Best Carpet Yarn 3.....

Solution Dyed Carpet Yarn. Simply The Best....

We finish up our discussion on best carpet yarns this week with this blog on solution dyed nylon. The solution dying process is mainly used in commercial grade carpet. You don't see this process used very often in the manufacture of residential carpet but one of the big three carpet mills, Beaulieu, has a new line of carpet using this dying process.

Simply put, solution dying is the process of injecting the dye into the carpet yarn while it is still in liquid (solution) form. When the yarn is extruded the color (dye) is all the way through the yarn. Most carpets are made with greige goods and then dyed to a specific color. In this process the carpet is made with greyish/white colored yarn and then run through a dyer where the yarn is dyed. If you were to cut a carpet yarn in half that is dyed in the conventional method, the inside of the yarn would still be the greyish/white color. If you were to cut  a solution dyed nylon carpet yarn in half, you would see that the yarn is colored completely through. Inside and out.

Because of the way solution dyed yarn is dyed, it is very stain resistant, extremely fade resistant and still wears like a nylon yarn (because it is a nylon yarn). So you get all of the benefits of nylon yarn (wear resistance, resiliency and softness) along with the fantastic stain resistance that you would normally see in olefin yarns or polyester carpet yarns.

Some of the best warranties in the business are attached to this style of carpet (and I mean actual warranties, unlike some of the warranties that mills put on their carpets that have so many restrictions and limits that they will almost never pay off on any of their warranties!!).

You can even clean some of the toughest stains using a mixture of half water and half bleach! Try that with any other type of carpet yarn and see what happens........large whiteish blotches will form on your carpet if you were to try this cleaning solution with just about any other type of carpet.

So in our humble opinion, solution dyed nylon is the best carpet yarn to use for residential carpet. Really no need to say anything else....







Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

Best Carpet Yarn 2

So now that we've discussed the value of wear and resilience in carpet yarn, this week we will touch on stain resistance.

Stain resistance has taken on added importance these days as family's lifestyles are getting busier and more hectic. There was a time that most family's wouldn't let you eat in the family room much less the living room. Do you remember as a kid how if you tried to take some food into the family room to watch TV while you ate, your mother would let you know about it. Food and drink just weren't allowed in carpeted rooms. Because of this, wear and resiliency were more important than stain resistance.

These days, everybody eats in the family room. They eat in the living room. And in our bedrooms. And the basement (which are mostly carpeted these days). We pretty much eat everywhere in the house. Because of this (and the resultant spillage. Yikes) carpet has to be stain resistant. What good is carpet that will wear forever if it stains up like crazy.

Scotchgard was one of the first stain protections developed. It was a topical treatment that provided a barrier between dirt, stains etc and the carpet yarn. This barrier stopped stains from penetrating into the carpet as long as you cleaned up the spill relatively fast. Dirt also cleaned off of the carpet. One of the drawbacks to this topical treatment was that after a couple of cleanings, most of the topical treatment was gone leaving the carpet yarn exposed to future spills.

Along came the built in stain protection. Stainmaster, Anso, Weardated and Scotchgard Stain Release were the top brands in built in stain protection applied to mostly nylon carpet yarns. Basically how this worked was that the yarns were treated with a fluorocarbon system. Most carpet yarns when they are extruded will have very fine pores. These pores will absorb spills and are hard to clean out. This is the idea behind hot steam extraction. Hot steam penetrates the yarn and cleans as the steam is extracted out of the yarn. The built in stain protection basically filled these tiny pores thereby creating essentially a solid yarn. This solid yarn won't absorb spills. The stain will stay on the surface of the yarn and is easily cleaned off with a good carpet cleaning solution. Most nylon yarns are treated for stain resistance in this way.

Polyester on the other hand is inherently stain resistant. PET polyester is made with recycled pop bottles. A form of plastic. This yarn is extremely hard to stain. Because of polyesters superior stain resistant properties, this yarn is starting to take market share away from nylon (the fact that polyester costs less than nylon doesn't hurt either).

Olefin yarn (used mainly in Berbers and commercial grade carpet) is also extremely stain resistant because of it's hydrophobic properties (it doesn't absorb water so it won't absorb stains). This is why olefin carpet is solution dyed (the yarns are dyed while they are still in liquid form so the color goes throughout the yarn). Not only does olefin not absorb water or stains but it also doesn't absorb the dye very well during the dying process. So the carpet mills will dye the carpet before extruding the yarn. More on solution dying later (hint: solution dyed nylon, probably the best yarn period as it combines wear ability, resilience and stain resistance in one yarn......)

Wool, since it's a natural yarn and hence porous, will absorb stains and is probably the worst yarn for stain resistance.

Rankings of carpet yarn for stain resistance

1.  Solution dyed nylon
2.  Olefin
3.  Polyester
4.  Nylon
5.  Wool

The top three are considered extremely stain resistant and will suffice for most carpet installations where stain resistance is the top priority. Next week more on solution dyed nylon.........the best carpet yarn period (in our humble opinion).

Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering

http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

Best Carpet Yarn??

Best carpet yarn??

Today we explore the heat set in carpet yarn!

With the proliferation of polyester carpet yarns we want to set the record straight today about which carpet yarn is best (in our humble opinion).

While every carpet yarn has pros and cons, there is still a yarn system that we feel outperforms all others. The mainstream carpet yarns are nylon, wool, polyester, triexta (a form of polyester, more on this later) and olefin.

Nylon is still the best wearing yarn out there. It is almost impossible to wear out with normal residential wear and it has great resilience. Most carpets never wear out but they will "ugly" out. The carpet mills consider wear out as carpet fiber worn away. This can only happen with abrasive wear and is the main reason why you should clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months. To get rid of all of the dirt particles which can act like sandpaper to your carpet.

Even though nylon yarn is the hardest to wear out, it's nylon's resiliency that is it's greatest feature. Most carpet yarns are heat set. What is this? When you separate the carpet yarns in your carpet you will see that each individual yarn has been twisted. Kind of like a rope. The carpet mills have determined that the yarns are so much stronger when they are twisted together. This is great as long as they stay twisted together and this is wear nylon yarn shines and heat set comes into play.

To keep the yarns tightly twisted together, the mills have heat set the yarns. As you know, if you cut a rope that is intertwined, it will fray at the ends. The more it frays the more it starts to unwind and pretty soon your rope isn't worth anything. The same with carpet yarns. In a cut pile carpet, each yarn end (like in the rope example) is cut. So the yarn wants to unwind and fray with normal foot traffic. As they unwind and fray, the carpet starts to ugly out. It will look worn and just plain ugly. No way to fix this. You will have to replace the carpet.

Now, with heat set, the mills have "set" the twist in the yarn with heat. The higher the heat, the longer the yarn wants to stay twisted. So the higher the heat, the longer the yarn stays twisted, the longer a carpet holds up to foot traffic, the longer the carpet will look good and longer the carpet will last for you.

As you may have guessed by now, nylon yarn can withstand the highest heat levels and so will keep it's twist level longer than other yarns. If you were to set the heat level the same for a polyester carpet, the yarn would melt. So even though polyester carpet yarns are heat set, they are heat set at a lower heat level than the nylon yarns and hence will not stand up to higher foot traffic when it comes to maintaining it's look. And because nylon carpet yarn stands up better to higher wear (keeps it's look longer, doesn't ugly out as fast) it will last longer than other types of carpet. The longer a carpet wears, the longer it will last for you and the less often you will have to replace it, thus saving you money in the long haul.

So when it comes to longevity and what type of carpet will stand up best to wear and look good the longest, nylon yarn is still king of the heap.

Carpet yarn wear and resiliency rankings:
1. Nylon
2. Wool
3. Triexta
4. Polyester
5. Olefin

So if wear and resiliency are the most important factors for you when buying a new carpet then nylon should be your choice!

Next week we discuss stain resistance as another important factor in determining the best carpet yarn.




Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

Humidity Levels and Wood Flooring...

Why are humidity levels important for a wood flooring installation job and for the wood flooring itself going forward?

Wood flooring is made of wood (duh!). The wood in the hardwood flooring was once a living and breathing tree. During the tree's lifespan, the wood constantly had moisture flowing through it to feed the tree. So, while the term "wood flooring and water don't mix" is accurate, the fact is hardwood flooring still needs some moisture to keep from drying out and remaining viable.

Gapping caused by low humidity levels

If your home is allowed to become too dry, your hardwood flooring will contract (shrink). If the surrounding air remains too dry for an extended period of time, then the wood flooring (and your furniture and pretty much anything in your home made of wood) could start to crack. When you see cracking in a hardwood floor or in your wood furniture it will almost always be from lack of moisture. Just as your skin will start to crack when it's dry so will your hardwood floor. And just as this is bad for your skin it's also bad for your hardwood flooring. Expansion and contraction in your hardwood flooring is fairly normal but cracking is not and really can't be fixed. A cracked board will remain cracked. Replacement is really the only option to get rid of a cracked floor board.

Cupping of hardwood flooring

Now, too much moisture is also bad for wood. Too much moisture can cause the hardwood flooring to expand so much that it can actually cup or buckle. As each individual board making up a hardwood flooring installation absorbs moisture out of the air they will start expanding. Each hardwood flooring job should have adequate expansion gaps around the edge of the room allowing for this normal expansion. Without adequate expansion gaps (and too much moisture in the air) the hardwood flooring will cup (the edges of the boards will raise while the middle stays down). With extreme moisture absorption the flooring will start to buckle.

Cupping caused from too much moisture

So you can see that too much moisture or too little moisture can really damage your hardwood flooring. Just the right amount of moisture is ideal. Keeping your home with a relative humidity level between 35% and 55% will keep the wood flooring from gapping in the dry months and cupping or buckling during the humid months. You can purchase a humidistat from your local hardware store to monitor the health (humidity levels) of your home.

If your home is too dry, you may need to purchase a whole house humidification system that attaches to your furnace (as a matter of fact, if you have hardwood floors in your home you should definitely have a whole house humidification system) or smaller 1 room humidifiers set up in or near the areas that you have wood floors. With a humidistat and some type of humidification system you should be able to keep your home within the required humidity levels for optimal hardwood flooring performance. This will minimize the fooring's expansion and contraction cycles. If you kept your home at a constant humidity level of let's say 41%, you really shouldn't have any floor movement at all (theoretically).

Wood and water don't mix but hardwood and some moisture is critical for a healthy hardwood floor that will last for years and years and years......

Next week we'll talk about the differences between an engineered floor and solid hardwood as it pertains to expansion and contraction. How wider width planks also affect performance when it comes to expansion and contraction. Also, dimensional stability. How it's different between solid hardwood flooring and engineered hardwood flooring and how different species are affected by similar moisture levels......

Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

Flooring Installation.....

Stuff About Flooring Installation...

Well, it seems like the average consumer assumes that all installations are the same. That the installation crew that you get from the big box stores (and you know who you are!!) are of the same quality as you will get from a dedicated flooring company. The consumer feels that the installation you get for $97 for the whole house (or $37 or free for that matter) is of the same exact quality that the mom and pop store will provide. And you can't be farther from the truth!!!

This Baby Loves The Carpet Installation!

While the big box stores will negotiate the price of their labor down to the bare minimum with their installation crews, the mom and pop stores are busy finding the absolute best installation contractors they can and are willing to pay top dollar for them. After all, we know that a botched installation can follow us through non referrals for a long time. We know that the new flooring job is only as good as the installation of that new floor.

We can be the absolute best when it comes to the flooring products we carry, the flooring knowledge we have and the prices we offer but if our installation crew botches the job then we are nothing. Nobody will ever come back to us if we screw up the job at the installation level.

So it is imperative for us smaller flooring companies to have the absolute best, knowledgeable and reliable flooring installers we can find. Trust me, you get what you pay for when it comes to good, honest, capable, reliable and high quality flooring installers. And when you're paying $97 for installation (or less) "THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GETTING"! A $97 installation company!

Good flooring companies will value their installation crews and pay them accordingly. Not so good flooring companies will try to find the cheapest installation crews around and pay them accordingly. Now, who would you rather have installing new flooring in your home?

All flooring installations are NOT the same. Nuff said.......




Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

What's The Best Carpet for a Rental?

So what is the best carpet for a rental?

Well, cheap of course!!!!!  I guess that goes without being said but there are differing reasons for certain types of carpet. This will be based mainly on what type of perspective renters you will have living in your house, condo or apartment.

There are mainly 4 types of renters.

1. Low risk people that will be staying for years (long term renters)
2. Low risk people that will be staying for a short time (short time renters)
3. High risk people that will be staying for a long time (long term renters)
4. High risk people that normally don't stay long at all (short time renters)

Most styles of carpet will not wear out. They will ugly out (mat down, untwisting of the yarns, tip blossom etc) long before they will wear out. And in the case of rentals, most carpet will get stained, ripped or torn long before they wear out. These are general statements that will vary depending on the quality of carpet you have installed and the type of renter you have.

Okay, let's take each scenario one at a time shall we?

1. Low risk long term renter: You can usually spend a little more in this instance because most low risk, long term renters will treat your rental unit like their very own. They know that they are going to stay for a long time and want to live in a nice place so they will normally take very good care of your carpet. In this case what you want is a carpet that has stain protection (accidents still happen!) and can withstand years of wear. So a medium grade/medium priced carpet that is a great value with built in stain protection is the best in this case.

2. Low risk short term renter: These people, even though they won't be staying long, still will take very good care of your carpet. They are inherently clean people that want to live in a nice place! With these folks you will hopefully be able to reuse the carpet after they move out. So you will get more than one use out of your carpet. So again, a medium grade/ medium priced carpet should do the trick. You will get years of use out of your carpet and shouldn't have to change it for a long time.

Rental Unit Carpet Abuse

3. High risk long term renter: Putting in a medium grade/ medium priced carpet in this instance may or may not pan out for you. They make stain, mutilate and otherwise destroy this carpet in a relatively short time and since they are staying for a long time they will want the carpet replaced as a condition for them to stay. You know as well as I do that sometimes renters can be hard to find. A rental sitting empty is just money lost. So you may find yourself replacing carpet long before you should have to. So in this case a low quality/ low priced carpet with great stain resistance is a must (probably a polyester carpet in varying degrees of quality). That way the carpet may ugly out fast but at least it won't be stained. In these instances you can usually avoid having to replace the carpet early.

4. High risk short term renter: This type of renter knows they aren't staying long and don't really care if they mess up the existing carpet. These instances usually call for constant carpet replacements. The carpet doesn't wear out, mat down, ugly out or anything like that but it will usually be abused badly. Stains, rips, tears etc. Since you will never get the wear out of the carpet in this situation, the quality of carpet is irrelevant. Stain protection is still a must but if you buy a polyester carpet or olefin carpet, you can get high stain resistance at a low cost.

So not all rental situations are created equal and each specific instance has different solutions. Carpet is not rocket science but there are sound reasons behind every different scenario. With rentals you want to make money and keeping your floor replacement costs low will help insure this. Going cheap is not always the best way. Matching up the flooring to each different rental scenario will help insure that you make the right choice.

Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com

Solid Wood Treads or Wood Flooring on Stairs?

Solid Wood Treads or Wood Flooring on Stairs?

We are currently working on a large solid hardwood job and we will be replacing the carpet on the steps with hardwood. There are a few ways to do this but the main two ways of turning your stairs into a hardwood staircase is to install solid wood treads or install hardwood flooring on the steps.

What's the best way? It depends on what type of steps you currently have, the overall look desired and the construction of the stair itself.

Oak Treads

The staircase in question is an open ended stairwell where both of the step ends are open and do not have a stringer (the stringer is the side of the stairwell that each individual step ends at. Only enclosed stairwells will have stringers). These steps currently have a railing with spindles that are attached at the edges of the step. In this case, 7 steps have both sides open ended and 7 more steps that butt up to a stringer on one side and are open ended on the other side.

Now normally the best way to turn these carpeted steps into a wood stairway would be to disassemble the hand railing, remove the carpet and install solid wood treads (removing and replacing the current tread is a job for a finish carpenter). Then you would need to sand down, stain and finish the treads with an oil base or water based finish. You can also install a wood riser to be stained or painted depending on your preference.

The second option is used when you are installing a new hardwood floor in other rooms of the house that lead up to the stairs. If you are purchasing a pre-finished hardwood floor and you want the stairs to match, then 1 good option would be to install the pre-finished hardwood flooring on the stairs also.
With enclosed steps this is no big deal. We do it all the time. On an opened ended staircase then the best method becomes more murky.

Hardwood Flooring Installed on Steps

To install pre-finished hardwood flooring on an open ended stair case, you will have to frame each step with a stair nose. Then install the pre-finished hard wood flooring within that frame. You will cut off the overhang on the current tread. Your new stair noses will become the new overhang. Your riser can be covered with the hardwood flooring also or you can install birch plywood to be painted.

This method will insure that your flooring is an exact match with your stairs. Also, not to be overlooked is the importance of the finish itself also matching. With the job we are working on right now, the hardwood flooring finish is Mohawk's Armor Max which is an extremely hard finish with a 50 year finish warranty. Nothing compares to the wearability of this finish. So if we were to put solid hardwood treads on the stairs and sand, stain and finish them with the best on site finishing products available there would be a huge performance difference between the two floorings.

To sum up; the best method for creating a hardwood staircase is probably using solid wood stair treads but in certain circumstances that will not be the case. Color match and finish match are two very important considerations. So in our example, installing a pre-finished hardwood flooring product onto the existing stairs is the better choice.








Jeff Dean
Dover Floor Covering
http://www.doverfloorcovering.com