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Carpet Icon Spotlight: Wetherspoon’s Bespoke Carpets

Although they may divide opinion, there is no denying that these carpets scream the Wetherspoon’s brand.

 Wetherspoon’s aesthetic … The Giddy Bridge, Southampton. Photograph: Adam Smith

Any national and multinational company with physical locations needs a cohesive interior design template. This usually comes in the form of standardised flat pack furniture, vinyl and laminate flooring as well as a pre-defined catalogue of allowed accessories.

UK pub chain Wetherspoon’s does things differently.

Unlike nearly every chain in the UK their carpets are chosen individually to fit in with the style and history of the pub’s location. This is done by the pub chain’s team of five or six in-house interior designers.

Carpet and Flooring

Are all Wetherspoon’s carpets the same?

Even the company themselves are not sure but according to the popular Tumblr page https://wetherspoonscarpets.tumblr.com/, we can assume they are all different!

The Wetherspoon’s Carpets Tumblr page encourages visitors to photograph the carpet in their local Wetherspoon’s to find out once and for all, if there are any Wetherspoon’s that have two carpets of the same kind.

The Tumblr pages publisher Kit Caless, speaking to the Guardian, said: “I read this book by a friend of mine, Will Wiles, The Way Inn; in that novel, the main character visits the same hotel chain everywhere he goes.

”In each hotel, there’s a piece of art outside the lift, and he finally figures out that the art all matches up into one big, massive art piece.

“I was reading that book while I was in a Wetherspoon pub in Canterbury, and I finished it and I just looked down at the carpet and it was really complicated. I wondered whether the carpet matched another Wetherspoon one.

“Then, I got really interested, because, for a corporate chain to not repeat itself is a really rare thing. So, I started looking into it – and it just sort of snowballed.”

Quality Carpets

To get this level of uniqueness and quality is not a cheap option. With each carpet costing anywhere in the region of £20,000 to £30,000 the minimum overall cost of fitting Wetherspoon’s over 900 pubs comes in at a staggering £18 Million. This quickly rises to a conceivable £27 million for the same 900 pubs.

However, there is good reason for this high cost; quality carpet. Each carpet is partly hand made by the renowned UK firm Axminster. According to Wetherspoons head of acquisitions and operations Jon Randall, this is because Wetherspoons carpets have many more colours than the normal five and six commonly found in off the roll “colourful” carpets. This means they have to be produced individually on old-fashioned looms!

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Dumfries Man claims World Record Title in Carpet Fitting

A Dumfries Carpet Fitter has recently beaten the current world record for Carpet fitting to become the title holder!

Robert Chambers (right) is tested by his colleague Chris Jamieson over his world-class skills(Image: Jim McEwan)

Guinness World Records host a wide range of interesting, unique and strange world records including “Widest Mouth”, “Most alternative control methods used to complete Dark Souls” and “Highest Vehicle Mileage”. Robert Chambers has recently claimed the world title in speed carpet fitting!

The thirty three year old was tasked with fitting a 12m² carpet. He manages to complete this in only four minutes and thirty three seconds. This was a massive improvement on the previous record of six minutes and 20 seconds, verified by Guinness World Records officials.

Robert stated carpet fitting at 16 years old when he embarked on an apprenticeship. In a comment after completing his world-record attempt he said: “I didn’t think I’d manage it, but I’m chuffed that I did.”

Robert now works at the family Home and Flooring store in Dumfries run but his wife Paula and his Sister Louise.

He also added: “I love my job, and the best bit about it is meeting different people every day and having a wee bit of banter with the customers.

“I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager and although I’ve always thought I was quick at laying carpet, I didn’t realise I was that quick.

“My attempt had to be witnessed and recorded so it’s taken a bit of time to have it verified.

“Now that it has been, it feels great and I’m looking forward to receiving my certificate from the Guinness World Records to prove I really am the fastest carpet fitter in the world.”

By Jackie Grant

Link to original article: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/dumfries-carpet-fitter-robert-fastest-17475729

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2019: Top 5 Spring Cleaning Tips for Floors

Carpet and Flooring Cleaning

The good weather is finally here!!!

It’s at this time of year that bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned, wardrobes and the garage is reorganised and winter boots are put away.

These winter boots that have been bringing in moisture, mud and dirt all season could have caused MASSIVE damage to your carpet and flooring.

But what should I do to combat floor damage caused during the winter?

Check out our our Top 5 tips for cleaning your floor this spring!!!

This means that regardless of the type of flooring you have or how ingrained that dirt is, your home will spotless in no time!

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood Flooring in a Basement

First,

Sweep up or vacuum away any debris, dirt or small particles. This is incredibly important on Hardwood flooring as you need to avoid scratches.

NEVER use any sort of abrasive cleaning product on a hardwood floor. These will cause scratches and could even gouge our channels in your flooring. This invites moisture into the boards and may cause warping!

If you need something stronger to remove stains and mud, check with the manufacturer of your flooring to find a recommended cleaner.

Alternatively, you can call us to arrange new anti-damage flooring!

Tile Flooring

Tiles are incredibly robust.

Because of this, all they need in most cases is;

The top layer of dirt begins vacuumed or sweeped and,

Warm water applied to remove set debris.

IF, you find this doesn’t work, DON’T be tempted to use a mop as this can often scratch the tile or work dirt deeper into the grout. INSTEAD, use a manufacturer recommended cleaner or give us a call on 0161 746 8844 to see how we can help!

To get three more tips on cleaning vinyl, laminate and carpet flooring, read below

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring can be cleaned by occasional mopping. It is recommended to find a manufacturer’s recommended cleaner to remove dirt built up. A few capfuls of clear, non-sudsy ammonia and water is a safe cleaning solution that you can use when spring cleaning vinyl flooring.

Laminate Flooring

A Wide Variety of Laminate Flooring

When cleaning laminate floors, it’s best to vacuum the floor using the wand attachment. Use a dust mop or damp cloth for general cleaning. It’s important to wipe up wet areas an allow them to properly dry, as laminate flooring can be extra slippery when being cleaned. If winter has left traces of salt on your floor, use a damp cloth to wipe the stain off.

Carpet

White Carpet

Spring is often the best time to shampoo your carpets. It’s important to hire a professional service if you’re unsure of proper carpet cleaning techniques. Vacuuming is also extremely important to help remove dirt and grime that may have become trapped in your carpet’s fibers.

When you’re ready to spring clean your floors, don’t forget you can reach out to Flooring America for any questions regarding recommended cleaning products.

Author: Flooring America

Link to original article: https://www.flooringamerica.com/blog/spring-cleaning-tips-for-hardwood-vinyl-floors

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How £10 Body Shop Cleanser removes red wine and make-up from carpets

Red wine carpet stains are well known as being incredibly difficult-to-remove.

A british mother reveals how she removes these stains using £10 Body Shop cream

Other Facebook users have praised its ability to removing make-up and pens stains

It’s a tough job to remove red wine stains out of carpets and furniture. This isn’t simply a domestic problem. Many professional cleaners struggle to get rid of red wine stains.

The most common solutions include white vinegar, salt and paper towels. However, a british mother has revealed a simple, quick and easy method that lifts and removes red wine marks.

Jo Chadwick in the Facebook Group Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It, said “Removes makeup. Removes wine. I’m sold!”

This domestic secret includes the use of the unlikely Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter.

Although cleaning professionals can’t find a good solution to red wine stains, the Facebook Group ‘Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It’ appears to have found the holy grail!

The Camomile Cleansing Butter, which retails at the Body Shop for £10, is not just a hydrating moisturiser

The Facebook Group includes a number of before and after images that clearly show the cleaning power of the Camomile Cleansing Butter.

The cleaning tip has proven to be incredibly popular with the 76,000 users of the group.

The original post has achieved up nearly 200 likes and comments and many shares and tagged Facebook friends being introduced to the idea.

Jo’s original post describes her initial surprise at discovering this new domestic tip with the words “Removes makeup. Removes wine. I’m sold!”

However, another Facebook user was more concerned with how she actually went about coming up with the idea of using Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter asking: “How did you discover that?”

Following the initial post, a number of others have come out and revealed other uses including removing bronzer and foundation stains as well as fake tan marks from a carpet.

One of the more surprising uses is its ability to lift pen marks from furniture and even reducing hair dye stains from the skin!

READ MORE BELOW ABOUT THIS AMAZING MONEY SAVING CARPET CLEANING TIP!

The product’s description on the Body Shop’s website reads: ‘Cleanse and nourish your skin with our rich cleansing butter.

The post quickly racked up nearly 200 likes and comments, with dozens of people tagging their friends to share the news

‘A luxurious way to remove every last trace of make-up, while purifying, cleansing and refreshing your skin, leaving it soft to the touch. 

‘Suitable for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers. Camomile extract from Norfolk, England Clean and silky-soft feel. Removes all types of make-up’.

The tip comes just a week after an Instagram page dedicated to sharing the best global cleaning hacks went viral with its latest crafty tip.  

Instagram account Blossom, which appears to be based in America and boasts 3.9million followers, shares regular tips showing how you can use simple household products to eliminate stubborn stains and grime.

And its latest addressed a problem most people can relate to – stained lunch box containers.

Racking up almost over 650,000 views in just one day, the video showed the five-step process to transforming your containers to its former glory.

Instagram account Blossom, which appears to be based in America and boasts 3.9million followers, shared a fascinating five-step guide to cleaning stained lunch boxes

The video showed a lunch box which had been left clouded after being washed unsuccessfully in the dishwasher

The cleaning expert started the process by adding a generous scoop of sugar to the container, pictured, to help break down the stains and absorb the grease. She then added a squirt of dish soap over the sugar and let the mix sink into the lunch box, pictured

And in a rather unusual next move, the expert added six ice cubes to the mix and let them melt, which helped take apart the stain

Lastly, a glass of water is added until the concoction bubbles up, before it is left to sit for ten minutes

Author: Bridie Pearson-Jones

Link to original article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6954867/Mum-gets-stubborn-red-wine-stain-grey-carpet-using-10-Body-Shop-butter.html

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The Best Vacuums for Pet Hair.

Any pet owner will understand the constant battle that is dealing with pet hair. I have a long haired cat myself and he is constantly shedding hair all over the house, including on his favorite black dining room chairs that contrast incredibly well with his white fur. Regardless of how thoroughly you vacuum, as soon as you turn around there is a fresh trail of hair flowing in the direction the cat scurried away in.

To remove pet hair from carpet and flooring, you will need a powerful vacuum. However, power alone doesn’t result in a useful vacuum. Many other features, utilities and attributes combine to make some vacuums simply better than others for cleaning up pet hair. Cleaning brushes and rollers are must-haves. You will also benefit from having a lightweight portable device that is easy to operate on carpeted staircases and underneath furniture.

The following vacuum cleaners have all proven themselves to be excellent choices thanks to a combination of these features. This means pet hair on your flooring and furniture will be a thing of the past.

These are some of the best vacuums for pet hair from your carpet and flooring in 2019…

The Best Vacuum Overall: Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright

Amazon

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum has great maneuverability, a tangle-free turbine and tons of power. This makes it brilliant at removing pet hair from carpet.

Dyson claim that the Animal 2 has the strongest suction of any commercial vacuum available. It has a long list of features that makes cleaning easy and fast; something that is a necessity if you are to catch the latest cat or dog hair. The self adjusting cleaner head automatically adapts to the the flooring surface to provide the best suction. This means you will be able to clean fast and efficiently on carpet, wood, laminate and vinyl flooring!

The latest Dyson technology also reduces the chance of tangling the vacuums roller thanks to the new turbine tool. These two heads spin in opposite directions to ensure pet hair is dealt with without damaging your vacuum.

This new Animal 2 is also HEPA certified to be asthma and allergen friendly. This can drastically improve the feel of your home for anyone who is ashmatica or experience allergies to dogs and cats. Since a single button empties the vacuum there is also no need to touch any of the fur or dirt.

Pros: Incredible suction power combined with a maneuverable ball-head design makes this easy to use while the anti-allergen technology delivers brilliant results.

Cons: The power cord doesn’t retract automatically and needs to be wound. This can make it difficult to clean stair carpet.

READ BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LATEST VACUUMS….

The best handheld vacuum for pet hair

Amazon

Why you’ll love it: The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum is lightweight and compact, ideal for common cleanup jobs that come with pet ownership.

Removing pet hair from furniture, pet beds, and stairs can be cumbersome with an upright vacuum. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum offers a convenient solution. This compact and lightweight vacuum cleaner weighs just 5 pounds, and the bagless design makes cleaning simple.

Though this vacuum is small, it doesn’t sacrifice power or functionality. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum comes with two nozzles to ensure top performance. The rubber nozzle attracts pet hair and helps to remove it from upholstery or carpet. For cleaning up small messes like kitty litter or spilled pet food, swap out the rubber nozzle for the suction nozzle to customize the vacuum’s performance.

The 16-foot power cord gives you plenty of reach — convenient for dragging it outside to clean pet hair off car seats — and the canister is easy to empty. With multi-level filtration, this vacuum removes pet hair and dirt from your home without releasing it back into the air. The vacuum comes with a 1-year limited warranty.

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum has a 4.4 out of 5-star Amazon rating based on 6,980 reviews. Bianca Borris loves how this vacuum handles cleaning up after her cats: “I have three cats that shed terribly. They also love to track litter all over the place. This vacuum makes quick work of all my litter issues. No suction problems at all. It even sucks out the litter deep in the cracks between boards on the floor like it’s nothing. The best part though is the rubber hair nozzle. It gets all the hair off of furniture, the bed, the fabric shower curtain, rugs, clothes, everything!”

Chad & Jessica Kretschmer use this vacuum to clean pet hair off of a couch: “I have a long-haired terrier, and her hair is on everything. I was looking for a vacuum for our furniture. This product works wonders on our recliner and our microfiber couch.”

Pros: Compact and lightweight, two nozzles for various types of cleaning

Cons: Corded, filter must be periodically replaced

The best high-end vacuum for pet hair

Miele

Why you’ll love it: Quiet, powerful, and designed to last for years, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum is a top-of-the-line option for homes with pets.

The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum is a German-made vacuum designed to offer top-quality performance and functionality. The canister is lightweight and easy to maneuver, and although the vacuum is plenty powerful, the motor is quiet — particularly ideal if you have pets who are nervous about vacuum cleaners.

A 36-foot cord gives you plenty of reach without having to move from outlet to outlet, and the adjustable wand height ensures you won’t have to strain your back while vacuuming. Best of all, Miele engineered and tested this vacuum to last an average of 20 years.

This vacuum comes with an Electro Plus Electrobrush dusting brush, upholstery tool, and crevice nozzle, as well as a mini turbo brush that is designed to remove pet hair from furniture. You can operate the motor’s six-speed settings with a push of the foot-operated controls, and the five-level height adjustment on the Electrobrush allows you to customize the height as you move across different flooring surfaces.

This vacuum is also equipped with technology to deal with bad smells. The AirClean filter includes a charcoal cassette that neutralizes odors, so your vacuum doesn’t develop that musty dog scent. The AirClean filtration system captures over 99.9% of particles, ensuring the air that’s released back into your home is free of dust and pet hair.

If you’re looking for a vacuum that’s effective and easy to use, the Miele C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum may be right for you — provided you can afford its premium price. The streamlined design and flexibility of the entire unit eliminate much of the cumbersome usage that’s so common in other vacuums.

The foot-switch controls allow for uninterrupted operation without requiring you to stop and bend down to make adjustments. Additionally, the Parquet Twister offers 180-degree rotation for agile cleaning in tight crevices, underneath furniture, and in other spaces that are often difficult to access.

You can see how easy it is to maneuver this vacuum in this video.

The Miele C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum has a 4.3 out of 5-star Amazon rating based off of 198 reviews. Max S. wrote a highly positive, detailed review of this vacuum: “It is nowhere near as loud as other vacuums. The Electro Plus brush is a bit louder when it is switched on, but it is nice that you can turn it off at the handle quickly. I love how I can use my foot to easily remove the Electro Plus brush-head and quickly move to using the hose.”

Chris also appreciated this vacuum’s performance: “Heavy-duty and quality product. The air in my home smells and looks cleaner when I am done vacuuming. I finally switched to a canister vac after going through so many uprights over the years … The Miele is quiet, powerful, and gets around and under furniture …”

Pros: Designed to hold up for up to 20 years, quiet pet-friendly operation, powerful suction, adjustable features, foot-controlled speed settings

Cons: High price point

Author: Paige Cerulli

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/best-pet-vacuum?r=US&IR=T

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What is Vinyl Flooring?

Vinyl flooring is waterproof flooring that comes in large and continuous sheets, mostly suitable for bathroom and kitchens floors. The key benefit of vinyl flooring is that it is permeable to water, making it a popular water resistant material for whatever use; from bathroom to kitchen to as far as exercise spaces. Vinyl floor tiles are a similar product in but the form of stiff tiles which, when placed together, offer an attractive patterned effect. Vinyl flooring is often confused with linoleum; or ‘lino’ because of its appearance. However, both are significantly different to each other in terms of composition as vinyl is synthetic made up of many chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) whilst lino is made up of natural components such as linseed oil.

  How to Install Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is installed by using a 100-lb roller and heat to weld the seams which usually requires help from a professional. There are also self-adhesive vinyl sheets that allow you to do it yourself through peel-and-stick features. As vinyl is more flexible than linoleum, is can be cut using a knife or sheers, making it easier to fit. It is also easy to maintain and requires no special care other than keeping it clean with a standard mopping routine.

  What Vinyl Flooring is made from?

Vinyl flooring is made up of three basic material layers; homogeneous, inlaid, and layered composite. The first manufacturing step entails making the backing sheet. Today, this material is usually fiberglass. In the past, this was felt or paper, before the 1980’s, it was asbestos. The sheet is then printed and embossed with a unique design which is then coated to form a protected layer- usually polyurethane.

  When Vinyl Flooring became popular

Vinyl flooring was invented in the 1930’s after years following WW2. Twenty years later, it became a major competitor in the water resistant flooring industry. Eventually it surpassed the biggest leader in the market; linoleum, which at the time, was the best and most popular low-cost water-resistant flooring of choice.

    What Vinyl Flooring is most suitable for?

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Bathrooms, Kitchens, Wet rooms; anywhere that needs protection against water or moisture. Vinyl Flooring can often give the impression of a sprung performance floor because of the closed-cell foam backing. This also makes it a suitable choice for sport and dance flooring. Even more so, it can be used as a portable type of flooring which can be used for both indoor and outdoor locations with the right measurements.

  Advantages of Vinyl Flooring

Water Resistance: Vinyl flooring is impermeable to water penetration, making it a perfect choice for high moisture spaces such as a bathroom, laundry, or kitchen locations.

Low Maintenance:  Vinyl Flooring requires very little maintenance. To do this, all you need is a clean cloth and cleaning products, or by applying a damp mop and using vinyl cleaner to remain any dirt. Vinyl flooring is the perfect flooring, particularly for cleaning after children.

Inexpensive: Vinyl flooring is low-cost. The price is determined by the quality of the material and the choice of design illustrated on the outer-layer; all depending on specific needs.

Durability: Vinyl is long-lasting. If maintained properly, vinyl flooring can last up to between ten to twenty years. However, a few factors can affect this; printed vinyl is durable as along as the outer-layer is not damaged. Fiber-glass is highly durable and is often used as a protective layer to resist damage; from normal wear and tear to water or general liquids. Damaged tiles are usually easily replaceable and are important in any case to avoid further damage of any surrounding tiles.

Easy Installation Vinyl Flooring is easy to install. It is possible to do yourself, although it is essential that the level subfloor is completely dry, so it may be useful to hire a professional to do it for you.

Stain Resistant The clear wear layer on the surface of vinyl flooring acts as a barrier against dirt, stains and spills, making it long-lasting and easy to maintain.

  If you are looking for some new Vinyl Flooring in Manchester for your home or business, get in touch on 0161 504 7562.

  Author: Charlotte H. Lawrence

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UK Carpets are increasingly being recycled report suggests.

In 2018, 175,252 tonnes of worn-out or unused carpet waste was diverted from landfill sites, according to Carpet Recycling UK. This is a modest increase in the amount of carpet that is recycled, reused or recovered for energy in the UK.

Carpets Environmental Effects

Although completely biodegradable carpets are available, they are incredibly expensive and difficult to source in the UK.

Most carpets are synthetic. Composed of Polyester, Nylon or even Acrylic, these petroleum-based plastic materials are based on crude oil and are therefore not sustainable. Additionally, these synthetic fibres are woven onto carpet backing that is usually made from polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Latex or 4-phenylcylclohexene. These are also crude oil-based products. All of this oil is therefore incredibly hard to manage as recycling it requires careful management of the emissions that are created in the recycling process.

However, many of these plastic-based carpets are treated with dyes and chemicals that are designed to repel stains, mildew and reduce the risk of fires. Although this increases the lifetime of your carpet which, in some cases, can be more environmentally friendly, when trying to recycle a carpet, they can cause problems because added chemical emissions.

However, recycling is required for these plastic-based carpets because they last an incredibly long time in a landfill.

How is UK Carpet being Recycled?

Last year 175,252 tonnes of waste carpet was diverted from its final landfill destination to a multitude of recycling facilities up and down the UK. These figures show a diversion rate of 44%. Although this is only an increase of 2% from the previous year, this increased recycling of 7,252 tonnes of carpet will go a long way towards improving the environment in the UK and beyond.

Of the 175,252 tonnes of carpet recycled, 113,914 tonnes were used in energy recovery to utilise the materials again. This figure is 65% of the total UK carpet recycling.

Read more to find out how Carpet is being responsibly recycled

Commenting on their 2018 achievements, CRUK Scheme Manager Adnan Zeb-Khan said: “Our Core Funder manufacturing and distribution membership continues to grow, providing exceptional support to CRUK as well as to their customers. These Core Funders are industry leaders in developing voluntary producer responsibility for carpets throughout their lifecycle.”

CRUK Scheme Manager Adnan Zeb-Khan – “Our Core Funder manufacturing and distribution membership continues to grow, providing exceptional support to CRUK as well as to their customers. These Core Funders are industry leaders in developing voluntary producer responsibility for carpets throughout their lifecycle.”

CRUK’s core funders are Cormar Carpets, Lifestyle Floors/Headlam, Brinton Carpets, DESSO, ege, Milliken and Balsan.

Adnan noted that CRUK’s retailer and flooring contractor membership has increased as more companies recognise cost savings and sustainability impacts for their businesses. “They appreciate the help from our Core Funders to improve their results, in many cases saving thousands of pounds per year,” he continued.

Consistent awareness and interest in recycling carpet waste resulted in around 620 wide-ranging enquiries received by the CRUK team in 2018. CRUK’s social media presence continues to attract enquiries and generate leads from retailers, contractors and recyclers.

Last year’s fifth annual Carpet Recycling Awards celebrated innovations developed by specialist carpet reuse and recycling members across a wide range of categories, including recovering value from carpet manufacturers’ and distributors’ waste to create new flooring products.

Commenting on their 2018 achievements, Adnan added: “We are making progress towards our target of 60% landfill diversion by 2020 and are proud of what we have achieved in our first decade. With strong commitment and support from all our Core Funders, members and the supply chain, we will continue to work tirelessly towards our sustainability goals.”

Looking ahead, Carpet Recycling UK will focus on increasing support from membership across the flooring sector as the 2020 target approaches – equivalent to 240,000 tonnes landfill diversion of carpet waste. The organisation will also promote increased recycled content in textile flooring and ‘circular production’ practices.

  Author: Darrel Moore

Sources: http://bit.ly/2HxjWte

“Modest” Increase In UK’s Landfill Diversion Of Carpet Waste

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What is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring has been around since the late 1970s where it was invented by the Perstorp company in Sweden. Although Pergo is now the most widely known manufacturer of laminate flooring, it is so widely accepted as a reliable and quality flooring option that many manufacturers now make laminate flooring. Despite the popularity of Laminate flooring, many people don’t really know what it is made of! We run through how laminate flooring is made and the benefits of installing laminate over other flooring options.

Laminate floorboards are made of four layers which each serve their own distinct purpose.

A backing layer (often known as the “stabilizing” layer) is the layer that is in direct contact with your floor surface. Although laminate is not waterproof in itself (we discuss this later in the post), the backing layer increases the moisture resistance and can, therefore, improve the lifetime of your flooring by reducing the chance of warping. This layer can also come with an additional underlayment which adds a form of padding to your laminate flooring.

The inner core/core board is the thickest layer in a laminate board. This is typically made of compressed wood HDF (High-Density Fiberboard). This layer is designed to stabilise the board to ensure it keeps flat. The higher the density of the HDF, the higher quality laminate flooring. This is because moisture finds it more difficult to penetrate the laminate layers and warp the flooring. High-quality laminate flooring can, therefore, save you money in the long run as it will not require replacing as frequently.

Print layers (sometimes called design layers) allow laminate flooring to look however you want. High Definition printers are used to create incredibly realistic and stylish designs. This can be done to emulate the look of wood, metal, stone or any other flooring type you can think of!

Finally, the wear layer is placed on top of the print layer. This protective coating of several melamine layers adheres to the HDF under high pressure and temperature conditions. It ensures that your Laminate flooring is resistant to wear and tear from everyday life. The higher the quality laminate flooring, the thicker this layer will be. Wear layers also have another purpose as, when it is “registered-embossed” it adds a texture to the flooring that matches the design of the print layer underneath. This can make laminate flooring incredibly realistic!

Pros and Cons

Laminate flooring is one of our most popular flooring options at Urmston Carpet Warehouse. It is incredibly durable and can withstand a wide range of physical bumps and scratches thanks to the specialist design of the wear layer. This makes it the perfect flooring for any room that sees a large amount of foot traffic. Although many people prefer carpet, modern laminate often includes a padding layer underneath the backing layer which can make you flooring far softer. This is perfect for rooms with children.

Laminate flooring is also incredibly easy to install. Unlike carpet, you can achieve relatively good results without professional installation (although we always recommend professional installation for an item such as laminate flooring which will be a central part of the home for years!) Modern snap connection shape laminate flooring does not require adhesives to install the flooring which means that it can be simply placed on top of your existing floor surface. This is in stark contrast to hardwood flooring which is incredibly difficult to install.

Finally, the price is laminate flooring is incredibly low when compared to other flooring options such as vinyl flooring, carpet and hardwood. You can check out our latest laminate flooring deals here.

However, Laminate flooring does not particularly like being exposed to water. Cheap laminate will warp when exposed to water as the HDF itself is displaced by water. While good quality laminate is incredibly wearing, we still recommend other flooring options like vinyl for a kitchen.

  How to keep your laminate flooring clean.

Considering laminate flooring does not like water, how do you clean laminate flooring? It is incredibly important that laminate flooring is kept clean as dust, sand and dirt can scratch the surface over time in areas of high foot-traffic.

Water spills themselves are not a real problem for laminate flooring as long as they are cleaned up quickly. If not, water has the opportunity to work its way into the flooring and distort it. To mitigate scratches you can use felt pads on furniture. This can stop any big scratches and dents that are caused by heavy furniture.

If you are using glueless laminate flooring, the boards can separate. This can allow water to enter your laminate boards. Therefore, tapping the planks back into place using a suitable tool is important. This also has the additional benefit of stopping dirt from making your boards ill-fitting. If you are using a quality glueless laminate flooring, the joining mechanism will be more robust and will hold the planks together under constant tension. This will stop dirt from entering through the gaps and therefore a quality laminate flooring will not require constant attention.

  What types of flooring are commonly used

At Urmston Carpets Warehouse we have a wide range of flooring options including Carpet, Laminates and Vinyl flooring. If you are looking for a professional flooring warehouse and installer in Manchester, click here to have a look through our wide range of flooring.

  Sources:

Youtube: youtu.be/sxktWGRkO7w

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a10fW_ri9RM&ab_channel=FlooringInc

http://bit.ly/2TLZKVR

http://bit.ly/1qKCGr1

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Amazing! flower power carpets at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu festival

The show that drew hundreds of thousands of visitors! The Yanbu Festival

Every year, Yanbu creates the largest flower carpet in the world and is a horticulturist dream. It stretches to a staggering 10712.75 Square Metres big. The 12th annual show has just got bigger and better each year and visitors  have expressed how extremely well organised and managed the show is.

It’s purpose… to not only make people environmentally aware of all the variety plants of flowers there are, but to also raise awareness of how fragile our world has become.  Not only was the Yanbu Festival a huge success but it showed nature at its most beautiful.

The festival aims to allow people to be environmentally aware of different plants and flowers and how to grow them. (AN photo)

  MADINAH: More than a million visitors are expected to attend the 24-day Yanbu Flower and Garden Festival, which opened on Thursday, and view the largest flower carpet in the world.

Already, in the first three days since opening, there have been 110,000 visitors to the largest flower festival in the Kingdom on the Red Sea coast.

Saleh Al-Zahrani, director of the Operation and Maintenance Department at the Royal Commission for Yanbu, said this year a flower tapestry using thousands of different colored blooms have been used to represent hills, which spread over 45,000 square meters.

Al-Zahrani said that Saudi Arabia regained world record for the largest carpet of flowers. “Reclaiming its title from 2014, the carpet of flowers spreads over an area of 16,300 square meters. Entering the Guinness Book of Records further motivated us to move forward so as to be recognized on the world scene of flower festivals,” he added.

In addition to providing beautiful displays, the festival, organized by the Royal Commission for Yanbu, aims to allow people to be environmentally aware of different plants and flowers and how to grow them.

Twenty-six artists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Georgia, and France will be taking part in the competition to paint a picture of the Saudi team’s participation in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

    Oringianl Articlle

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1260786/saudi-arabia

Author

YOUSUF MOHAMMED

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Interior Design Trends for Flooring in Autumn Winter 2018

Trends in Interior Design, Carpets and Flooring are constantly changing. Here are the big themes for this season.

Bold deep colours, block tones and big floral patterns are expected to be the biggest thing in carpets and flooring this autumn. In this latest post we cover some of the main trends in interior flooring this winter.

JET BLACK/WHITE CONTRAST

This monochrome trend is grounded in dark black accessories to contrast with the room temperature. To balance out this look, white and cream painted walls should be contrasted with light wood or cement-effect laminate and vinyl flooring.

  BRIGHT SHAPES

This happy trend is grounded in bright blocks of colours with bold shapes. These shapes can be in stripes, spots, blocks and geometric patterns. Flooring such as vinyl and laminate tile effects and medium-tone wood work well with this trend to highlight the room and accessory colours.

3.TRUE BLUE

Navy Blue is the colour this season. The is gently deep colour is perfect for winter months and creates a calmness in the summer. Here, it has been mixed with gold wallpaper to create an effect that highlights the navy background colour. Pair this room style with dark wood vinyl flooring to give your room a popping effect that will not only work incredible in the winter but will still create a dynamic effect in the spring and summer months.

  Read more below

ARTISAN FOLK

ANTHROPOLOGIE

  With all of us spending more and more time on social media, there’s a move towards more conscious and folk-inspired handcrafted homewares. Having pieces that feel great will be key; tufted rugs, decorative quilts and rattan lampshades, as shown here, will all be popular. There’s a need for textures that create interest visually whilst retaining a cosy feel to help us through those darker months.

  SCANDI GOES VINTAGE

SAINSBURY’S HOME

  Think Scandi combined with nostalgic designs from Sainsbury’s packaging archives and this is the eye-catching result, as Andrew Tanner, design manager at Sainsbury’s Home explainsL ‘This new dining range evokes 1950’s nostalgia with a modern Scandinavian edge, and embodies the excitement and post-war boom of the era. Updated with a yellow and deep aqua blue colour palette, this collection is a must-have to bring a vibrant pop of colour to the dining table, designed to be mixed and matched for informal, vintage style.’ Team it with pale blond wood furniture so the design sings out and keep the styling simple.

  Author: Sophie Warren-Smith

Link: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/decorate/looks/a2253/autumn-winter-home-interior-design-trends/

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How to Choose the Best Basement Flooring

New Flooring for your basement can revitalise not only the room, but also the whole house.  

The basement is an incredibly diverse room in your house. It can act as an extra bedroom, a useful storage space, a new office for your home business or you can even a chill-out room and home cinema! To bring out the best in all of these possibilities, the choice of home flooring is critical.

Planning your Basement Layout

If you are using your basement mainly fort storage and not as an additional bedroom you will need to make the decision between hard flooring like Vinyl and Laminate that will be incredibly hard wearing and easy to clean, but can be damaged by heavy items being stored. Alternatively you can use carpets to allow you to store heavier items with less wear-and tear

Use your imagination when deciding on flooring! To bring something new to your room consider painting with added patterns using masking tape. Ultimately, if you don’t like the results, you can just repaint.

New Bedroom?

For many, the basement is a perfect place to expand living space because it is often an incredibly large and underutilised room in the house.

If this room is for children, you will need a soft but durable floor. Although carpet is often not recommended for basements because of the risk of high moisture and floods, propper waterproofing should protect the basement, provide additional cushioning for the room and help keep the basement warmer.

If you are intending on making a family room or entertainment room, hardwood floors, vinyl and laminate can often make a room feel more welcoming and are easier to manage in a basement.

Sub Floors

Basements often include a sub-floor layer to increase the insulation in the room. However, this does not protect your basement from moisture and flooding and extended exposure can result in dangerous wood rot to your flooring and subfloor.

Read more below to get more information on how to waterproof your basement flooring…

Waterproofing the Basement

Regardless of whichever basement flooring you choose, waterproofing your basement prior to installation will protect your floor, home and belongings.  If you have noticed repeated moisture problems, or have had a leak or flood, it is best to consult a basement waterproofing professional. A professional will give you a recommendation for the best waterproofing method for your situation.

Author: Terrisak

Original article: https://flooringguide.com/diy/choosing-the-perfect-basement-flooring/

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Benefits of Laminate Flooring

If you are looking for new flooring for your home/business. Here is our top guide to the benefits and disadvantages of laminate flooring. First step in deciding on a rooms interior design is working out the best type of flooring to go for. Although options include hardwood, carpet, vinyl and laminate, if you are looking for the most versatile flooring, check out laminate flooring.

Cost Because laminate flooring is comprised of compressed wood fibres, it is far cheaper than many other materials. This is complemented by the common ‘interlocking system’ that laminate flooring uses that removes any additional costs for adhesives. This means you can get high quality laminate floors to fit any budget.

Appearance Because Laminate flooring is ‘laminated’ the range of possibilities are only limited by the printer used to create the vinyl wrap! Because there are so many types of floors, it makes it easy to find a style to fit with your style, room and home. These can range from emulated tiles to laminates with naturally occurring wood patterns.

Maintenance Laminate flooring is easy to maintain because of the protective layer that stops dirt being ingrained in the wood. If dirt is brought into your home, a quick sweep will be all that is needed to clean! Additionally, any liquid spilled can be easily cleaned with warm water and mild soap. This means you are not exposed to possible allergens in carpets that create a place for dust to hide and the general health of yourself and your family can be protected.

Easy Installation The grooves cut into laminate flooring means that no adhesive is required for installation, and it can be done quickly! Laminate flooring is quite simply one of the easiest types of flooring to install.

Durability Laminate flooring is incredibly durable and hardwearing. It is impact, pressure, shock and pressure resistant. Additionally, depending on the type of lamination and the quality of the panels, scratch and abrasion resistance can make it incredibly difficult to damage your flooring.

Read more below about the benefits of laminate flooring

Won’t Fade Laminate flooring has a UV protective coating. If the sun shines into the home all day, you do not need to worry about the floors fading out over time. This will keep your floors looking bright and vivid for years.

Long Lasting The average life span of laminate floors is between 15 and 20 years in high traffic areas. If you have this type of flooring installed in a room without a great deal of traffic, the life span can double. There are several other flooring materials, for example carpet, which would need to be replaced after 7 to 10 years.

Flame Resistant Laminate floors are flame resistant. This makes them much safer in case of a fire. If the fire cannot travel across the floor, it can take a great deal more time to spread. The flooring in your home can change its entire look, therefore, it is important to choose the best material. Laminate flooring will look great for years with very little maintenance.

Safety Tips Always try to use external storages to keep household items safe during the renovation. Because there are chances to get the things damages. To build a storage place immediately is sometimes costly and time-consuming. So, you can hire storage unit like storage units Mesa to store the items quickly.

Author: Claire Robinson Link to the original article: https://ift.tt/2QmICEd

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Providing you with the best deals on Carpet. Laminates and Vinyls in Manchester! https://goo.gl/Hku271 :)

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Carpet Cleaning Myths You Didn’t Know About.

There are loads of myths around how to get the most pristine carpets. Here, we go over some of these myths and tell you how to make sure your carpet looks it’s best.

  Carpet Cleaning techniques range widely. However, modern techniques that have been used have resulted in the exacerbation of many new carpet cleaning myths. Some of these have resulted in people not trusting professional carpet cleaning and even not trusting the genuine quality carpets that you can get for the home.

Dirty Carpets are not only full of impurities but because of the dust and grime, allows germs to grow. These dirty carpets can pollute the air in your room and can be attributed to many diseases. In order to mitigate this, proper cleaning for your carpets is necessary.

Myth 1: You shouldn’t vacuum carpets too much

Some people believe that when a vacuum cleaner is run over a carpet that portions of the carpet fabric is being pulled away, destroying your carpet in the process. However, the motor in a vacuum is not powerful enough to do any major damage to your carpet and in fact, vacuuming a carpet up to four times per week for many years will not result in major degradation. As most carpets are only vacuumed four times per month, you are incredibly unlikely to do any major damage to your carpets by vacuuming.

Myth 2: Professional Cleaning Causes Carpets to Shrink

Old Style carpets made from natural materials are incredibly rare now. Most modern carpets are instead made of nylon which is woven to a synthetic base. Because synthetic fibres do not shrink when exposed to heat, there is no chance that your modern carpet will shrink due to hot water carpet cleaning or that your colours will be damaged by the hot water steaming or extraction. However, if you have a wool or silk carpet, hiring professionals to clean is still the best option because they will know the correct technique to use to mitigate colour and size loss in your carpet.

Read more about the correct carpet cleaning techniques

Cleaning A Carpet is a Messy Affair

You may notice that your carpet gets dirtier as you clean it. What you may not know is that this is because of ‘dirty’ cleaning. If your carpet does not get cleaned properly and remains of cleaning chemicals are left in it, then it is bound to attract more dust and grime than it was doing earlier.

Therefore, it is important that the carpet is cleaned properly, and remains of chemicals totally removed. If this is done, your carpet will not pick up any more dirt than it was doing earlier. In fact, getting a Scotchgard coating will ensure that it remains neat and clean for a long time to come. The trick here is to hire a good professional carpet cleaning company that knows its job instead of trying to do it yourself or hiring incompetent, cheap cleaners.

No matter what you do, it may still be difficult to get your carpet as clean as a professional. However, if you want to maintain your carpets yourself, here are some tips.

Heat Helps

Hot water extraction or steam cleaning is far more effective than dry cleaning. If you’re going to clean your own carpets, be sure to use heat.

There are three related factors at work when you clean carpet: heat, dwell time, and agitation. All of these factors work together to leave your carpet spotless. If you can’t your cleaning solution hot enough, let it dwell longer in the carpet and scrub harder.

The Best Carpet Cleaning Tips

Detergent attracts dirt. Therefore, it’s important to rinse out any cleaning solution thoroughly. This is another reason why hot water extraction gets carpet cleaner than the dry methods. The bottom line is that you need to rinse well when you clean carpet.

One way to clean stains is with the use of a shop-vac. It’s not possible to just remove the stain with a shop-vac, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck out the solution each time. This is a more effective method than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won’t have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times using paper towels or cloth.

Another carpet cleaning trick is by putting rugs outside and inside the front door -they can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. This isn’t just about less vacuuming, though. Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. The damaged carpet stains more easily then, and it’s harder to remove the stains. An even better practice is to take off your shoes in the house.

Ready to clean? Be sure to vacuum first. Then, if you use one of those portable machines, try and get the water as hot as you can. Dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. By maintaining your carpet and using these tips, you can lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings

Author: Terris AK Schneider

Link to original article: https://flooringguide.com/types/carpet/myths-about-carpet-cleaning/

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Living Room Décor and Flooring Trends

This article tells about the latest trends for living room décor and flooring

A living room, sometimes also termed as ‘lounge room’, is actually a room for relaxing and socializing. The living room is actually the heart of every home. It is a place where you can gather around with family and friends and you can also relax along with your fellows after a tiresome day. The living room should be comfortable and appealing; it should also be spacious enough to accommodate a few people, it should give you a certain sense of warmth, peace and happiness by just glancing toward it and it should also have a welcoming floor or carpet to compliment the room. However, getting the perfect look for your living room is a fairly difficult task.

As explained above, the living room needs to be the perfect place for sitting, relaxing and enjoying; so it is really tough to select the style of the living room which really sets the tone and gives a great feeling to the onlookers. Everything in the living room, from the  type of wall and flooring such as carpets, laminated flooring or a vinyl floor need to be carefully picked and selected in order to make it a great place to sit and enjoy with friends and family.

Since the selection of different things and picking the style for your living room is difficult, it is very helpful to take a look at the different designs and styles that are trending currently. This article provides some of the latest and best trends for the current year and will definitely help a lot if you are trying to remodel or change your living room.

Read the complete article to learn more about the current trends in living room for this year!

Paint colours

Grey may still be the neutral of choice for many rooms, but we’re feeling braver with colour choices in the living room this year.  Moody interiors are more popular than ever, with brooding violet, navy and striking emerald green all key colours for 2018.

‘Neutrals in the living room have taken a back seat to the injection of colour,’ says Crown’s colour consultant Judy Smith. ‘Now, more so than ever, the use of multiple shades at a time is becoming increasingly mainstream. Clashing shades can be used on the walls and bought together cleverly via furnishings and accessories.’

Velvet sofas

When it comes to living room furniture, both fabric and colour choices are becoming bolder. Velvet has been on the radar for a few years, but it’s 2018 that sees it really shine. This luxurious fabric oozes a warming quality, especially on sofas – it has that tactile appeal that instantly draws you in. Velvet as an upholstery fabric makes you want to touch it and melt into its softness.

‘We’ve seen a 150 per cent increase in velvet sofa sales in the last year,’ reveals Kate Butler, head of product design for Habitat. ‘There’s a big trend at the moment for colours such as emerald green, orange and purple. These now account for over half of these velvet sales, so people are definitely being braver and bolder in the living room.’

The return of TV units

The fad of giant plasma TVs mounted to walls is finally going out of style (and can we just say thank goodness!). We’re happy to wave goodbye to the days of ruining walls with giant unattractive screens. Wall-mounted televisions are good news from a space-saving point of view, but not great for style credentials or practicality – you can’t rearrange furniture as freely if the TV is secured in place. The TV unit has made a glorious comeback, this year more than ever. In 2018, our walls are free to decorate with art work and glorious bold colours.

Author: Tamara Kelly

Link to the original article:

http://www.idealhome.co.uk/living-room/living-room-ideas/living-room-decor-trends-196767

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How to Clean Laminate Floors with Dogs in Your Home

This is a guide to help you clean your laminate flooring if you have dogs in the home

Pets are really lovable creatures and they give a certain life, energy and beauty to your home. However as lovely as they are, they can also cause some issues. The primary issue with pets is that they damage the flooring. Dogs, specifically, can scratch the flooring. If the dog is heavy and has long nails, then it can cause a lot of damage to the floor. Good laminate flooring is durable and can sustain some damage as well. However, even with the robustness and durability, sometimes, scratches can happen. In order to handle such cases, you must have a laminate floor repair kit as well.

If your laminate flooring is glossy, you need to clean it frequently, using a microfiber dust mop, along with warm water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Highly glossy laminate flooring often shows prints and the chances increase if you have a dog or pet in house. If the prints and mud is wet, you should try to clean it up as quickly as possible, in order to protect your flooring. If the mud is dry, then you can simply sweep the floor or vacuum it. A word of caution, however, is that don’t use steam cleaners or wet jets. Such types of cleaners add moisture to the flooring, which can be damaging to it in the long run.

Read the complete article to learn more about cleaning laminate floors with pets in the house!

How to protect your floor from other dog messes

Tropical moisture is an enemy of any floating-floor system, especially if it isn’t mopped up quickly because it can seep into the seams of the laminate planks. Some solutions for you to consider:

Place a tray with an absorbent mat under your dog’s water bowl to collect any water drops, dribbles and drippings.

Encourage your sweating dog to cool down on a mat rather than on the laminate floor (possibly easier said than done).

Add a continuous bead of PVA Type II glue to the edges of any laminate planks likely to be exposed to moisture. Glue will keep any fluids from getting in between the planks.

If you have a dog and you’re replacing carpet with laminate floor, consider a few extra steps to help your dog transition to your home’s new improved floor covering:

Cut out and save a piece of carpet that has an area where your dog may have dispensed topical moisture. Check the carpet and pad for stain or dampness. Put this piece of carpet in a large plastic container, cutting the sides of the container down to the height of the carpet. Because all animals are scent-driven, this will create a scent-baited comfort station. Place this scent comfort station on a vinyl floor or near an exit door.

Prepare the subfloor where you dog previously had an accident so that you don’t have the same situation happening again with your new laminate floor.

Read the complete article by visiting the following link:

https://swisskronousa.com/maintenance/cleaning-laminate-floors-in-houses-with-dogs/

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Carpet, Vinyl or Laminate Flooring, What is the Best Floor for Your Family?

These options may be the best for you if you have a family

If you are giving a thought to redo your floors, there can sometimes be a lot of confusion on what to choose. Should you choose a cheap high quality carpet or a stylish vinyl floor? On the top of that, if you have children in the family, the confusion gets worse, since you have to consider the safety of your family as the top priority. The choices you have to make will also narrow down your options even further.

The problem however is that, your new laminate flooring will get a lot of scratches from the plastic wheels, toys and dragging of various items across the floor. You may consider waiting for your children to grow up so that you may not face such problems. If, however, waiting is not an option for you, you can take a look at different options in the market. There are many types of carpet, laminate and vinyl flooring available in the market that are strong, robust and can sustain all the damage inflicted by children.

Since the safety of your family is of the utmost importance, you must realize that some flooring may emit harmful fumes as well, which may be dangerous to your family, especially children. In that case, floating flooring may be installed; which doesn’t require any glue or fastener and is devoid of hazardous fumes.

Selecting the best flooring for your family can be a difficult task. Read the complete article to make it easier!

Flooring types for families

Our latest tests of flooring products found some wood and bamboo winners, including an oak flooring that fended off the effects of foot traffic nearly as well as the best vinyls and laminates. But we also found that some bamboo, cork, and other “green” products can be far less robust than others.

However, our tests that simulated exposure to scuffs, scratches, sunlight, dents, and spills also confirm that most woods and even some vinyl and laminate floors can wilt under life’s daily grind.

Knowing how rough you’ll be can help when choosing. If you’re putting down flooring in a dining room that you rarely use, you can consider the top engineered wood or bamboo in our Ratings. Both engineered products offer the beauty of natural veneer along with easy installation. But if you have a busy family and you’re re-flooring a high-traffic area—think dragged and dropped toys and food, high chairs, and spilled drinks—you’ll want durability as well as looks. The best solid wood, laminate, and vinyl in our Ratings were also best in our simulated foot-traffic tests.

Flooring and children’s health

  Here are some health issues to consider before you shop for flooring, especially if you have kids:

Vinyl floors bearing the flooring industry’s FloorScore certification emit relatively low levels of volatile organic compounds. (All the flooring models we recommend in our Ratings have this certification.) VOCs are linked to respiratory illnesses and can cause headaches and dizziness.

Despite the versatility and durability of vinyl, some groups, including the nonprofit Center for Health, Environment & Justice, advise against buying any vinyl flooring, particularly for homes with small children, citing vinyl’s lead and phthalate risks.

The complete article can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/got-kids-find-the-best-flooring-for-your-family/index.htm

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