KFD Blog
5 Signs You Need a New Floor
A bad floor can ruin a home. If it’s not giving an unpleasant look, then it could still be a health hazard depending on what’s going on. We always recommend having a savings account ready in case your floor needs to be redone. You can usually start saving once you...
How to Keep Pets from Ruining the Floor
Pets are animals. The puke and poop and pee and scratch and shed wherever they might please. We love them anyway. But the health of your floor doesn’t have to be a sacrifice for a loving pet. Here are 3 ways you can keep your floor and pets. Clean Urine Right Away...
How to Choose a Good Rug
Every home needs a good rug to pull the room together. But the wrong rug can make your space look like a mess. How do you choose a good rug? There are three factors to consider: size, shape, and color. Getting these three categories right will insure you get the...
Hot or Not? Our Take on the Latest Flooring Trends
Like fashion, flooring trends change every year. Young teens have Teen Vogue and Buzzfeed to make sure they're staying cool. While these magazines and websites are great for clothes, they lack expertise in flooring. We’re here to fill the gap. We’re going to take 3...
Thinking of Having Children? Here are Questions to Ask Yourself When Remodeling Your Floor.
One of the biggest reasons people buy homes is because they want to raise a family. And these considerations are at the top of their minds when remodeling the home. You want to make sure that you don’t make any decisions that you might regret when you have several...
3 Reasons Why You Might Need a Carpet
Flooring is not just about aesthetics or design. It’s mainly about what you need. While hardwood or tile might be beautiful for some, you might find that you really need something a little different. Carpet is an excellent option and alternative to hardwood floor for...
3 Reasons Why You Should Consider A Hardwood Alternative for Your Floor
While flooring trends are always changing, hardwood flooring is consistently the most desired flooring for the average living space. Its combination of durability and elegance, along with the fact that it’s easy to clean has kept it desirable as flooring trends...
How to Find Good Quality Hardwood
Picking a floor is the most basic, but also most important decision for anyone starting a home renovation project. If you’re shelling the money for a hardwood floor, then you want to get really good quality wood that is worth its price. So we created this guide to...
How and When Should I Clean My Floor?
Cleaning your floor might sound as easy as just waiting for it to get dirty and then grabbing the vacuum, but that’s very far from the truth. How often you clean your floor and how you should clean it depends on the type of floor. We have a lot of ground to cover so...
5 Common Living Room Mistakes
One of the most important rooms to design right is the living room. Not only is it the most used room in the house, but it’s also usually the first, and longest, impression any guests will have on your home. Most people are able to make their living rooms look very...
3 Tips on Making Your Home Baby-Ready
Having a baby is a magical experience for any family. When you’re having your first child, you can never be completely prepared for everything that’s about to happen. You can read and read and read all sorts of blog posts and parenting books, but you will end up...
How to Keep Your Carpet Clean
Nothing looks better than a fresh clean carpet. And nothing looks worse than an old, dirty one! So the big question on any carpet owner’s mind is, how do I keep my carpet looking fresh and clean for as long as possible? We compiled a list of the best ways to keep your...
How to Keep Furniture from Scratching Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors a beautiful luxury for your home. No other type of flooring can look as impressive as well done, high quality, and brand new hardwood floors. These floors last for a long time, but the cosmetic benefit of hardwood floors last only as long as you take...
4 Unique Floor Designs that Make Your Home Stand Out
One of the most fashionable trends in the flooring world is the desire to be unique and stand out. It’s a way to express yourself and your love of design in your living space while also adding a lot of personal and physical value to your home. Here are some of the...
A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Flooring Budget
Any housing project is going to be huge and even daunting, especially for new homeowners. There is no doubt that these projects can are both expensive and necessary. It can be easy to try to find ways you can do it yourself and save as much money as possible. And that...
Is DIY Flooring Cheaper than Professional Installation?
We understand the temptation to do a floor yourself. After all, it’s just ripping out what’s there and putting the new thing on top right? Wrong. While it can be tempting to do the floors yourself, it can actually be more difficult, more time consuming and even more...
The Ultimate Vinyl vs. Hardwood Showdown
Greece vs. Egypt, Sith vs. Jedi, the colonies vs. England. These are some of the most dramatic rivalries of all time, but they don’t come close to the battle between Luxury Vinyl and Hardwood flooring. Today we’re putting this bitter rivalry to rest with the ultimate...
3 Modern Ways to Use Carpet
Carpet gets a little bit of a bad rep these days. Older carpet is hard to take care of, looks outdated, and can look filthy if it’s not cleaned regularly. Nowadays, hardwood floors are the most popular flooring option available, with wall-to-wall carpet having a...
Ideas for Organizing and Decorating Your Basement
Anyone with a basement knows to ask what’s the best way to use it. Should it be used for storage? Everyday chores? Laundry? Your first child’s bedroom? Your hideaway for the secrets you will not reveal? Should it be nicer and cleaner than the top floor or should that...
3 Tips on Affordable Interior Design
Designing your home with intention doesn’t always require an interior designer. There are a few tips and tricks you can use yourself to make your home look a little bit nicer. A few weeks ago we wrote a post about interior design, but this week we want to focus on...
4 Trendy Hardwood Floor Patterns
Welcome to 2019. This year is about bringing more style and personality to your home. Your floors make a big difference in the impression your home gives, and traditional patterns can make your home seem, well...boring. If you’re looking for ways to make your living...
4 Interior Design Tips for Your Home
With 2018 coming to close and 2019 rushing in, it’s not a bad idea to think about design projects for your home. Lots of homeowners have these projects on the backs of their minds so why not dedicate some resources to getting it done? If you’re thinking about doing...
To Refinish or Replace?
To refinish or replace? That is the question. Old floors can be tough to figure out. You want to make sure it’s sturdy and damage-free. But you also don’t want to spend any money you don’t have to. How do you know whether to refinish your floor or replace it? If you...
Do these Colors Match?
When designing your house, it’s important to consider how different elements blend together. You want your floors and walls to match, and you want your furniture to blend in as well. You want a variety of colors and a nice blend of cool and light. You want everything...
3 Common Mistakes that Will Ruin Your Hardwood Floor
Every household has their own ways to keep the house functioning. But sometimes it’s worth rethinking the stuff you do in your home so that you can take better care of it. When it comes to a hardwood floor, you especially want to make sure that it’s well taken care...
How to Keep Pets from Destroying the Floor
We all love our pets. They are adorable little members of the family who deserve the most care you can give them. They help everyone’s mental health and give the kids a sense of companionship and responsibility. A pet is always a worthy investment for your home. But...
3 Floors with the Best Return on Investment
When you’re looking to replace your home’s floor, you want the best return on investment you can get. Your floor is so crucial, not just because it’s the ground you stand on, but because it helps to determine the value of your home-to yourself over time, and for when...
4 Up and Coming Flooring Trends
If you’re thinking of redesigning your floor and are looking for design ideas, these new trends could provide some inspiration. Overall, we are making a trend away from tradition and more towards newer and more creative styles. But above all, the main drive for new...
4 Modern Carpet Trends
We asked a few times in previous blog posts if carpets are obsolete, and while we disagree, we can’t deny that the trends are changing. There are still benefits to having a carpet; it makes your room warmer, is cheaper than hardwood, and is safer for toddlers and...
3 Signs You Need a New Floor
Any homeowner should be prepared for a major home improvement or repair project when the time comes. You do not want to go cheap on something as essential as your home floors, so be sure you are aware of the signs so that you know when your floors need to be replaced...
How to Keep Scratches Off Your Hardwood Floor
Hardwood floors are beautiful and among the trendiest flooring options available. The right hardwood floor on your house can give your home a modern, homey personality, while also increasing the value of your home. It is one of our top recommendations for any client...
How to Keep Your Cat from Destroying the Furniture
While we are a flooring company, we know a thing or two about all aspects of the home, including furniture, how to treat it, and how to protect it. Cats have been among the best friends of humankind since the dawn of civilization, they are loving, adorable, and...
Pros and Cons of Bamboo Floors
Bamboo is one of the most popular trends for modern flooring options. But is it worth all the side effects? Here we look at all the pros and cons of buying, installing, and maintaining a bamboo floor. Pros: Top quality is as durable as hardwood Environmentally...
4 Cheap Alternatives to Hardwood
Hardwood floors are not for everyone. Sometimes your budget doesn’t allow for it, sometimes your floor is too elevated, sometimes you’re worried about possible flooding and moisture, perhaps you’re concerned about the environmental impact. There are many, many reasons...
Are Carpets Obsolete?
Carpets don't have the best reputation. They're hard to clean, wear out, and often don't look too appealing. They look hideous when they're wearing out and can even decrease the value of your home. Carpets have no place in the modern home...or do they? The above...
It’s Time We Start Rethinking Our Basements
Northern Virginia received an unprecedented amount of rainfall this summer. In fact, it rained a whole year's worth in a couple months. We are facing the brunt of global climate change and it will worsen as the years go on. This will mean more flooding, more home...
How to Take Care of a Flood
The northern Virginia region faced a dramatic summer and it's not getting better. Rain storms are much more frequent and much, much stronger than we've seen in recent history. Even this week, we are facing intense rain storms. Flooded basements have gone from a rarity...
Flooring Trends that will Fade vs. Trends that Will Last
Building a trendy home is a tough decision. Flooring is near permanent while trends fade rather quickly. How do you know whether your floor will stay trendy or not? Predicting is not an easy skill, but necessary when considering resale value on your home. While most...
How to Find the Right Vacuum for Your Hardwood Floor
Hardwood floors are all the rage. Since 2016, the installation of hardwood floors in new homes has increased by 6%. A floor that is easy to clean and maintain while able to glow and shine is a convincing sell. But all floors have their own tricks and it's worth your...
Best Wall Paint Colors for Various Hardwood Floor Stains
One of the toughest decisions to make in remodeling a room is what color to paint the wall. There are thousands upon thousands of different colors and undertones. Finding the right color can seem almost impossible when you're searching through that many options!...
Three Tips for Transitioning a Room into an Office
Home offices are becoming much more popular these days. They save a lot of money and can even help your taxes. But transitioning a room into an office is a big ordeal, and you should have a plan before you start moving your stuff. We're here to help with three...
5 Tips for a Longer Lasting Carpet
We've all had this problem before. Your carpet's wearing down and you don't want to see it go away. You sigh and the devil whispers in your ear "just get wood flooring", and you're stuck on the crossroads between the floor you love, and the floor that's more...
How To Create a Family-Friendly Space Anywhere In Your Home
Children and pets have tons of energy and can be very rough on their environments. One of the best things about the current flooring industry is that flooring can be tailored to a multitude of environments and tastes. If you’ve got a house full of hooligans, you’ve...
Top Tips For Commercial Flooring
When selecting a flooring material for your facility, you need to take a close look at maintenance requirements, as they play a big part in the overall lifetime cost of a flooring product. Maintenance costs sometimes exceeding the upfront material and installation...
Top 3 Tips for An Environmentally-Friendly Home
The home improvement industry uses a lot of resources. Not all of these resources, even if they are natural, are procured in an environmentally friendly way. Manufacturers are starting to become more aware of the impact that these practices are having on the...
What is a Subfloor and Why Do You Need It?
Although it may seem simple to tear out old flooring and replace it with a new one, installing new flooring can have several different components, depending on your home and the type of flooring you choose. When you’re selecting a new flooring, it’s important to know...
Keep Your Floors Clean During Your Fourth of July Party!
Summer party season is here! The Fourth of July is the biggest and best reason to throw a summer shindig. Big parties cause big messes! Be prepared to deal with messy kids from running through the sprinkler, lots of guests tracking dirt in and out from the outdoor...
Bathroom Trends We Think Will Be Huge!
With so many choices for your bathroom tile and floors, it’s hard to pick! Kruper’s experts can help design the best fit for your needs. When making your decision, keep the upcoming trends in mind. This will help you pick the best flooring that will stay popular for...
Kitchen Trends on Their Way Out
The kitchen is often the social hub of the household. Many families use it more than they use their family rooms or dens. Families prepare food, share meals, gather at the kitchen table for games and activities and so much more. With spending so much time in the...
The History of Wood Flooring
Wood is a beautiful material that we use for so many things in our daily lives. We use wood in our furniture, kitchen cabinets, the frames of our homes, our flooring, and so much more. Wood is strong, easily obtained, and if properly treated and maintained, will last...
Myths and Facts about Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are immensely popular in modern home design. While they are definitely not a new invention, their popularity has gone up and down throughout the years. Over time, some myths about hardwood floors have started. Kruper can set these misconceptions...
Mixing Neutrals-How To Make Neutral Flooring Work Within Your Neutral Furniture Design
Neutrals are a classic way to create a warm, soothing, and restful environment. These colors don’t fall into any standard color families on the color wheel, and include black, white, gray, and brown. They are the perfect backdrop for furniture or other elements that...
Design Tricks To Make Your Floors Look Unique
Flooring done right will last a long time. Picking the right design for your space and your personal style is incredibly important to ensure that you will like your floors the day after installation along with the years after. Our friendly and knowledgeable...
Best Flooring Options For Allergy Sufferers
Allergies can be terrible this time of year, especially in Northern Virginia where it seems the trees are boundless. Seasonal allergies can become a huge hindrance for those who are mildly affected down to those who have a severe case. These people not only have to...
Keep Your Floor Safe from April Showers
Rainy days can mean lots of water, dirt, and debris getting tracked inside your house on wet shoes and muddy boots. Water on the floor is a fall hazard and may also cause damage to your flooring. Dirt and debris tracked in on shoes can make for a cleaning nightmare....
How to Get Dents Out of Carpets
Carpet dents happen, particularly when heavy furniture has been placed on top of the carpet in the same position over a long period of time. These dents are called divots and happen when the delicate fibers in the carpet have been compressed. While not noticeable if...
The Best Flooring Types for your Business
The best commercial flooring for your business depends a lot on the line of business you are in! Your business needs and style play a large role when making your decision. Some questions to ask yourself as you make your choice are: -Does the area receive heavy foot...
Should your Refinish Your Floors or Replace Them?
You may have purchased a home with hardwood floors that are in less than perfect condition or yours may be showing their age many years after installation. Should you replace the hardwood flooring or simply refinish your floors and how do you know when it should be...
Transitioning from One Type of Flooring to Another
You may have a home with one type of flooring throughout the entire house, but it is more likely that your flooring needs vary depending on the room of the house. Most people do not have carpeted bathrooms but often have carpet in the bedrooms. Likewise, hardwood...
Planning a Spring Remodel? Here are some Hot Looks for Spring 2018!
Spring is an amazing time to plan a remodel of your home. The weather is warmer, which is conducive to drying cement and paint. Longer hours of daylight also give you more time for remodeling work. You can leave the windows open in case paint aromas linger and it is...
Three Ways To Find Out Which Floors Are Right For You
Flooring options may look amazing in a magazine, Pinterest, or in the showroom, but it can be difficult to visualize how this look will translate to your own home! How do you ultimately choose the flooring that is right for your space? Here are some steps to help you...
How to Get Beer Stains Out of Carpet
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and if you are hosting a party in your home, it is wise to be prepared for any spills that may happen! Beer is a common part of these celebrations but unfortunately is not the most carpet friendly substance. Keep some supplies on hand...
Boost Your Home Security with Carpet
Carpets are best recognized for adding an extra level of comfort and beauty to a living space, but they can also add to the overall safety of your home. Here are some things to consider for how carpet can improve the safety and security of your household: 1.Injury...
Best Wall Colors for Dark Hardwood Floors
Dark hardwood floors are dramatic and elegant, with the deeper tones drawing attention to the natural beauty of the wood floors. They also provide a warm, neutral background for the room. Balancing the effect of dark wood floors is easy when you paint the walls a...
Advantages of Matte Hardwood Flooring
Matte finish hardwood flooring is the latest trend in hardwood floor design. People are leaning towards more curated and authentic looks, which makes designers like Chip and Joanna Gaines superstars. The look of sophistication now means a design that is warm and...
How to Achieve Farmhouse Style in your Home
Farmhouse style isn’t reserved for those who live on a farm! Decorating and styling your home with a practical mindset that often comes with living the country life is very popular, utilizing soothing color combinations, natural elements, and lots of texture. Here are...
How to Remove Pet Odors and Stains from Flooring
Many people have pets and love them dearly, but having a pet can lead to some messes on the floor! Dogs and cats get sick and vomit, or have urine or stool accidents on the floor from time to time. Cleaning up pet messes quickly is important towards keeping your...
How to Remove a Subfloor Without Removing Cabinets
Do you have beautifully remodeled kitchen cabinets but a lackluster floor? Maybe your subfloor suffered water damage or squeaks a lot in certain places. It is possible to change out areas of your subfloor without removing your kitchen cabinets, but it must be done...
Best Flooring for Aging in Place
Remodeling your home with aging in mind can help keep you in your home safely for years to come. One in four adults aged 65 and older suffers a fall each year, with 20% of these falls leaving to broken bones or head injuries. Safety measures in the home can help...
How to Remove Cigarette Smoke and Stains from Flooring
Clearing the smell of cigarette smoke from your home or removing nicotine stains is no easy task! Cigarette smoke penetrates every object and surface in your home, particularly if smoking has happened repeatedly or for many years. Tar and nicotine from cigarettes...
8 Flooring Trends for 2018
Here are some flooring trends for 2018! If you are thinking of upgrading or updating your flooring in 2018, look to this list for inspiration! 1.Wide Plank Floors Hardwood flooring remains super popular with homeowners, with trends currently pushing towards wider...
Refinishing Gray Hardwood Floors the Right Way
Gray hardwood flooring is in style and a great look! Many homeowners are requesting for new flooring in gray or for their established hardwood flooring to be refinished in a gray color. Pre-finished gray hardwoods are easy to come by, since maple and birch floors are...
When Cleaning Floors Gets Messy
The Internet, family suggestions, and new product advertisements can make it hard to know the best way to care for your floors! Properly caring for your floors while protecting them from dangerous products is important for good upkeep! Here are the Basics for Cleaning...
Protecting Hardwood Floors in your Bathroom
Hardwood floors are trickier to manage in your bathroom, but if you would like hardwood floors throughout your home you can have them! Your design ideas do not have to be limited by the moisture that naturally occurs in bathrooms, there are ways to have hardwoods and...
Protecting your Home from the Holidays
Holiday decorating is merry and bright but can also wreak havoc on your home! Parties and festive decorating can take a toll on the surfaces in your home, but these tips can help minimize any damage! 1.Protect your Flooring A no-shoes policy in your home will protect...
Take the Initiative on Fall Home and Yard Jobs
In order to make sure your home and yard are beautiful and functioning all year round, you must always first take initiative. It goes without saying that all areas of the home desire look and maintenance every-so-often to make sure things don’t get too chaotic. While...
How to Protect Your Hardwood Flooring on Thanksgiving
If you are hosting Thanksgiving, you are probably busy with shopping and cooking the meal, but another consideration is your floor! Hardwood flooring can take a beating on Thanksgiving and other holidays but making a game plan ahead of time can minimize any permanent...
Health Benefits of Hardwood Floors
Hardwood flooring is beautiful, versatile, and long-lasting and it has amazing health benefits! The health benefits are significant and can be a huge difference in home life quality for individuals with allergies and asthma. Hardwood floors directly impact air quality...
Choosing the Perfect Rug for Your Hardwoods
Redecorating a room from the floor up is very exciting! It feels great to freshen your space, update your décor, and change the look of your home to fit your current style and personality. Now that you have beautiful hardwood floors, think about adding the perfect...
Planning to Sell? These Changes Add the Most Value
Some home renovations pay off much better than others! Home improvement projects geared towards a homeowner’s tastes have the least positive effect on asking price. A specially designed art studio will not appeal to most buyers but projects like kitchen and bath...
8 Ways to Get your Home Cozy for Fall
Fall is here and with it comes chilly mornings, warm afternoons and cold nights! It’s time to make some changes in your home for the colder weather ahead! 1.Have your furnace inspected by an HVAC technician. A $100 inspection now could help identify problems that may...
How to Keep Dark Hardwood Floors Clean
Dark hardwood floors are a favorite of homeowners and have never gone out of fashion. The look of dark wood floors is currently very trendy and will always be a popular choice. Realtors often say that homes with very dark floors are always very appealing to buyers!...
End-Of-Summer Home Maintenance Tips
As a homeowner, summer’s end generally marks the beginning for winter preparation. It’s the perfect time to wrap up outdoor projects and take care of routine maintenance work. More importantly, it’s also an opportunity to avoid costly repairs that may otherwise...
Changing the Color of Your Hardwood
You may be interested in a home with hardwood floors that are not to your taste or have realized that a different shade of wood would fit in better with your style. is you can usually change the color of your flooring if you want to! When you refinish your floors,...
Flooring Ideas For Studio Apartments
Studio apartments are increasingly popular as many people enjoy living in the city or close by with easy access by public transportation. While usually a smaller space, studio apartments combine all the essentials such as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom in one...
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. Carpet...
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...
