flooring by brand. 

Armstrong manufactures flooring under the well-recognized brand names Armstrong and Bruce, and the speciality brand Robbins. Armstrong is also the brand leader in vinyl sheet and vinyl-tile flooring, dominating the category with more than 40 percent of sales. The Armstrong brand also includes wood and laminate, a line of linoleum flooring, and has recently added ceramic tile. 

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Mannington is a one-stop floor manufacture with products in every flooring category. They are among the top three leading vinyl flooring brands and have a foothold in wood, laminate, and porcelain tile. A recent innovation is the Adura Luxury line of premium vinyl tile and planks that mimic the look of hardwood and ceramic tile. Mannington is available only through speciality flooring stores. 

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This leading carpet manufacturer crossed over to hard-surface flooring through acquisitions and partnerships and now offers wood, laminate, and vinyl flooring.

Mohawk sells stone flooring under the American Olean brand and laminate under the Quick-Step brand. Their Dal-Tile brand accounts for half of the ceramic tile category sales.

In vinyl, Mohawk distributes the Congoleum brand through its vast dealer network. Mohawk flooring is sold through mass home centers and specialty floor stores and is one of the few flooring manufacturers that takes part directly at retail by licensing its trade names - Mohawk Floorz and Mohawk FloorScapes - to locally owned flooring specialty dealers. 

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This leading carpet manufacturer now offers wood, laminate, and ceramic-tile flooring; it recently expanded its presence in wood through the acquisition of Anderson Flooring. Shaw is available through home-center chains and specialty flooring stores and has its own retail programs - Shaw Design Center and Shaw Flooring Alliance that offer local dealers expanded product lines, display assistance, and training.

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Tarkett

Originally a European manufacturer of linoleum, Tarkett is now among the largest flooring manufacturers worldwide. Tarkett offers wood, laminate, and vinyl flooring under its own brand, and luxury vinyl tile from Nafco. Tarket also makes FiberFloor, a water-resistant flooring that combines the qualities of carpet and vinyl. Tarkett is available through mass home centers and specialty flooring retailers. 

Photo: American Cabinet & Flooring Showroom

Copyright © 2006-2012 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

Armstrong's Countdown to Cabinet Construction

Four thousand cabinets a day!

That's the current output at Armstrong Cabinet Products, a division of Armstrong World Industries.

In business since 1860, Armstrong World entered the wood products industry in 1998 following its acquisition of Triangle Pacific's cabinet and flooring businesses. Fiscal 2011 net sales for the Lancaster, PA-based corporation were $2.9 billion, with the cabinet division accounting for $136.4 million. 

Sales of the company's semi-custom kitchen and bath cabinets are driven by both multi-family as well as single-family new construction and remodeling markets, which are slowly showing signs of improvement. Armstrong sells its cabinet products through independent retailers; like American Cabinet & Flooring, Inc., and building supply distributors nationwide. It recently announced an agreement to also work with 84 Lumber for sales of its products.

Armstrong currently offers four series of cabinet constructions targeted at a variety of price points and environmental requirements:

• Allwood Series: this top-tier series features an all-plywood box construction, hardwood plywood sides and bottom panels, six-way adjustable concealed hinges and wood dovetail drawers. Available in traditional - contemporary - transitional - and causal country styles with a variety  of door options.

• Premier Series: with similar features to the Allwood; this series has a composite panel construction and is available in a wood grain or laminate exterior. Available in traditional - contemporary - transitional - and causal country styles with a variety  of door options.

• Origins Series: available on most cabinet styles, this series is environmentally friendly and uses urea-formaldehyde-free, soy-based adhesive PureBond panels from Columbia Forest Products; which the company says can contribute to LEED NC EQ Credit 4.4.

• Extreme Series: targeted for the public housing segment, with hardwood plywood end panels and multi-ply plywood top and bottom panel construction, and a pine drawer box.

Lean and Green Manufacturing

A proponent of green manufacturing, Armstrong has its Town & Country maple wood cabinets, part of the Origins Series, featured in Disney World's Epcot Vision House in Florida.

All cabinets are manufactured to order at the company's 300,000-square-foot facility, located on 27 acres in Thompsontown, PA. Approximately 450 people work at the cabinet plant. 

Panel processing, frame manufacture, drawer box construction, finishing and assembly are done in-house, with cabinet doors and drawer fronts currently outsourced. Approximately 90% of production is kitchen cabinets, with the remaining 10% for bath vanities. The majority of the product is veneered, in species that include: cherry - maple - oak birch - and plantation hardwood.

Armstrong sources the veneered panels with laminated panels laid-up, in-house. Panels are cut-to-size on one of four Schelling saws before being sent to the Andi CNC routers or the company's new Keystone Automation end panel machine for further processing.

In another area, Koch bore and dowel machines are used for frame construction. Armstrong uses a variety of sanders throughout the production and finishing process, including Timesaves, Costa and DMC.

Output at the machines is tracked throughout the plant. "With the lean process, you can see the movement of the product on the floor and know at a glance if you need to produce more. It's a very visual management tool, " says Tim Clontz, plant manager. 

Parts are finished before being married up in assembly. The company uses a combination of hand spraying and UV coating, with specialty finishes available on its higher-end lines.

Continually looking for ways to improve, Armstrong recently conducted a value stream mapping of the area, which identified a bottleneck in the door finishing process for topcoating. In a quick resolution to the problem, by early May, the company will have replaced a tow-hang line with a Superfici flatline system, which will provide significant improvements in the workflow speed and process, Clontz says. 

Another area targeted for improvement is assembly, Clontz says. Moving from three long lines to five shorter ones will not only speed production, but reduce overall handling on the cabinets, while enabling workers to "have more involvement" in the finished product. "Lean is a never-ending journey," he says. "Every day we're trying to get better."

Safety in Numbers

Armstrong also is aggressive about emphasizing the safety of its employees. Placards throughout the plant illustrate correct methods of operation. In addition, twice daily employees perform stretching exercises as part of the work routine. 

Clontz says he is proud of the recognition the cabinet plant received recently for going more than 600,000 hours without an accident. "Our best resource is our employees," he adds. 

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Armstrong Origins Cabinets Help Make LivingHomes' PreFab Homes Low-Cost, Zero Energy, Zero Carbon and LEED Platinum® Certified

Armstrong® Cabinets' eco-friendly OriginsTM line has been included in the specifications for the new LivingHome® C6 - an affordably priced, comfortably sized-home, designed by LivingHomes®; a premier developer of modern, sustainably designed, prefabricated homes. As part of the introduction of this new home design, the C6 model homes, featuring Armstrong® Cabinets, were on display to the public at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, the TED Conference in Long Beach, CA and at Modernism Week in Palm Springs, CA in February-March 2012.

Renewable resources are important in the kitchen, especially if a homeowner or a business is trying to qualify for LEED or other green building system points. The trend is to move towards green, minimalist and contemporary, especially if it makes sense for the budget. 

Armstrong Cabinets remains conscious of environmental needs, as well as good design and pricing, and offers eco-friendly Origins with PureBond®, a urea formaldehyde-free, soy-based adhesive. The hardwood plywood is derived responsibly from managed forests, and then enhanced with a proprietary resin giving it particularly strong bonding and water-resistance qualities. These cabinets combine easy installation and maintenance with the durability of AllwoodTM, Armstrong's top-tier construction with quality features usually found only in custom cabinetry, alongside the environmental benefits of sustainable, low emitting materials.

"The Origins line is especially appealing to green-minded homeowners because the line offers the durability and strength of all plywood construction with the environmental benefits of sustainable, low emitting materials," said LivingHomes CEO Steve Glenn. "It has always been our most important goal to develop an affordable LivingHome, and Armstrong Cabinets is an important component. We believe this is the first production home to feature Cradle-to-Cradle® inspired materials and a LEED Platinum level environmental program. It's also the easiest and fastest LivingHome to build."

For cabinets, it's all about wood. Armstrong's ModernoTM slab door style, selected for the LivingHome C6, is a tribute to traditional tastes, yet refined for modern living. Moderno cabinets have unassuming, effortless beauty, and are ideal for homeowners who love the look of natural hardwood cabinets but prefer the understated wood grain patterns and textures of maple. Known for its close, uniform grain, maple's fine texture lends itself well to either contemporary or traditional styling. Variations on dark/light (espresso, cafe, mocha/creme, or white), warm wood tones are the hot cabinet colors. The most popular stains include naturals, light browns, and darker espresso colors.

"Kitchens have become an all-encompassing, central room to the home environment. Families are changing, and while they may not be "cocooning' anymore, they certainly are 'nesting'. They want their home to reflect the way they really live," said Mel Heintz, Product & Marketing Manager, Armstrong Cabinets. "We continue to give homeowners top-quality choices in kitchen cabinet selections, and that includes environmentally sustainable product options like our Origins line," she said.

The C6 was designed as part of a new partnership with Make It Right, a nonprofit founded by Brad Pitt and renowned architect William McDonough to build 150 Cradle-to-Cradle® inspired LEED Platinum homes in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, the neighborhood hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each C6 will help support the efforts of Make it Right.

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