Building up a party-friendly home or hosting a big party at home? Here, we have some tips on the best types of flooring for parties, how you can prepare your floors for a house party, and some house party cleaning tips.

If you’re a homeowner considering flooring options for your new party-friendly house, The Floor Gallery (TFG) highly recommends vinyl flooring for parties. Vinyl flooring is a top choice amongst party-hosting homeowners due to its low maintenance features. Break little to no sweat when there’s a food or drink accident. Vinyl flooring will only need basic wiping with an ordinary damp cloth – hello easy party cleanup and goodbye sticky floors!

Credits: floorstoyourhome.com

While we never really know what our guests bring to the dance floor, vinyl flooring is a great option when it comes to protecting your house floors. Not only does it have scratch-resistant features, vinyl flooring is water-resistant – making it immune to glaring coffee stains – and has a wide array of high slip resistance textures as well. This reduces the likelihood of slips and nasty falls. If you find that vinyl flooring is suitable for your house, check out the wide range of eco friendly vinyl flooring that we offer here.

Alternatively, if you are looking to introduce a breath of fresh air to the party by means of an outdoor space, be it a garden or balcony, you could consider wood decking as well. TFG’s eco-friendly wood decking options are slip-resistant, ensuring a greater and safer time on the floor. If a downpour occurs before your party (and hopefully not during), there is no need to tip toe cautiously on semi wet floors just to avoid slipping. Being heat-resistant as well, you will not have to worry about the dance floor literally heating up!

For those who already have hardwood flooring installed in your home, here is something to note for your big party preparation. The biggest no-no is waxing your wooden floor before the party. We understand that you may want to impress your guests with a glossy, pristine floor. That being said, guest safety is still very important, and you want to prevent a slippery and dangerous dance floor at all cost.

Do you have questions about installing vinyl flooring in your home? Feel free to get in touch with our vinyl flooring experts HERE. In the meantime, happy party planning!

The post Flooring Tips for Home Parties You Need To Know appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

An outdoor space that is well-furnished not only acts as a natural extension of one’s home, but it also adds character to the entire abode. And what better way to further add character to your home than with a wooden decking for your balcony that radiates endearing charm? It is no wonder The Floor Gallery is seeing a growing number of homeowners looking to build that outdoor haven with wood decking.

However, as solid wood decking is an option that requires closer maintenance and care, composite wood decking has become an increasingly popular and stylish alternative. We’ve gathered a few of our composite balcony decking projects, which we hope will inspire. Have a look:

Project #1: The Azure at Ocean Drive, Sentosa

Given the location, this balcony would bear the brunt of Singapore’s tropical weather – especially the heat! To avoid “hot dancing” on the deck, the unit’s owners chose Eco Wood Composite Decking.

This wood plastic composite decking choice uses, as its name suggests, eco-friendly wood and has a unique and patented composition of 2/3 wood flour and 1/3 polyethylene. What this means is that it has less plastic than conventional composite boards, making the heat under bare feet equivalent to that of solid wood and more comfortable to walk on. This WPC decking is indeed one “cool” deck. And the lovely wood texture adds an oasis feel to the balcony too, especially with the breath-taking view!

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Want to find out more about our decking options? Get in touch with our decking specialists HERE.
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Project #2: Condominium at Gerald Drive

Where there is water on floor surfaces, slipperiness and safety is often an issue. However, with the use of The Floor Gallery’s Eco Fusion Wood Decking at a condominium at Gerald Drive, residents can feel safe playing around the pool deck.

This outdoor composite decking material has slip-resistant properties and, unlike regular solid wood decking, it is also splinter-free! Its durable qualities also make it great for long-term use, especially when the pool deck expects many visitors daily to test its strength. It is perfect for active children who love playing with water outdoors. To top it off, this outdoor decking also uses eco-friendly wood.

Project #3: Waterfront Isle Condominium

 If you do not fancy wood grain patterns because it clashes with your home design (but still want to enjoy the feel of wood under your feet), the grooved composite wood might just be the right fit. Just look at that beautiful balcony flooring! With subtle gaps between the boards of only 5mm, this groove-design deck from a condominium unit at the Waterfront Isle looks smooth and seamless. The homeowners of this unit now have a balcony exuding an earthy, cosy and homely feel, but with a contemporary touch.

As one of the options available under TFG’s Eco Wood Composite Decking range, this composite balcony decking has all the wonderful properties mentioned in The Azure project above, and more! An additional feature of this special deck is that you can sand it down in future without affecting the groove design! Along with all the other benefits of Eco Wood Composite Decking, you may have just found the most innovative decking for your balcony.

Ready to Deck?

The Floor Gallery offers two types of eco-friendly wood decking for balconies or outdoor decks: Eco Wood Composite Decking (as seen in Project #1 and #3), and Eco Fusion Deck (as illustrated in Project#2).

With more than 10 designs and colours to choose from both composite decking varieties, homeowners will be spoilt for choice. For that classic brown wood, the Auburn Brown Embossed design will do the trick. But, if you’re looking for lighter colours to brighten up the space, you might like the Gentle Grey Eco Fusion Deck. On the other hand, darker options to consider are Coffee Brown and Robust Grey.

Aesthetics aside, our WPC decking choices are accredited with Green Label Singapore, amongst many other quality certification labels. With great confidence, we also provide warranties for insect and fungus infestations, so that you can enjoy your balcony or outdoor deck with a peace of mind.

Feeling inspired? Please feel free to browse through our full selection of decking for balconies here. Should you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to decking with you!

The post Design Your Dream Balcony with Composite Decking appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Wood flooring is one of the closest materials you can get from Nature. The rustic feel, musky smell, and the unique grain of each piece of plank brings about a nostalgic feel to the living space. Wood flooring styles naturally exudes a touch of timeless elegance and it is no wonder that it remains the choice of many home owners. It is almost always found in buildings of characters, such as palaces and manors that date back to historical times. For example, the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia that has arguably the most beautiful wood floors.

Contrary to common beliefs, wood can be a great eco-friendly choice for all living and company working spaces too. By using wood sourced from sustainable forests (FSC / PEFC certified) and using only adhesives that emit little or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), wood flooring can be an eco-friendly choice.

For your next design project or home renovation idea, come take a look at some of the beautiful wood flooring style projects that The Floor Gallery has been a part of…

Project #1: HDB Flooring

The owners of this unit chose American Walnut to dress up the floor of their living room. The warm-tone wood flooring style complements the unit well as it provides contrast to the white walls of the premises. The natural varying tones of the wood’s light shade breaks the uniformity of the flooring, brings out the character of the family home, and gives a warm cosy feel to the home. In addition to its aesthetics, this solid wood flooring’s eco-friendly and non-toxic features made it a great flooring choice for the whole family, including the little corner of their furry companion.

Project #2: Condominium Flooring

This apartment in Cote D’zaur Condominium in Marine Parade is covered by FloorTop wood flooring. Also known as engineered wood flooring, it is made by compressing multiple layers of 100% real textured hardwood. With its unique construction, this wood flooring style is more durable, dimensionally stable and less susceptible to warping. In this home, FloorTop engineered wood, along with its natural wood grains, blends perfectly with the Scandinavian-like white walls of the apartment.

Installation of FloorTop engineered wood flooring is also faster and easier. Unlike traditional wood flooring, the original floor does not have to be hacked. FloorTop wood flooring can be overlaid onto the existing floor. There is also no need to sand and varnish on site as the floors are pre-finished at the factory. This cuts down the installation time from weeks to just a day or two!

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Interested to find out more about FloorTop wood flooring for your property? Feel free to contact our decking specialists HERE!
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Project #3: Editlounge Pte Ltd’s Outdoor Decking

Generally all wood can be used for outdoors. The wood used will have to be kept dry and regularly maintained to prevent wood rot. However, there are some wood species that have a higher resistance to decay than others and these are the wood species that are commonly used for outdoor decking. One of the wood species would be Chengal. It is study, durable and naturally resistant to termites. In addition, Chengal has a relatively low shrinkage ratio, (only inferior to Teak) which makes it excellent for applications where it undergoes periodic changes in moisture.

Editlounge Pte Ltd, a post-production and media management company, installed chengal wood decking at the balcony of its Cendex Centre office. Instead of laying a deck over the entire balcony, the chengal wood decking was interspersed with some grey pebbles and tiles. This breaks the monotony of the decked space and gives it a calming “Zen” feel. This project shows that one can definitely create stylish wonders in an outdoor space. All it takes is a little creativity!

Types of Wood Flooring

At The Floor Gallery, we have a wide range of wood flooring styles to suit your needs. For traditional solid wood flooring design, consider Canadian Cherry, a red-colored hardwood hailing from Canada and the United States. Alternatively, take a look at European Birch, a lovely brown hardwood popular among Singaporean homeowners. If you love something a little darker, Tasmania Oak is a grey-colored wood that blends well with contemporary, white interiors. We have more than 20 types of hardwood to choose from, check them out here.

Canadian Cherry	European Birch	Tasmania Oak

If, however, you fancy FloorTop engineered wood style, check out the lovely designs under Spirit M. Select ETM001 for that cool, black minimalist look or ETM003 for a warm cottage feel.

ETM001	ETM003

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At The Floor Gallery, be spoilt for choice as there is a wide variety of flooring solutions. From indoor flooring to outdoor decking, from wood lookalike to real wood floors, and many more! Whether you’re in need of some fresh home ideas or just want to view our flooring range, feel free to contact our friendly consultants HERE today.
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The post Wood Flooring Never Goes Out Of Style appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Let’s look at the No first.

Why wood decking not good for balcony?

Firstly, maintenance can be one huge issue when it comes to wood decking. If you are the home owner who feels that it is troublesome to re-varnish, re-coat or re-paint your wood decking once every six months, then wood decking is not for you. Without good maintenance of the wood decking, you risk of having your balcony deck damage due to weather or wear and tear.

Secondly, splinter can be one issue especially for homes with kids or pets, when it comes to wood decking on the balcony. Hence, the only way to prevent the splinter problem is to avoid wood totally.

Next, the choice of wood decking materials can vary and often is complicated among the decking contractors. For example, a good quality chengal wood decking is usually produced from matured chengal timber. While a bad quality chengal wood decking is from young chengal trees. Even within the same matured wood species, there are different grades. Hence, it is up to the trustworthiness of your decking contractor to give you the best quality wood decking material, unless you are the expert in wood.

Now, let’s look at the Yes!

Wood decking for your balcony exudes many benefits. One benefit is that it is a good insulator of heat compared to traditional plastic decking. Constant heating from the sun will not cause one to ‘dance’ around the wooden deck, but he or she will ‘dance’ around on low quality plastic decking. When the weather outside is very rainy and cold, you will not feel cold feet as well when you step on wood decking.

Secondly, wood decking gives your balcony a natural unique look. This is because each plant of wooden deck board is different from each other. Therefore, your balcony decking will not look uniformly similar when you installed wood decking instead of composite decking.

Lastly, if you know how to maintain your wood decking, your wood decking will last very long. Hence, if you are the type of person who is not lazy in maintaining your decking on a regular basis, then consider wood decking.

At the end of the day, want to go with Wood or No Wood? It will be up to you!

The post Is Wood Decking Good for Your Balcony? appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

1. Weather Resistance

Singapore is famous for its weird weather. You tend to experience extreme hot weather on some days and you can have extreme wet days over a few days period. Will your decking last under this tremendous weather? Hence, choosing a all-weather resistant decking is important. But of course, you can also consider building a cover for your decking so as to eliminate the weather portion in your consideration.

2. Material

There are a few options one can choose to have when it comes to decking. You can either go for either wood, composite or eco composite decking or even outdoor tiles. How to choose then, you might ask. Think of the ease of maintenance and then the appearance you want your decking to be. From there, choose the one that fits the appearance most. Eco Composite Decking would be a good choice due to its stylish design and the ease of maintenance.

3. Maintenance

Maintaining the deck is one important aspect to make sure your balcony decking is long lasting. Some material will require more maintenance compared to others. If you choose wood decking, you have to prepare for periodic maintenance of the decking via revarnishing, coating and painting. If you choose Eco Wood Composite Decking, it is generally maintenance free. You will only need to splash a bit of water to ensure cleanliness of the decking. Do learn more about the different types of decking maintenance before settling on your choice of material.

Do ensure the material involved in the decking are of high quality too. You would not want to have a low quality screws that stain your decking or breaks down after sometime, do you? Hence, it is important to look for credible flooring contractors with credible source.

Size and usage of Deck

You may have a large area for your deck. Do consider if you want to make use of the whole area to create your deck or just partial. Too small decking may not give you the ambience you are looking for while too big space decking may take up a lot of space than it should. Design and plan what goes to where. It helps to determine the size of your deck.

Other than the size, you should also consider the usage of the deck. Is the deck going to have barbeque pits? Is it going to be for my family to sit and relax? It is relatively important as it will affect the type of appearance your decking should look like. If it is to have a barbeque pit, do consider a deck with patterns that can help to cover the dirt and a deck that is easy to clean.

In summary, doing planning for the decks are relatively important process, just as any part of the house. It will affect you in terms of not only cost, but also the ambience of the decking, which will affect the theme of your whole house.

The post Things to Consider Before Buying Decking Products appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

1. Weather Resistance

Singapore is famous for its weird weather. You tend to experience extreme hot weather on some days and you can have extreme wet days over a few days period. Will your decking last under this tremendous weather? You would want your house decking to last. Hence, choosing a weather resistant decking is important. But of course, you can also consider building a cover for your decking so as to eliminate the weather portion in your consideration.

2. Material

There are a few options one can choose to have when it comes to decking. You can either go for either timber wood or composite decking. There are so many to choose from. How to choose then, you might ask. Think of the appearance you want your decking to be. From there, choose the one that fits the appearance most. Eco Composite Decking, a high quality type of composite decking product, would be a good choice due to its stylish design and the ease of maintenance.

3. Maintenance

Maintaining the deck is one important aspect to make sure your decking is long lasting. Some material will require more maintenance compared to others. If you choose wood decking, you may want to ensure the wood deck is regularly maintained with wood paint or varnish. Eco Composite Decking is generally maintenance free. You will only need to splash a bit of water to ensure cleanliness of the decking. Do learn more about the different maintenance before settling on your choice of material.

Do ensure the material involved in the decking are of high quality too especially when it comes to composite decking material. Low composite decking may result in high maintenance as the possibility of replacing it can be high.

4. Size and usage of Your Balcony Decking

You may have a large area for your deck. Do consider if you want to make use of the whole area to create your deck or just partial. Too small decking may not give you the ambience you are looking for while too big decking may take up more space than it should. Design and plan what goes to where. It helps to determine the size of your deck.

Other than the size, you should also consider the usage of the deck. Is the deck going to have barbeque pits? Is it going to be for my family to sit and relax? It is relatively important as it will affect the type of appearance your decking should look like. If it is to have a barbeque pit, do consider a deck with patterns that can help to cover the dirt and a deck that is easy to clean.

Doing planning for the decks are relatively important process, just as any part of the house. It will affect you in terms of not only cost, but also the ambience of the decking, which will affect the theme of your whole house.

The post Balcony Decking Tips in Singapore appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

With the increase supply of homes with integrated spaces, we are going to see an increasing demand of decking products to fill up the planters and balconies in the homes.

Type of Balcony Decking Option in Singapore

There are mainly three types of balcony decking option today. Wood Decking such as Chengal, Balau and Ironwood decking have been common wood decking option in Singapore. Wood decking gives a natural feel to the eyes and comfort to the feet. However, with limited supply of quality wood decking, home owners and interior contractors are looking for alternative option such as PVC decking or composite decking.

Such decking has its pros and cons. The pros for PVC decking is that it is easy to clean and install. The cons is probably that PVC or composite decking today has the most number of variation in terms of product quality because of the large supply of composite decking manufacturers in the world. Hence it is pretty difficult to judge which is which or what type of composite decking product is better? The good ones are usually the ones with better UV resistance, heat resistance as well as durability. One of the most effective ways, is to look into the source of the composite decking manufacturer. Whether or not, it is reliable, with a reasonably well warranty period and so on.

Many home owners therefore have the difficulty in getting the best possible composite decking product for the home.

The Advent of Eco Wood Composite Decking

Well, here comes eco wood composite decking, that literally helps to resolve the matter on product quality differences on composite decking products. Many of the lows of conventional composite decking have hence been resolved with the advent of eco wood composite decking. First, eco wood composite decking is relatively better than conventional composite decking and even some wood species, in terms of heat resistance. UV resistance has also been taken care of, therefore ensuring colour of decking can be long lasting. In terms of durability, weather resistance as well as eco friendliness, has also been resolved with eco wood composite decking.

For Home Balcony Decking Today

In short, eco wood composite decking is strongly recommended for balconies and planters in Singapore home today due to its strength, durability and many strong features. Install a good quality eco wood composite decking today!

The post Eco Wood Composite Decking for Homes Today appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

There are plenty of options out there. To help you make a choice that’s best for you, here are the top five outdoor decking materials recommended by our flooring experts, and their pros and cons.

#1 Outdoor Wood Decking

The most common outdoor flooring is none other than wood decking. Available in Chengal wood, Iron wood and Teak, natural wood decking is commonly used for the exterior of Singapore properties due to its cooling characteristics. Depending on age, wood species are graded in terms of their varying strength and durability, Janka hardness, as well as dimensional stability properties. Wood decking creates a little pocket of nature in your outdoor area. Due to its natural properties, wood decking requires proper care and maintenance. Nevertheless, it is one of the best options for outdoor decking. To ensure the longevity of the outdoor wood decking, it is important to maintain it at least once every 6 months, giving it a fresh coat of paint or varnish. More importantly, any improper installation may result in the warping of decks. Hence, engaging an experienced outdoor decking contractor to carry out a professional decking installation is just as crucial.

#2 Eco Wood Composite Decking

Eco wood composite decking is considered as one of the latest entry into the Singapore outdoor decking market. An improvement from conventional composite decking, Eco wood composite decking is manufactured in an eco friendly manner with a mixture of wood and composite that further adds to the strength and durability of the entire decking material. As such, good quality composite wood decking can be relatively more durable and stronger than conventional wood decking material. As its material technology is more advanced, eco wood composite decking is relatively better than conventional composite decking in terms of UV resistance. This is something important for home owners to know, as low quality composite decking may change in colour due to the impact of ultra violet rays. Heat resistance is another important aspect home owners should look into, especially when the decking is installed in unsheltered exterior areas, such as swimming pools or balconies in Singapore. Eco wood composite decking has relatively better heat resistant properties as compared to conventional composite decking. This is due to the larger percentage of natural wood in it.

Want more outdoor decking options?

Get in touch with our team here →

#3 Resilient Tiles Decking

Resilient tile decking is not so common in Singapore, but we are starting to see it in some commercial properties. This outdoor decking option is simply made up of designed tiles that are installed in the exterior. They have a healthy level of durability and resistance to rain and shine. However, resilient tiles may not be suitable if the decking is constantly under strong sunlight, as this may result in colour disfiguration. As compared to composite wood decking, resilient tiles are not as slip-resistant. This may result in a slippery outdoor flooring if the decking is left wet for a long period of time.

#4 Treated Soft Wood Decking

These are mainly soft wood species that may not be recommended for outdoor decking or high walk in traffic projects. However, due to chemical treatment, the soft wood becomes stronger, durable and even harder than some wood species with high janka hardness. Thus, making this type of product good for decking purposes. However, such softwood are typically not grown in tropical countries such as Singapore or Malaysia. Being slightly malleable, constant foot traffic on soft wood decking may result in wear and tear such that the surface may look unclean. Therefore, coating has to be implemented at least three times a year using darker wood paint instead of clear or light wood paints.

#5 Conventional Composite Decking

The group of conventional composite decking is another common type of outdoor decking product in Singapore. We can say that even in conventional composite decking materials, quality varies. It is relatively difficult to ascertain which particular composite decking material is of higher quality. The reason is because such decking products are relatively easy to mass produce, thereby causing the market to have multiples brands of conventional composite decking. Apart from depending on one’s luck in finding a reliable composite decking product, choosing a credible composite decking supplier in Singapore is just as important, as credible decking contractors will select good quality composite materials to ensure consistent quality in their projects! Here are a few other important factors to consider before purchasing outdoor decking.

Interested in installing outdoor decking for your balcony, terrace, backyard, or patio area?

Discuss your best decking options with us →

The post 5 Types of Outdoor Decking in Singapore appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Decking are usually used for balcony flooring as they can withstand the outdoor climate and exposure to sunlight and rain. Wood decking is popular in Singapore. Having a natural look, Wood decking gives your balcony a clean natural wood texture and appearance.

Wood, being a natural insulator of heat, makes it a good choice for outdoor decking. Heat resistance property is important, especially in hot climates like Singapore. The natural texture of wood also enhances comfort and makes the balcony a cozy space to spend some outdoor time in.

Good wood decking material with relatively high Janka hardness makes the decking very durable and weather resistant. Good quality wood also provides high dimensional stability to the outdoor decking.

In addition, wood can be renewed and reused over and over again. Home owners can reuse the wood decking when they move to another home in the future. This helps to preserve eco sustainability, and at the same time also makes it cost efficient in the long run.

Popular wood decking options like Chengal and Ironwood decking are commonly installed in home and even commercial projects in Singapore. The Floor Gallery is a flooring company that also provides installation of such decking services. So do contact us for more information when you need to have your balcony decking done!

The post Benefits of Wood decking for your balcony appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Of course, some home owners have a planter, but chose not to plant anything on their planter bed space. Because plants require a lot of care and attention. Those busy home owners who cannot afford the time to care for their plants, will rather cover up the planter bed with decking instead. This will convert the planter bed into a mini version of a normal balcony deck. In this way, home owners can step out into their ‘mini balcony’ and enjoy the view outside their home too.

Finding a suitable decking for your planter? Feel free to get in touch HERE.

Plants, beside needing a lot of care and attention, also will tend to attract birds and insects. Nature lovers will find them beautiful. However, some home owners find them a pest, and would rather do up a deck in place of plants. This will ensure they have no birds or insects which will accidentally fly into their homes. Of course, it will be easier to clean and maintain too!

With a deck in place of plants, home owners can also step onto the ‘mini deck’ to enjoy the outside view of their homes too. If there are plants in the planter bed, it will be impossible to take a step out onto the planter bed without stepping on the plants.

Planters being converted to a mini deck has been increasingly popular. This is because of the fast paced lifestyle in Singapore nowadays. Everyone is busy with work and has a hectic schedule everyday. Few people, especially young couples, have got time to sit and stare and care for the plants unlike retirees.

The Floor Gallery has 2 types of decking – namely Wood Decking and Eco Composite Decking. Both can be used to do up your mini deck, and they both come in different designs and colours. With a wide range to choose from, home owners can ensure that their mini balcony will be done up nicely and neatly by our floor specialists.

If you’re thinking of converting your planter bed into a mini ‘balcony’, feel free to get in touch with our decking team HERE.

The post Converting your Planter into a Mini Deck appeared first on The Floor Gallery.