KFD Blog
The Importance of Sealing Grout
Sealing grout is an important detail when installing tile that is often overlooked. Many professionals and DIY’ers overlook sealing grout lines after a tiling job, but this step can ensure the beauty of your tils as well as maintain the integrity of your tiling job....
The Best Flooring Options When You Have Kids
Having kids or planning to have a family is something to keep in mind when choosing a type of flooring. Floors generally endure a lot of wear and tear with kids in the household and it is helpful to recognize the pluses and drawbacks of your flooring options....
Water Damage? Should you Repair or Replace?
Water on floors is not an ideal situation but it happens, from small spills to burst pipes that cause widespread flooding. Flooring may need to be repaired or replaced, depending on the level of damage and material of the floor. Hardwood Floors Water is detrimental to...
Not a Fan of Hardwood? Three Rooms where Tile Reigns Supreme
Hardwood floors are ever increasing in their popularity but many people would prefer something else for all or part of their home. Tile is still a popular option for many rooms of the house and understandably so. Tile is affordable and offers homeowners limitless...
How to Install Hardwood Floors Over Concrete
Hardwood floors can be installed over concrete floors! Homeowners have heard warnings about excess moisture build up from putting hardwood floors over concrete but proper installation techniques can allow you to have beautiful hardwood floors with a concrete...
Blending Different Styles to Find Your Unique Look
Your home does not have to fit the exact definition of a “Country Farmhouse”, look 100% modern, or be entirely classically romantic. Strict style mandates such as those should be left to period homes used as museums. It is not realistic or ideal for your entire house...
Finding The Balance Between Magazine Quality and a Livable Home
Many of us flip through pages of home design magazines or furniture catalogs in awe of the perfect images we see. Beautiful hardwood floors, bowls of fresh flowers, and sparkling crystal look appealing in magazines and on television, but these rooms are staged for...
How to Turn a Guest Room In To A Welcoming Retreat
Many of us will be hosting out of town family and friends over the summer or if not now, over the holiday season. Having a dedicated space in your house for guests to stay makes things easier on you and more comfortable for everyone visiting. Follow these steps to get...
Tips on How to Help Your Floors Survive Another Year
You may love the floors you have, but they’ve seen better days, right? You may not have the budget now to replace them or to have them refinished, but you know you need to do it in a year. So, what do you do when your floors need to last just one more year before you...
Red Oak vs White Oak Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is a popular choice here in Northern Virginia, and for good reason; our summers are quite humid, and our winters don’t get that cold (and when it does, it gets VERY cold). We don’t do things small here in NoVa, which is why you shouldn’t skimp on...
Best Flooring Options For A Room By a Pool
This is a great time of year! There are barbecues and bonfires; summer parties and swimming pool gatherings. Although many in the Northern Virginia area belong to neighborhood pools, we see many homes with private pools. If you’re looking to change the flooring in...
What Does Your Design Say About You?
When we first set out to decorate our homes, we tend to gravitate to those things that make us happy; sometimes we go towards those things that are unique, coupled with things we already own, or inherited, and build from there. We focus a lot on personal style and...
Why Do I Need Dustless Sanding?
Dustless sanding is a popular option for homeowners looking to improve the appearance of their hardwood floors. Dustless sanding and regular sanding are very similar but dustless sanding preserves the indoor air quality! It is also much more efficient than regular...
How to Choose the Right Size Plank for Your Home
Choosing the type of flooring you would like in your home is only the beginning. If you have settled on hardwood flooring, your next steps are choosing the type of wood, grain, finish, and plank size. Our flooring specialists are here to assist you with each of these...
Five Ways to Keep the Sun Away from Fading Floors
You may have noticed when moving rugs or furniture that your hardwood floors are not even in color or appearance. The area of the floor that was covered may appear darker or richer in color than the area of the floor that was exposed. This can be very noticeable if...
Five Sustainable Flooring Options
Flooring options have evolved over time to match the taste and meet the needs of eco-friendly clients. Designers are interested in working with environmentally friendly materials and are embracing non-traditional materials to give their clients what they are looking...
How to Bring Luxury to Your Home on a Budget Staying in a luxury hotel or resort while traveling is a fabulous treat. These hotels are clean and comfortable, decorated beautifully, and lack the clutter and to do list of our everyday lives. There is no reason...
How to Choose the Right Wood Floor Stain
Choosing a floor stain is a big decision because it is not something you want to get wrong and have to repeat! Staining a floor is an investment in your home and a time-consuming process so you want to be confident in your choice before the project begins. Luckily,...
Carpet Care for Pet Owners
Selecting flooring comes with a myriad of things to consider. From style to color, to coordination with your existing décor, you have a lot to think about! If carpeting is your choice, you must also consider what damage a pet could do. No one says you should replace...
Should You Install Hardwood Flooring in a Bathroom?
Hardwood flooring is beautiful and timeless but it may not be the best choice for your entire home. Many homeowners are replacing tiled kitchen floors with hardwood flooring, but question if they should do the same thing in their bathrooms. Bathroom floors tend to get...
How to Remove Stains from Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are a timeless investment in your home but require proper care to stay beautiful! Stains happen in any home but proper cleaning methods can help remove stains from the wood without damaging the flooring. The first step in removing any stain is...
Six Questions You Should Ask Before Having Tile Installed
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, buying flooring is a big commitment. You want to make sure that the flooring you choose is going to fit your home, your family, your long-term goals, and your design. We’ve seen it far too often when the flooring chosen is...
5 Spring Cleaning Tips for Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are a beautiful investment but need proper care to stay nice! Rainy spring weather and messy shoes from grass clippings or mud do more than get your floors dirty. The tiny, hard pieces in dirt scratch up your wood, dulling the shine. Follow our tips...
4 Mistakes to Avoid Before Finishing a Basement
Finishing your basement will not only add an extra space for entertaining or for your children to extend their imagination, it also adds value to your home. We’ve often seen basements after they’ve been finished albeit incorrectly and have been called in to fix the...
Using Flooring As the Inspiration for Overall Design
Although you may notice furniture or artwork first, flooring is the largest surface in a room and can be the inspiration for the rest of a room’s design. A room will not look “right” if the wall colors, furniture, and overall design do not go with the style and color...
Top 4 Popular Wood Flooring and Cabinet Combinations
Choosing the right flooring goes beyond the overall décor of your home. If your floors are too dark for, say, the pillows on your couch, you can switch them out. Maybe the blue in your curtains are clashing with the particular hue of your wood floors. Those can be...
Heat Your Feet: Best Flooring Types For Heated Floors
Northern Virginia is in a pretty sweet spot in not getting too cold in the winter time, with minimal amounts of snow. BUT, when it does get cold here, it’s pretty uncomfortable, and forget going anywhere when it snows; you better get cozy where you are, because it’s...
Using St. Patrick’s Day For Flooring Inspiration!
St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, which means so much more than guzzling down lots of green beer! It means spring is here too-we’re going to be ‘springing forward’ this weekend too, with the time change, and all of this together also indicates it’s time to start putting...
Three Creative Ways to Keep Wet Shoes off your Hardwood Floors
Spring often means rain and lots of it! April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring dripping, wet shoes into your home and onto your beautiful hardwood floors. Do not let soggy shoes dirty up or damage your floors! Minimally, wipe shoes on a mat outside the...
Five Growing Hardwood Trends for Your Spring Remodel
Spring is the official season of remodels-the weather is getting warmer which means more work can be done on the house, and if you’re prepping for a big tax return, many of you plan to reinvest it into your home. No matter how you and when you plan your remodel, there...
Three Problems a Poorly Installed Hardwood Floor Can Cause
At Kruper Flooring, we want you to have the best experience possible. We want you to love your floors, and to love them for a very long time. We do understand however, that not everyone wants to have us be their exclusive flooring dealer. In saying that, it’s...
My Bathtub Overflowed Onto My Hardwood Floors-What do I do?
We’ve been there; your child wants to have a special bath, so you start filling the tub. The other child calls for you while the little one sits in the bath and delights in the rising water. Once the water has reached maximum height, he shuts it off and promptly...
4 Prep Tips Before Having Hardwood Floors Installed or Refinished
Having your floors refinished or having new ones installed is an exciting time. The look new floors, or newly refinished floors give a home is breath-taking, and really transform the look of your home. Often times, homeowners will not prepare before the project...
Five Ways To Get Your Hardwood Floors Superbowl Ready
We’re so excited to watch the Superbowl this Sunday! Could it be because the New England Patriots will be going against the Atlanta Falcons for an absolutely epic showdown? Or maybe because we love watching the game with our friends and family, experiencing the thrill...
Which Flooring Option Gives the Best ROI?
Whether you plan to live in your home for five years or 50, you want to invest in the flooring that’s going to give you the most bang for your buck. You may even want to invest in the best flooring for a rental that you plan to sell in the future, and want to make...
Using Your Fifth Wall as Inspiration
There are so many architectural details to consider when designing or updating your home. You know what you want overall, but how do you pull it all together? There may be some looks you’ve seen and been inspired by that are along the lines of what you want in the...
4 Reasons to Choose Vinyl Flooring If You Have Children
We mention how multi-leveled choosing your flooring can be between the pricing, the style, the design, the type; the possibilities are somewhat endless. Add to that a layer of concern when it comes to your children, and it can become nearly impossible to choose the...
Top 5 Things to Consider Before Calling a Flooring Specialist
If the flooring in your home is bothering you, it may be time for a change. Carpets get dirty and worn, floor boards and tile can get damaged, and aesthetics and tastes change over time. A flooring specialist can help you make the important decisions needed so that...
Protecting Your Wood from Holiday Decorations
It’s a very festive season, and it’s almost coming to an end. The decorations that have been hung, placed, or tacked on to walls will show the potential damage they have done after they come down. Keep your walls and floors protected following our tips so that it...
Selecting the Right Flooring Company for You
You’ve made a decision: you’re finally going to upgrade the flooring in your home, and now you’re going to spend some time researching the perfect look for your space. Design is only a part of the overall project, of course. Selecting the right company to lay the...
Five Ways to Give Your Floors Character
Whether they’re dark, light, wide plank or narrow, wood floors are a beautiful update to any room or home, offering modern and classic style in one. Installing wood floors is a big step if you’re transitioning from carpet or tile, and isn’t limited to one room...
5 Ways to Design the Perfect Breakfast Nook
A cozy and inviting breakfast nook is a welcome addition to any kitchen! Many kitchens have them built-in since it enjoyable to have a spot for casual dining or a relaxing cup of coffee with the newspaper in the morning. It is easy to add a breakfast nook to a kitchen...
Keeping The Carpet Safe For Thanksgiving
You’ve made the decision to change your flooring just in time for the holidays! We’re so grateful for clients such as yourself, and thankful you thought we were the best flooring company to put in your carpeting. We want your carpet to stay beautiful for as long as...
Making Wood and Tile Work Together
Adding flooring to your home doesn’t always mean replacing an entire home’s worth. Sometimes you have to update one room while another room remains with the original flooring. The contrast can be quite beautiful and increase your home’s value if done well. Keep in...
Tips On Moving Heavy Furniture
Before the holidays, many of us go through a ‘nesting’ phase. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, new flooring, or new furniture. Maybe a few changes in a room by moving furniture, adding, or taking out furniture is also in your plans. Don’t scratch up those beautiful...
Flooring Ideas For Your Dining Room
Halloween is over, and we’re now in full holiday mode. Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and that dining room that you’ve been using as a place to store things, or for the kids to play in is soon going to be used to host your family. It’s time to start...
Bringing The Fall Indoors
The leaves are changing color and everything is pumpkin spiced; fall is here! A change in seasons can be a great inspiration for refreshing your home décor, both inside and out. Outdoor spaces like an entryway can be refreshed with a seasonal wreath. Speaking of the...
Buying Flooring Online vs In-Store
Life’s gotten pretty cushy in the last few years. Thirty years ago, you had to get up and change a channel manually, you had to dial manually, you had to get in your car and go to wherever you wanted to buy something from, and if you wanted to talk to a friend or a...
Best Flooring Options For Your Small Business
Northern Virginia is very low on commercial real estate, so if you find a space to create your brick and mortar business, it’s important to make it shine both on the outside and on the inside. Curb appeal is quite important depending on what kind of business you have...
Replacing Flooring Before The Holidays
No one wants to think about the holidays right now, but it’s really just around the corner! Halloween is closing in on us ,and less than a month from that is Thanksgiving, and only a month from that is Christmas, Before you know it, the year is over! Before the...
Kitchen Trends That Are Instant Classics
There are many exciting new trends that are coming through for the end of this year and into the beginning of the next. There are some that are wildly short-lived (leather cabinets, anyone?) and some that are so beautiful, they’re clear to be long-lived classics. At...
Bathroom Flooring-Thinking Outside the Tile
When you think of a bathroom floor, it’s hard to imagine one without tile. Tile flooring have been the go-to covering for as long as indoor plumbing has been around and for good reason. Tile is water resistant and easy to care for making it the perfect choice for...
What Will Be In (and OUT) In Future Design Trends
We still have a few months left in the year (it feels like it just began, doesn’t it?) Hard to believe, but there will be new trends unfolding in the next few months. The trends themselves seem pretty solid, but there are a few surprising additions. Our highly...
Best Flooring Ideas for High-rise Homes and Condos
If you’ve looked around the Northern Virginia area lately, you see lots and lots of new buildings and condos going up nearly every day! There are new townhomes and buildings dotting the landscape all over the interior of the loop, and it doesn’t look as though it’s...
Flooring For Tiny Houses
Tiny houses are all the rage right now. With so many people wanting a more transient life that’s more sustainable, we’re seeing more and more of these. Everything about a tiny house must be rethought, and restructured, including the floors. So, what are the best...
Bring The Beach Home All Year Long!
August is otherwise known as Beach Season! Being that we’re in the thick of August, the beach seems like a natural part of the season. What do you do when the season changes, but you’re not ready to break up with the beach? Bring the beach style décor into your home...
Understanding Hardwood Flooring Cut Types
Hardwood flooring may seem to be a ‘seen one, seen them all’ kind, but in reality, the myriad of choices goes beyond width and stain options. Sure, you can choose to go with wide plank, or narrow; any shade between black and white, and of course there’s different...
Creating the Perfect Space For The Last Days of Summer
Can you believe we’re in August? It feels like summer is slipping between our fingers, just when we were getting comfortable with the lazier part of the season. Swim season is over and many of us are planning our beach vacations. It’s the perfect time to create a...
Biggest Trends For Bathroom Flooring
Here we are, over half the year is over, and clear trends have finally made themselves apparent. 2016 and beyond is proving to be a time when many are making bold, artistic expressions in the bathroom, and why not? It’s an area of the home that isn’t seen often, but...
Design Your Home with White Wood Floors
White wood floors are ideal for creating a neutral palette, and matches with basically anything. For some, it serves a functional and aesthetic purpose to make the room feel bigger and brighter. If you haven’t already considered white wood floors, here are some...
Home Design Inspiration
Decorating can be a lot of fun with a newly remodeled or updated space. You’ve taken the time to choose the right flooring, and painstakingly chosen the right tone for the room. It’s time to add your personal touches to truly bring all of your home together....
Can’t Pick Just One? Mixed Wood Flooring Styles
Selecting the right design for your space or for your entire home can occasionally be a challenge when you like more than one type of flooring. Some rooms look amazing with dark floors, while others look incredible with light floors, but maybe you like traditional...
Summertime Hardwood Flooring Tips
Isn’t it nice, the warmth of the sunshine, the splash of the pool, the smell of a barbecue? It’s summertime and summer in Virginia is more than just sweltering heat; there’s a lot more moisture in the air, and that can be a beast on your hardwood floors. Wood is a...
Updating and Upgrading an Indoor/Outdoor Space
Summer is here, as is the wacky weather; one day it’s searing hot, the next day it’s flash floods. Welcome to Northern Virginia! The impossible-to-predict weather makes many homeowners decide to build an all-season’s room, or sunroom, or an enclosed back porch instead...
Converting a Kid’s Basement Into A Space For Adults
When the kids are growing up, many times, the basement is used as a children’s space. Bright, colorful walls, carpeting, and toys make it a great space to divide the adults from the children and give them a place to grow and play. But after the years have passed, and...
Top Home Trends for Summer 2016
Summertime is a truly inspiring time; after all of that spring cleaning, you may be ready for a big (or small) change! Here are the trends we’ve seen in homes in the Northern Virginia area, and from professionals in the home industry. Kitchens We’ve...
Linoleum vs Vinyl: The Comparison
In the search for the perfect flooring for your space, it can become a little overwhelming with the myriad of choices. Now that Linoleum and Vinyl flooring have brought their products to the same level of style, form, and fashion as its more stylish counterparts, it’s...
Playing With Patterned Flooring
Decorating with patterns is not so difficult to do when we’re talking about pillows, throws, or other home décor, but do you feel brave enough to decorate with patterns on your floors? You would be surprised how much interest patterns can add to a room, even make a...
Keeping Your Carpets Clean During A Memorial Day Barbecue!
Memorial Day has acquired a few different meanings over the years. Of course, it’s a time to reflect on those who’ve given their life to protect our country. To be grateful for those who’ve served and continue to serve; we are eternally grateful. It’s also a time to...
Advantages of Wood-Looking Tile Over Natural Wood Floors
Due to the myriad of options as of late, many consumers are opting out of real hardwood floors and choosing porcelain and ceramic tile that looks like wood instead. For families that want a sophisticated look without the upkeep of hardwood, this may be a good option....
Flooring Tricks To Make Your Space Seem Bigger
Finding the perfect house is only part of your journey into making the space your home. There’s decorating, painting, and making minor changes (or major) to truly bring your personality into the space. For some, that means thinking outside the box to make the space...
Creating The Ultimate ‘Puppy Pad’
We all love our pets, don’t we? We would do anything for them, and they for us. There are arguably no more loyal pets than the family dog and giving him or her an ultimate space truly makes them feel at home and as part of the family. How do you incorporate your pet...
Transitioning a Formal Dining Room to a Playroom
The layout in your home may not always work for your family's needs. Today’s young families largely prefer open layouts but often own older homes with a more traditional floor plan. Your home should work for you and your lifestyle; it is hard to dedicate a room to...
Creating the Perfect Nursery
You’re expecting a baby, congratulations! A baby can change so much in your life, most of all, your living area! So much change inspires many couples to create a special area to introduce baby to the world, and for that baby to grow into. Careful space planning is...
Designing the Flooring for Your Commercial Space
Choosing flooring for your home may seem like a daunting task, however, you can choose flooring that reflects your personal style, and for what works with your family’s needs and the overall use of the space. When you’re choosing for your commercial space (retail...
Bathroom Updates You Can Do This Weekend!
We know how you are; you look at your bathrooms and know that there are things you would like to change, but who has the time or the money? What if we told you you could easily upgrade your bathroom in little time, for a very affordable cost, would you do it? Of...
Transitioning Home Décor: Winter into Spring
Holiday décor has gone up and come down, snowy slush has been tracked through the house by winter boots, and the cozy, warm house is starting to feel cramped. Thankfully, spring is almost here and with it comes more daylight and a sense of renewal. Home décor can be...
Creating a Kitchen For The Ultimate Chef
Everyone has a hobby, right? Your hobby happens to revolve around food, and boy, do others reap the benefits of it! You enjoy cooking, and probably enjoy cooking for others, delighting in the ooh’s and aah’s of the crowd. Trying to cook in a less than stellar kitchen...
Spring Cleaning Floors
Spring is fast approaching and you know what that means? Spring cleaning time! It shouldn’t be a difficult chore or too time consuming to clean your floors if you’ve been maintaining them properly over the winter, but it is a good idea to give them a deep cleaning now...
How To Choose The Right Floors
Hardwood floors are the largest and most noticeable part f your home, next to the walls. Granted, changing wall colors cost a whole lot less than changing the look of your floors, making the choice of how to design those floors that much more complicated. How do you...
Blending Styles to Create An Eclectic And Unique Home
We’ve never met a client who likes one style, and one style only; you’re a unique person with a unique story, and the things you like reflect that! You want your home to be a place you love to be, but you also don’t want to create a space that’s confusing and...
Creating an Entryway with Flooring
The entryway of a home is the jewel of what’s to come; most modern homes have an entryway or a ‘foyer’, but older homes, and smaller homes, don’t have the luxury of that kind of space. For many who want to have that ‘grand entrance’ but don’t have the space, it...
Best Basement Flooring Options-Part Two
In our last blog, we reviewed what we think are the best flooring options for your basement. A basement can be a fickle area; most times a very useful space, and sometimes a potential disaster waiting to happen. You can minimize the damage with a very well performing...
Best Flooring For Basements-Part One
If you’ve changed your basement flooring, the recent snowstorm may have taught you a thing or two: you either made an excellent decision, or wasted your money on flooring that now has to be thrown away due to flooding. It’s not easy on any basement, even the most...
Best Floors For Snowy Conditions
If last week’s blizzard taught us anything it’s that A.) Northern Virginia really can’t handle that much snow and B.)Neither can your flooring! Of course, most of the snow has melted by now, but it’s good to know in case we have more snow in the forecast how to...
Hardwood vs Carpet: Which Should You Choose?
You’re finally ready to change your flooring, and are confident in your decision. You know what feeling you want to evoke in your room, and are ready to make that change, but you’re stuck: should you choose hardwood or carpet? Both have their pro’s and con’s, but how...
Hot Look of Flooring 2016-Gray!
A lot has changed in design over the last 30 years, hasn’t it? Life isn’t shiny like it was in the 80’s; full of excess and indulgence, and the décor of the time reflected that. Today’s world is about appreciating the past, caring for the present to have a better...
Creating the Perfect Bar In Your Home
More and more we hear of people choosing to stay in rather than go out, and why wouldn’t they? We live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, so going out for drinks can easily cost upwards of $100 or more on just one night of boozing. Wouldn’t it be nice...
Can You Decorate As A Couple?
It's the beginning of 2016, and the promise of the new year may be bringing a new chapter to your life. Christmas is a popular time for engagement, and for couples to take their relationship to the next level by moving in together. It's a romantic idea until the...
Feng Shui and Your Floors
The concept of Feng Shui is very simple: create a positive energy in your home to attract positivity and light. It’s a simple concept; not so simple to translate into a home, especially an established home. But, the truth is, when you invite this ideal into your...
Damaged Floors During a Move
Recently, we worked on a home whose floors had been damaged by the previous owner’s movers. It’s a tough place to be in when you’ve just purchased a home with beautiful floors (this may have even been the major factor in purchasing the home), only to find the floors...
Creating a Holiday Home For Your Holiday Party
What a wonderful time of year; the lights, the festivities, and all of the decorations, are probably our favorite parts if it all (including the sweets)! All faiths come together in this one month of celebration, and everyone celebrates with their own traditions,...
Updating or Creating a Space For Guests
As Thanksgiving has proven, the holiday season is a time to spend more quality family time, and to host out of town guests and family. It’s not an easy thing to do when you don’t have a designated space for your guests, and can become a point of contention when all...
Cozy Up Your Home With These Winter Touches!
Winter may not officially be here, but the chill is in the air, and will be for a while! It’s time to put aside the fall decorations, and make the house cozy and ready for the impending winter season. We tend to become hibernators in the winter season, wanting...
Giving Thanks
As a flooring company, we pride ourselves in the work that we do for our clients. We’ve brought in years of experience, combined with local pride; we thank our customers, and hope we’ve brought as much joy to them with new flooring, as they have as being our clients...
Designing Your Master Bedroom
There’s something about the colder weather that makes us want to cuddle in bed and stay there till the first flower blooms. A comfortable, warm, inviting master bedroom can seem to melt away all the stress of the day. Adversely, if you have a less than inviting master...
Designing Tips For Revamping Your Kitchen
The heart of the home is the kitchen; it seems to be the place everyone congregates no matter how big the party, it’s the first place people go when they come over, and it’s where you spend a majority of your time if time allows it. Your kitchen is the jewel of your...
