There are countless options out there for kitchen flooring, from farmhouse wood floors to sleek, modern tile or stone. While all of these materials have their benefits and work beautifully with many different kitchen styles, concrete flooring is gaining ground in becoming a popular kitchen flooring option.

Now, before you start picturing grey, cold concrete floors that come straight out of a warehouse, it's important to understand that concrete flooring is much more versatile than you might think! When used in a kitchen, concrete floors can be installed in a wide range of stunning colors, sheens, textures, and patterns?creating a beautiful and functional foundation for the heart of your family's home.

While the beauty of concrete floors in the kitchen make them one of the most modern and innovative ways to ramp-up the style in the space, that's not the only advantage that they offer. There are several other benefits to choosing concrete flooring when you're ready to take the leap in a kitchen remodel.

Sustainability for a Greener Home

Green living and sustainability have become top concerns for modern-day homeowners, so why not turn your kitchen into an eco-friendly mecca with beautiful concrete floors? As a highly sustainable flooring material when you use an existing concrete pad, concrete floor installation can avoid using new materials to cut down on waste and debris being sent to the landfill.

To ensure that your concrete floors are as sustainable as possible, consider the following questions:

• what's in the Concrete Mix? Durability and performance are both important factors when choosing a concrete mix, but you also need to consider the use of substances, such as coal fly ash, and weigh the pros and cons of its sustainability before committing.
• How Eco-Friendly is the Colorant and Sealant? When choosing the colorant and sealant for your new concrete floors, look for a product that is labeled as low-VOC. This will help you avoid carcinogenic solvents found in high-VOC products that are much less eco-friendly.
• What Cleaning Practices are the Best? Installation isn't the only time you need to think about sustainability with your floors! You also want to keep indoor air quality at optimal levels by choosing natural, safe cleaning products that have EPA labeling.

Low-Maintenance Care and Upkeep

With its heavy daily use, the kitchen can become a messy, cluttered space?fast. So, choosing a new floor that doesn't require constant scrubbing, scouring, and deep-cleaning of the grout is a smart move to cut back on your daily chore list. The smooth, wall-to-wall coverage of concrete floors creates a seamless surface that requires minimal maintenance and upkeep to stay looking its best. In fact, a once-a-week mopping with some soapy water is all you'll need to keep your floors shining!

Affordable, Cost-Effective Pricing

Any size kitchen remodel is a big expense, and replacing the flooring can be a major portion of your budget. Fortunately, concrete flooring isn't just durable and stylish, it is one of the most affordable solutions out there for getting a high-end look in the kitchen! If all you need to do is give an existing concrete slab a polish and shine, you'll be looking at just $2 to $6 per square foot. For more elaborate and decorative finishes, such as grid patterns, different colors, or texture, you can expect the cost to range from $5 to $8 per square foot.

You want your kitchen to look great and hold up to the demands of daily life, and that'starts from the ground-up when planning a kitchen remodel. With the benefits of concrete flooring, you are sure to get a gorgeous kitchen update that'stands the test of time?without dealing with stress, hassle, and an empty bank account along the way.

it's amazing what you can learn from analyzing your competitors. Everything online can (and should) be tracked. As a result, there's a mind-blowing amount of information available and, from an online marketing perspective, virtually anything could want to know about your competitors is out there.

Have you ever wondered:

• What website actions your competitors track and find important
• Whether your competitors are investing in SEO and PPC (and if so, what They are spending)
• Which keywords They are targeting and how much They are paying per click or visit
• What percentage of their web visits are converting into leads
• How many inbound links they have and where They are getting them?

All of this information is available - you just have to know where to look. Unfortunately, not many contractors have the time required to find and analyze all this information (a few of you might be saying, "I wouldn't even know what information I'm looking for"). That's okay. Fortunately for you, I do have the time and I know exactly what information is important and what can be ignored. Analyzing contractor websit's and turning what I find into actionable insights that can benefit my clients IS my job.

Having said all this, sometime in early 2011, I realized that even I Don't have the bandwidth required to take full advantage of all the information available on the web.

The solution?

In late 2011 through the spring of 2012, I set out to develop something that could do some of the data collection and organization for me. The result - finished in the fall of 2012 - is a piece of software that crawls the web, analyzes websit's (from a marketing perspective) and puts the data into a user-friendly format for easy analysis.

What do you think I did the minute the software was tested and ready to go?

You guessed it. I told it to go and crawl over 5,000 contractor websit's. The sit's I had it analyze ranged from flooring and HVAC to plumbing, remodeling, and roofing - and everything in between. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I believe that it's the largest database of web marketing data about contractors EVER assembled.

For the last 3-4 months, I've been sifting through the data and trying to figure out the best way to maximize its value. In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you a couple initial insights that I found incredibly interesting (and I hope you will too).

Question: How many web pages do the top (organic) ranking websit's have?

Answer: 205

If you've read any of my other blog posts on ContractorTalk.com, you know that Google does not rank websit's per se. Google ranks web pages. So each page of your website (if optimized correctly) represents a unique opportunity to rank for a specific set of related keywords.

All other things being equal, more website pages equals more organic rankings, organic traffic, leads from organic search, and sales - period. The top ranking contractor websit's have, on average, 205 pages on their site. If your site has significantly less than this, you've got a major opportunity to get more business from the web. But, Don't just go out and create random website pages. The top ranking contractor websit's have a great deal of similarity with respect to the TYPES of pages they have on their websit's (more on this another time).

Question: How much content do the top ranking contractor websit's have?

Answer: 1,000 words per page

Google and the other search engines rank websit's based on two things: relevance and authority. How do the search engines determine which website is the most relevant for a particular keyword search? In part, they determine relevance by the content on the site / web page. Within reason, the more content you provide the search engine, the easier it will be for it to determine the relevance of your page.

The top ranking contractor websit's have, on average, just over 1,000 words per page. I know you're probably shaking your head and saying, "1,000 words on a page would look stupid and ridiculous. My site might rank, but it would never convert visitors into leads - after all, who would want to read all that text!?" Valid point. The problem is that 1,000 words doesn't have to look like you think it might. Go visit'sealy's website (see the screenshot above). How many words do you think are on the home page? Answer: 931.

Question: How many inbound links do the top ranking contractor websit's have?

Answer: 1,910

If on-page content is a big part of how the search engines determine relevance (there are other factors, but that's another discussion), links from other websit's are what is used to determine your website's authority. An inbound link can be anything from a link to your website from the local chamber of commerce to a link from the author byline in a guest blog post you put on a buddy's website.

More links from relevant and high-authority websit's equals a higher overall authority for your website and higher rankings on Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The top ranking contractor websit's have, on average, 1,910 inbound links. Again, it's not the number that is as important as WHERE they get these links from, but if you have significantly less than 1,900 inbound links, you're falling behind the top performing sit's. See the large, bright circles in the screenshot? Those are the authorities. Everything else is noise.

Conclusion

there's an enormous amount of data available online - better data equals better results. Before you put together your online marketing strategy for 2013 (you do have a strategy, right??), make sure you spend some time looking at what other contractors in your market are doing. Which keywords are they targeting? How do they value clicks/visits from those keywords? If they are under-valuing them, use that data to beat them. If they are over-paying, find another niche to exploit. Right now, real estate online is CHEAP, but no one has an unlimited amount of time or money. Your success comes down to prioritization and data can help you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Plants are a gorgeous addition to your home, but you don't have to limit yourself to only keeping houseplants in the main area of your living space. While it might not be the first room that you think of for decorating with houseplants, they are a great way to turn your home's bathroom into a spa-like, natural setting.
However, the bathroom has unique characteristics that you have to take into account before settling on a type of plant right for your space. Specifically, you will need to consider:

• Natural Lighting: All plants need light to survive, although some need less than others. If you have large windows in the bathroom, that is ideal for many types of plants, while spaces that lack ample natural light would require low-light plants or a change in the light bulbs used in the room.
• Temperature: In general, most homes maintain a fairly consistent temperature, but the bathroom quickly becomes hot and humid when someone is using the shower or tub. Fortunately, this can create an ideal environment for plants that thrive in tropical environments!
• Interior Space: Many homes have bathrooms that are on the smaller side, so space is a big consideration when adding plants to this room of the house. Creativity can go a long way in housing plants in the bathroom, so consider adding shelving, window-ledge planters, or suspended plants to maximize space.

Top Picks for Bathroom-Friendly Plants

Once you?ve determined where you want to put your plants and the type of environment that you will have for them with the layout, lighting, and temperature of your bathroom, now it is time to pick the plant that you want! There are several different plant species that are both extremely hardy and low-light/high-humidity viable, and some of our top picks include:

Philodendrons

Philodendrons are tropical, indoor plants that require minimal care to look great inside the bathroom of your home. This plant species prefers medium light intensity, and leaves may yellow if there is too much sun?making it a great choice for bathrooms without a lot of natural light. You can also find these plants in climbing varieties, which is perfect for creating a jungle-like feel in your home bathroom.

Zanzibar Gems

Zanzibar gem plants, also called ZZ plants or ?eternity plants?, are extremely low-maintenance and will keep on surviving even if you forget about them for a while. In fact, they only require minimal watering in the summer and virtually no care in the winter! ZZ plants have the ability to grow in a wide humidity range and prefer low-light conditions, and their oval-shaped, glossy foliage can ramp-up the feeling of natural beauty and freshness in the bathroom.

Cast Iron Plants

If you?ve always struggled with keeping plants looking healthy in the home, this is the plant for you! Cast iron plants are practically indestructible, and they have the ability to survive (and even thrive!) in low light, extreme heat, and with infrequent watering. For best results with this plant, keep it between 50-85 degrees and allow it to dry out before re-watering.

Varieties of Fern

When you think about walking through a lush, humid forest, ferns are one of the first plants that probably come to mind?for good reason! There are several varieties of ferns that work beautifully in the bathroom environment and add to a rich, natural decor. Try Bird?s Nest, Staghorn, Asparagus, and Boston ferns to make your bathroom a stunning retreat.

There are countless ways to make your bathroomstand-out, and creating a warm, relaxing, and beautiful space can turn this frequently used room into one of your favorite places in the house! Plants are a fantastic way to add style and unique accents to nearly any type of decor, and with a bit of research into the plants that would work best in your space, you can enjoy years of spa-like bathing?without ever leaving your home!

There are countless factors that go into creating a stylish kitchen that blends seamless with your taste and decor, and a kitchen remodel is the perfect time to upgrade the visual appeal of this essential room of the house. Flooring, cabinets, wall color, and more all add to the ambiance of a stunning kitchen, but there is one aspect that can make or break the look of your space ? your appliances!

Gone are the days when every kitchen had the same basic, neutral appliances. Instead, modern homeowners are upgrading to innovative finishes and pops of color that are both chic and functional. Figuring out the right finish for your appliances can be overwhelming, and but we will help you break it down into the most popular choices on today's market to determine what will (or won't!) work for your space.

Classic White Appliances

Traditional white appliances may seem outdated or low-end to some homeowners, but that couldn?t be further from the truth! While this finish has fallen out of favor in more modern design aesthetics, it can still be a powerful tool for creating a streamlined, beautiful look in your home?as long as you consider the big picture!

All-white appliances are the perfect complement for:

• Pale-Tone Kitchens: Neutrals are still in style for kitchens, whether you have a sleek, modern home or prefer a traditional look. If your counters and cabinets are off-white or a pale tone, white appliances can highlight the subtle color variations to show-off your space.
• Rooms with Dark Ceilings: Cottages, log homes, and farmhouses often feature beautiful, natural-wood beams in the ceiling. While the dark tones of wood can make the kitchen seem smaller, white appliances can brighten-up and open-up the feel of the entire room.
• Metal Statement Pieces: Copper range hoods, bright metal hardware, and other metal statement pieces are on-trend for new kitchen remodels, and white appliances are the perfect complement to blend with light-colored cabinets without clashing with the impact of metal accents.

Black Appliances for Streamlined Appeal

As white appliances fell out of popular favor, black finishes began to take their place. However, the striking accent of a black appliance can either tie together the look of the space or bring down the aesthetic of the room. Carefully considering the statement that you want to make in your kitchen is the key to deciding if black appliances are right for you, and they blend best with:

• White Cabinetry: There are few color combinations more striking than black and white, so if you have stark-white cabinets and want an artistic look, black appliances are the way to go.
• Dark Cabinets: Dark espresso and black cabinets are a modern trend that offers a luxurious, high-end appearance, and larger kitchens can benefit from the seamless blending of adding a black appliance to the space.
• Gray and Stone Features: Stone counters and warm gray cabinets are the ideal complement for black appliances?without making the room seem too dark or high contrast.

Modern Luxury of Stainless Appliances

Stainless steel is one of the most popular kitchen appliance finishes, and if you?ve undertaken a remodel or bought a home in recent years, that is likely what you'll find in the kitchen. With its ability to blend with virtually any color or design aesthetic and its high-end appearance, choosing a stainless steel appliance is ideal when you want ultra-modern, sleek styling, a neutral focal point, and a luxurious feel in the heart of your family's home.

However, keep in mind that this finish often comes with a higher price tag, and it can be a challenge to keep the appliances clean and free of fingerprints and smudges!

Bold Finishes for a Dramatic Kitchen

White, black, stainless, and even wood-paneled appliances are all great choices when planning out your kitchen remodel, but one of the most exciting trends making its way onto the market is the use of color! From retro-inspired kitchens to spaces on the cutting-edge of modern design schemes, homeowners are starting to choose bold color options to make their kitchens stand out. Topping the list of most popular finish colors include vibrant blue, deep red, and black stainless steel?a charcoal gray version of traditional stainless that offer a beautiful appearance and a smudge-free exterior.

The right appliance finish for your home's kitchen is more of a personal preference than a set-in-stone decision, and what you choose should be based on the big picture of what design aesthetic you're going for in the space. Overall, consider the size of the room, its existing features, and long-term value when making a choice in which appliance finish is perfect to bring your kitchen space to life.

From making delicious meals to gathering with friends and family, you spend a lot of time in your home's kitchen?and clutter is the last thing you need when you want a functional and beautiful space! Adequate storage is a necessity in any kitchen, whether you have a tight, gallery-style kitchen or an expansive, custom layout. For many homeowners, figuring out how to get more functional storage space out of their kitchen cabinets is a primary goal, and being creative with your storage options can help you avoid needing an expensive remodel just to find room for all of your kitchen gadgets.

So, how can you utilize the space you have in your kitchen cabinets and make your kitchen a more comfortable place to be?

With these simple cabinet hacks, you can find space for every pot, pan, and utensil, and save some money in the process. In fact, some of these hacks even work in rentals, which lets you get the most out of your space without causing issues with your landlord!

• Add a Pull-Out Bin: Are you struggling to find a place for your garbage can or recycling bin? These items can be unsightly and bulky, so why not hide them in a cabinet! Turning one of your existing cabinets into a pull-out style cabinet can be done fairly easily with a DIY kit, and it will free up some much-needed room in the rest of your space.
• Avoid the Mess With Pan Organizers: Stacks of pans in your kitchen add to a cluttered feeling and makes it difficult to easily access the supplies you need when cooking. Storing your pans vertically is a great way to overcome this common problem, and there are a few different ways that you can do this. For more ambitious homeowners, you can convert an existing cabinet to contain pull-out storage racks, but you can also use tension rods or pre-made organizers for a quick fix that doesn't break your budget.
• Create Easy-Access Drawers: The drawers in many kitchens can be a giant mess of utensils and miscellaneous gadgets that can?t be easily organized in a standard cabinet space. Solve this problem and make your cabinets more functional by adding a pull-out drawer or a simple, inexpensive drawer divider that organizes all of your tools and makes them much easier to find when you need them!
• Make a Custom Spice Rack: In nearly every home, you'll find a messy spice cabinet that is filled with tipped-over containers and poorly organized ingredients. Having all of your spices in one spot is important, but you also don't need to take up an entire cabinet to do so! Adding a shallow, framed cabinet to an empty wall space is always an option, or you can make your own spice rack on the cheap with repurposed materials, utilitarian organizers, or pallets.
• Utilize Racks and Movable Shelving: This tip is especially useful for renters who can?t make any structural changes to their existing cabinets. Basic, removable shelves, racks, and cabinet door organizers can easily be found for an inexpensive cost at most stores, and they give you much more surface space to work with when attempting to get your cluttered cabinets under control.

Just because you have a small kitchen or limited wall space doesn't mean that you need to deal with cluttered countertops and overflowing drawers! With a bit of ingenuity and some DIY touches, you can increase the value, appeal, and functionality of your home's kitchen in no time?at a price that is significantly less than a complete kitchen overhaul.