Floor Talk! A Guide to Fabulous Flooring and Design

Floor Talk! has recently posted it’s 100th post! Floor Talk!’s first post was created on September 14, 2007. We are proud to still bring you informative posts and advice.

Since then, we are proud to have brought you information on Green flooring products, Products from the 2007 Remodeling Show in Las Vegas, Products from the 2007 Green Build Expo, Products from Surfaces, The latest trends on color and design, Reader Questions and Answers and many other categories!

Thank you for being a loyal reader or subscriber and keep checking in for more informative posts on flooring and design. Should you have a question, leave a comment on any post and we will be happy to answer it for you!

This blog is sponsored by the WFCA. (World Floor Covering Association):

The World Floor Covering Association, official sponsor of Surfaces™, is the floor covering industry’s largest advocacy organization representing flooring retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America. The WFCA is a recognized leader in marketing research and industry certification programs and operates the premier consumer flooring website — www.wfca.org, providing unbiased information about every type of floor covering and connecting customers to member retail stores.

The WFCA also influences public policy affecting the floor covering industry and consumers.

Rob McNealy from Ask A Floor Guy interviewed the president of the WFCA (World Floor Covering Association) on his site www.askafloorguy.com.

Rob McNealy has more then 10 years of construction experience under his tool belt, and more than three years running a flooring company in Colorado, called Natural Wood Floors.

In addition to running a successful flooring business, Rob has also been providing social media consulting through his company called Contrived Media, and is an advocate for small business through his small business and startup podcast, called Startup Story Radio.

You can hear the podcast here. Look for more interesting interviews on his site.

Question:

We have just built a 20 by 14 foot four seasons sunroom in place of our deck in the Texas Hill Country. The substrate is plywood, and we will be adding a 3/8 layer on top for a smoother surface, since some of the knot holes are deep. Underneath are both insulation and a moisture barrier. The room contains a heater air conditioner, but we were planning to leave that on extreme temps of 85 F when unoccupied and about 45 or 50 in winter. The room has many sliding windows and a propane fireplace.

We have had a couple instances of leaking, hopefully repaired now. A very low maintenance, grandchild friendly floor is desired, so vinyl seems a good choice, but I cannot verify the temperatures it can handle. We can maintain good temperature for installation.

Do you have any suggestions? The local Home Depot has Allure by Traffic Master, and another local store would order Armstrong. Though I think the cushion kind would not be good with animals and kid ride on toys.

Any suggestions you have will be much appreciated!

Answer: To determine what floors are suitable for temperatures like 85 degrees, it really is best to check with each individual manufacturer’s specific guidelines or ask a trusted retailer. (For store locaters in your area, click here.) Other products you might want to consider are cork and products like Mannington’s Adura.

For a general guideline on vinyl : All resilient products must be stored in a protected interior location, ideally one that can be climate controlled.

Optimum storage temperatures are between a low of 65ºF and high of 100ºF. Additionally, the humidity of the

storage area should be controlled and maintained between 30% and 70%.

For the entire life of the floor, the temperature should never fall below 55°F or exceed 90°F. If this minimum temperature

cannot be maintained, the performance of the flooring products and adhesives can be adversely affected. Ideally

the job site relative humidity will be maintained in the 40% to 50% range.

Cork can definitely be used in warmer temperatures because it is used in hot yoga rooms all the time! Another great benefit of cork is its retention and cushioned feeling. This would be a great choice for the kids with toys if your design style coordinates with cork.

Paul from Rugsale.com has written a guest post to give us some insight on hand tufted area rugs and hand tufted area rugs. Look for tomorrows post on hand tufted area rugs! Thanks, Paul!

Hand Tufted Area Rugs

While most handmade rugs are of the hand knotted type there is a different weaving process that doesn’t involve any knots whatsoever. It is know as the hand-tufted process. Hand-tufted rugs were very fashionable in the 1920’s and 1930’s and though they are not as popular today they do offer people a less expensive option to hand tied rugs.

The base material in a hand-tufted rug is primarily a pre-woven canvas. The pile of these rugs can consist of wool, silk and synthetic fibers.

Hand-tufted rugs can be mistaken for hand-knotted rugs because they can share similar properties, however they’re not as durable as hand knotted rugs but they cost considerably less. The main reason hand-tufted rugs are cheaper then hand-knotted is they are much easier and quicker to make. Hand-tufted rugs aren’t made by forming little knots; instead they’re made by forming little tufts using specific tools.

The process starts by cutting the backing material into the correct size and shape so that it can be stretched over a backing frame at which point the craftsman can commence. A drawing of the proposed area rug is created so that its image can be projected onto the material and the area rugs design can be traced. Like a paint-by-numbers kit, numbers are given to each area to represent the colors to be used. The correct color yarns are than pushed, with the use of a unique device called a tufting gun, through the backing. Latex glue is then applied to hold each tuft to the backing. The looped tufts are then cut to create the pile. A layer of latex is then laminated on the back of the rug along with a layer of a material designed to protect the floor in the homes where the area rugs will be placed.

While not as durable or valuable, hand tufted rugs do come in similar styles to hand knotted and at a price more consumers can afford.

This article was produced exclusively for Floor Talk! by the staff of RugSale.com an online retailer.

Paul from Rugsale.com has written a guest post to give us some insight on hand woven area rugs and hand tufted area rugs. Look for tomorrows post on hand tufted area rugs! Thanks, Paul!

Hand Woven Area Rugs

Although power machinery turns out most of the carpets sold today, it has not eliminated the ancient craft of hand weaving. Rugs were listed as valued belongings in Persian literature as early as the 6th century. They were most likely coarse flat-woven fabrics produced on looms in much the same way that other plain textiles were made at the time. Hand-knotted rugs were created later, possibly by nomad tribes of Turkestan or the Caucasus. The weaving of hand-knotted rugs spread throughout the Orient, and Persia became the predominant center of manufacture. Most handmade rugs are Orientals and are still made in the Middle and Far East.

Oriental rugs are usually classed geographically. They are referred to as Persian, Turkish, Caucasian, Turkoman, Indian, or Chinese. The different varieties within these groups may be named for towns in the various weaving districts and marketing centers.

Hand tied rugs are constructed on a special form of loom which consists of evenly spaced pegs on long, parallel beams. Most hand tied rugs are made with wool which is spun and died to the specifications of the rug pattern and planned color pallet. Some higher end rugs use silk for highlights in the pattern.

The base components of the rug are called the warp, weft, and Tufts. The stands of warp run parallel to the length of the rug and stick out each end to create the fringe. The spun bunches of wool, known as tufts, are hand tied to the warp stands. After a row of tufts are tied, a weft strand is woven perpendicular to and through the warp strands and then pushed together to create a denser pile. This meticulous time consuming process is then repeated until the rug is complete. The tufts (wool bunches) are then trimmed to create an even pile. This whole process can take a small group of people three years or more to finish but the results can be fabulous. There is nothing like the durability and artistry of a genuine hand tied area rug.

This article was produced exclusively for Floor Talk! by the staff of RugSale.com an online retailer.

Question:

CAN I INSTALL NEW LAMINATE FLOORS OVER PRE INSTALLED LAMINATE FLOOR OR DO I HAVE TO REMOVE THE OLD LAMINATE FLOOR SIRST? THANK YOU FOR YOU HELP

Answer:

Unfortunately, laminate flooring should not be installed over existing laminate flooring. The good news is, because of the installation method of laminate, the existing will be simple to remove.

You can, however install laminate over ceramic tile if the tile is smooth, sound and dry. Laminate can also be installed over vinyl or resilient flooring that is adhered well. This is particularly useful when going over older vinyl that may contain asbestos that would be costly and dangerous to remove.

Always use the proper underlayment when installing laminate flooring. Other helpful hints are to use a professional installer and always keep mats at every entrance to keep dirt and grit from scratching your laminate floors.

To locate a floor covering professional in your area, click here.

For other posts on laminate flooring, click here.

This home features amazing travertine with lots of range. This floor was an exceptional choice for this home, especially at the front door and main traffic thoroughfare.

• The range in the floor will do a great job of hiding dirt
• The range in the floor shows off the natural beauty of travertine
• The large size tiles help the area appear larger
• Turning the tiles on the diagonal help the area feel larger
• Turning the tiles on the diagonal add a design element to keep the floor interesting
• Notice how the same stone was used as the stair riser (the stair treads can also be travertine)

Some things to remember about this floor:

• This floor should be properly maintained to last
• This floor should be sealed for protection
• If you were to order this exact same floor, it will not look exactly the same since travertine is a natural stone product
• This floor can be used with radiant heat flooring

For a flooring store locater in your area that can show you travertine samples, click here.

To visualize a tile like this in a room, click here.

To learn how to maintain this floor, click here.

To browse travertine samples, click here. (many others are available)

Why is this so exciting?

Carpet tiles are one of the greatest flooring inventions. The offer design flexibility because you can lay them straight or 1/4 turn them for more pattern. The best part is if something happens to one of the tiles, like a stain or damage, that tile can be removed and replaced! Read below to learn about new residential carpet tiles!

Dalton, GA, June 18, 2008–For the first time, Mohawk is offering carpet tile to Mohawk residential dealers.

Modular by Mohawk is part of the Aladdin Home and Office Collection.

The line features four styles and design options. The company sees residential tile as a growth area.

“Light commercial is still a strong market segment, and this lets dealers pursue business they couldn’t before, with a stylish, competitive tile product,” said Phil Stoner, Mohawk market development director.

“Not only can dealers build tile business now, but the availability of tile opens discussions for other types of commercial business.”

The tile line contains Mohawk’s Encycle backing, which is produced in an ISO_14001-certified and Clean Air Class 1 facility. Encycle is the first and only non-PVC carpet tile that can be completely recycled back into itself in a single process, which Mohawk calls “thermal re-activation.”

Encycle carpet that has reached the end of its useful life is melted down and made into new Encycle backing without ever separating the face fiber from the backing layers. Avoiding the separation process altogether reduces energy use and saves resources in the recycling process. The reclamation and recycling of Encycle tiles is all handled by Mohawk’s ReCover program.

Encycle is a 100% non-PVC thermoplastic modular backing technology. It uses a minimum of 28 percent less virgin raw materials than its previous generation PVC modular carpet tiles.

• The carpet pad actually determines the comfort of carpet rather than the carpet
• Floor Covering stores often only carry one or two types of padding because they buy in bulk. Other types can be special ordered.
• It is best to buy carpet cushion that is not too soft or too hard. Soft padding doesn’t absorb the shock as well leaving the carpet to take the rest of the impact.
• Thicker padding is not always better than thinner padding. Individual needs are more important to consider when determining what carpet cushion is needed.
• All carpet pad does not have to be the same in one house. Different rooms with different lifestyles can benefit from different types of cushion.

For more posts on carpet cushion, click here.

For more information on carpet cushion from The Carpetology Blog click here.

As a follow up to the 2 previous posts, here are some tips on how to buy carpet pad!

• Factor a good padding into your budget before looking at carpet prices
• You can buy a lower pile carpet with a better cushion and it will be more comfortable, the carpet will look better and the carpet will wear better
• Purchasing the best carpet with an inferior pad will result in premature packing of the carpet, premature crushing of the carpet and overall comfort
• It shouldn’t be too soft or too firm
• Like a mattress, the softness or firmness depends on your personal preference
• Not all carpet cushion types are the same across manufacturers, look for companies that use first quality ingredients
• Make sure that prime urethane cushion is stamped FHA approved
• The impact of foot traffic can cause the synthetic latex in the carpet backing to break down, stretch and separate the primary backing from the secondary backing and also stress on the face of the carpet fiber
• Take the cushion sample you are interested in and place it under the carpet sample you are interested in. Walk with your shoes on and walk barefoot to feel the difference.

For more posts on carpet cushion, click here.For more information on carpet cushion from The Carpetology Blog click here.

Carpet cushion also commonly called carpet padding plays such an important role in the longevity and wearability of your carpet, but is often overlooked. The reality is, most consumers go to purchase their carpet and by the time they are overwhelmed with all of the carpet selections, they choose the first carpet padding that the flooring consultant shows you - if you even see the sample at all!

It is critical that you check out all of your options when selecting carpet cushion. Even if the retail location only stocks 1 or 2 types type, you can still ask about special ordering the type that is best for you.

Some important points about carpet cushion:

• Determines how your carpet feels when you walk on it
• Helps your carpet maintain its original appearance over time
• Absorbs the impact of foot traffic
• Improves room’s sound absorption
• Keeps the room warmer and quieter
• Helps keep your carpet cleaner and easier to maintain

For more information on carpet cushion from The Carpetology Blog click here.

Our next post will be a guide on how to buy carpet cushion. Stay tuned!

Tracy Reid, East Coast Design Center Manager from Shaw Industries spent some time with us to help you get to know Shaw Industries a little better.

What types of products are offered from Shaw? Hmmmm, there’s so many flooring choices we have to offer in numerous colors, styles, and tastes…We offer a full array of carpet, hardwood, ceramic & porcelain tile, laminate, and area rugs. So the question then becomes, what can’t we offer you?

What should consumers know about Shaw Industries? We create great floors for the places you call home-a privilege we take seriously. Also, we are a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and the world’s largest carpet manufacturer. Shaw is a leading floor covering provider because we believe in the voice of the customer.

What sets Shaw apart from its competition? We have many Shaw Advantages that set us apart from the pack. Life is messy! Therefore, we offer several exclusivities such as our patented revolutionary R2X stain and soil repellency, and Softbac Platinum backing. We believe training is key through our Full Disclosure Selling. We are focused on training design consultants and flooring sales consultants on the features and benefits of our flooring to help set proper expectations for consumer’s lifestyles.

What is the most popular selling product for Shaw? That’s a toughie to name just one! With our cutting edge R&D department and being members of the prestigious Color Marketing Group, we track the latest color and most popular design trends. In carpeting, we see our Anso® nylon patterned carpets emerging in our Inspired Spaces and Savvy Spaces line. In hardwood we are seeing Epic Legends take off. They are hand scraped distressed rustic visuals in wider planks. In tile, we are selling travertine visuals in larger formats mixed with our micro mosaics.

What awards has Shaw been given? We are very excited about being exclusively awarded all of the flooring in HGTV’s first ever Green Home! Also, a few of our most recent awards are from Floor Covering News: Carpet Manufacturer of the Year and Best Overall Manufacturer of the Year. We also won the CARE Large Carpet Recycler of the Year Award. Woo-hoo!!!

What efforts are Shaw Industries making to be more environmentally conscious? I’m so glad you asked. We are a recognized leader in environmental stewardship, because Shaw has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and cradle to cradle design solutions. Collectively we’ve named them the Shaw Green Edge. For the sake of this blog, we’ll highlight three top initiatives ~ Anso® nylon, Evergreen, and Epic hardwood. We’ve developed the world’s largest carpet to carpet^TM recycling process through Evergreen to turn old nylon carpeting into stunning new Anso® carpet. Our recycling efforts keep 300 million fewer pounds of carpet going into landfills every year.

Can you explain about Evergreen and tell me about Shaw recycling? This is getting a little technical, but it’s so important to know. Shaw invested in a cradle-to-cradle future with the purchase of the Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augusta, Ga. All Shaw Nylon 6 products, such as all of Shaw’s nylon area rugs and carpets made of Anso® nylon or Evertouch® nylon, are simply recycled in a closed loop process-we call it carpet to carpet^TM. At Evergreen, Nylon 6 carpets and area rugs can be repeatedly recycled into the building block for new Nylon 6 without any loss of aesthetic or performance characteristics. The exciting fact is that Nylon 6 products are recyclable over and over again - meaning it’s an ongoing lifecycle that can keep carpet made of Nylon 6 out of landfills.

Tell me more about specific green product options from Shaw. We’ve been talking about soft surface so far, let’s switch gears to hardwood. Shaw’s Epic Hardwood uses 2/3 fewer trees than traditional hardwoods. We continue to reduce waste, improve processes, and preserve natural resources through our Envirocore center. Have we invented a new tree? … Almost. Epic is real wood flooring, only better. It’s Made in the U.S.A! We offer Epic in domestic exotics such as: Hickory, Oak, Maple, American Cherry and Walnut. You don’t have to sacrifice style and design to go green.

What can buyers look forward to in the future from Shaw? We will continue to produce trendy, timeless, and environmentally-friendly products such as new ceramic tile introductions with recycled content. With our recent Anderson acquisition, we have gorgeous new hardwood introductions. We can’t wait for you to see them!

Thanks, Tracy!

Question:

Regarding hand tufted area rugs - It is my understanding that synthetic latex adhesives are superior to natural latex adhesives in regards to synthetic does not continue to emit fumes over time. Can you verify this for me, please? I read conflicting reports on this issue. Thanks.

Answer:

Most hand tufted rugs are coming from overseas. Outside the U.S., whether synthetic or natural, it will largely depend on how the latex is cured - oven vs. air dried. Oven curing will drive off more of the volatiles associated with both natural and synthetic latex compounds.

For more information on how to care for area rugs, click here.

I’m Neil Street, an internet marketing consultant for small and local businesses. I’ve worked for several years with Kellogg Hardwood Lumber, a custom manufacturer of wide plank flooring. Working with Kellogg has given me a real appreciation of the beauty and versatility of traditional hardwood flooring - so much so that I’m going to be living through a major upheaveal to install rustic white oak flooring in all the bedrooms of my house! I wanted to share with readers some tips on how to choose the best type of wood for your own flooring projects.

Today more than ever, hardwood flooring is a popular choice for homeowners. And many homeowners are moving beyond the standard, narrow-width flooring to embrace the beautiful styles of antique, or traditional wood flooring. Antique-looking wood floors — exemplified by styles such as wide plank flooring, distressed floors, even reclaimed wood floors — are appearing in homes across the country.

If you are planning on installing an antique-looking, or wide plank floor, where do you begin? What species of wood should you use? The choices, with so many wood types on the market, may seem overwhelming. But with a little planning upfront, the process can be transformed into an enjoyable learning experience about this remarkable, and natural, product. Here are some guidelines to help you pick the right kind of wood for your project.

Keep it firmly in mind that there are no set rules. It’s going to be your floor, and you are going to be living on it, so the most important thing is that you be happy with your choice. With that in mind, consider the common ways that different woods have been used in the past. Over time, it has been common to use certain types of wood in certain architectural settings. For example, wide plank white pine is usually thought of as a “country” look. It was the wood most widely available to our ancestors. Most of the homes of yesteryear, by necessity, were somewhat rustic, and the style, like country design in general, has remained popular. On the other hand, classic white oak, also a perfect choice for wide plank flooring, is often associated with elegant and formal wood floors. (more…)

Question:

Is the “Bissell steam mop” which leaves the floor warm from steam and wet from steam good to use on a urethane coated oak floor? I worry the steam will break down the urethane seal or at least dull it’s finish.

Answer:

You have every right to be concerned with using a steam mop on a hardwood floor because water is one of hardwoods worst enemies!

For more detailed information on how to maintain your hardwood floors and what to use, click here.