Choosing hardwood flooring over other options such as laminate, linoleum or carpet is no small decision.
Now that you have chosen to go with hardwood, you need to decide what type of hardwood you would like to have in your home.
Typically, most people think of oak, maple or cherry hardwood first. But wait, consider bamboo flooring. You will be taking advantage of one of the best hardwood flooring choices available today. Bamboo has a lot to offer.
Let’s look at these five main reasons why bamboo flooring mat be your best choice.
Warm Environment – Bamboo flooring provides a warm finish because of the natural grains and growth patterns that occur in the boards. While many traditional hardwood choices do give you a beautiful floor, but it is one that also looks like it should be in a gymnasium or an auditorium. Bamboo flooring allows you to create a stunning flooring finish that exudes warmth and comfort.
Strength and Durability – Bamboo is the perfect choice for a highly durable, strong floor that can stand up to the use and abuse that animals and children can deliver. It can even resist the drop of a pan in the kitchen as well as high traffic areas such as living rooms and hallways.
Environmentally Responsible – Bamboo flooring is the most environmentally responsible choice for hardwood, because it is not a wood at all. It is actually a grass that can reach its full maturity in only five years. When the bamboo plant is harvested, it sends out runners spawning new plants all around them. Because bamboo is a renewable resource, you are making an environmentally responsible choice.
Color & Style – The natural color of bamboo is a natural blond color that shows the grains of the wood and the natural growth pattern that provides a warm color that matches every décor. The other color option is achieved in a smoking process that carbonizes the grains in the wood, resulting in a rich amber color, which is a stunning, darker variation.
Cutting Edge – Bamboo flooring is the newest most exciting floor choice to hit the market in recent years. Your bamboo floor will most likely be the only one of its kind on your block, making it a cutting edge style that will provide your home with a beautiful, unique flavor all its own.
Natural fibers used with carpet are produced either by insects, animals, or even plants. The fibers that are produced by insects or animals are known as protein fibers. Those that are made by plants are known as vegetable fibers. Vegetable and protein fibers share the common disadvantage that they are both very absorbent and will have extended drying times when wet cleaned – which can lead to mildew, shrinkage, and even dry rot.
Wool
Wool fiber is produced from the fleece of lambs or sheep. Wool of carpet is imported from countries such as England, Australia, and New Zealand. Wool is the oldest and considered to be the finest of all carpet material.
The ability of wool to stretch up to 40% of its original length and the fact that it can be bent back and forth more than 180,000 times without breaking makes it very resilient. Wool is the most expensive material for carpet, although it is also the best you can buy.
Silk
The fiber of silk is produced by the larva of various insects known as silk worms. The silk, in continuous lengths from 300 to 1600 yards is spun to produce the cocoons. As a fiber, silk is naturally non flammable, strong, and not affected by static charge problems – even at low humidity.
Cellulose fiber
This type of fiber is produced by plants and normally not used as face yarns. These types will however, show up as backing materials of tufted as as well as carpets that have been woven.
Cotton
Cotton is a vegetable seed fiber that is produced from the cotton plant. The primary use for this fiber is yarns woven in carpet or rugs. Cotton is resistant to alkaline solutions and becomes stronger when it is wet.
The biggest disadvantages to cotton is the fact that is the most absorbent of all fibers and requires extended drying times after being wet cleaned. It is also easily damaged by acids, stains easily, mats down, soils quickly, and is subject to mildew, dry rot, and shrinkage.
Jute
The fiber of jute is produced by the jute plant which grows in South America, Pakistan, and even in India. The stalk of the jute plant is where the longer coarse fibers are obtained, located between the outer bark and within the inner pulp.
Jute is normally used as weft yarns, across the width, in woven carpets and as a backing material in the construction of tufted carpets. Jute is an inexpensive material that also serves other uses than just carpet. Like all other fibers, this one has disadvantages as well. The fiber is weak when it becomes wet and is also subject to dry rot, shrinkage, and mildew.
Sisal
The fiber of sisal is produced by the leaves of the agave plant. Sisal is very strong and primarily used for making rugs, sacking, rope, and even carpet. The fiber stains easily and is also very difficult to clean. Wet cleaning can also cause shrinkage so its best to use low moisture methods.
Rayon
There is quite a bit of confusion about rayon and it is easy to understand why. Rayon is a synthetic fiber that is produced from natural cellulosic fibers of wood pulp or cotton. The material is put through several chemical treatments which help to turn it into a synthetic fiber.
Primarily, rayon is used for area rugs because of its silk like appearance. It can be damaged by acids, has low resistance to abrasion and is also prone to cellulose browning.
The carpet that is made today is a mix of old world craftsmanship and a touch of 21st century innovation. By combining the two, carpet is able to become the household feature that we all know and love – and get tired of cleaning.
Carpet can be manufactured in one of two ways; weaving or tufting. Carpets that are woven are primarily wool and are very durable, and very expensive as well. The woven carpet types can be hand produced, as it has been for centuries, or by machine. No matter what method is chosen, the same procedures are followed.
The yarn for the carpet is woven through or around vertical fibers known as warps, and then locked into place with horizontal strands known as wefts. The woven carpets can utilize a variety of colors as well to create intricate patterns in the highest quality of carpets.
Tufting machines can also be utilized as well, as they use computers to determine the patterns, styles, construction, and density. No longer does someone have to do everything by hand or mentally, as the tufting machines will take all of the guesswork out and make things easy on the operator.
Once the fibers have been locked into place, the carpet is dyed using a variety of methods that will create patterns or effects. For cut pile carpets, the final stage is stretched, cutting the pile loops. This is an important stage, as it will determine the softness and feel of the carpet.
The carpet will also receive a secondary stretch backing as well to give it stability and allow it to be stretched during the installation process. Most of the carpets of this day and age will receive stain protection as well, which happens during the manufacturing phase.
The way that a carpet is made will greatly affect how the carpet is installed. In the past, the creation of carpet was a very complicated process, as there were no computers or technology to do most of the work. Back then, it was all done by hand. The carpets were great, although there wasn’t any colors or textures that we have to choose from today.
The carpet manufacturers of today have a lot of technology at their disposal, which makes life at the plants easy. Operators can watch and operate machines to do a lot of the work, which makes their job a lot easier.
The continuous fibers found with carpet are heat set and twisted at the mill to give a tightly twisted product that is commonly found with frieze carpets. This type of yarn is less bulky although it will hold its shape for a long period of time, which is great for those who don’t like to replace their carpet every couple of years.
Choosing an effective carpet cleaner is easier said than done. There are many carpet cleaning companies out there, each one claiming to be the best. With each one claiming to be the best, it can be very hard deciding which one is the best for you. If follow the tips below, you’ll have no problems finding your ideal carpet cleaner.
First of all, you should know what your choices are in cleaning methods and you should also know which one is the one you’ll want to choose, as there are several available to choose from. A dry extraction type of cleaning will use a compound that contains detergents what will free stains and dirt which will then allow them to be vacuumed up.
Dry foam on the other hand may be used by applying foam to the carpet and then vacuuming it up with a wet vacuum. You can also choose a vacuum that uses stronger chemicals and a stronger suction to get dirt up. For your needs, you should choose the vacuum accordingly.
Once you know your options, talk to family and friends for their recommendations. There are several places on the internet that offer reviews for local as well as nationwide carpet cleaners.
You can also get estimates as well. Find out what the professionals charge and what is considered to be extra. You should also find out what chemicals are going to be used, how long the process will take, and whether or not they plan to move any furniture.
You’ll want to make sure that chemicals used are going to be safe for you, your children, and also your pets. If you are using a professional company, you’ll want to let them know what type of carpet you have. If you don’t let them know and you have a type of carpet that will shrink or change color during cleaning, you’ll probably be in trouble.
Probably the most important thing, is to know who is coming to your home. You should always make sure that you know the history of the carpet cleaner as well as inquire if background checks are performed by the company. These steps will help to keep you and those you love safe.
Follow the above tips, and you’ll have no problems with finding the right carpet cleaner. There are many types to choose from, as well as professional cleaning companies.
If you are considering whether or not to use a professional carpet cleaner, you should consider the alternatives as well. First, spot removal isn’t the only necessary carpet cleaning that you need to do, nor is the vacuuming.
Even home carpet cleaning machines won’t do as good of a job as a pro can do. When you use these types of carpet cleaners, you can help to preserve your carpeting for years and years to come.
Last, professional cleaning can help many people who have allergies to feel better once they have clean carpet. If you have allergies, a professional cleaning may be the ideal way to solve just about all of your carpet problems.
In a nutshell, it makes the most sense to have your carpet professionally cleaned. It doesn’t really cost a lot of money, yet it will give you the peace of mind in knowing that your carpet is very clean.
If you’ve been looking to clean your carpet or have it cleaned, professional is without a doubt the way to go. You don’t have to bother with it yourself, yet you’ll know that your carpet is going to be cleaned right – by someone who knows exactly what they are doing.
Antique type carpets help to add a touch of grandeur and glamour to your home or office, speaking greatly about your rich and extravagant tastes. Antique carpets are beautiful home furnishings and solid art investments. They aren’t just decorative items, but pieces of tradition, ethniticity, and true class that dates back thousands of years.
Antique carpets represent enormous range in motifs and color harmonies and you’ll simply lose yourself seeing the diverse combinations of rich antique colors and heavy intricate weaving.
The diverse range of antique carpet pieces that you’ll encounter while shopping for them are mostly Oriental carpets and rugs that portray the mystery and legend of the far off lands of the Orient.
Antique carpets and rugs are imported mostly from China, Persia, India, Afghanistan, Caucasus, and Turkey. Some of the famous weaving areas of such antique carpets include Kashan, Agra, and many other locations.
Antique carpets have a more artistic integrity, as they are exclusively hand woven. They are sold all over the world, with clients more than willing to pay whatever they have to in order to redefine their home and decorate in style.
If you are looking to add luster and glamour to your home or office and are ready to spend a fortune on the exquisite pieces of art, then you shouldn’t wait a single minute.
The first thing to do, is contact one of the several reliable, knowledgeable, and genuine art dealers and galleries who deal in antique carpets and have profound knowledge about the various aspects of a good and genuine antique carpet. They can guide you in selecting the best one per your budget and tastes.
You’ve got a bit of work to do as well. You should visit a lot of dealers and educate yourself about dyes, wools, design quality, and the many styles of weaving as well. Touch the carpet and scrutinize them carefully. Beware of the machine made synthetic carpets that some dealers will tell you are antique carpets.
Below, are some tips to help you when buying antique carpet.
1. You have to remain careful and thoughtful while analyzing each piece of antique carpet.
2. You’ll also need to try and understand the age and origin of the carpet that will in turn give you a much better insight about the overall quality of the carpet.
3. You’ll also need to look and see if the edge and borders are there in the antique carpet you intend to buy, as the end and edge borders are sometimes lost or even cut out on purpose. Keep in mind that the borders will determine the overall value of your carpet.
4. Keep an eye out for holes and moth attacks that are both common when dealing with antique carpets. These problems must be attended to before you buy the carpet.
5. You should always deal with dealers who have the prices marked on the carpet. See to it that your dealer sticks to that price.