Carpet
Understanding the various types of carpet construction will help you determine the best carpets for your specific situation. For example, some types of carpets do better in high traffic areas than others. Some carpets have a more casual appearance while others look more formal.
Carpet is basically constructed in two types of piles: Loop pile or cut pile. Patterned carpet is a combination of both loop and cut yarns or variations of loops set to different pile heights.
Today's carpet manufacturers and fiber producers are combining softer fibers and better built-in stain resistance. These types of features are built-in to many of the better quality carpets.
How long a carpet will retain its like-new texture and appearance is based on the type of fiber and construction. Obviously, by not cleaning your carpets regularly or by using improper cleaning methods, there will be a negative effect on the appearance and the life of your carpet.
- Berber Carpets are usually thought of as loop pile carpet. Berber actually refers to the random flecks of colors throughout the carpet. Berber can be found in loop pile and cut pile construction. Berber carpets are generally used in more casual areas, such as a family room where ease of maintainence and durability is the major concern. Some frieze or cut pile berbers are more stylish and may be used in a more formal setting.
- Saxony Carpets are generally made in solid colors. The surface has a smooth appearance and is made in a wide variety of fibers. Saxony carpet offers good performance and appearance rtention. Works well in traditional or formal settings.
- Textured Cut Pile Carpet are available in multi and solid colors. The textured appearance helps minimize
showing footprints and vacuum marks. One of the most popular choices in carpet today, textured cut pile
carpets are a good choice for active areas of the home.
- Frieze (free-zay) Carpet is a very textured, knobby type of carpet. Available in solid , multi colored and
berber colorations. Extremely durable and hard wearing. Friezes are a great choice for active areas of the
home.
- Cut & Uncut Patterned Carpet are made using a mixture of loops and cut pile. This type of construction
creates a patterned design which helps hide foot prints and traffic patterns. Available in multi color and solid colors and is a great choice for performance.
- Multi-Level Loop Carpet has several different heigths of loops. Generally multi-colored and is offered in
many unique designs and patterns. Very durable and casual in appearance is great for family rooms,
basements, etc.
- Level Loop Carpet are made of loops of all the same pile heigth. Often referred to as indoor-outdoor carpet
or commercial carpet. Casual appearance, but extremely durable. Great for areas where performance and
maintainence are the main concern.
Vinyl
No other floor covering category offers the variety of colors and patterns as vinyl flooring. Vinyl
floors (also called resilient floors) use unique manufacturing processes that replicate the look and
textures of real ceramic tile, stone and wood grains. Vinyl floors are made in both sheet goods and
tile formats. Vinyl sheet floors are available in 6 foot and 12 foot widths and vinyl tile comes in a
variety of widths. Both types of floors come in a wide array of patterns and colors.
The better quality vinyl floors and tiles have better resistance to staining, scratching, gouging and tearing.
Not only is the performance better but so is the warranty
Hardwood
Hardwood floors with there easy to take care of finishes have become a very popular flooring option.
Wood flooring can be divided into two basic categories: Engineered and solid. Both engineered and
solid wood flooring are available in both prefinished and site finished options.
- Engineered Hardwood consists of three or more plys (layers) of wood glued together, with the top
layer being the actual hardwood. These ply's of wood are put together in a cross-ply costruction, which
makes the boards more moisture stable. Because of this engineered products can be used above, on
or below grade (basements). Engineered floors milled with a tongue and groove and are generally
installed using glue, staples or nails. There are usually two types of engineered floors and those are
rotary peeled (put on a giant lathe and peeled) or straight line cut (emulates solid wood floor).
Engineered floors are a great choice when wider width boards are desired but, you don't want the
gaps that naturally occur in solid floors.
- Solid Hardwood is typically 3/4" thick and milled with a tongue and groove. Solid hardwood floors
a generally installed using nails, staples or cleats. Because it is solid it is much more sensitive to
moisture and for this reason can only be installed above grade.
- Grading is a system created to describe the appearance of the hardwood floor. The grade takes into
account the color, grain and markings of the hardwood. The best grades of wood will have fewer markings
and are more consistant in appearance.
- Hardness is determined using a janka rating. This rating measures the force required to drive a .444 inch
steel ball into the wood, so that half the diameter of the steel ball is embedded. The higher the number the
harder the species of wood. Example American Cherry has a rating of 950 while Red Oak has a rating of
1260.
- Prefinished Hardwood have an advantage in that the finish is applied in a climate controlled factory.
You get several coats of finish and the use ultraviolet light to cure each coat. Most prefinshed floors
have an additional component added to the finish that increases the abrasive resistance. Aluminum oxide
is the most-used finish supplement. Prefinished floors are growing in popularity because they are ready
to be used as soon as you take them out of the box. One drawback is that they usually come with a
beveled edge.
- Site Finished Hardwood are installed as raw wood. When unfinished wood is installed there will be
some height variations between the boards. Then the process of sanding and finishing begins. First
several sanding passes are made before the finish coat is applied. Once the floor is sanded the joints
between each board has been sanded to the same height, minimizing over wood. Onsite finished floor
can be custom stained and have flush mount vents installed.
Laminate
Laminate flooring is available in many styles that emulate wood, stone and tile. It is usually made up of
four layers.
- Overlay (the surface wear layer). this coat is made up of several coats of extremely tough-wearing
aluminum oxide or melamine. It is a highly wear-resistant material that give the laminate flooring
excellent strength. Top wear layer is 40% stronger than kitchen counter tops. This is whae makes
laminate floors highly resistant to scratches, burns, dents and stains.
- Decorative layer. This is the name given to the photo rendering of the design which is made to imitate
the surface of a natural material, such as hardwood.
- Core Layer. This is the central layer of a laminate floor board that supports the weight and stress of
foot traffic. Also called the core board it is made up of either medium density fiber board (M.D.F.) or
high density fiber board (H.D.F.) Both core boards are very durable. Cores range from 6mm-12mm.
A thicker core is more stable, less vulnerable to buckling and will sound more like the real thing when
walked on.
- Stabilizing Layer. The bottom layer is the stabilizing layer. It is the layer that provides strength and
stability to the laminate board. It is made up of moisture resistant resins.
Ceramic
Be certain that the tile you are looking at is suitable for your application. some tiles can be installed
outdoors while others can be installed indoors only, and still others are suitable only for walls and
counter tops. If slip resistance is important remember heavily glazed, high sheen tiles won't work in wet
areas such as bathrooms, foyers and kitchens.
Larger tiles have a less clutter look when laid. These larger tiles can be used very successfully in small
areas such as bathrooms. A 12"x12" tile has 75% less grout joints than 6"x6".
Glazed ceramic tiles are made by putting a glazing over a solid body tile. Porcelain tiles are harder than
traditional glazed ceramic are available in glazed tile or through body. Glazed porcelain is a porcelain body
with a glazing on top where through body has the color through out the entire tile.
Remember solid or lightly patterned tile in neutral colors, as well as stone look tile, are classics and are
easy to decorate around.
Remember light colored grouts, especially on floors and counter tops, can be difficult to maintain. Save
yourself some aggravation by choosing a darker colored grout
Cork
Cork flooring is manufactured from cork which is a natural product. There is no man made material
that can match cork, nor is one likely to replace it. Cork flooring is very resilient. It possesses a
unique ability to adapt to various climatic conditions as well as hold up to the highest traffic.
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