Stainmaster Carpet, in fact carpet in general, seems to be one of the most misunderstood major purchases a consumer makes. Consider how hard people shop for cars, televisions,  appliances etc..

Carpet many times is purchased by how thick or soft it is with no real consideration for what makes a carpet durable. To understand carpet you must realize that there are two separate companies who have a stake in the production of the carpet. The manufacturer of the yarn and the company that makes the yarn into the carpet. The yarn manufacturer can be either make yarn from Nylon, polyester,wool or polypropylene. The best product for carpet has always been nylon, Specifically Stainmaster Nylon, but due to recent economic times so many manufactures are reduced to making polyester product due to the low cost per ounce and the relative softness of the yarn for the cost. Triextra the new Dupont polymer recently received permission to classify this polyester as a subclass of the Polyester family. The carpets resilience is routed in the yarn that it is made out of. Nylon has a long history for the durability and historic performance to outlast all other man made fibers on the market.

Stainmaster the best known brand of Nylon fiber has a wear story unlike that of any other product in the market. All major mills manufacture carpets made from the most durable fiber available. Mohawk, Shaw, Beaulieu, Milliken, Royalty, Gulistan and on and on. Many of the same mills run the polyester products with almost duplicate colors and finishes. Buyer beware, Carpet outlets can choose to show you either but only one will hold up like most families would expect. Home centers are always quoting low prices but when one looks closer you start to realize that these prices are on very inexpensive Polyester products that have a lifespans of half what a similarly constructed Stainmaster Nylon carpet would provide.

The twist and construction of the carpet can be equally as important to the long term durability of the carpet you choose. Did you know that two carpets of equal weight constructed differently can have effective lifespans that vary as much as 50%. Loose construction or products with little twist will not hold their shape, these products will then tend to pack down and crush. once this begins to happen it is only a short time later that this carpet becomes unrecognizable as the product that was purchased and you are forced to purchase again.

Many people who have bought homes in the last few years have realized this to all be true. To lower costs most builders chose to move to very inexpensive products that to the naked eye look just like what they had always used on the floors, but were made out of inexpensive polyester fibers and months later, that right months not years, they were looking at a product that appeared to look 5 or even 10 years older that it actually was. Customers quickly claimed these problems with the home builders and were turned away due to the warranty’s being written the way the were. Polyester looks great on the sample but it does not hold up like Nylon. Do not be fooled! Sadly many of these customers could have found Nylon alternatives to the products they chose for comparable prices had they looked in the right places. Stainmaster Flooring Centers have a wide variety of the full gambit of products available and at every price point.

Take some time to speak to an expert and let us show you, not tell you, why Stainmaster has become the gold standard for carpeting. Go to the Stainmaster web site for proof of the durability advantage Stainmaster and nylon has over all other flooring fibers. ]]> http://www.carpetmilloutletstores.com/blog/2010/07/stainmaster-carpet-and-the-many-imposters-2/feed/ 0 http://www.carpetmilloutletstores.com/blog/2010/07/new-looks-in-flooring/ http://www.carpetmilloutletstores.com/blog/2010/07/new-looks-in-flooring/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:49:11 +0000 Carpet Mill Outlet http://www.carpetmilloutletstores.com/blog/?p=73 New Looks in Flooring

Learn the basics of each flooring material so you can determine which one is right for your area, traffic, and maintenance routine.

Wool Carpet

Naturally High Quality and Eco-friendly

Wool resists static and mildew. Wool is naturally flame retardant, is difficult to ignite and has a low flame-spread. Wool has natural fibre elasticity that can stretch up to 40% and bounce back again and again, making it extremely crush resistant in a high traffic area. With more people thinking about allergies, green design and sustainability, wool carpeting might become the floorcovering of choice for many. Wool carpet is perfect for people who are allergic to dust mites because dust mites seem to be allergic to wool and cannot survive in that environment!

Bamboo

bamboo flooring is becoming more and more popular on the West Coast, for its Asian-inspired looks, its ecological appeal and its natural beauty and durability. Bamboo is an extremely strong and fast growing type of cane which renews itself every 5 year

Cork

Cork is an especially popular option for flooring in high-traffic areas because it’s water- and mold-resistant. Cork is roughly the same price as wood, but it’s a sustainable material. Cork trees regenerate every nine years, while trees such as oak or maple can take 30 years or more.

Laminate Planks

Over the last 20 years, home centers have blossomed with do-it-yourself laminate flooring. Although laminate flooring looks like wood, it’s made of plastic and high-density fiberboard pressure-laminated into a 5/16- to 1/2-inch-thick product. On top, a high-quality photograph reproducing the grain and color of natural hardwood is clear-coated to resist fading, stains, impact, and scratches.

Laminate Tiles

Laminate in a square tile format imitates granite, slate, marble, or other natural stone. Durable and easy to clean (no grout!).

Stone Mosaic Tiles

Stone offers a lifetime of durability and luxury; rugs offer elegant patterns that define an area within a room. Get the best of both worlds by installing a “rug” created from quiet tones of stone mosaic tile.

Ceramic Floor Tiles

Perfect for rooms with water, slate-look ceramic tiles create a floor that’s waterproof, stain-resistant, and easy to maintain. The downside is a cold, hard surface that won’t cushion your legs when you stand on it and that can be slippery when wet. Add a soft, fluffy rug to cushion your feet and amp up the safety factor.

Solid Wood

Old-growth Eastern white pine is just the flooring to evoke the character of an 18th- or 19th-century New England farmhouse. Many lumber yards harvest this lumber from historic private stands and mill it into planks.

Manufactured Wood

Sold in this country since the early 1980s, manufactured wood is constantly evolving. The basic construction involves a sandwich of thin layers bonded together in alternating directions to provide stability.

Glass Mosaic Tiles

Iridescent glass mosaic tiles shimmer like mother-of-pearl, offering a moisture-proof, high-end look that particularly suits bathroom installations. Many glass tiles are now created from recycled glass for an ecologically sound installation.

Vinyl

Real vinyl once brought mood-lifting color to Depression-era kitchens, and this healthful material is widely available once again. Linoleum is made from biodegradable linseed oil, pine rosins, and wood flour on a jute backing. Warm, soft, and quiet to walk on, the material’s antibacterial and antistatic (read: antidust) properties make it ideal for hospitals.

Vinyl Tiles and Planks

Combine the benefits of vinyl with the design flexibility of individual pieces and you get vinyl tiles and, more recently, faux wood plank shapes.

Sheet Viny

Vinyl flooring has come a long way from the fake brick of the 1970s. Embossed textures and fashion-forward patterns have elevated what was once a kitchen standby to a floor covering suitable for any room in the house.

New carpet represents a substantial investment. The proper steps will make sure it stays attractive for years to come.

Walk-Off Mats

Walk-off mats should be used at the exterior of all entrances to absorb the soil and moisture. They help trap the excessive dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that would otherwise be tracked into the home. Mats should also be cleaned on a regular basis so they do not become sources of soil themselves.

Carpet Pad

You should always use a quality pad under your carpet, particularly on stairs. Good pad not only gives better resilience and comfort underfoot, it can extend the life of your carpet. Because some carpets carry warranties with specific density and thickness requirements, be sure and review your warranty before purchasing your pad.

Occasionally Move Heavy Furniture

Move heavy furniture occasionally to avoid excessive pile crushing. You should also use floor protectors designed for carpet under the legs of tables, chairs, and other furniture to help distribute the weight. Do not use chairs or appliances with rollers or casters without a chair pad designed specifically for carpet or damage can occur.

Protect Carpet When Moving Furniture

When moving heavy wheeled furniture (pianos, buffets, etc.), prevent damage by placing a protective barrier of heavy cardboard or plywood between the wheels and the carpet.

Reduce Periods of Direct Sunlight

Protect your carpet from prolonged periods of direct sunlight with blinds, shades, or awnings.

Vacuuming

The most important step in caring for your carpet is vacuuming.

Vacuum thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high-traffic areas. Realize that walking on soiled carpet allows the soil particles to work their way below the surface of the pile where they are far more difficult to remove and can damage the fibers. Frequent vacuuming removes these particles from the surface before problems occur.

For rooms with light traffic, vacuum the traffic lanes twice weekly and the entire area once weekly. In areas with heavy traffic, vacuum the traffic lanes daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine will suffice for light soiling, but five to seven passes are necessary for heavily soiled areas. Change the vacuuming direction occasionally to help stand the pile upright and reduce matting.

Why do I love wool carpeting so much?   …why wool?

• Wool is natural, renewable and sustainable.
• Wool improves indoor air-quality by removing pollutants and toxins from the air.
• Wool naturally regulates indoor humidity by releasing moisture into dry air and removing moisture from humid environments.
• Wool has the exceptional ability to withstand prolonged wear and tear.

Today’s choices in flooring are more varied than ever, running the gamut of styles, finishes and installation options. Product innovation is clearly blurring the lines between many flooring categories, and the raw materials used to create flooring types include gin bottles, corn sugar and the staves from old wine barrels. The winner in this underfoot mash-up is the consumer, who benefits from an astonishing array of choices that fit any lifestyle and budget.

Wood
Hardwood flooring is renowned for its natural beauty and durability. Its classic good looks harmonize with any architectural theme or interior design, and it’s an especially good choice to create visual room-to-room continuity for homes with open floor plans.

Hardwood flooring comes as strips 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches wide or planks 4 to 8 inches wide. Domestic species include oak, maple and black walnut. Regional varieties, such as pecan, chinquapin and mesquite, are not widely distributed but offer distinctive grain patterns.

The availability of exotic species of hardwoods varies with market conditions, and popular imported varieties include Brazilian cherry, purpleheart, and African pedauk. To make sure the wood flooring you buy is harvested from sustainable, managed forests, look for certification from the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative).

Coatings for prefinished hardwood have benefited from technological advancements, and finishes may include additives such as ceramics, aluminum oxide, and acrylic monomers that produce incredibly tough surfaces.

Solid wood must be nailed to a subfloor. An advantage of solid wood is that it can be refinished many times over its lifespan.

Hardwood costs $3 to $8 per square foot, and exotic varieties may be as high as $14 per square foot. Expect to pay $5 to $12 per square foot for professional installation.MakinM

…From Sun Damage

To minimize sunlight damage on your area rug, you should turn it every six months.  Doing so allows for an even amount of exposure and prevents your rug from fading in spots.

To a lesser extent, the same can be said for your carpet. While you can’t actually move your carpet, you can move the furniture on top of it. Think about rotating around your room every now and then to more evenly expose your carpet to natural light and prevent fading.  This can also help to minimize “crushing” – more on that in a later post.

…From Liquid Spills

A quick response and a few small steps can take care of almost any spill.  Most importantly, move quickly to blot up liquids before they can soak in with a white paper towel (avoid paper towels with colored patterns printed on them.) It’s important to blot; not rub.

Any residual stain can then be cleaned with the solution appropriate for your rug’s make-up.  Most rugs (made of Wool, Acrylic, Nylon, Olefin or Polyester) can be gently cleaned with a mild detergent or carbonated water.

The actual phrase “Oriental rug” is an out-dated (but still often used) term that refers to a wide range of rug types and rug makers based in Asia, Eurasia and parts of the Middle East. “Oriental rug” is a somewhat generic term for the rugs produced by artisans in these locations – and it is often further broken down into specific sub groups to define specific areas.

Persian rugs are one of the sub groups of Oriental rugs. Authentic Persian rugs are made only in Iran (formerly known as Persia) and are hand knotted. The broader classification of Oriental rugs, on the other hand, may utilize a range of construction methods including hand-loomed, hand-knotted, hand-woven and even machine-loomed. Other characteristics of a Persian rug include an unusually thick pile (up to 160 knots per square inch), extremely rich color combinations and unique designs.

Remember that old quadrilateral rule from geometry class: all squares are quadrilaterals but not all quadrilaterals are squares?  It’s just like that with these lovely rugs: All Persian rugs are Oriental rugs. But not all Oriental rugs are Persian rugs!

Carpet Mill Outlet Shop-At-Home Van

Carpet Mill Outlet Stores offers our “Carpet Mill Outlet Express Mobile Showroom.” With it, we offer in-home shopping service, direct to your home or office. The Express Mobile Showroom contains a full selection of carpet, area rugs, ceramic tile, vinyl, laminate, and hardwood flooring. In addition, we offer a designer service to give you advice on any interior decorating project.

For a free estimate in your home or office, call 303-886-4568 (in the Denver metro area) or 970-207-9668 (for Fort Collins and Northern Colorado) and schedule an appointment today!

Walk-Off Mats
Walk-off mats should be used at the exterior of all entrances to absorb the soil and moisture. They help trap the excessive dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that would otherwise be tracked into the home. Mats should also be cleaned on a regular basis so they do not become sources of soil themselves.

Carpet Pad
You should always use a quality pad under your carpet, particularly on stairs. Good pad not only gives better resilience and comfort underfoot, it can extend the life of your carpet. Because some carpets carry warranties with specific density and thickness requirements, be sure and review your warranty before purchasing your pad.

Occasionally Move Heavy Furniture
Move heavy furniture occasionally to avoid excessive pile crushing. You should also use floor protectors designed for carpet under the legs of tables, chairs, and other furniture to help distribute the weight. Do not use chairs or appliances with rollers or casters without a chair pad designed specifically for carpet or damage can occur.

Protect Carpet When Moving Furniture
When moving heavy wheeled furniture (pianos, buffets, etc.), prevent damage by placing a protective barrier of heavy cardboard or plywood between the wheels and the carpet.

Reduce Periods of Direct Sunlight
Protect your carpet from prolonged periods of direct sunlight with blinds, shades, or awnings

For more information about carpet care and cleaning, visit us at CarpetMillOutletStores.com

Carpet cushion:

Helps preserve the look of the carpet
Can extend the life of the carpet
Provides protection against wear
Absorbs the impact of foot traffic
Can improve the sound absorption in a room
Actually helps keep your carpet cleaner and easier to maintain
Things to consider when purchasing carpet cushion:

Thicker is not always better
Look for cushion that is not too soft nor too hard – this is purely personal preference
If different rooms have different needs, different cushion can be used in different areas
Put your money in the cushion, better cushion allows you to buy a less expensive carpet
Make sure that if you are purchasing prime urethane cushion that it is FHA approved
When selecting carpet cushion, place the sample under a carpet sample and walk on it. Take your shoes off and feel the difference. You will be surprised at how great the right cushion can make a piece of carpet feel.