LAKE CABINET & FLOORING, INC.

The Best in Flooring since 1955

•  Simply the Best
•  Basics
•  Ceramic
•  Wood
•  Laminate
•  Carpet
•  Vinyl Sheet
•  Vinyl Tiles
•  Compare

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Well known as the areas best in installation, products, prices and service Lake Cabinet & Flooring has been serving North-East Ohio's floor covering needs for over 50 years.   We have neat and clean installers with years with years of experience. In fact two of our main installers have been  with the company for over 30 years.    We carry all types of flooring from Carpet, Vinyl, Ceramic Tiles, Wood and Laminates.  Call us or stop in today to let us help you decide what type of floor is right for you.  Free in home consultations are available at your request.   Click on the links above to learn more about the floor products that we offer.  As with any products there are pro's and con's to all types of flooring products.  The "trick" so to speak is to find the floor with the properties that are right for you and you specific application.  Below is quick reference of the differences between common flooring types that may help you start to decide which floor is best for you.  Please visit our Care page to learn how to properly maintain your floor.

Flooring basics (Flooring 101):

Below is a brief summary of different flooring types and their properties.   This list is intended to give a straight forward basic understanding on what a specific surface will do for you and your application.  We stress that any con's listed below are minimized by quality products and our professional installations.  Many manufactures have developed product enhancements, such as finishes, top coats, moisture blockers, warrantees ect... ,  to minimize or eliminate the major concerns of each flooring type.  Click on the underlined links for more information.

Ceramic , Porcelain, Marble and Stone Tiles.

• Pro's - Ceramic Tile is elegant, formal, durable and full of prestige.      Glazed Ceramic tile and polished sealed stones are very stain resident and easy to clean.  Many consider ceramic tiles as the best overall floor available and it is very commonly used in most foyers, utility rooms, kitchens and baths.  Its lasts a lifetime in  most cases.   Ceramic's hard surface is wear, scratch and dent resistant.  A good ceramic tile can take years and years of high traffic.  It also is the most water resident of the normal floors in a home and will add resale value to your property.

• Con's - Tiles can be cold to the touch and hard on the feet.  (especially for those on the floor all day or the elderly)  It also is not very forgiving to fallen objects like glassware.  Depending on the chosen finish it can be rough or slippery.   Nobody wants to fall on a ceramic floor.   Edges can chip if a hard object catches the edge of the tile "just right".  Requires a sub floor in most applications unless over concrete and also can add a lot of height when used in a remodel application.    Grout between tiles can be hard to keep clean.   

Real Wood Flooring

• Pro's - Be it solid or engineered wood many people believe that nothing beats the warmth and beauty of real wood flooring.   It's warm comfortable appearance appeals to all.  Wood flooring is easy to clean and fairly warm on the feet.   Wood is generally dent resistant.  Wood floors, along with ceramic are one of the floors that adds a lot to the resale value of a home.  Most wood floors come with a good manufacturers warranty and can be sanded and refinished in their later years if necessary.  

• Con's - There are two concerns with wood flooring .. it can scratch and standing water long term can cause the grain to raise and the boards to disfigure.  We like to say  "rocks in shoes, big dogs, kids fire trucks and floods" are a wood floors only shortcomings.

• Tip - Wood floors should not be cleaned with water.   Oil Soaps and waxes leave a sticky film on the floor that may look good for a week or so but build up over time and can track onto your other floors, like your carpet !    Follow the manufactures directions and visit our care page or call for more help caring for your wood floor.    

Laminate Flooring

• Pro's - Laminate floors offer the look of wood or tile without some of the "cons" listed above.    Good laminate floors resist scratching cutting, and denting, take a lifetime of wear and do not stain.   They are great for remodel applications because they are normally about 1/4' thick and can go over almost any existing floor (other than carpet) with little or no floor prep.    Also because it uses a free floating installation it doesn't separate as some plank wood flooring does.  The wood looks offer a great alternative for customers that are worried about the scratching, wear or denting of real wood.   Great for active families... again, as we like to say  "rocks in shoes, big dogs, and kids fire trucks".    In the tile looks it eliminates the concern of grout staining & cleaning and also warmer and softer on the feet and legs for those that are on their feet all day or may be more sensitive to hard ceramic or stone flooring.   Laminate floors are perfect candidates for many rooms in the house including kitchens, play rooms, hall ways and bedrooms.

• Con's -  Again as with most quality flooring there aren't many.   Although most people at a glance can not realize the difference between a wood look laminate and a real wood floor or a Tile laminate and a ceramic floor, some people feel laminates are a artificial version of some other surface and thus less desirable.   Also  long term standing water and excessive moisture can cause boards to disfigure.   Floods, broken pipes, major appliance leaks can cause a lot of damage to laminate flooring.  Keep in mind that the amounts of water we are talking about damage almost all types of flooring except tile & stone and also are usually insurance claims.   This being said laminate floors are usually not the first choice for full baths or utility rooms.

• Pros- Carpet is warm underfoot.    It can offer more versatility,
  comfort, ease of maintenance.  It is also more "budget-friendly" than most other choices and there are styles to coordinate with every décor.  Carpet also reduces noise levels better them most other floor types.
• Cons- Carpet is not as durable long term as most upper end other floor types.  Also can be harder to remove dirt and stains.

• Pros- Vinyl floors offer a nice alternative to tile and wood floors many today have advanced printing techniques that make them very realistic in appearance.  Vinyl is warmer Underfoot than tile and stone and also more economical.  Unlike vinyl tiles it has much less seams.  Vinyl sheeting is more water resident than laminates and woods.
• Cons-With the advanced technology of today, there are very few cons related to vinyl flooring. The number one con is that vinyl flooring may not look as professional and expensive as real tile, for example. Other than that, vinyl flooring is pretty ideal. It is inexpensive, and you have a large variety of choice when it comes to style, texture and color.   Other than sheet flooring wearing out over time which depends greatly on the quality you select the common down sides of sheet vinyl include tearing, cutting, and seams becoming visible as time goes bye.   Tearing is more frequent with the moving of appliances.  Most of the better sheet products have improved tear distance over the years and in fact warrant the product accordingly.   Sheet Vinyl is more prone to cuts from sharp fallen objects than most other floor types. 

• Pros- Vinyl tiles have some of the same "pros" as sheet goods plus some are even more realistic in appearance and luxury vinyl such as Adura by Mannington is even more durable than most sheet goods.   Most are very easy to clean and the better vinyl tiles are scratch and dent resident These are great alternatives to woods and stones.  Also installation costs are normal lower than other products.  We challenge you come look at some of the new wood looks in luxury vinyl they look so good you most likely can not see the difference.  So if you want a wood look but have an active lifestyle and don't want to worry about scratching this could be the product for you.
• Cons- The only cons to the upper end vinyl tiles is that these products like sheet good follow or conform the sub floor and that the seams can be noticeable and collect dirt in time which is especially more noticeable on the lighter colors.  Lower end vinyls can shrink showing more seams over time.