Choosing The Right Floor Covering For Your Home

Insightful Tips Help Homeowners Navigate Through Largest Variety of Flooring Options Ever Available

ATLANTA, GA (Tuesday, May 01, 2001) - There are so many choices in the marketplace today that this question may stump even the savviest consumer. To appropriately answer this question, you may need to step back and evaluate the reasons you are changing your current floor covering. Is it old, outdated or worn out? Is it hard for you to maintain? Or maybe it was the builder’s choice - neutral and unobtrusive, but the color or choice of style never fit in with your lifestyle in the first place. All of these are good reasons for change, so let’s look at the alternatives.

Hard or Soft?
The first choice you have to make is whether you want your primary living spaces done in a soft surface such as carpeting or a hard surface such as hardwood, laminate or ceramic. Secondary areas such as baths and utility rooms are typically finished in hard surfaces for ease of upkeep in potentially wet areas, according to Tandy Knudstrup, in product support for Floor Coverings International.

“Carpet can provide warmth to a room ¾ a soft, cushiony feel underfoot, help absorb noise and is relatively easy to maintain,” said Knudstrup. “Hard surfaces generally provide a floor with a longer lifespan than carpeting, and a more natural appearance. Hardwood and ceramic will easily last 20 years or more, so you should think of them as a permanent floor.”

Carpeting - Which Style Is Best for Me?
If you haven’t shopped for carpet in a while, you may not be aware that carpet today comes in such a wide range of styles and constructions. There are styles to fit literally any décor from formal to casual, ranging from berbers, saxonies, textures, friezes and patterned cut/uncut styles. Let’s look at a brief overview of each of these to give you a better idea of which might best suit your needs.

Berbers are a loop pile construction that are typically considered casual. In coastal states they may be used throughout the living areas, while in more central areas they might be reserved for recreation rooms and basements. They are available with a pattern or without, and patterns can range from small graphic designs such as diamonds or squares to larger, more intricate patterns that resemble floral or botanical motifs or even overall geometric patterns.

Cut pile styles range from velvety saxonies, which are very formal and elegant, to more popular textured styles, which are more casual in appearance. A characteristic of a saxony is to show natural shading of light and dark streaks as seen in footprints and vacuum cleaner marks. Some people prefer this natural shading, as it lends a rich lushness to the overall appearance. To others it is merely a nuisance and they prefer not to see these marks. There are a lot of casual styles on the market which minimize these characteristics.

One is a textured cut pile, which at first glance has a two-tone appearance to the yarns. What you are actually seeing is the reflection and absorption of light on the tips of the yarns. The result is that it shows less significant tracking and vacuum marks. For even less shading, you might select a frieze style of carpeting. Frieze means “coarse, shaggy, woolen”, and is characterized by tall, thin yarns that are curled. It is a very casual look, has lots of texture and shows the least amount of tracking marks. It also is generally in a low luster fiber that gives it a more natural, wool-like appearance. Friezes are a smart choice for any high traffic area, as they also have a very high twist level. Twist is what gives carpet resilience, making it look new longer. Colorations in frieze range from solid colors to jewel tone multi-colors, as well as “cut berbers”, which are off whites with earth-toned flecks.

“If you have a more formal room that you really want to add some splash to, you might consider a patterned carpet,” said Knudstrup. “While in the past patterns were created by adding color to the design, today’s patterns rely more on texture, resulting in a variety of very elegant looks.

“There are a multitude of styles available in cut/uncut construction that create pattern and texture in a solid color. The color palettes are very sophisticated, mostly in soft golds, burnished browns and muted greens. And, since you’re working with a single color, it’s easy to blend this look into your existing décor,” she added.

Carpet Fibers - Know What to Expect
All fibers have natural characteristics that you should be aware of before you make your final selection. Here are the fiber facts you need to know before you begin shopping.

Nylon - most widely used fiber due to its durability, resilience and abrasion resistance. However, it can fade with strong exposure to sunlight and is not naturally stain resistant. Most nylons are treated with a topical stain treatment to help resist stains, but it will eventually wear off. Brand name fibers such as Anso, Wear-Dated and Dupont also have added soil protection, which helps them resist common dry dirt that is associated with carpet soiling.
Olefin - very stain and fade resistant. May be the best choice if you are dealing with pet urine or allergies, or if fading or color loss are likely. A strong disadvantage of this yarn is that it is the least resilient fiber, meaning the pile will pack down quicker and pathways will show sooner. It is best if used in a loop construction. Also has an affinity for oily soils, so it has to be cleaned more frequently.
Polyester - built in, permanent stain resistance and superior fade resistance over nylon. Comes in vibrant colors and has a soft feel. However, it is not as resilient as nylon, and is the most oil absorbent fiber. This means it might be difficult to clean and soiling may be a problem unless it is treated with Scotchgard or a similar treatment for soil protection.

Wool - Soft to the touch, luxurious, and great resiliency, it is the only fiber that “ages gracefully.” Wool naturally has low absorption, so most spills will stay on top for easy cleanup.

Hard Surface - So Many Choices
Hardwood, ceramic, laminate, vinyl ¾ there are endless possibilities depending on your particular needs. Hardwood and ceramic lend natural beauty and long-term durability to your home. They also tend to increase the value of your home as they are considered permanent floor coverings. Durability, maintenance, and noise levels are things you should consider when selecting a hard surface floor.

“There is nothing else that gives the home a more natural beauty than wood,” said Knudstrup. “Hardwood flooring today is available in a broad range of species with easier access to exotic woods than ever before. You can get bamboo flooring from China, Brazilian walnut and eucalyptus, Santos mahogany and Australian cypress, just to name a few.”

There are also the native North American species such as maple, red and white oak, cherry, birch, ash, beech and pecan. Now you can even get reclaimed hardwood flooring from historic warehouses and barns in species that are no longer available such as yellow pine, heart pine and chestnut. The choice of these many species gives you a variety of coloration and graining that will fit any décor ranging from rustic to contemporary.

Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors can be beautiful, but can also require more upkeep depending on your lifestyle. If you have pets or children in the home, you should keep in mind that hardwood can be scratched or gouged. It also should not be used in wet areas such as utility rooms, or where water might be tracked in from outdoors without the use of rugs to protect the floors from water damage. Other considerations might be that without the use of area rugs, sounds tend to bounce around the room, resulting in more noise. Some species, particularly the exotics, will darken over the first few months, so area rugs should not be placed on them immediately to allow for uniform darkening. With the advent of newer technology utilizing aluminum oxide in pre-finished hardwoods, pre-finished floors are now more durable and better looking than the sand-and-finish variety. This has also virtually eliminated the need for re-sanding and finishing down the road. You will never be able to apply a better finish on-site than what the manufacturer put on your pre-finished hardwood floor.

Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile is not only a beautiful choice for your home, but is likely the most durable flooring you could choose. It is almost indestructible and requires very little maintenance other than damp mopping. Ceramic is a clay product that is glazed and fired for a carefree finish. It is available in a vast array of colors and finishes resembling marble and natural stone. Ceramic is not used just as a floor covering, but is also used in designing kitchen countertops and backsplashes as well as in bathrooms on walls, in showers and around garden tubs. There are a lot of ready-made decorative borders, inserts and trim pieces available which you can utilize to simplify your project. Don’t be afraid to get creative with patterns, mixing various textures and sizes to design something unique for yourself.

Laminates
Another hard surface category, laminates, has increased in popularity over the last few years. Laminates are just that, a type of laminate, similar to countertop material, where the pattern is simply a picture on a thin film, which is then laminated between a wear layer and a high-density fiber core. It is installed as a floating floor over a foam cushion. Some types are glued together, while others have a mechanical locking system where you just snap the pieces together. Laminates are most often seen in a wood grain, and sometimes in a tile pattern. The wear layer is zinc oxide, which is almost impervious to scratches. They are ideal for high traffic areas where you want a wood look but not the maintenance or expense of real hardwood. The tradeoff, however, is that they have a hollow, plastic sound when walking across the floor, and in areas where you get a lot of light you will not get the dimension in grain that you would see in a real wood floor.

Vinyl
Vinyl is also a very versatile choice for floor covering. It is most often used in kitchens, baths and laundry areas. Vinyl has come a long way in pattern selection and design in recent years, and because of this versatility and new technology it is not necessarily your least expensive choice. There are a lot of offerings now in a “luxury vinyl” category that closely resemble the natural look of wood, tile or stone with low gloss levels. Borders and accent strips are available as well, which can enhance these designs.

Simplifying the Process
As you can see, there is a lot to consider in the selection of your new floor covering and deciding which is best suited for you and your lifestyle. Floor Coverings International can simplify the process by bringing their Flooring Showroom On Wheels direct to your home at a time that is convenient for you. This allows you to view a multitude of flooring choices, styles and colors under your lighting, with your furnishings, in a relaxed setting with one-on-one personalized attention. And, if you’re a parent, you don’t have to worry about keeping kids amused as you drag them from showroom to showroom.

To contact your nearest FCI representative, call 1-800-DIAL-FCI or visit www.floorcoveringsintl.com.

For More Infromation Please contact:
Eileen Petridis or Michael Anderson
Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations
Phone: (216) 696-0229

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