Have you thought about changing the look and feel of your home? Do you want a dramatic, custom change that makes a huge impact? Well, if you answered yes, a new custom stair runner may be exactly what you want.

Beautiful and bold-- custom look

very welcoming

Contrast--great look

Stair runners are an amazing addition to any home. Few things can be done to your home that offers as much of a “wow” factor. In addition to the fabulous aesthetic addition, stair runners offer increased safety and noise reduction. Children and pets can benefit from the soft traction.

Our most popular style for stairs

So amazing!!!

Great and universal look

Using a patterned carpet is such a great way to introduce some texture and depth in the home. A pattern will be an added dimension and prove inviting for guests entering the home.

the new traditional

pattern pattern pattern

Typically, runners will be centered on the stairs and still allow 3” to 4” of wood showing on each side of the carpet. This still showcases the hardwood flooring.

Carpet is stretched on the stair similarly to how carpet is installed wall to wall. This involves using tack strip with very small nails. This does not do damage to the steps and is easily reversed. You don’t want someone who does not know how to install stair runners doing your installation. This is a special skill. That said, over time the wood will appear different under the runner because it has not been exposed to sunlight.

Stair rods are a beautiful way to add even more of a custom look to the stairs. These are totally decorative though and completely optional.

Finishing the edge of the carpet can be done by binding a fabric border to the carpet or surging the edge. This is another way to really add a custom unique look.

Carpet

Colors are very much in demand with decorators this year. Shaw Carpets has reworked their carpet line with bright bold colors suitable for any room. In addition to color, look for texture – sculpted carpets in contemporary patterns and shaggy shags with multi color threads. WOW!

Retro colors are making a big come back for those of you who prefer dark warm floors. Look for carpets in delicious colors like chocolate and kiwi.

Look for low profile flat weaves or cable knits that give light airy feeling to any room. The colors home decorators prefer tend to be off-white, wheat, ecru, dusty grays and pastels.

Cork Flooring

Cork floors are taking the flooring market by storm; discover why Europeans have been using cork as a floor covering for years and why North Americans are falling in love with this environmentally friendly flooring alternative. Anti-microbial and cushiony soft, cork is an ideal choice for homeowners who want to keep their homes free of allergens and also enjoy a tranquil existence by diminishing noise. Cork floors are made from the harvested bark of the cork oak tree which is grown in the forests of the Mediterranean. Because the tree is not cut down to make the flooring, and the bark is a renewable resource, it is desirable flooring for environmentally aware consumers.

Hardwood flooring has been around for centuries and yet, it never goes out of style.

Now, more than ever, homeowners are returning to the timeless beauty of real hardwood floors.

For 2012 hardwood flooring trends include wider planks with deeper richer colors. Hardwood floors have a comforting, solid sound that most laminates can’t equal, and they can be refinished over and over again, creating a floor that can last for decades. Hardwood floors add elegance and beauty to any decorating style and the latest trend in wood floors is hand-scraped hardwood flooring. This old world appearance is in demand with homeowners looking for a rustic finish. The timeless classics include – Oak, Cherry, Pine, Maple Hickory, Pecan, Beech, Birch, and Walnut.

No matter which floor covering you choose, it should be serviceable for your lifestyle, and if you are building a new house or renovating an older one, your choices in floorings are endless.

Flooring sets the tone of the room – the look and feel of a room – but beyond appearance, the ultimate decision on which flooring material will be installed should be based on how a room is used.

For example, a room in which there is heavy foot traffic needs a hard wearing floor whereas a bedroom floor needs to be soft and cozy on the feet.

Ethical Floor Coverings – Now more than ever, it’s easy for the average homeowner to make environmentally friendly choices when it comes to home flooring products.

Laminate Flooring – Originally from Europe, laminate floors have taken over the floor covering market with the practical benefits of being durable, hard wearing, and beautiful. Laminates are replicating stone, and granite for endless decorating possibilities.

Hardwood Floors – Today’s hardwood floors are adding old world elegance with a new twist, moving more toward distressed planks, wider widths, and the introduction of exotic woods.

Linoleum – The original environmentally friendly floor covering, linoleum is available in a wide selection of colors and patterns, suitable for any decorating solution.

Carpet – The most practical home flooring, carpet brings color and warmth into every room. Endless patterns, colors and textures still make carpet the number one selling floor covering today.

Cork Flooring – Comfortable to walk on, incredibly warm underfoot, and discover the beauty of cork flooring and what it can do for your home.

Bamboo Floors – An environmentally friendly hardwood, bamboo is fast becoming one of the most popular flooring trends.

Floor Tile – A decorators dream come true, ceramic floor tiles offer timeless beauty and durability. Travertine tile is also another flooring option becoming more and more popular this year.

Area Rugs – These versatile splashes of color ground a room, giving it personality and function. This year, luxurious shag rugs are a big hit with decorators.

Vinyl Flooring – Offering the look of stone, ceramic tiles and hardwood – sheet vinyl and vinyl tiles are a natural solution for today’s homeowner looking for quality and design.

Now that we’re entering winter, many of us are thinking of new ways to keep warm. And believe it or not, the type of flooring you choose can greatly affect the insulation of your home.
Many of us have chilly basements or rooms that experience a lot of heat loss through the floor. This is especially the case in older homes with crawlspaces or even those who live in mobile homes. This is often why cork flooring can be a sensible choice for any of these scenarios.

Cork flooring has a lot of benefits, but perhaps what most notice, at least when compared to other floors, that cork floors feel warmer to the touch than hardwood floors, laminate floors, tile floors and even vinyl floors. Plus, cork is just a little softer feeling underfoot.
The reason that it feels warmer is because of the air trapped inside. This more porous flooring material traps more air and helps act as a barrier for heat loss and even cooling loss in the warmer season.

As the cork tree grows its bark, air gets trapped inside its cellular structure which becomes some sort of shock absorber. The result is a floor with a soft cushioned feel that can relieve stress especially in places where you tend to stand for longer periods such as in the kitchen. The shock absorbing mechanism of the cork flooring also works as a ‘noise absorber’ especially in high traffic areas.

As it’s getting colder, this may be a greater concern. And if you’re shopping for new floors and the area you’re installing your new floor has inferior insulation, cork flooring can help insulate a room and will help limit heat loss in a home.

Also, many cork floors are made using a wear layer of cork attached to an HDF core, usually made from recycled materials. On the underside is a layer of cork underlayment that adds additional impact resistance. Ultimately what you have is two layers of one of the eco-friendliest natural flooring materials sandwiching a core made of 100% recycled materials. All of this combines to give you better thermal insulation and acoustics.

**Hypoallergenic and insect-repelling
Suberin is a waxy substance normally found in cork trees. It has properties that can repel molds, insects, and mites. Furthermore, suberin is hypoallergenic, fire-resistant and unlike other wood products, does not release any toxic off-gassing when it burns. When covered with coating, it ultimately becomes long lasting and healthy and safe for use for the family.

When at one time cork floors were offered in largely natural cork looks and were mostly used in glue down floor installations, many of today’s cork floors are click cork floors. They are primarily used in floating floor installations and can be installed over most types of subfloors. Many choose cork for their basements to warm a naturally chilly room, while others install cork flooring in a bedroom to make that first step in the morning a warmer, more comfortable one.

Cork flooring addresses many issues that bother us about our current floors, from the way they feel, to the way they sound and even how they perform. And now that they’re available in several types of looks, we’re no longer limited to a natural cork or even stained cork look. Many cork floors now look more like other floors; from cork flooring that looks like hardwood to cork that has a bamboo floor feel.

The flooring consumer now has a lot more choices and can find the perfect cork floor that adds comfort, function, style and performance to any space.

Squeaks, cold, moisture—the flooring challenges in your home may seem insurmountable. But any experienced flooring expert knows to prescribe just the right underlayment. Problem solved.

If your house has any of the following conditions, talk to your flooring installer about a cure:

• Your kids’ bathroom floor is always awash in water and you suspect it may be affecting the floor.

• Too much noise on floors upstairs can be heard downstairs.

• The house was built on a concrete slab and you have reason to expect cracks will soon appear in the concrete. In turn, cracks would impact your wood, laminate, stone or tile floor.

• Wearing socks and slippers throughout winter is the only defense against frostbite from cold floors.

• The subfloor in your home is more like a roller coaster of hills and valleys.

All these conditions and more can be corrected with the proper underlayment. Tell a flooring professional all about your concerns. Only by full disclosure can you get the right type of material to solve the problem.

You’ll be introduced to several product choices. There is usually a good, better and best solution to consider. A good solution should do a reasonable job at a low price. A better solution will almost always be a total cure. And the best solutions offer a combination of characteristics that promise impressive results. For instance, you may just want to have warmer feet, but the best underlayments may add moisture control and great sound deadening in addition to superior insulation against heat loss.

Carpet Fiber Charisma

By Annette Callari, ASID; CMG

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the nuts and bolts of carpeting—the fiber carpets are made from.  Fiber technologies continue to evolve and amaze us as to performance. So I thought I’d put together a little refresher course on the different types of fibers available for you.

Although wool carpets have the longest history of use in carpets, nylon fiber carpets have been around for decades. They came into high fashion during the 1950’s when it was a luxury to have wall-to-wall carpeting.  You have no idea how many hardwood floors went undercover for years with the advent of that trend.  Manufacturers tried round fibers, triangular fibers, and then finally found that a rounded trilobal fiber was the best configuration for performance and soil-hiding.

Two types, Nylon 6.6 and Nylon 6, are typically used in carpet. Nylon can claim the ability to produce a stunning array of color harmonies; a luxurious soft “hand”, excellent resiliency, durability, abrasion resistance and texture retention. Just as importantly, consumers benefit from nylon’s significant resistance to stains and soils.  As a matter of fact, it has become an expected feature for carpet to have superior stain resistant properties–and mills continue to deliver on those expectations. Solution-dyed nylon, in particular, has proven to offer excellent color fastness and increased stain ‘clean-ability’.

More recently, nylon fiber developments have focused on soft-handed luxury.  Stainmaster Tactesse and Shaw/Anso Nylon’s Caress are leaders in soft-engineered carpets.  At the same time, manufacturers have been attentive to sustainability and recyclable polymers–a significant direction that continues to gain momentum. In this instance, consumer consciousness is driving this direction of R & D, demanding responsible manufacturing and post-use accountability.  Sustainability is a multi-faceted frontier and it will be extremely interesting to see where R & D takes fiber technologies over the next decade.  Overall, when you weigh the advantages of nylon’s durability and resilience against other fiber types, it’s not surprising that nylon still claims the largest percentage of carpet sold in the United States.

It’s a fact that forward-thinking R & D is a necessity for mills to bring something unique to the marketplace. As a result, we have seen some creative fiber types emerge.  Mohawk Carpet Mills introduced SmartStrand® carpet with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer about eight years ago. In a partnership with DuPont, this carpet offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™ (the key Sorona® ingredient, also known as TriextaÒ).  SoronaÒ is produced from corn sugar. By utilizing this new ingredient, 37 percent of Sorona® is being made from renewable resources. The end result?   A luxuriously soft carpet that offers durability and stain protection, while making less of an environmental impact. The Carpet and Rug Institute had this to say about TriextaÒ: “…Features include a luxurious soft “hand”, excellent colorfastness, bright colors, inherent and permanent stain resistance… durability, resistance to fading, clean-ability, texture retention and resiliency.”

Mohawk’s Karastan division features SmartStrandÒ products in their Color Choicesdisplay unit.  Color is the key magnet attracting consumers to this display, but the “hand” of the carpet and the warranties that back SmartStrandÒ are the features that close the sale.  Even though SmartStrandÒ is still in its infancy compared to nylon, it has made a strong impact in the marketplace.

It would be impossible to write about fiber types and not dedicate a paragraph toOlefin (polypropylene) carpets.  Olefin has especially found its niche in the realm of commercial carpeting.  Its versatility in styling and amazing colorations accounts for a big part of its popularity.  Just as attractive is the competitive pricing olefin carpets offer.   Turn key installations benefit from both the aesthetics and affordability.  Olefin features include permanent resistance to water-based stains, colorfastness, and resistance to static electricity. It’s inherently resistant to moisture, making it the primary fiber used in indoor/outdoor carpets. We are seeing these well-styled carpets transitioning from the commercial world to residential, as consumers are embracing more tailored, well constructed styles.

Polyester carpets have always garnered mixed reviews.  The luxurious hand and incredible face weights make this fiber type a strong draw.  70 oz., 80oz. and even 90 oz. face weights are not uncommon, and compared to their nylon counterparts, these hefty polyester carpets are very reasonably priced.  Other attractive characteristics include inherent and permanent stain resistance, the ability to produce colors with superior clarity, good abrasion resistance, fade resistance, and clean-ability.  Polyester does not have as good a reputation for abrasion resistance as nylon, but evolving technologies continue to deliver an ever-improving fiber.

Let’s turn the focus to wool.  Wool carpets seem to have a unique status quotient all their own.  This natural fiber brings luxury and performance to the floor in equal parts.  Its features include a naturally soft hand, high bulk, good color options and inherent flame-retardant characteristics. That’s a credible menu of features for a fiber with the longest history of use in carpeting.  The naturally low luster level of wool is a strong draw, and other fiber types do their best to emulate it.

Without a doubt, fiber selection ultimately affects carpet aesthetics and end-use performance. We, as consumers are the benefactors and owe manufacturers a vote of thanks.  It’s their call as to which fiber types will perform best in certain constructions.  So far, I’d say they are making very wise calls.  We continue to see striking, well made carpets spicing up the floor covering market, pairing exactly the right fiber with the right construction!

The Best Flooring and Hottest Styles for Every Room, Including Kitchens
As homeowners search for new hardwood flooring, it’s clear what is uppermost in their minds: Authenticity. An appealing look or style is not enough. While consumers are certainly concerned about a floor’s durability and value, they want something of substance even more. They choose hardwood because it reveals much about their taste, values, and what is important to them. They want something authentic.
All that from flooring? Yes.
These Top 10 hardwood flooring trends are not driven by mere fashion or some longing to keep up with the next-door neighbors. Instead, this Top 10 reflects the desire of homeowner to bring the art of nature into their homes so they can enjoy authentic natural beauty.

1. Authenticity
This is the Big Kahuna of flooring trends today—and for good reason. In this era of smarter and smarter phones, reality TV “stars,” and constant change, where do we find equilibrium and calm? Many of us look to nature and the appeal of slower times.
Authenticity is behind a desire for floors that take inspiration from the past, charms us, or help us live lives more attuned to nature. It leads to these choices in flooring showrooms:
• Wide-plank, handscraped, distressed floors. These replicate historical flooring, going back to early America.
• Exotics. These are unusual tree species from all over the world.
• Bamboo and cork. Though not hardwoods, these are also products of nature. No trees need to cut down to produce these sustainable products.
Each tells a story about you and your values. Your most cherished value is history, rare beauty, or the environment.

2. Handscrape Hardwood Flooring
Through the 1800s, finish surfaces for hardwood floors were commonly worked by hand with draw knives. These were simple flat blades attached to two handles. By pulling toward him or herself, the crafter could scrape thin layers of wood off a piece of lumber, slowly smoothing the top surface. Inevitable, scraping marks were left behind, proving for generations to come that a piece of wood had been worked by hand.
Handscrape marks are commonly seen in flooring reclaimed from old structures. These signs from another time tell a story about craftsmanship that is now replicated by today’s flooring manufacturers who have planks handscraped in a similar manner to get the look and feel of salvaged historical lumber.
These beauty marks authentically reproduce a genuine look from the past. Today’s handscraped floors are also distinctive to walk on barefoot. With each step, homeowners will feel slight variations in the surface—their feet feeling the evidence of a crafter’s skills.

3. Wide-Width Wood Planks
The next time you are walking through a building from the 1800s, look at how wide the floor planks are. Instead of the 2-inch to 3-inch widths common today, earlier floors were 5 to 8 inches wide—and more—depending on the species of wood.
The reason is easy to understand. Trees were much more mature when cut in earlier times, which meant they were also thicker. Most of the old-growth trees are gone or protected from harvest now. So trees for flooring are thinner and wide planks rarer.
However, 4- to 5-inch planks offer more authentic beauty than thinner slices. So manufacturers are finding ways to offer this wider lumber. These create a look that is more leisurely and languid. This is a hat-tip to less-hurried time.

4. Distressed Wood Flooring
Those who lived through the distressed-wood trend of the 1970s can relax. Today’s distressed doesn’t go overboard; it merely replicates the look seen from use and age of authentic, reclaimed flooring.
This second coming of distressed wood actually has its roots in the early 1990s when reclaiming flooring from old warehouses and commercial buildings emerged as a hot niche market. Those structures, built in the 1800s and early 1900s, offered a wealth of old-growth lumber, marked by decades of rough use. The gouges, nail holes, stains, slices, and saw marks were scars of authenticity.
By their interest in authentic distinguishing features that had pounded earlier flooring, homeowners today are showing their admiration for an era when skill rather than electronic technology was king.

5. Exotic Hardwood Floors
Exotic hardwoods appeal to a different sense of authenticity. What wins the heart here is the art of nature. How is it that trees can offer such elegance in form and still function so well as flooring? What a marvel.
There is the bold striping of tigerwood, the depth of Brazilian cherry, the rich beauty of teak. There are looks for every taste.
In addition to these authentic woods, manufacturers are also inventing ways to cut, bake and dye woods to mimic many of the exotics. This allows homeowners to obtain the look they want without endangering wood species in this country or abroad.

6. Harder Finishes
Admiring a new hardwood floor, you gaze at its natural beauty, alluring color, intricate graining and depth of shine. It’s so good to walk on wood—except you are not really walking on wood. The work surface that you tread is actually a clear finish that’s been formulated for toughness, sprayed on wood and baked to a hard-as-nails finish.
State-of-the-art factory finish clear urethane finishes are salted with aluminum oxide—microscopic metal crystals—to increase durability. Several coats are sprayed on and dried under ultraviolet lighting. The finish is about 10 times harder than is possible with a site-finished floor. With prefinished, you’ll also avoid the odorous off-gassing, labor and the time required for finishing a floor in place.
The moment after prefinished flooring is installed, it can be walked on. Instant gratification.

7. Engineered Wood Floors
Conventional wisdom promotes solid wood flooring because it can be sanded and refinished repeatedly. Sounds impressive, but when was the last time you sanded and refinished a floor? Safe bet that the answer is, “Never, with no plans to start.”
Unless you plan on living in the same house for 10 to 15 years or more, engineered wood is usually a better answer. Engineered floors are constructed of 3 or more thin sheets or “plies” of wood cross laminated together to form a single stable plank. Each plank is made like a sandwich, with stable, low-cost woods providing the foundation and the prettiest, more costly showpiece woods as the top surface.
Most engineered flooring comes pre-finished and goes down with relative ease. Fix it in place with nails, staples or glue. It can even be installed as a “floating” floor, a very quick way to put a floor in place. Regardless of the method for holding it down, these floors offer the beauty of solid wood without the price. They are more likely to be replaced than refinished (though many can be sanded and re-coated)—emphasizing their use as a design element in your house rather than a feature you may feel you have to endure. Plus, because they are dimensionally stable, engineered wood, unlike solid wood, can be installed below grade.

8. Sustainability: Cork, Bamboo and Others
Concern for the environment shapes the way we live, the laws we follow, and what we value. Hardwood flooring is a big part of this discussion for homeowners who want to play a part in preserving the world’s natural beauty.
The days of clear-cutting forests to produce lumber are fading as manufacturers turn to managed forests, tree farms, engineered flooring and different woods for the supply of raw material. If you want a hardwood exotic, you may wind up with a sustainable domestic species—probably oak—that has been finished to mimic the look of an exotic. Or you might choose bamboo or cork, which offer performance similar to hardwood, but without the need to cut down even a farmed tree. Instead, bamboo is a grass that regrows after it is cut. Cork is made from tree bark, which regenerates.
Concern for forests and the environment are making an impact on how wood flooring is produced. Governments, environmental groups and industry leaders are adopting certification programs and tracking systems to validate the sustainability of wood supplies.

9. Color
Hardwood flooring doesn’t have to be a sea of brown. Widely available finish colors include an amazing array of whites, browns, blacks, greys, and reds. Not enough? Purchase unfinished flooring and stain it with in any of a rainbow of colors.
Color choices allow floors to better serve interior style as a full partner. Why should colors be limited to walls? Colorful flooring, in turn, allows for rooms that authentically express the desires, style sense, personality and idiosyncrasies of the homeowner or designer.
This trend can be summed up as “I want it the way I want it.” You can certainly have it.

10. Value
To some manufacturers, retailers, and even customers, value means getting flooring at the lowest price possible. But that misses the mark. You may save a few dollars on the purchase, but that will prove foolish savings if you are constantly spending on maintenance, repair and replacement over time.
Value is getting the highest quality product at the best price. To do that, look for manufacturers who are committed to product performance. Look for brand names from companies who aggressively improve their product and back their products with warranties. Real value comes at a cost—but so does buying strictly on price.

Courtesy of our Friends at WFCA

I love what a stair runner can add to a home. Few things offer more “bang for the buck” then a custom stair runner flowing elegantly down steps. Stair runners can vary widely in style, color and look, but if given some thought any style and color will add a custom finished addition that will give your home a one of a kind feel. Some of our most popular styles are sisal and natural fiber looks.

Striations really look great with the vertical lines of a staircase

I am seeing a lot of color and pattern used on stair runners currently. Installation is really critical so that the runner has a custom finish. What you don’t want is to see some installer  shooting the runner onto the steps with staples. This will not last and will look good for very long.

Take a look at the “before and afters” below. This was installed for a client about a month ago and they have loved it. As a matter of fact, 3 of their friends have ordered a runner similar for their own homes.

Nice stairs, but nothing memorable

ho hum

almost cold, but nice

See the difference?

Skins may not be your thing, but this looks so custom and great

Safe and warms it up

The homeowners love it and so do their friends

Another important attribute that a runner offers is increased safety. Whether for pets, kids or elderly there is no question that the stairs are more safe.

Would you like a stair runner in your home? Did you like the Animal Print runner? Let me know.

New carpet for your home can vary in cost. There are many factors to consider, but I am going to try and give you a quick overview in potential costs for good quality carpet and installation. Of course there are many variables, so don’t hold me or your project manager to this exactly.

Ok, the first consideration is the carpet, and carpet will be the most expensive component with this purchase. Let’s assume that you are a typical family looking to upgrade your carpet from a “builder beige” plush style carpet to something with more style, better performance and a good warranty. Maybe a nice cut and loop pattern with a geometric design? It will look great!!

Mirage- and exclusive Textures carpet-- Looks AWESOME down!!

 So a material like this will run you about $17.00 per square yard (divide by 9 for square foot price)

Next, you will need new carpet cushion. Cushion is critical to the way your carpet will wear and perform. The cushion I will recommend for this install is an 8lb 7/16″ rebond. this is a very nice cushion, but not the best. It will more than do its job though.

So to recap, you have several components and costs associated with buying new carpet.

Total- $31.75 per square yard– Not a bad price, but what does this mean for you? If you have a typical home with lets say 3 bedrooms and a family room that you want to carpet, you probably have around 100 yards (900 square feet). If that is the case then you can expect to pay about $3200.00 for a complete new look and style.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them or help you find the perfect carpet for your home.

You’ve decided on new carpet, but you want to shop smart. You already know how carpet is made and the difference between carpet styles, but what else is there to know before you buy? Lots.

Here are some tips to give you the upper hand on what will soon be underfoot!

Seams

Unless your room is narrower than 15 feet, you’re going to have seams. Most carpet comes in widths of 12 feet and 15 feet — and on occasion, 13 feet. The degree of visibility of your seams depends on the texture and color you choose, as well as the lighting and furniture placement in your room.

Bending

When you carpet your stairs, its backing may show on the bends. And if it’s a looped carpet, it can snag — especially at the seams or transitions.

A carpet’s nap runs in a single direction, making pile reversal or the shading you see from a vacuum trail, completely normal for most cut pile styles. If you’re not a fan, window treatments and furniture placement can minimize the effect.

Quality

Let’s face it. You get what you pay for. If you want your carpet to have a great pile density and tighter twist construction (which leads to improved durability), then you’re going to want to go with a higher quality (and more expensive) product. New carpet adds value to any home, so it’s an investment worth making.

Color

Carpet covers a large part of any room, so it’s vital that you consider some basic rules when selecting its color. First off, know that once your carpet is installed, it’s going to look lighter in color than the sample you saw in the store. Don’t ask us why, that’s just the way it is — kind of like losing a sock in the dryer.

Next, recognize that color can affect the apparent size of a room. Call it a visual illusion or a trick of the light, but lighter carpet makes a room look larger and darker colors make a room look smaller and more intimate.

If you like to redecorate often or plan to move soon, go neutral. It’s much easier to imagine furniture in a room that is decorated with neutral colors.

Stains

It’s going to happen, no matter how long you hold out from sipping wine or munching on chips and salsa in your freshly carpeted room. Stain protection is an important consideration when buying carpet. Products come with various levels of protection and warranties. As the quality of a carpet increases, so does its stain protection level and warranty coverage.

Padding/Cushion

Padding or cushion is the layer of spongy material between carpet and floor. It’s the padding — not the carpet — that determines whether the carpet feels good or great under your feet.

A quality padding can help preserve a carpet’s look and can extend its life and comfort by providing tougher protection against wear and tear.

Padding is sold using quality specifications, not color specifications. The color of the sample you see in the store may not be the same color as what’s installed in your home. But as long as it feels good, who cares?!

Warranty

It’s a good idea to read the product specs and warranty coverage on the back labels of your carpet prior to purchasing. Doing so will give you the information you need to protect your investment — and eliminate any surprises down the road.

Cost

“Cost per square foot” is just one component of the overall price tag for new carpet. Ask your retailer to calculate the total cost of your floor covering project. Here’s what he or she may include beyond the cost of the carpet, itself:

• Furniture removal/replacement
  Some retailers or installers may charge to remove (and then replace) furniture in the room to be carpeted.
• Demolition/disposal of old floor covering
  Unless your home is brand new, there’s probably an old floor covering that is going to need to be removed and properly disposed of.
• Sub-floor preparation
  Depending on its condition (after removal of the old floor covering), your subfloor may need to be prepped for carpet installation.
• Product delivery
  Delivering your carpet and padding may not be included in the “cost per square foot” price.
• Installation
  There will most likely be a “cost per square foot” or “square yard” to install your new carpet and padding.
• Materials required to complete the installation
  Additional materials, like adhesives, moisture barriers, stair nosing and baseboards may be required to properly install your carpet.
• Financing
  Many retailers offer financing as an option of payment. Be sure to check the interest rate, minimum payment due and any finance charges if you choose to pay your purchase off over time.

In addition to your total project cost, annual cleanings are also recommended to maintain the beauty and life of your new carpet. Ask your retailer and/or consult the manufacturer’s warranty and care guide for directions on cleaning and maintenance.

Love this, talk about warm and inviting.

I am asked often about wide plank hardwood flooring. This is a beautiful option to consider when considering new hardwood flooring. Standard traditional hardwood flooring is 2 1/4″ wide. This is a great look and works well with any decor. Plank hardwood flooring is 3″ and wider, often times 7″-10″ wide. This provides a very dramatic look! Depending on the finishing technique used (sheen, color, etc), the style of the floor can range from extreme rustic all the way to sleek contemporary.

Character much?

A bit more modern, classy

this floor is so beautiful!!!

A place in timeVaried plank widths are great looking too!!I see a lot of floors like this in boutiques and restaurants

 I hope you enjoyed some of these pictures. Please let me know if you have any questions about these floors.