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Carpet Padding Explained

larrylarr — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:45:22 +0000

The importance of carpet pad

Do we need 6 pound or 8 pound? Can we reuse our pad? The funniest thing about this job is that our clients that think they need new pad usually dont and the ones that do need new pad usually think they can reuse their 12 year old padding. Below a great article for understanding what carpet padding does.

Source: Shaw Carpet

Much attention and energy is devoted to selecting carpet, but pad is a crucial part of your flooring and should not be forgotten.

Pad makes carpet feel better.

Every step you take creates hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch in your floor covering. Carpet padding, or cushion as it is sometimes called, helps alleviate that pressure. The decrease in pressure helps make your carpet feel richer, thicker, and softer.

It will make your room quieter and warmer.

Carpet cushion can significantly improve a carpet’s sound-absorption and improve its thermal insulation properties.

It will help you keep your carpet cleaner

Dirt can grind down carpet fiber the way sandpaper wears down wood, and thus shortens carpet life. A quality cushion makes cleaning more efficient because it raises carpet off the subfloor and provides an air space underneath, allowing the carpet to breathe. When you vacuum, that space allows more air to come up through the carpet, carrying more dirt along with it. The result is more effective cleaning every time.

And most importantly, it will make your carpet last longer.

A quality carpet cushion helps decrease pile crushing, the acute compression of fibers in a high-traffic area, particularly in hallways. The pad allows the carpet to maintain its pile height and stay looking new for much longer. Industry studies have shown that quality cushion can actually increase the useful life of carpet as much as 50%.

How to pick the right carpet fiber?

larrylarr — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:45:21 +0000

Carpet Fiber is the key ingredient

Selecting carpet fibers or not having a lot of information regarding a fiber is one of the most asked questions we get at Raleigh Carpet Masters. In the following article, we bring you all you ever wanted to know about selecting the best carpet fiber for your house.

Source: Shaw Carpet
The four basic fibers used in carpets today all have their individual strengths. Even more importantly, they all make excellent carpets. Your ultimate choice will be determined by the characteristics that are most important to you.

Although some carpets are made of blends, most are made entirely of one of the following four fibers:

Nylon

Nylon is more expensive than other synthetic carpet fibers and has been the most commonly used carpet fiber since the early 1960’s. In overall performance characteristics, nylon is the most versatile of all fibers, providing excellent flexibility in creating a variety of carpet styles. Nylon can be found in a wide range of both cut pile and loop pile styles. It is durable, resilient, and receptive to dyeing for color versatility and uniformity; many new nylon yarn systems are also exceptionally soft. Though not inherently stain resistant, most nylon carpets are treated with stain-resist carpet treatment for (more…)

Enviornmentally Protective Carpet

larrylarr — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:43:27 +0000

One of our great suppliers, Mohawk is stepping up their green carpet and flooring efforts in a big way. Enoy this article off the presses.

If you’re like many homeowners, you may never have thought about the “green” options available right below your feet.

Being a socially responsible homeowner can start from the ground up. Installing flooring alternatives such as carpet made from recycled plastic bottles, reclaimed hardwood or laminate made with pre-consumer waste can help save the environment one step at a time.

All across the country, buildings and structures are being dismantled. Generally, the waste is dumped into landfills. One flooring company is trying to reverse that trend by salvaging old materials for use in its reclaimed hardwood flooring and laminate boards.

“Landfills around the globe are being filled up at alarming rates,” said Jenny Cross, Mohawk Industries senior sustainability manager. “Our laminate boards are produced with 74 percent pre-consumer recycled content, allowing us to keep 680 million pounds of material out of landfills. We also use wood from ancient buildings, some as old as 600 years, for our reclaimed hardwood flooring. This elegant wood really adds unique character to any home.”

In addition, the company keeps waste out of landfills by recycling nearly 3 billion plastic bottles each year for its EverStrand carpets. The recycled bottles are sorted, ground into fine chips, cleaned, melted and extruded into fiber, then spun into beautiful, soft carpet yarn. Every part of the plastic bottles, including the cap and the label, is recycled for use in various products.

Mohawk is also leading innovation in renewably sourced flooring. “We’re taking carpet fiber literally from the field to the floor with our SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona renewably sourced polymer carpet,” said Cross. “This carpet allows homeowners to go green while still experiencing superior stain resistance and being able to choose from a vast selection of stylish colors and patterns.”

The flooring manufacturer is an environmental steward in many ways. For instance, it operates a million-square-foot plant boiler on renewable energy from bio-based fuel. In addition, its use of animal fat as a renewable energy source greatly reduces global warming emissions. The company also either uses or sells all sawdust and excess wood waste to be used as fuel. And several of its sites are investigating the use of synthetic fuels that would replace coal.

Eco Friendly Carpets

larrylarr — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:35:59 +0000

Eco Friendly Carpets
There is a tremendous effort being made these days to preserve what is left of our natural resources and to protect our environment from further unnecessary damage. Many people are turning to alternative products for many of their needs, everything from the food we eat to the fuel we put in our vehicles. Even the material we use to a put a roof over our head can be chosen to help in the eco effort. What isn’t so well known is that what is under feet can also be eco friendly, and it doesn’t have to be an all natural dirt floor either.

When considering eco friendly carpet, there are a few things you should know before you decide.

Mainly about the construction of the carpet, make sure that the carpet fibers, the adhesive, the backing, and the padding are all created from materials found in nature, and are a renewable resource. Pure wool is a good choice for the carpet fibers, as long as (more…)

New Carpet, One Tile at a Time

larrylarr — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:31:50 +0000

New Carpet, One Tile at a Time

Carpet tiles have come a long way since their introduction to the market. Some things haven’t changed however, and one of those is the convenience that they offer. Carpet tiles are the easiest type and style of carpet to install, plus tile offer the ability to create a unique covering for the floor of any room because you can mix and match patterns, textures, and colors. Even laying the same type of tiles in different directions creates an eye-catching effect.

A few of the negative aspects of carpet tile that discouraged their use over the years have changed a great deal though. For example, carpet tiles use to have a very short life span, needing to be replaced every five or six years. Now however, with advances in carpet manufacturing techniques, carpet tiles have been known to last as many as 14 years. (more…)

Carpet for Your Place of Business

larrylarr — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:22:22 +0000

Carpet for Your Place of Business

Choosing the best carpeting to use in your place of business isn’t just about décor and cost.

It will be necessary for you to choose a carpet that will stand up to high traffic and major use. You also need to consider proper installation procedures and requirements.

With so much significance being placed on cost effectiveness for the small business owner, getting the best performance from your carpet purchase is crucial. A few simple but essential guidelines to employ before and after choosing (more…)

Carpet Style Considerations

larrylarr — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:32:20 +0000

Carpet Style Considerations
In many situations, the style of carpet you choose is even more important than the fiber you decide on. How the carpet looks and feels matters more to most of us than what the carpet is made of.

At Raleigh Carpet Masters, in North Carolina, we want you to be comfortable with the appearance and texture of your new carpet, in addition to being satisfied with the quality of the fibers. Call us today for a complimentary consultation and measurement @ 888.919.6465.

The following list (more…)

10 Steps For Do-It-Yourself Carpet Installation

larrylarr — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:27:16 +0000

10 Steps For Do-It-Yourself Carpet Installation

In a previous article, we discussed the pros and cons of hiring a professional or an amateur to install new carpet in your home. While Raleigh Carpet Masters recommends having a professional do the job, there are circumstances where that option is not feasible.

In such situations, it would be helpful to have an easy guide to assist you during the carpet installation process.

Below you find the steps that you need to follow to assure that your carpet installation project has the best possible outcome.

Preparation

•    Vacuum the old carpet to reduce clean up after it’s removed.
•    After you’ve removed the old carpet, air out the room and sweep or vacuum the subfloor thoroughly.
•    Take everything out of the room, including plants, window coverings, wall decorations, etc. (more…)

Carpet Fiber Considerations

larrylarr — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:34:09 +0000

Carpet Fiber Considerations

Brought to you by Raleigh Carpet Masters, 800.919.5859 (complimentary measurements)

The first time you ever walk into a carpet store you might be amazed at the abundant assorted kinds of carpet you have to choose from. We’re not talking different brands, just carpet fibers. Each carpet manufacturer creates variations of fiber categories as well. We’ll go into the various carpet brands in another article, at another time. (It is a long list).

In Raleigh, NC, carpet suppliers are diligent about making sure that you are properly informed about each option available to you for your carpet fiber considerations.

Cellulose – Consists only of plant fibers. A very good choice if you are seeking an eco friendly carpet fiber. This option is resilient, allergenic, and stain resistant. However, cleaning can be stressful (more…)

Professional Installer Vs. Amateur Installer, Does It Matter?

larrylarr — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:17:55 +0000

Professional Installer Vs. Amateur Installer, Does It Matter?

That depends on how much your new carpet matters to you. It is possible, and perfectly acceptable for you to either install your new carpet yourself, or hire someone who knows how to do it, but doesn’t have a lot of experience. However, installing new carpet is not just a matter of unrolling the new carpet in the room, and stapling it to the floor. There are insider secrets that carpet installers are given when they earn their license. Ok, not really, but there are things they know about their (more…)