The simplicity of Natural stone.

This 17th century Tuscan Villa can show how the use of Natural stone can add to the simplicity of style and decor. ( compliments to Architectural Digest)

Golden Wood by Emilceramica

Unique and contemporary laminated wood visual.
- Manufactured using 42.5% pre-consumer recycled material.
- Supports achievement of LEED points.
- 12x24”, 24x24” and 6x24” sizes available in stock.
- Also available in 36” modules by special order.
- 1x24” mesh mounted decorative element.
- Cove base, bullnose, stairtread and decoratives available.
- Rectified for exact sizing with full color body.
You can find more styles, colors and designs @ http://www.emilceramica.com

September Sales!!!!

Current Sale

Engineered Hardwood Sale

White Oak Amaretto
Red Oak Amaretto
White Oak Natural
White Oak Mahogany
Red Oak Golden
American Maple Natural
Midnight Maple

All of the above styles are available for $3.31/s.f. (Materials only)

Bamboo- starting @ $2.98/s.f.
Laminate- starting @ $1.15/s.f.

Carpet Sales
California Dreamer (Coronet)- starting @ $20.83/s.y.
Painted Desert (Coronet)- starting @ $24.90/s.y.
Eternal I&II- starting @ $29.98/s.y.
Hugs N Kisses- starting @ $35.82/s.y.
Cabo San Lucas- starting @ $22.48/s.y.
Melbourne Beach- starting @ $22.48/s.y.
Kiss N Tell- starting @ $35.82/s.y.

Call or Visit Our Showroom Today to beautify your home without breaking your budget!

Marina Flooring

Santa Monica, CA 90404

(310)821-3344

September Sales

The great deals just seem to keep stacking up!

Engineered Hand Distressed
Maple Merlot- Less than $4/sf.
Oak- Less than $4.30/sf.
Pine- Less than $5/sf.

Maya Collection [S&S Hardwood]
Oak- Less than $5/sf.
Maple- Less than $5.50/sf.

Santos Mahogany Prefinished
Engineered Hand Distressed- Less than $4/sf.
Engineered Flat- Less than $7/sf.

Laminate
8.3 Prime- Less than $1.35/sf.
8.3 Luxury- Less than $1.50/sf.

Solid Oak [prefinished]- Less than $4.70/sf.

Marina Flooring
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310)821-3344

Eco-friendly Mod with a Twist: Design Solutions Episode III

Vintage & Mod basically go hand in hand.
But, with new and improved materials,
a mod style can retain qualities of the latest technology in interior design.Courtesy of Elle Decor Magazine

Wondering how to create the above look in an eco-friendly fashion?
Dansk Hardwood's Bamboo Fusion line offers a Bordeaux colored bamboo floor that is:

• 100% Moso Bamboo
• Hypo-allergenic
• Scratch Resistant
• Durable (Twice as stable as Red Oak)
• Protected under a 25 yr. lifetime warranty

Diggin' the paint job?
Yolo paint, a 0 VOC paint that is custom-mixed in our showroom,
in the color Petal 01, is the exact replica of the paint above.
[Without the harmful toxins]

For more information e-mail us at: Marinaflooring@yahoo.com

Marina Flooring's Design Solutions: Episode I

To get a designer look inside your home without the hassle of pushy interior designers & an empty wallet once the look is completed, is an achievable goal with Marina Flooring.

Here are some examples:

A recent Calvin Klein Ad featured in Elle Decor magazine features beautiful white-washed floors.

Courtesy of Elle Decor Magazine


Although the look above may appear posh and expensive,
it's none too difficult to obtain the same style for less!
Nikzad's horizontal white wash bamboo provides the same luxe appearance,
but with the durability and exotic comfort of bamboo floors.

Another low-cost addition to your home that adds simple luxury to your home our stylish counter tops.

A Scavolini Ad features a sophisticated kitchen, worthy of the most expensive homes.

These beautiful, iridiscent counter tops can be recreated
in your home for much less than you think!
Ceaserstone Quartz surfaces provides the same color and thickness!
(Style 2141)

Contact our designers today for more information!
310-821-3344

Our Wish List!

Check out our wish list on our profile.

It will provide you with more information about the products we offer.

:)

24 Days.

To ensure our customers and other consumers seeking interior design that the "economic recession" will not hinder their flooring, draperies, and eco-friendly design needs,
Marina Flooring will be announcing supplier holiday sales
exclusively on our blog!
Looking for bamboo any time soon?
Our first sale is an offering from Nikzad Imports!
Nikzad is an industry leader in bamboo and imported floors.
Although they do not sell directly to customers,
Nikzad is available through dealers in the industry,
including Marina Flooring!
Besides the introduction of their new flooring lines:
The Signature Collection- Available in American Cherry, White Oak, American Walnut, Santos Mahogany, and Red Oak.
The Distressed Collection- [so exclusive that our company needs to call for details]
Stained Bamboo- Available in White Wash, Black, Brown and Cherry
They are offering a Holiday Clearance Sale for Micro- Beveled floors, which include:
The Signature Collection and
The Castle Collection.
They are also offering a clearance sale for square-edged floors which include:
Almost all of the Bamboo Collections!
So don't feel down about the recession!
Holiday Savings are still to come.
Stay tuned and enjoy the first week of December!

Some Added Eco-Friendly Options

There are several other no VOC paints to choose from besides the infamous Yolo Colorhouse Brand.

In 2006 several other eco-friendly paint options were introduced to the public.

Eco-Spec, which can be purchased through Benjamin Moore retailers (http://www.benjaminmoore.com/), provides an efficient, eco-friendly paint.

It's durability and washable qualities make it an ideal paint for young childrens' rooms.

The only down-side is, Eco-Spec's color spectrum is limited due to the high VOC content in darker paints.

Horizon is another green option for your painting needs.

It's texture allows for easy brush techniques and the ability to cover more wall with less paint.

These are available at the following address: http://www.roddapaint.com/

Last, but most certainly not least, is SafeCoat. It's a great paint if you're looking for consistency and ability to maintain even coverage, but needs to be mixed often because of the weaker binding agents in eco-friendly paint. You can check these out at: http://www.sampledepartment.com/

Jumping On the Bandwagon

As you may already know,

marketing is the center of product inception.

Companies wouldn't know what to produce without knowledge of the current market demand.

Beaulieu/Coronet, one of our long-time partnerships in the carpet manufacturing business, decided it was about time they did the same.

While conducting research pertaining to their specific market share,

Beaulieu realized that 94% of consumers feel overwhelmed when confronted by too much diversity in flooring.

Multiple samples, colors, grades, etc. causes a longer buying-decision process.

Their results also showed that there was a high demand for carpet, but manufacturers were not meeting the demands of the consumers.

In 2007, Beaulieu/Coronet released Bliss Carpets.

Bliss is the first eco-friendly carpet line that Beaulieu/Coronet has ever released.

To simplify the buying-decision process, Bliss sample racks come with easy to follow instructions.

Step 1 is to pick one of their 50 colors.

Step 2 is to pick one the grade and style.

There are 2 grades: Premium and Best.

The styles are essentially the same, but named differently due to the difference in grade.

For example, Breathe Easy is a Premium.

You can get the same style in Best, but it is called Live Fresh.

The 3 style names in Premium are Breathe Easy, Fresh Air, and Relax.

The 3 style names in Best are Live Free, Clean Living, and Restore.

Bliss carpets also contain silver release technology.

This fiber technology prevents fungi/mildew/germs.

Providing your home with fresh and clean carpeting year round.

It is made from 100% recycled polyester.

It also contains Magic Fresh, a self-renewable odor prevention treatment.

Bliss comes with a 60 day "No Questions Asked" warranty.

Besides being a very useful type of carpeting, Bliss also claims it's share of popularity.

Upon its release in winter of 2007, it won the Floor Covering Weekly's Dealer's Choice Award.

Bliss also received the National Floor Trends Styling Excellence Award in 2008.

A Natural Palette

Photo Courtesy of http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/colors_earth.php

As mentioned in an earlier blog,

Marina Flooring has decided to include Yolo Paint in their product selection.

What is Yolo Paint?

Yolo Paint is a no VOC paint that comes in a variety of bases that can be mixed into various

hues.

They became an eco-friendly company in 2005.

Yolo is focused on environmentally-friendly practices and the enrichment of the arts in their

community.

This attitude is displayed in their mission statement:

"We are connected to our community as artists, teachers, environmentalists and a woman-owned business.
Our products are designed to inspire confidence and creativity.
We bring environmental and social values to the workplace.
We are passionate about and committed to what we do every day."

Yolo's eco-conscious approach inspired them to entitle their recent collection:

"Earth's Colors"

The colors that can be mixed our put into several categories

Air

Grain

Water

Leaf

Stone

Petal

Clay

Yolo provides paints for indoor and outdoor needs.

They also provide poster size swatches of the featured colors.

Their recent experiments include Little Yolo.

A non-toxic, washable, interior paint.

These colors come in one group: Sprout

But contain pastel pink, light blue, beige, and yellow.

For more information check out their website:

http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/littleyolo/colors.php

Or come visit our showroom.

Our warehouse contains the color books, various bases and paints, as well as the paint mixer

that creates the hues of your choice.

We also have the sample books for this paint, as well as the sample swatches.

Defining Green [[Terms to Remember]]

Many consumers who have just jumped onto the eco-friendly bandwagon,

have very little knowledge or don't quite comprehend the "green lingo".

I found an interesting article in "Floor Coverings Weekly" that outlines some of the major terms you should know while exploring eco-friendly interior design.

I chose a few that pertain to our particular industry.

Certified Wood- Wood or wood based materials that comply with sustainable forestry practices.

Closed-Loop Process- A manufacturing process that recycles 100% of raw materials and wastes back into the production cycle.

Composite Wood- A product consisting of wood or plant particles or fibers bonded together by a synthetic resin or a binder.

Greenwashing- The practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology, or company practice.

Post-Consumer Recycled Content- Material used and then recycled by consumers.

Pre-Consumer Content- Material diverted from the waste stream during manufacturing process. It is also knowns as post-industrial material.

Reclaimed Material- Building components that have been recovered from a demolition site and are reused in their original state.

Recycled Content- The weight of recycled material in a product--including post-consumer and pre-consumer material-- divided by the overall weight of the product.

Recycling- The collection, reprocessing, marketing and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from a solid waste stream.

Reuse- The return of salvaged materials to use in the same or related capacity.

Solvent- a component in many adhesive and sealant formulations. Many solvents are identified chemically as volatile organic compounds.

Sustainable- A way of life in which the use of natural resources does not destroy them for future use.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - A carbon compound that vaporizes at normal room temperature. They contribute to air pollution directly and through atmospheric photochemical reaction.

[[Reminder: Our Yolo Paint contains no VOCs (See Above Definition)]]

Marmoleum Mania

Marmoleum.

Probably one of the wierdest words in the flooring industry.

(Besides Bullnose and Baseshoe).

Despite it's awkward name,

it is actually quite popular among recent customers.

The most important factors of it's popularity are it's composition, texture, and convenience.

Marmoleum is considered an eco-friendly product.

So, unlike regular linoleum,

Marmoleum is comprised of a variety of ingredients from around the globe:

Linseed oil from Canadian flax

Wood flour from European trees

Rosin from Portuguese pine trees

Jute from India and Bangladesh

As well as finely ground limestone.

Besides increasing global trade (I mean, look at all the ingredients! Forbo must do more global trading than half the country just for the Marmoleum line!),

It is fully biodegradable when you are done with it

The average life expectancy of Marmoleum is 25-40 years

Not only is it a green product,

it is hypoallergenic and comes in over 35 different colors.

Marmoleum also contains a cork backing, allowing for a firm and confident floor.

Oh, the wonders of technology.

Bamboozled

To contribute to our ever-increasing variety of products,
Marina Flooring has acquired an exceptional array of bamboo floors for magnificent prices.
Our recent acquisition is from the Dansk Hardwood's new eco-friendly line entitled Bamboo Fusion.
As well as delivering high quality bamboo flooring,

Dansk provides excellent benefits to achieve higher satisfaction for their customers and distributors.

This particular line comes in eight different colors:

Auburn, Bordeaux, Cedar, Coffee, Gunstock, Natural, Pinot Noir, Tiger.

As well as being a natural strand, the toughest form of bamboo around...

The line is also 100% Moso Bamboo,

scratch-resistant,

hypoallergenic,

indententation resistant,

and is twice as stable as any other hardwood floor (including Red Oak).

This product comes with a 25 year residential warranty

as well as a 5 year commercial warranty.

As far as installation goes,

this product is available in glue-down as well as uniclic.

Two very convenient processes for such a high-demand product.

Bamboo Fusion has also exceeded World Health Organization standards.

So, what are you waiting for?

[Prices start at only $6.99/sq. ft.]

10 Ways To Add Value To your Home

In an economy such as ours, your best investment is your home. While values are declining in some areas, L.A. - especially the westside - has the the advantage in keeping value. These are the top 10 tips to add more value your home.

1. Paint.
The fastest and easiest way to life to old surfaces - inside and out. Marina Flooring now carries the eco friendly YOLO COLORHOUSE paint line in our showroom. Beautiful colors to choose from. Give your home a frsh new personality!

2.New Appliances.
Obviously it's best to go with the top brands if you can sfford it. Try Craigslist for gently used luxury brands like Viking if you can't afford to buy them off the showroom floor. There are lots of great deals to be found in gently used appliances.

3. Update Light Fixtures.
Thankfully this tip doesn't have to be costly. Go to Restoration Hardware and IKEA for a great selection on a budget.

4. Gut The Bathroom.
This doesn't have to costly either, but necessary if your bathroom is showing age. A new toilet can be purchased at a reasonable price and can make a huge difference. Install low cost vinyl flooring and subway tile. Marina Flooring has a large selection of affordable options!

5.Re-roof.
A really important part of extending the life of your home.

6. Update Your Systems
The flow of your home is depending on your systems like electrical, plumbing and gas. Make sure you have the appropriate professionals come to check your line and make sure their healthy.

7.Install New Flooring.
This is our forte of course. Hardwood is always the best selection and we have what you need no matter what your budget is!

8.Re-Stain your Deck
If you don't have a deck, tend to your landscaping. Even minor upgrades like iceplant, small perrenial or annual borders and container gardens make a large impact and of course add curb appeal!

9. Get New Doors.
A great way to update your look and enhance circulation. Home Depot has a good selection you can buy right off the rack.

10. Paint Your Foundation.
This makes a huge difference. Match the color to the exterior of your home.

Malibu Modern

Malibu is the poster child for green living is southern California, and this house owned by Green Consultant Eric Cadora and his wife Collette Brooks does not disappoint. Excellent choices in design and construction is what makes this Malibu Modern home the greatest "green" example.



Concrete floors, recycled wood crate lanterns, reclaimed barn wood table, block walls



River stone mosaics walls in the shower, and the rest of the bathroom floors ( not shown ) is an azure colored mosaic glass tile mosaic.

The hard surface products for for the floors and shower, among many other green design products are available at our showroom at 1824 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica
310-821-3344

Our green design team is looking forward to helping you.

* photos courtesy of Domino Magazine.

Concrete gets cozy

One of the many eco friendly options for your floors is a finished concrete. Most people think this option is limited to a contemporary or "industrial" look . Times are changing , and more and more consumers and decorators are mixing their looks and creating cozy environments with concrete flooring. This option is a long lasting, durable "green" option. You can dye, paint or stain the concrete to create any look you want. your flooring professional at Marina Flooring can walk you throughthe options to make sure you get finish you're looking for.

Come visit our showroom at 1824 Lincoln Blvd.

You'll get to see our polished concrete floors in our showroom!

Call 310-821-3344 for more information.

*photos courtesy of Elle Decor.

Marina Flooring

Welcome to Marina Flooring's new blog. Our goal is to give you the most updated information on all the products available for flooring, kitchen, bathroom and window surfaces.

Our new emphasis is on providing the newest, most innovative sustainable, green products available.

We have been a serving the Los Angeles area for over 14 years. Our first store was located on Washington Blvd. in Marina Del Rey. Our new showroom is located at 1824 Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica. Call 310-821-3344 for more information.