The Floor Guide

I have been getting feedback from mothers looking for a carpet that could stand up to their kids. Well, there are certainly many claims in the marketplace concerning stain resistance. One carpet that I feel good about recommending is Smart Strand. The stain resistance is built into the fiber. So it provides an outstanding stain barrier. Also, the new updates are very soft. In fact, when I showed my wife, she decided to carpet our upstairs rooms with it. It feels great and has a strong color line. By now your local dealer should have samples for you to see. Enjoy!

One thing that annoys me about hardwood floors is when the trim and transition pieces do not match the floor. For example, my mother spent $4000 on a wood floor by Bruce Hardwood and the trim pieces are all different colors. Yes, that’s right not only do they not match the floor but they do not match each other. The reason is simple. The retailer buys the trim from Bruce, who pre-stains the wood to fit a wide color range so they do have to stock several different colors of trim. In the end, the floor looks wrong.

The solution is to demand that the retailer use unfinished trim and transition pieces. Then have the installer stain that on the job site so you can ensure they match. This practice is common place so do not be afraid to ask, like my mom. Remember trim pieces are installed to cover gaps between the baseboards and the floor. They should not detract from the beautiful of your floor.

Can you guess what project I am working on this weekend? It will be worth it. After all I have not had my mom’s lasagna in a while.

You have seen the commercials and you may think “What a deal” or “I can’t afford to miss this.” Well you would be wrong! What I am I talking about, the Lowe’s $199.00 whole house installation promotion. Intuitively, you would think that a company the size of Lowe’s could command such a discount. However, this is just sophisticated marketing designed to get you in the store.

The devil is in the details. A friend of mine redecorated his basement and bought from Lowe’s strictly for the $199 installation. He called local retailers and asked how much they charged for installation. (WRONG QUESTION) Afterwards, he knew that Lowe’s was the best deal he was going to get. Saturday, as I stood in his newly appointed basement, I asked him where he got his carpet. He informed me of the great deal at Lowe’s. After admonishing him for not discussing his purchase with me, I told him that his great deal probably cost him hundreds of dollars. He told me that he did due diligence and that I was wrong. So, I bet him a round of golf and yesterday we went shopping.

We went to 3 stores to get quotes and then back to his house to compare the bids. On average, he would have saved $400 by not buying from Lowe’s. The key is not to be blinded by the perceived great deal. You should compare the bottom lines. When, you read the fine print in the Lowe’s deal you will find a host of other charges not advertised that actually increase the price of what a retailer would normally charge. Remember, Lowe’s has shareholders that demand a return. Whenever, they have an offer, like this one, rest assured Lowe’s is making up the discount in another area of the transaction.

Now I have to run, we tee off at 10.

Here is a warning for all of you that are considering a carpet purchase. A significant price increase on carpet pad is imminent. With the reductions in manufacturing in the auto and furniture industries, the scrap pad market is vanishing. Therefore, carpet pad manufacturers are forced to use virgin pad, which drives their costs up. I have been told that the increase will be between 15 and 20 percent.

I recommend to you to buy now for a price reduction will not come anytime soon. Save 15% and buy now. Your local flooring retailer will be forced to pass this along to you.

Top Five Reasons for Choosing Quality Carpet Fiber
5. Cleans easy when your inspiring artist creates a “Jackson Pollack” on your carpet
4. Soft on your skin when getting romantic in front of the fire place
3. Stands up to those “accidents” by your pet or your incontinent grandparent
2. Allow you to be eco-friendly
1. Will not crush under your pacing as you watch your favorite contestant on Rock of Love

Choosing the right carpet fiber is a decision that will effect your long term satisfaction and the price you pay for your carpet. In the U.S. Carpet industry six fibers make up the majority of the construction material. They are polyester PET or PPT, nylon, olefin or polypropylene, wool, cotton, and acrylic. So here is an easy guide to help you make the best choice.

Nylon fiber makes up about 65% of the carpet in today’s flooring market. The reason for its popularity is that nylon is a durable fiber with good stain and crush resistance and it is easy to maintain. These characteristics make it a great choice for high traffic areas.

There are two main types of nylon fibers: type 6.6 and type 6. Type 6.6 remains the superior of the two, which is reflective in the quality of the carpet and, of course, the price. The dominant fiber makers are Invista and Solutia. There brands are Stainmaster and Wear Dated, respectively. Traditionally, branded fibers are more expensive than unbranded ones.

Polyester fibers are not has durable has nylon but does resist wear and offers a wide array of colors and textures. PET (Polyethylene Teraphthalate) Polyester fibers are stronger than traditional polyesters. Polyester carpet do shed since they are stapled fibers. It is non-allergenic, sheds moisture and resists mildew at a lower cost than wool or nylon

Olefin, or Polypropylene, is an inexpensive fiber option that is gaining popularity. Once thought of as only an outdoor or basement carpet, olefin now accounts for 30% of the market. It provides superior resistance to stains, mildew, fading, and moisture. You can use a bleach solution to care of this fiber. Olefins can fall victim to crushing and can be rough to the touch.

Wool remains the premier fiber in carpet construction, offerings a deep, rich look and a luxurious feel. It has excellent resilience and durability with a vast color line. However, special care should be used when cleaning. The biggest obstacle is the price. Wool is very expensive.

Cotton and acrylic fibers primary used in area and bath rugs and are difficult to maintain.

To continue the current series, I would like to discuss one of the hottest flooring trends; exotic hardwood. Designers and consumer agree that exotic hardwoods offer a unique and beautiful finish without sacrificing functionality. These woods, like Brazilian Cherry or Patagonian Rosewood, are imported from South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

The drive behind the popularity of this category is clearly the desire of the consumer to posses a floor that makes a statement. Exotic hardwoods provide the consumer more diversity of color and grain. By comparison, traditional hardwood floors have become somewhat passé. After all, how many more homes can be built with gunstock oak? Boring!

If you want your floor to make a statement, exotic hardwood flooring is a beautiful option.

In the last article, I spoke of how area rugs can be art for your floor. Well, I have heard from several retailers, who feel that I have slighted carpet. I wasn’t sure one could slight an inanimate object, but apparently you can. So, to correct my faux pas and restore peace and harmony, lets’ talk about carpet and it’s inherit design possibilities.

On the market today, there are hundreds of styles and thousands of colors of carpet. Innovations in manufacturing, allow the mills to offer the consumer a cornucopia of unique patterns, textures, and colors. Carpet textures offer interest to the floor with sculptured effects, shadowing, and height variation in the pile. Designers are now selecting carpet to create the focus in an overall room design scheme, rather than treating it simply as a neutral backdrop to other furnishings. Even a choice of a subtle design will create interest underfoot and a look that is sophisticated, neutral and pleasing to the eye.

Carpet, once the last thing considered, is now a key element in designing a room. With new patterns and textures, designers are building rooms from the floor up. From subtle to avant-garde, the new patterns are not the floral print your grandmother had in her house. Actually, they still make that as well minus the smell of split pea soup and cabbage.

Area Rugs – Art for your floor

The trend toward hardwood floors is holding strong in these early months of 2009. So, I thought it appropriate to discuss area rugs. With the vast array of area rugs in the market, you will be able to find one to suit your taste. Designers I have talked to recommend that homeowners should think of area rugs as art for their floor. They recommend that you be bold and choose area rugs with passionate colors that make a statement.

I recommend wool area rugs. They are both beautiful and durable. You can expand your choices by looking at wool carpets and having one bound to make an area rug. My insiders tip is to look at a company called Tai Ping. They are fantastic. You can find their wool carpets in places like Buckingham Palace, Ritz Carlton’s, and the Casino de Monte-Carlo and in fine homes around the world. Now, you might think that it is out of your price range. Well compared to Persian Rugs and the expected life of the rug, the price of Tai Ping is a bargain. Karastan is another brand that has a great line of area rugs or carpets that can be made into an area rug.

Be bold, make your floor a work of art.

Laminate flooring is becoming a popular alterative for those who want flooring with a natural look but not the maintenance. The gouge resistant qualities of laminate remove the fear of scratches to those who want wood.

Laminate flooring is made of different layers of materials. The top layer, or wear layer, includes aluminum oxide, which makes the floor less likely to stain or fade. The middle layer, or core is fiberboard that provides stability. Most laminate cores consist of melamine in this layer to resist moisture and when combined with the resin from the third layer prevents warping.

The layers are fused together with either direct pressure or high pressure. Direct pressure laminate has the real look of wood and stone. This is the most common for residential application. High pressure laminate is mainly used for commercial applications.

As manufacturers continue to improve laminate flooring, the trend will continue to positively grow. After all, who has time for major maintenance on the floor?

In past articles, we have discussed various ways of saving money when buying flooring. Given the economy, this topic is even more prevalent. So, today I would like to give you advice on how you can save money by just choosing the right place to shop. Yes, that’s right, choosing the correct flooring retailer can directly impact your price.

In today’s marketplace there are dealers who will tell you that they belong to a national buying group and that gives them buying power, which creates savings for you the customer. Sounds logical, right? After all if the retailer has the volume to drive purchase costs down, then your list price should be lower, ultimately saving you, the customer money.

WRONG!

Here is the insider scoop on how these “buying groups” work. The group negotiates a price with the manufacturer. Next he adds to the price what is called a “load.” This load ranges any where from 1 to 4 dollars a yard dependent on the type of flooring and is not disclosed to the retailer. Then, the loaded price is given to the retailer and he marks it up to create the list price. Finally, in walks the unsuspecting consumer.

For example:

Buying Group Negotiated Price: $3.00
Buying Group Load: $2.00
Price given to the dealer: $5.00

This simple example illustrates the problem. As you can see, the retailer is paying five dollars for something that really costs three. In turn, the increased cost is passed right along to the customer. I know a retail chain that was brought into a buying group and their costs went up as high as 60% in some caterigories to account for the load.

There are other factors that drive the costs up with these “buying group” retailers. Through contractual obligation, the retailer agrees to take on the display systems, new products, etc. from the group. Generally, the cost for these goods is deducted directly from the rebate the dealer gets from the manufacturers, which is distributed by the group. In any given year, rebates can represent as high as 10% of revenue for a retailer. What do you think happens when the group mandates a purchase of new displays and the retailer loses his rebate? Correct, the prices go up to recover this lost revenue.

Now you are armed with insider information that will save you money before you even begin to shop. Good Luck.