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All About Carpet
About 90% of commercially available carpets are tufted, meaning that the carpet is constructed by punching loops of yarn through the backing. The two main types are cut-pile and loop-pile. Cut-pile carpet is made by cutting the loops, leaving straight tufts or strands of yard. If the loops are left intact, then the carpet is a loop-pile.
Plush, or “velvet,” carpets are cut-piles with the yarn cut to a uniform height, giving the carpet a smooth surface. Saxony and frieze carpets are two other cut-piles. In saxonies, the yarn is straightened out, and the ends of the yarn are more visible than in plush. Textured saxonies and cut-piles are more casually styled and hide tracks from foot traffic and vacuum cleaning. The fibers in a frieze ("free-zay") are more twisted than in plushes or saxonies and tend to curl in different directions, which makes the carpet resistant to tracking.
Loop carpets are mostly distinguished by the heights of their loops. Taller loops tend to make a floor softer and more luxuriant, while shorter ones are more often found in commercial carpet, or carpet meant for high-traffic areas. Multi-level loop piles feature patterns of loops, often in different colors, in varying heights and berbers are made with thick yarns and have flecks of color randomly speckled on a background of a base color. Some styles contain elements of both cut-pile and loop carpets.
Carpet is mainly made with synthetic fibers. In fact, more than half of commercially-made carpet is made with nylon. Nylon is soft and durable; it retains color and it resists stains. PET (or polyethylene terephthalate) is another soft carpet fiber. Because the material for PET fiber comes from recycled soft drink bottles, it’s an environmentally-friendly choice. Polypropylene or “olefin,” is the fiber most commonly found in “indoor/outdoor” carpets because it resists fading in the sun and resists chemical stains, even from chemicals as aggressive as bleach and battery acid. It also costs much less than nylon.
Wool is the most common among the organic fibers because it is soft, rugged, and holds its color. Silk carpets are very expensive and they stain and fade very easily. Silk is more of a status fiber than a practical flooring option.
Images courtesy of Beaulieu of America.
All About Ceramic
Ceramic tile flooring is a lovely way to add beauty and value to your home, while investing in a durable, economical surface.
Ceramic is produced by mixing clay, water, and various minerals (depending on the type of ceramic) into a paste and firing the paste in a kiln. The result is an extremely hard stone-like tile that is perfect for high-traffic areas in a home or business.
Ceramics aren’t just those familiar black-and-white porcelain tiles, either. These days, flooring manufacturers have created dozens of varieties of ceramic flooring that mimic the look and texture of natural stone but are less expensive, easier to install, easier to clean, and more durable.
Ceramic will easily outlast almost any other type of flooring. Not only is it extremely scratch-resistant, but it is also totally fireproof. Lit cigarettes, hot pans, radiators, and even open flames will not burn, scorch or melt ceramic tiles, making them the ideal flooring for kitchens and other hot spots. But they’re not just for kitchens; there are enough colors, sizes, and shapes of ceramic tile to make it appropriate for every room of your house. What’s more, ceramic tile absorbs almost no moisture, making it stain-resistant and very easy to clean.
All About Wood
Solid Wood
Solid wood floors are generally cut as a solid block directly from harvested timber. They are then processed with tongue and groove edges, and are either prefinished at the factory or placed into pallets of unfinished planks. Unfinished wood floors are usually of solid construction. Solid wood is more susceptible to moisture than engineered wood, but usually has a higher grain quality than engineered. Solid construction flooring can be installed at or above ground level.
Engineered Wood
Engineered wood is manufactured by slicing raw timber into several layers and pressing them together to form a plank. Most engineered wood flooring is factory finished, which cuts down on installation time. It is also less susceptible to moisture making it possible to install in nearly every room of a house. Engineered flooring can be installed at, above, or below ground level.
Longstrip Wood
Longstrip flooring is a type of engineered wood that was designed to be installed as a floating wood floor. While it can be installed by any traditional method, (e.g. gluing, nailing, or stapling) it is designed so that each plank merely has to be glued to the next plank allowing it to float over any subfloor. Longstrip wood floors can be installed at, above, or below ground level.
Distressed Wood
Distressed wood can be either solid or engineered. After the planks are constructed, the surfaces are machined to add character and to give the floor a more reclaimed, antique look.
Hand-Scraped Wood
Hand-scraped floors are a type of distressed wood. They can be either solid or engineered, and are distressed to add character. Unlike a plain distressed floor, hand tools are used to score the wood’s surface. This makes each plank more unique than the last, but it also adds to the cost.
All About Laminate
Laminate floors are an excellent alternative for people who would like stone or hardwood floors but are worried about tricky installations, maintenance, and cost. A piece of laminate flooring is made from a synthetic material that is covered with a decorative appliqué to give it the appearance of stone or wood.
Laminate flooring was invented in Sweden and was very popular throughout Europe for 10 years before it was first marketed to customers in America in 1994. Since then, laminate floors have become very popular due to their durability, easy installations, attractive styles, and attractive prices.
Most laminates are quite realistic. Wood-grain styles tend to have textured grains, and many of the stone varieties have textured grout lines, sometimes even real grout!
Laminate floors are a great choice for do-it-yourselfers due to the ease of installation. With the majority of laminate floors, the edges of the planks or tiles click together easily, eliminating the need for glue, staples, or nails..This type of installation is called “floating.” With some laminates, the installer moistens the edges with a sponge to activate glue already applied at the factory, and with a very few laminates, the installer must glue the edges of each piece before putting them together. Typically, the laminate is installed on top of a foam underlayment that helps absorb noise and moisture.
The aluminum oxide top coat of most laminate flooring lends it incredible durability and wear-resistance. Most manufacturers offer long, sometimes lifetime, warranties.
All About Vinyl
Vinyl floors have changed a lot in the last few years. Some of today’s top flooring manufacturers now make luxury vinyl tile and sheet products that mimic the look and feel of real wood, stone, and tile.
Vinyl floors, which are also called “resilient” floors, are easy to install and some types even come from the factory with adhesive already applied. Like ceramic, vinyl’s water and stain resistance make it perfect for kitchens, but unlike ceramic, vinyl has a slight “give” making it a more comfortable surface to stand on.
Vinyl styling has improved greatly since the 1950s, when vinyl began outselling linoleum. Super-premium vinyl floors, like those made by Tarkett under the Nafco brand, are quite realistic. Tarkett takes pride in knowing that each piece of Nafco flooring is unique; no two rolls or tiles are exactly alike. Some of the wood-grain Nafco floors even feature unique hammer pings to add to the realism.
Congoleum, another super-premium vinyl manufacturer, offers vinyl flooring with Scotchgard protection and a patented nylon/aluminum oxide surface that give it unsurpassed stain, wear, and scratch resistance. Both Congoleum and Tarkett offer long, sometimes lifetime, warranties on their products.
Vinyl flooring comes in both rolls and tiles and must be stuck the subfloor with an adhesive. Some types of vinyl tiles are sold with adhesive already applied for the convenience of the do-it-yourselfer.
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