In flooring & home improvement, as in many industries, a common misconception is the need to sacrifice beauty for reliability, performance for low-budget.

With Mohawk’s self-described revolutionary woods, RevWood & RevWood Plus, this is most certainly not the case! Designed by Mohawk to make homeowners, builders and designers rethink wood flooring altogether, RevWood is actually not what you may traditionally think of as wood. 

The Benefits of Mohawk RevWood & RevWood Plus

So if it’s not true wood, then just what is RevWood? Put simply, it’s an eco-friendly product that combines the beauty of real wood with the durability of laminate flooring. Let’s break down the benefits:

• Waterproof installation means that, unlike 100% real hardwood, RevWood Plus can stand up to spills and humidity without buckling, warping, or being damaged in any way. Note that RevWood Plus is waterproof, but regular RevWood is not.
• Resistance to stains, scratches & dents is built in to RevWood thanks to a durable wear layer and construction.
• Mohawk’s All Pet Protection & Warranty gives RevWood coverage against messes from any type of pet & pet-related accident, all the time.
• RevWood comes in a variety of trending colors and textures, each with distinctive wood knot and grain patterns. These include time-worn looks and planks in varying lengths and widths.
• RevWood & RevWood Plus are available at outstanding price points compared to their real wood competitors.
• Finally, Mohawk manufactures RevWood & RevWood Plus right here in the USA! 

How does RevWood work?

So RevWood Plus is essentially waterproof wood – but how? It’s the result of two main features – a click & lock tongue-and-groove installation with beveled edges and a water-repellant HydroSeal coating developed by Mohawk. The tightly-locking planks block moisture from entering through the sides, and the coating blocks it from the surface.

One final step – a perimeter sealing of 100% silicone – seals the deal on the cut edges of the floor.

This moisture-resistant surface also makes cleaning up a breeze. These are the first laminate floors on the market that can be safely wet-mopped without worry about peeling or damage to adhesives – because there are no adhesives required in installation!

How & where to use RevWood & RevWood Plus 

RevWood is perfect for any part of your home where you wish you could have hardwood floors, but where it just doesn’t make sense to do so. One of the key benefits of RevWood and RevWood Plus is that they can be installed on any level of your home, over nearly any type of existing subfloor.

Hardwood, being naturally porous and flexible, does not handle moisture and humidity well. In areas like bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and even finished basements, it’s best to avoid installing real wood.

With RevWood, you get the look and feel of natural hardwood in a form that’s suitable for all of these areas and more. With so many great looks and textures from which to choose, you’ll find yourself with far more design freedom than you’d have with hardwood.

Learn more about RevWood & RevWood Plus on our website, or at one of our 10 convenient locations in the greater Miami area!

Q. What is the best way to deal with a tangled mess of cords? My desk is a disaster and so is my entertainment center.

A. To help tidy up your desk, invest in an under desk wire basket, which you can easily find at many office supply stores that sell furniture, and a power strip large enough for all of your plugs. Instead of letting all of those ugly cables and cords hang freely, run them through the wire basket along with the power strip. Tack the remaining slack together with a handy zip tie and voila! You have a neat and clutter-free work environment.

As for your entertainment center, the jumble of cords can be an eye-sore, as well as a walking obstruction in your home. In the case of audio/visual interference or technical difficulty, a mess of cords can make finding and fixing the problem a frustrating, time-consuming experience.

Before hiding the cords of your entertainment center, diligently untangle and separate them from each other, so that each cord’s origin and destination is clear.

Once all your cords are separated, bundle groups stemming from each individual appliance with twist ties or zip ties. For additional organization, separate cords based on their function; for example, keep audio cords in one bundle, video cords in another, and power cords in another bundle.

Cord covers are a handy solution if your entertainment center is set up away from your power outlets. Measure the length of cord cover you require, then route the cords through the cover. Attach the cover to your walls with self-adhesive. Unlike flexible cable sleeves, you can paint cord covers. Paint the cover a color that complements your room decor; this makes the cord cover look like molding, rather than hardware. Or, if your entertainment center resides in a carpeted room, gently lift the edges of the carpet behind the entertainment center to tuck your cord bundles underneath. Use cable tacks to attach the bundles to the floor before replacing the carpet; this will keep the bundles from bunching.

Q. I collect dishes. Is there a unique way to display my collection? I don’t want to just stick them in the china cabinet.

A. Yes! Display the pieces on shelves in the kitchen. If your dishes are colorful paint the walls white so that the colors of the dishes pop. It’s ok to decorate a room around your collection.

This question got us thinking that many of you probably have collections you want to display. No matter your passion (tiny treasures, oversize artifacts), here are ideas for displaying, organizing, and storing your favorite collections so they gather compliments—not dust.

Put small items like dice, match boxes or thimbles in a divided case. Colorful, varied collections look pulled-together but still playful in a weathered grid. Let randomness and imperfection be your guides: Split up pairs, mix sizes, place pieces at different angles, and leave some spots blank. Mount the box on the wall at eye level—before you load it up, of course—or set it on a mantel for maximum delight.

Use a sunny window to display bottles, glass or crystal animals. The sunshine will make your collection sparkle. Scattered groupings of two or three items outside the cases keep the composition from being precious. Don’t feel obligated to use every piece you have. Keep spares safe in a quilted box made for china teacups.

Play up natural collections like stones and seashells by showing them off in a fish bowl. Fill the vessel less than halfway (much of the beauty is in the negative space), and arrange the biggest pieces on top.

Cluster bulky play things like globes or vintage toys on a low wide shelf. When you have objects that are fun to interact with, you want to keep them within easy reach. To create a sense of happy abundance, pack in as many as you can.

And here’s the best tip of all – for dusting the many pieces in your collection, use a dry microfiber cloth.

We recently received this question from one of our readers:

Reader Question:

My dog is incontinent and as a result my floor has a urine smell. I thought that my ceramic tile floor would be easy to clean but the smell doesn’t go away. We are now moving and I want help with a flooring option in our new home that will not absorb the smell and will be easy to clean. Any help is welcome.

Sincerely, Melanie from Miami

Melanie,

Thanks for your question! There is a general misconception that ceramic tile is easy to clean and the ideal option in a home with pets. Unfortunately, ceramic tiles can be porous, and combined with unsealed grout will allow the urine smell to remain. Going over the offending areas with an enzyme cleaner – available at pet specialty stores, or a diluted white vinegar mix should help your current situation. Once clean, have your grout sealed to avoid a repeat problem.

Porcelain tiles are a good option for your next home. They are not porous like ceramic tiles and will not absorb liquids. Be sure to have the grout sealed to prevent it from absorbing urine or any other liquids. Avoid stone – this option also tends to be porous and much harder to deal with on this issue.

You may also want to consider picking up a few inexpensive machine-washable rugs such as those designed for bathrooms and place them where your dog likes to lay. Your dog will find them comfortable and they may help you by absorbing a good part of the urine before it hits your floors.

We hope this helps!

Your friends at Dolphin Carpet and Tile