Who We Are

• Where did the name Aegean Designing Whims come from?
• Are you licensed and insured, and what does that really mean?
• What type of work requires a Licensed Contractor?
• Are you more expensive than Lowe’s and Home Depot?
• Why do I need an Interior Designer? And, doesn’t it cost more?
• Are you considered a High End Kitchen & Bath Remodeling showroom, or do you have reasonably priced kitchens?

Kitchen & Bath Remodel

• How long does a Kitchen Remodel take?
• How long do Bath remodels usually take?
• Are you Licensed and Insured?

Hunter Douglas blinds, shades and shutters

• How long does it take to order custom window treatments?
• How do I know what type of window treatment to use?
• Because of moisture what would I use around a tub or kitchen window?
• What about soft treatments around my tub?
• What about cleaning my window treatments?

Floor Coverings

• What’s the difference between Solid Wood and Engineered Wood?
• How should I care for my Hardwood Floor?
• What if my laminate floor gets a major dent or scratch. Can it be refinished?
• What’s the best way to clean laminate floors?
• How do I know if I can use the same tile for my floor as my walls?
• What about using glass tiles? Can I use them on floors and walls?

Who We Are

Where did the name Aegean Designing Whims come from?
When we specialized in only floor coverings, our name was Aegean Floor Coverings. And when we started doing design work, we thought people might have a hard time remembering Aegean, so we added Designing Whims.

It’s a funny name, and I’m amazed how many people do remember us as Aegean. I think once you get Aegean, you don’t lose it.

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Are you licensed and insured, and what does that really mean?
All California contractors need to be licensed and insured. The license “qualifies” that person or company to do certain work in your home. Contractors are also required to be “Bonded” which is insurance benefiting consumers and employees of the Contractor. Liability Insurance is not required, but necessary for any “smart” contractor, who wants to protect themselves and their customers in the event of any major catastrophe (such as causing a fire) in their customer’s home.

It’s very important you hired only Licensed, Bonded AND Insured Contractors.

You can always contact cslb.ca.gov/ to verify a Contractor’s license is current and that they are in good standing.

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What type of work requires a Licensed Contractor?
Any job over $600, plus any job required installation. That means Carpeting and Floor Coverings, Window Coverings, Wall Coverings, and Remodeling.

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Are you more expensive than Lowe’s and Home Depot?
I love it when people ask me this question. Anyone can be less expensive than anyone. On a day to day basis, we are not any more expensive than anyone. (We just look it).

When you go to a “Big Box” store, there’s no way you can get the personal service you can when you shop at a smaller store. They often carry some of the same brands as we do, but they don’t always have all the amenities. And sometimes it’s confusing, because when you see a brand, you think everything is equal. Sometimes manufacturers make special products for Big Boxes but with less, or it’s made a little differently. Manufacturers have 2 customers in this case; one the Big Boxes, and one the Independent Dealers.

When you shop at a store like ours, what you know you’re going to get is personal service, someone who really cares about you purchasing what’s best for you and your application, and you aren’t dealing with different independent contractors who have no idea who you are.

Lowe’s and Home Depot are great places to purchase hardware, toilets, appliances, drywall and wood. But shop with a store like us for the finishing touches. You won’t be paying more, and you’ll get more value.

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Are you considered a High End Kitchen & Bath Showroom, or do you have reasonably priced cabinet options?
Sometimes customers have said “Your store looks expensive” or “I thought you were expensive until I looked at the prices. And you have all different price points”.

One of the things I love about what we offer is that you can get a great look at an affordable price. Sometimes you spend a little more on a one item that you’ll be using every day, but then can find accent pieces that cost a little less and do the trick.

The goal is to mix what you do, and no one will every know the difference.

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Kitchen & Bath Remodeling

How long does a Kitchen Remodel take?
It usually takes 6-8 weeks to get your cabinets in. We don’t start any work until everything, including plumbing fixtures are ready in our warehouse.

Once we start, you should figure on 30 days or less to complete the project. Cabinets go in first, then the counter tops can be measured and fabricated to your exact measurements. Once these are installed we finish the plumbing and flooring, and Voila you have a beautiful new kitchen.

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How long do Bath remodels usually take?
As with our kitchens, we don’t’ start any work until everything we need is here and in our warehouse. Depending how extensive your remodel is, we can be finished in one to two weeks. If you’re moving fixtures and walls, it could take 30 days.

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Are you Licensed and Insured?
Absolutely.

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Hunter Douglas blinds, shades and shutters

How long does it take to order custom window treatments?
Blinds & Shades take about 2 weeks from the time we measure. Custom Draperies and other soft treatments could take up to 6 weeks, depending on fabric availability, fabrication scheduling, and installation.

Our goal is to get your window treatments up as soon as possible. We all love seeing the finished project.

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How do I know what type of window treatment to use?
That’s where we come in. First, we suggest you look in magazines to see if something catches your eye.

But the best way of knowing what will work for your privacy, energy and design goals, is to have us actually see your windows. We can make suggestions for blinds, shades or shutters and if you want custom window treatments, we’ll draw or show you drawings of window treatments we think will look great in your home.

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Because of moisture what would I use around a tub or kitchen window?
Knowing there is an issue with moisture, we usually recommend faux wood blinds or vinyl shutters. They hold up and can be easily cleaned.

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What about soft treatments around my tub?
There’s not a lot of moisture, and I’d like to be able to open and close them without climbing into my tub.

Motorized blinds and shades work great in areas that are hard to reach. There are 2 ways to handle this. The easiest way is to use a remote control. The shades or blinds are installed with battery packs. The second way is to have an electrician hide wiring in the wall. Most people go with remotes.

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What about cleaning my window treatments?
All window treatments can be safely vacuumed, and they should be to eliminate surface dust.

When it comes to actual cleaning, it depends on the type of “fabric” you have.

In my opinion, all fabrics should be dry cleaned. If you can’t take them down, there are companies, for example On Site Drapery Cleaning, that come to your home and clean your draperies there. Other companies come take them down, clean them, and rehang them.

Some shades can be ultrasonicly cleaned, where the shade is taken down and put in a “tub” and cleaned. Some products because of the way they’re “glued” cannot be cleaned this way, and vacuuming is the best way.

Some sheer fabrics are washable, and if this is a concern to you to be able to take them down and wash them, then you need to find out up front if the fabric is washable! Otherwise dry cleaning is suggested.

As with any surface, regular vacuuming is the best way to maintain your window treatments.

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Floor Coverings

What’s the difference between Solid Wood and Engineered Wood?
A very common question we hear is “What if I need to refinish my floor? Won’t a solid wood allow me to do this?”

First, solid wood, is exactly that. A solid piece of wood that is milled to the size, and it’s the thickest wood. However, because it isn’t as “forgiving” as engineered wood, it either needs to be installed directly over a wood subfloor, because it needs to be nailed down, or if you have a concrete slab, you need to nail down a wood subfloor so you can nail down the solid wood! Not only is this a more expensive way to go, but it can raise your floor level to where you might have issues with your doorways and existing base. And yes, solid wood can be sanded several times, but only to the level where the nails are holding it down.

Engineered wood is actually a stronger type of wood when it comes to expanding and contracting, because the layers that make up the engineered wood, are going in several directions. Engineered wood can be sanded, and most likely gently sanded a second time, but most people never need to sand their floor ever.

And the new finishes applied to today’s floors make them very durable.

I should mention that when you buy very inexpensive flooring, you sometimes aren’t getting the same finish you would be if you buy better flooring. Just be careful if you’re “pricing shopping”.

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How should I care for my Hardwood Floor?
Vacuum, dry mop or sweep your floors regularly to remove any loose dirt that can be ground in. We recommend Bona Kemi hard surface floor cleaner since it dissipates quickly, and there is a complete floor cleaning kit available which makes the job easy. Never use wet rags or water on your hardwood flooring.

Laminate Flooring….has come a long way. It’s a great alternative to wood flooring, especially if you have children and pets. You get the wood look but with a lot less worry about denting and scratching.

Laminate flooring is easy to clean, and now comes in styles that resemble the popular hand scraped hardwood look so they look more like real wood.

Laminate flooring is not a lot less expensive than real wood as people thought it would be, and it’s still not highly recommended in bathrooms where water can get under it.

The largest draw-back to laminate is the hollow sound it makes when you walk on it. You can definitely tell it’s not real wood, and that’s mostly because it’s not glued down like wood is, but instead is a “floating floor”.

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What if my laminate floor gets a major dent or scratch. Can it be refinished?
No. Laminate floors don’t get refinished, because the wear layer is not thick enough. When laminate gets damaged, (which is rarely) then the actual board is cut out and replaced, as you could do with hardwood.

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What’s the best way to clean laminate floors?
Regardless of the manufacturer, we recommend using Bona brand products. They make a hard surface floor cleaner called Bona Kemi, that can be used on both hardwood and laminate. It sprays on, and quickly dissipates, but not until you can use cleaning pad.

Porcelain & CeramicTile….are sometimes lumped together to indicate a type of flooring. And for a long time, most people had ceramic because porcelain was just too expensive. Now though, you can find Porcelain in all price ranges, and it’s amazing how it can simulate real stone.

What’s the difference? Basically, Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature and this makes it a harder more durable tile.

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How do I know if I can use the same tile for my floor as my walls?
When you look at the back of a sample board, it will tell you the approved applications. Some time can only be used on walls, and yet all floor tiles can be used on floors or walls.

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What about using glass tiles? Can I use them on floors and walls?
Most glass tiles are meant to be used only on walls or backsplashes. And that’s because they are made of real glass. When you look at the back of a glass tile sample board, it will tell you where the manufacturer recommends using it.

DuraCeramic…is a product that should really be considered vinyl or resilient, because it’s in the same category. But because not many people install vinyl flooring today, I didn’t want it to be more confusing than it is.

DuraCeramic is a warmer, more comfortable way to have the look of ceramic tile. It’s quieter, and less likely to break dishes and glasses if you drop them. It can be installed without grout, although with grout, it’s really difficult to tell it’s not the real thing.

And what’s truly great about it, is that it can be installed over existing ceramic tile, hardwood, or vinyl which eliminates the need to remove your old flooring (in most cases). It runs about the same as installing ceramic tile, so it’s not a “less expensive” way to go, but it offers new opportunities for those who want the look of ceramic, but not having ceramic.

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