The Floor Geek

Unlike solid wood flooring, which is fairly self-explanatory as to what it is, engineered wood floors aren’t quite as simple. Rather than being just a single solid piece of hardwood, layers of hardwood veneer (usually 3 to 7 layers) are used to create engineered hardwood.

To make the product, the veneer layers, which are comprised of a thicker hardwood layer on top and an inner core (usually a hardwood and/or a soft plywood material) are stacked, with the grain of adjacent layers arranged perpendicular to one another. Crossing the grains helps to protect engineered hardwood from much of the effects of moisture and temperature change due to the fact that wood expands and contracts in the direction of the grain. This gives engineered hardwood “dimensional stability. The layers are glued together, cut to a specific width, and they are manufactured to have grooves or a tongue on the edges for installation. A stain and finish is then added to the product if necessary.

Unlike solid hardwood, the dimensional stability allows engineered hardwood to be glued directly to concrete above or below grade. These floors generally have a lifespan of 30-40 years and are not too difficult to install yourself. Manufacturers such as Bruce, Timberland, Mannington, Mohawk and many others produce great engineered floors that can be yours at a tremendous value.

It’s almost time for the next Domotex trade show.

This huge international trade show is where the industry’s largest manufacturers from across the globe come together and show off their latest and greatest. Many, many products have made their debut at Domotex shows, where over 1400 exhibitors display a vast array of carpet and flooring materials. Last year’s show attracted nearly 40,000 visitors. While it may not be feasible for most people in the industry to attend, the products and services offered at the show will be available in the market soon after.

If you would like to learn more about the Domotex Hannover shows, check out their website, www.domotex.de.

PET carpet is a tremendous value. Whether your carpet is manufactured by Shaw Industries, Mohawk, or Beaulieu of America, it is the most economically priced and ecologically friendly carpet on the market.

PET carpet is manufactured from recycled plastic bottles, which is a huge deal in our effort to recycle and to protect our environment. The fiber is naturally softer and more stain resistant than nylon, which makes it a great carpet fiber. But best of all is the price. PET offers more bang fot the buck than any other carpet fiber.

We recently searched the internet for carpet calculators, in an attempt to offer one that could correctly determine how much carpet you would need to cover your floor. While searching, we came across many calculators with fancy looks and wonderful claims. Some said they figured amounts for both 12′ and 15′ widths, yet repeatedly returned wrong answers. We determined it would be best to recommend not using these so called “carpet calculators.”

If you need to know how much carpet you need to order, ask your salesperson to help you out. It will always be best to have an installer come measure for you. Not having enough carpet, or even having too much, can be a costly mistake.

With some of the most original, creative, and breathtaking patterns in the world, it is hard to not fall in love with something from Kane Carpet. With a motto that says “Kane Innovates, Never Imitates,” their originality immediately comes to the forefront. Their designs are inspired from all over the world, and many are woven in their European and Asian facilities. Kane Carpet uses their own extraordinary weaving and yarn systems, which creates superb styles and even allows them to produce small yardage at great prices.

Kane Carpet is based in the heart of the floor covering world, with its customer service and sales office centrally located in Kennesaw, GA, and their central distribution facilities in New York and Dalton, GA, the “Carpet Capital of the World”. Kane’s carpet designs have become revered and a great choice for mid to high end clients the world over. Their product has been used in such luxurious places as the Plaza Hotel in New York City, and the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. If you’re in the market for a new carpet for your home, make sure to check out the beautiful style and quality of Kane Carpet.

If you’ve been considering purchasing a new floor in your house, you may want to consider the look of exotic woods. Offering far away beauty and a look that makes you feel right at home, exotic wood is more luxurious than standard wood or carpet. When considering your options, be sure to remember that laminate flooring is a good choice for your home, as an alternative to real exotic wood.

Bruce Park Avenue and Armstrong Grand Illusions, for example, make absolutely beautiful floors. The high-gloss, piano finish that protects the various species of exotic styled laminate is breathtaking, as is the price. At less than half what you might pay for real exotic wood floors, you can walk away with the same look and feel (with an easier installation) for as little as under $5 per foot, installed. Not only does this product give the appearance of real exotic woods without impacting the forest, but it is also eight times more reesistant to scratches and other wear than engineered wood.

If I had to pick a hardwood floor for above grade installation I know what I’d pick. Bruce’s Dundee Plank by Armstrong, in cabin grade. This wood is 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ solid oak plank with a 5 year warranty. The micro beveled sides make for easy installation and a beautiful floor. Bruce also fills the knot holes and voids on their cabin and tavern grade wood, which makes for a nice look.

The cabin grade wood gives enough variation in color and enough knots and mineral streaks to give a beautiful, very natural appearance.

Cook floors may be the hottest flooring product for 2009. First, cork flooring is very attractive. It is available in many colors, and offers a unique but very classy appearance.

Next, cork has excellent acoustical benefits for a room. The quality of sound is superior in a room with cork floorig, especially compared to wood or laminate floors.

Most cork floors have easy installation. Several manufacturers (like US floors) use the unilin click system, which makes installation a breeze.

Last but not least is the fact that cork is very very green. Harvesting cork does not harm the cork tree, so it is one of our great, renewable nature resources.

All in all, cork flooring can be a tremendous value, and a viable choice for many rooms in your home.

Stainmaster filament nylon is still the best carpet fiber in the industry. First of all, it is very stain resistant. Stainmaster immerses their dyed carpet in a soil and stain resistant coating that is made to work with the fiber. Other fibers are treated with stain resistant treatments, but this treatment must be repeated after every cleaning. However, with Stainmaster, the treatment will last for years with no need for reapplication.

Also, the nylon has better memory. This means that the carpet will hold up well against high traffic. Lastly, the filament will not fuzz because it is one continuous strand of fiber, which keeps it from shedding loose fibers.

When starting your search for carpet, picking a manufacturer is often a hard decision to make. With all the brands out there, it’s hard to differentiate between them sometimes. Well, if you are in the market for luxurious, beautiful carpet, you should definitely consider Stanton Carpet.

Having been in the premium, high-end carpet business since 1980, Stanton Carpet knows what they’re doing. They’ve taken luxury carpet to a new level, and are synonymous with style and value in the decorative market. They have developed a high-quality reputation, and have stuck to it since the beginning.

Stanton Carpet offers more styles and collections than most premium carpet manufacturers, and uses a vast array of innovative designs to set new standards.