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!

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.

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.

With the holiday’s season upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to pass along tips for keeping your floor clean after all the spills and muddy boots. In this report, I am focusing on Carpet and Hardwood since these surfaces require extra maintenance when cleaning holiday spill and stains like gum or crayon. With tile and vinyl, the cleaning procedures generally remain the same.

To be prepared for all stains your carpet could endure this holiday season, you should have the following:

White cloths or white paper towels so you can see the stain transfer

A detergent solution mix of mild liquid detergent with water; no more than 1/4 teaspoon of detergent to 32 ounces of water is recommended. For the detergent, a clear, non-bleach liquid dishwashing detergent is the proper choice. Clear detergents rinse clean from the carpet fibers.

Non-oily nail polish remover

Chewing gum remover (freeze or solid type)

Spot Remover: Use spot removers designed specifically for grease, oil, or tar.

Now that we have our stain and soil fighting weapons in place, let’s look at how to apply them.

Soda, Beer, Wine, Egg Nog, etc…

You will want to absorb as much as possible with white towels. Then blot the stained area with white towels dampened with cool water until there is no more transfer of the stain onto the towels. If any of the stain remains, use the detergent solution. Apply lightly onto the spot and blot repeatedly with white towels. Rinse thoroughly by spraying with clean water, and then blot or extract. Do not use too much detergent because the residue will contribute to rapid re-soiling.

Gum, Candle Wax, etc…

Freeze things or stains, such as chewing gum and candle wax, with ice or a commercially available product in an aerosol can. Shatter with a blunt object and vacuum before the chips soften.

Then proceed with the following: Blot as much as possible with white paper towels. Apply the special oil and grease spot remover to a paper towel and repeat blotting. Do not pour or spray the spot remover directly on the carpet pile, as damage to the backing or adhesive underneath could result; use the towels to transport the solvent to the carpet. Repeat as often as necessary.
Also use the detergent solution. Then, rinse with clean water and then blot.

Crayons

Blot as much as possible with white paper towels. Apply the special oil and grease spot remover to a paper towel and repeat blotting. Do not pour or spray directly on the carpet pile, as damage to the backing or adhesive underneath could result; use the towels to transport the solvent to the carpet. Repeat as often as necessary. Then use the detergent solution. Finally, rinse thoroughly by spraying with clean water, and then blot or extract.

Hardwood

For cleaning, make sure you…
Use a damp cloth to blot spills and spots as soon as they happen. For tough spots, such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar, or cigarette marks, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth, then wipe with a damp cloth. Always avoid allowing liquids to stand on your floor.

Candle wax

When candle wax drips on your hard floor, it can seem impossible to get every last bit. However, it really isn’t that difficult. If the wax is still wet, use an ice cube to cool and harden it. Then use a plastic spatula, or dull knife to remove the wax. Finally, spread at least a dozen layers of paper towel over the affected area and run a warm iron over the towels. The wax will soften and seep into the towels. If the paper towels saturate through, be sure to change them to prevent damage to your iron.

Given the country’s economic downturn, I wanted to give you an insider’s tip to save money.

Since carpet comes in either 12 or 15 ft widths, invariably you will have waste from your installation. All of us have carpet rolled up in the attic or garage that was leftover from the last job. We all buy into the idea that we will need it in the future to repair our damaged Frieze or Berber. But the truth is that day rarely comes. In fact, my left over carpet is the floor for the dog house.

Having your carpet sales person figure your measurements properly will save you money! Your savings can be as high as 10-15%. Most measure services hired by an independent retailer over figure 10% for layout variations and seam placement. This is also one cause for the large difference between the estimate dollar total and the measured dollar total.

This is where you can save. Have the dealer show you at least three different layouts with the total amount of carpet used. You will see how the same size room can be covered by three different amounts of carpet. Work with the retailer to get the least amount of carpet needed. Now, to be clear, some waste will exist but there is no sense in lining the dog house with wool.

You want to watch out for seam placement. Make sure the seams are not placed in a high traffic area or a conspicuous part of the room. Also, if you are buying a pattern, you want to ensure pattern match, when they layout the floor. This may cause some additional waste depending on the pattern. However, you still should work to minimize the amount. After, who would not want to save 15%?

One last thing, do not forget the pad. If you need less carpet; you need less pad.

I will discuss how this impacts wood, tile and other surfaces in future issues.

Recently, my parents replaced their carpet with hardwood floors.  Standing there I realized that their carpet was 32 years old and it still looked in good shape.  This experience inspired me to provide insight in how you can make your carpet last.

First, proper carpet care begins before the installation.  Before you purchase have a clear understanding of the functional environment of the room and match this with fiber type, texture, and the cushion or pad.  For example, putting a white, polyester, textured carpet in your mud room would be disastrous. Also, remove the dirt and dust from the underlayment before the installation.  If you see a stain on the wood underlayment, clean it or replace that piece.   

Second, consider how the enjoining non carpeted rooms will be cleaned.  Cleaning chemicals for tile or wood floors can damage carpet.  You need to either find a carpet, such as continuous filament nylon, that can withstand certain cleaners or change your cleaning products to those less harmful to fibers or fabric. 

Third, control what enters your home by using mats at the entrances to your home. Walk off mats will help remove debris from shoes and keep it from being redeposited on your carpet.  Do not forget the garage.  The garage entrance is typically the most used.  You may want to consider a mat on each side of this door.

Finally, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.  Most people only vacuum when their carpet looks dirty.  Routine vacuuming will remove over half the soil that is deposited in your carpet.  Also, do not forget to vacuum your door mats.  If they become full of soil, they are pointless. 

These are some basic tips that will help you maintain your carpet and ultimately save you money since you will be replacing your carpet less often.  Unless you are like my mom, who after 32 years, said it was time for a change.  She deserves it.

Carpet options are so varied today that they can match any décor.  However, the process of picking the carpet that is right for you can be a little overwhelming. This guide will help simplify the process. 

There are two basic elements to be considered when choosing carpet; fashion and function. 

You should first define what the function of the room you are decorating.  To determine the functionality factor, you need to take in to account the following factors: 

1. Traffic level-High, Medium, Low
2. Purpose of the room-is it a gathering place or seldom used
3. Probability of stains
4. Impact of kids or pets
5. Appropriate durability level-ex.: kitchen floors need to stand up to water spills, stains and heavy cleaning.
6. Safety considerations-proper flooring for those with walkers or canes

Once you determined your functionally factor, now you can design your room with the appropriate carpet and make your room beautiful.

Regarding fashion, carpet offers the widest array of color and style and one main key is the effect of the ambient lighting in your home.  So, make sure you take the samples home and view the during different times of the day to ensure the perfect match.