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5 minute read
Your Home
Your Home & Garden
How to Navigate Today’s Flooring Options
Beautiful, durable luxury vinyl planks or tiles that imitate hardwood or stone are wildly popular for good reason, but be sure to do your homework before buying any kind of flooring. An educated sales professional can make this much easier.
By Peggy Werner
Recent advances in flooring technology allow consumers to find just the right look they want at the quality and price point they need. Having so many options can be confusing, however, and all flooring is not equal, no matter how good it looks. An educated salesperson can make all the difference between a frustrating or successful shopping experience as you navigate the many industry and marketing terms in the world of flooring.
“The flooring industry has come a long way and there’s a lot to know,” says Brittany Brouer, marketing director at Van’s Home Center, 106 Peckhart Ct., Auburn, Ind. “At our store, each customer is greeted by an educated and helpful salesperson who is with you the whole time.”
For example, although a manufacturer might state a type of flooring is waterproof, that may not mean it’s able to withstand a flooded basement. A consumer needs to understand its specific properties before buying.
“If you go somewhere thinking you’re getting a good deal on flooring that’s 99 cents a square foot, it may not be engineered to do what you want it to do,” says Brouer. “It’s important to know if the warranty is for a lifetime or a few years and if there’s a pet protection warranty. The guarantees indicate the quality of the floor.”
Also, many warranties are not enforceable unless a product is professionally installed, something that should give pause to do-it-yourselfers who buy cheap flooring from chain stores.
A leading trend today is the wide array of low-maintenance luxury vinyl products made to look like hardwood planks (LVP) or natural stone tile (LVT).
Beveled edges, detailed grooves and excellent graining details make today’s hardwood look-alikes difficult to distinguish from more expensive engineered or solid hardwood.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) gives the appearance of stone or marble, but resists moisture, stains and scratches. It won’t crack or dent, either. Homes in all price points are making good use of these attractive new vinyl products.
A locally owned, family business, Van’s Home Center opened in 1973 and has expanded from a 1,500 square-foot store to a 75,000 square-foot “one stop” showroom for the home. Along with flooring, it sells appliances, furniture, mattresses, cabinetry, countertops and more, says Brouer.
“We’re large enough to compete with big-box stores and we price competitively.”
Visit the store at 106 Peckhart Court, Auburn, Ind., call (260) 927-8267 to learn more. ❚
Eastern Screech Owlet
Photography by David C. Olson
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How a DUI Conviction Can Impact Your Life
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Getting a DUI, known as operating while intoxicated (OWI) under Indiana law, can have many serious consequences. As such, it’s essential to do everything you can to fight the charges you’re facing, says Robert H. Bellinger, principal attorney at Bellinger Law Office, 116 E. Berry St., Fort Wayne.
“While you may know that you can face serious criminal penalties for a drunk driving conviction, you may not realize that a DUI conviction can also impact your life in numerous other ways,” says Bellinger. “First, a DUI can impact your life by requiring you to pay a monetary fine and, in many cases, to serve a jail sentence.”
A first offense can result in a misdemeanor conviction and up to 60 days in jail, or up to one year in jail if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15% or higher, he says. Fines can range from up to $500 for a first offense with a BAC of .14% or less, or up to $5,000 with a BAC of .15% or higher. Subsequent offenses can result in jail time and additional fines.
For a first offense, your driver’s license will usually be suspended for 180 days (or six months), and subsequent offenses will result in a driver’s license suspension of at least one year.
“When you’re convicted of drunk driving in Indiana, your auto insurance costs can go up, and you’ll need to pay more in order to drive lawfully with valid auto insurance,” Bellinger explains.
You can also be required to drive with an ignition interlock device, even after a first offense conviction. Ignition interlock devices can be required for up to 60 days in some DUI cases, but a DUI involving a BAC of .15% or higher can result in an ignition interlock device being required for up to one year.
“With an ignition interlock device, you will need to blow into the device in order to start your car,” explains Bellinger.
Finally, many jobs require a person to have a valid driver’s license and to have a record free from drunk driving convictions, especially jobs that require driving. Accordingly, if you are in a profession that requires you to drive for your job, you could end up losing your livelihood as a result of a DUI conviction.
If you’re facing DUI charges in Indiana, it’s critical to seek advice from an experienced Indiana defense attorney who can help you to fight the charges and to avoid a conviction, says Bellinger.
Although you might assume that you can simply pay the fine and accept the other criminal penalties of a DUI or DWI in Indiana, it’s important to remember that there are other consequences of a drunk driving conviction beyond criminal penalties alone that can continue to have an impact on your life long after you’ve served your sentence.
Learn more about The Bellinger Law Office by calling (260) 428-2214. ❚
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