Floor Talk!

Every day, I look forward to receiving the email from Colour Lovers, Color + Design Community for Creative Inspiration announcing a new post. Today, they decided to write about our world, hardwood. In this post, they display, describe and indentify the most colorful domestic and exotic hardwoods. For the full post, click here. Be prepared to be surprised at the amazing range of colors.

Wool carpet and area rugs are the most luxurious, long lasting carpets you can buy. Like clothing, the symbol of wool carries associations with luxury, style, warmth and quality. It has many superior properties that most people aren’t aware of. Wool carpet is not just carpet, it is good for you, good for your home and good for the environment.

Examples of these traits are:

• It is the most durable carpet you can buy. The structure of wool is shaped like scales or roofing shingles. This composition allows dirt to sit closer to the surface so it can be removed more easily simply by vacuuming.

• It is crush proof so no amount of foot traffic or the weight of furniture will compromise the structure of the product.

• It is naturally resilient. Its natural elasticity helps it bounce back like with a spring like quality.

• The surface of a wool fiber is covered by a thin protective membrane which gives wool its ability to shed water preventing it from absorbing into the fiber. Since most stains are water based wools natural protection gives you an advantage over other carpets. The natural water repelling characteristics also allow the carpet to retain moisture making it resist static electricity.

• The high moisture content of wool also makes it fire retardant. Wool fibers do not support combustion so it is difficult to ignite and is self-extinguishable. This is great peace of mind for homes with smokers or frequent use of candles.

• The moisture of wool also makes it a natural humidifier.

• Wool carpet that is well maintained absorbs dirt, airborne dust particles, fumes and noise. It even makes the indoor environment more hygienic.

A brand to look at for quality assurance is Wools of New Zealand. Carpets wearing this brand have undergone over 20 stringent tests for fiber content, appearance retention, color-fastness and appropriate environmental performance. New Zealand Wool is known also to be the whitest, cleanest wool in the world. The importance of wool being whiter is that is has the ability to accept dye better giving you endless choices for color range and pattern diversity. Because of wool’s chemical structure, it locks in color for superior color fastness.

Environmentally Friendly

Another reason to use New Zealand Wool is that it is one of the purest, most ecological fibers in the world meeting the highest quality and environmental standards. The wool is biodegradable as well as a renewable resource. Only environmentally responsible production methods are used. New Zealand wool is scoured using the most energy and water-efficient system in the world. Steps are taken to ensure that the land will nurture this natural fiber for generations to come.

Another environmental step taken is that no internationally banned pesticides are used on New Zealand sheep farms. Since 1993, pesticide methods have changed making New Zealand’s sheep industry one the worlds greenest animal production systems. Wool is energy efficient because it uses between 1/3 and 1/6 the energy required to product polypropylene or nylon fibers. Because wool is such a good insulator, it helps save on heating costs!

A common myth is that wool carpets can cause moth infestations in the home. Because wool is a natural product, it does provide an attraction to moths. Don’t worry, the carpet is all treated with a safe moth resistant agent!


Installation tips

When purchasing wool products it is best to choose a high quality carpet cushion because of the expected longevity of the carpet. A good quality pad will feel better underfoot. That in combination with the luxurious feel of wool under your feet will leave you with a feeling of satisfaction! Because of the quality and the expense of wool carpet, it is best to choose a highly qualified installer that has experience installing wool carpet. It is safe to use radiant heating with wool carpeting, with an experienced installer.

Maintenance

Wool maintenance might be easier than you think. With wool’s unique and complex fiber structure it releases soil up to 25% more readily than synthetic carpet. Not only that, its scaly outer structure holds soil high on the pile, right where the vacuum can lift it out quickly and easily.

To maintain wool carpet or area rugs:

• Clean on a regular basis rather than only when the carpet is soiled. This actually extends the life of the product.

• Spills should be treated quickly by blotting liquids with white paper towels or cloths.

• Apply a small amount of recommended spot removal treatment to the cloth or paper towel and not directly to the spot. Do not over saturate the carpet.

• Always work inwards from the edge of the spot to prevent the stain from spreading.

• Do not rub the spot because this can spread the spot or distort the carpet pile.

• Finally, blot the area with a clean towel and get it as dry as you can.

• Don’t use stain protectors with silicone because they can actually attract soil.

• If a candle or cigarette is dropped or embers from the fireplace fall onto a wool carpet, the char marks are easily removed by brushing them away. The appearance of the carpet will not be effected.

• Always pre-test cleaning solutions in an inconspicuous area.

• Wool rugs should be cleaned by professionals to protect your investment.

Different types of stains have different methods of treatment. It is important to treat each stain with the proper cleaning agent. For more specific information on how to treat individual stains, click here.

If your budget doesn’t permit 100% wool, wool blends are an option for a beautiful, soft and durable look. Wool is a solid investment that has a higher upfront cost, but in a lifetime, can save you the time, money and headaches of moving furniture and replacing a synthetic carpet!

One simple floor design technique that can really add life and punch to your room, while remaining a classic layout is adding “dots”;. This can be simple or very detailed. Another name for this installation technique is called “clipped corners”;. This installation technique can be particularly effective when the style and design in the rest of the room is quiet, simple or without a lot of other patterns.

There are many different ways you can add these dots.

• Tiles laid on the diagonal with dots in the intersection of each tile.

• Tiles laid on the diagonal with dots in the intersection of every other alternating tile.

• Tiles laid out with dots with the addition of a border around the perimeter of the room.

• Field tile that is laid straight. In a clearly defined area, most likely the center of a room, laid out with a border that created an area rug. The center of this area rug can be laid on the diagonal with dots in each intersection or every other intersection.

There are many different tile sizes that can be used for dots as well as ways to achieve “dots”

• 1×1 tiles (works best with tiles at least4×4)

• 2×2 tiles (works best with tiles at least 6×6)

• 3×3 tiles (works best with tiles at least 6×6)

• 4×4 tiles (works best with tiles at least 12×12)

• 6×6 tiles (works best with tiles at least 12×12)

• Mosaics that can create custom sizes or standard sizes like 3×3, 4×4 or 6×6

• 12×12 natural stone pieces cut down into custom sizes or standard sizes like 3×3, 4×4 or 6×6

Areas in your home that “dots” can be used:

• Complete floors

• Accents in floors

• Showers

• Tub Surrounds

• Backsplashes

• Accent areas in backsplashes such as behind the stove or sink

• Wainscoting

Color combinations that are attractive uses for dots or clipped corners:

• Solid color field tile and same solid color accent dot

• Solid color field tile and different color accent dot

• Solid color field tile and patterned accent dot

• Field tile with natural stone accent dot

• Light colored field tile with contrasting dark accent dot such as black dot and a white floor or cream floor and dark brown dot

• Darker colored field tile with contrasting light accent dot such as a black floor with a white dot or a dark brown floor like emperador marble with a crema marfil or travertine dot. (shown below)

• Solid floor tiles with decorative accent tiles.

• Accents can be created from natural stone, glass mosaics, glass tiles, metal tiles, ceramic tile, decorative ceramic tile or porcelain tile.

Keep in mind that the installation cost is usually higher due to the amount of work it takes to cut each tile that receives dots. If the dots are created by cutting other tiles, this can increase the labor costs even more. The uniqueness that this pattern provides is well worth the additional labor costs.

For other installation patterns, Happy Floors has a great source on their website. You can enter the size tiles you are working with to ensure the size tile lays out properly with the dot you’ve selected.

A great visual resource for trying these designs out is on the WFCA website’s Virtual Room Designer. Here you can choose different tiles in different room applications.

Happy Designing! Get Creative!

History of Linoleum -

Invented by Fredrick Walton from England, he was responsible for forming the Linoleum Manufacturing Company. Although it was patented in 1860, it didn’t make it to the US until 1869. It was first manufactured in the US by the Joseph Wild Co later called the American Linoleum Company. That company later became the Congoleum Narin Company and finally called the Congoleum Corporation of America.

It began as a great choice for an affordable and long lasting product. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the style was to use linoleum in the high traffic areas such as the hallway with surrounding carpeted areas. In the 20^th century it became more well known as a kitchen floor. It is a popular choice for kitchen floors because of its water resistance, ease of maintenance, softness on the joints and forgiveness on dropped glassware and dishes!

Frederick later found ways to use linoleum on the walls. Called Lincrusta, its heavy, crisply embossed rolls and panels found a place in many middle-class houses both as faux-plaster friezes, insert, and as highly decorative dadoes. Lincrusta is applied very similarly to wallpaper, but needs 2 coats of oil based paint to be properly sealed.

Growing popularity because of its green properties:

Linoleum is a very green product. It is made from natural and raw materials. The main ingredient is linseed oil which is a product of the flax plant. Other ingredients include: wood or cork powder, resins and ground limestone.

How Linoleum is made?

Mineral pigments provide the rich colors. The ingredients are mixed together, then rolled out between two cylinders (a process called “calendaring”) onto a jute backing. The linoleum is then cured in ovens for 14 to 21 days. Some manufacturers bond a high performance coating to the surface to improve the floor’s ability to resist stains and scratches, and to make cleaning easier. The resulting floor is then rolled on cores, ready for installation. Sheet linoleum is available in many thicknesses. 2.5 mm is suitable for residential use. It is sold in a two-meter (or 6′ 7″) width size.

How it’s sold:

Most linoleum is sold as a sheet product. Linoleum tile is available, but it is more prone to warping and curled edges.

Design Options:

The design options for linoleum are endless. That’s one of the advantages of the product. Most of the images above are all vintage patterns. Visit your local floor covering store to see the modern and up to date patterns now available from trusted manufacturers. Keep in mind, that your options are endless as long as your budget permits and your installer is qualified!

For more information on what you need to know about buying vinyl and resilient flooring click here for: product catalog, how it’s made, styles, before you buy, installation, care and glossary.

What exactly is the difference between vinyl, resilient flooring and linoleum?

There are HUGE differences:

Vinyl flooring is a synthetic product made of chlorinated petrochemicals and linoleum is made from raw and natural ingredients!

All vinyl floors are resilient but not all resilient floors are vinyl. However, the most common type of resilient flooring is vinyl. There are two types of vinyl flooring: sheet vinyl and vinyl composition tiles (VCT). (more…)