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Advantages & Disadvantages Of Cork Flooring
Cork flooring can produce a pleasant and comfortable walking surface. Cork flooring is great choice for childrenâs play areas or commercial spaces where there is a desire for a comfortable walking and standing surface. Suberin, a natural substance in cork, works as a mold inhibitor and prevents cork flooring from rotting. Cork flooring has natural insulation properties and can help reduce heating costs. Cork floors are naturally fire resistant and don't release any toxic gases or chemicals when combusting. It can be a very durable...
read moreGuide To Cork Flooring
For years cork has had a rough reputation in the flooring design world. Old installations often employed low quality materials that were not properly maintained and cared for, resulting in shabby surfaces that quickly degraded over time. However in recent years there has been a resurgence in the popularity of cork flooring, as advances in manufacture have made maintenance and care easier than ever. Today you’ll find cork being used in every room in the home, as well as in some commercial spaces. How Cork Flooring is Made Cork is one...
read moreOverview Of Carpet Choices
Carpet is one of the softest flooring materials available, providing a cushioned surface for your feet in almost any location. It's important to know the characteristics of the different types of carpeting available, to ensure you get a style that's appropriate for your installation space. Carpet Fibers There are a variety of synthetic and natural fibers which are used in the construction of carpets. Below you will find the four most common materials. 1. Nylon Carpets Very soft, durable, and resistant to stains, nylon is the most...
read moreLondon Flooring
The Flooring Group has now been installing flooring in London for over 40 years. London flooring continues to be set apart from the rest of the UK in terms of sales and interest. With a growing population in London due to further add to sales in future, this is an exciting time for any flooring business within the Greater London area.
read moreCarpet Manufacturing
Carpet manufacturing – a trade with which the UK is synonymous. It is also a ‘traditional’ industry and the manufacture of carpets today is very similar to how it has always been – particularly on the woven front. This flies in the face of modernism. Indeed, a report out this week claimed that the UK’s failure to embrace new technologies and ‘robotics’ has has seen us fall behind our European neighbours and contributed to factories closing. The report went on to say that lack of awareness of, and investment in, automation...
read moreHousing Market & Carpets
The housing market and carpets go hand in hand. So, to hear that the housing market is ‘losing momentum’ according to the Nationwide, could be bad news for the carpet industry. Allied to the supposed slow down, mortgage approvals in September were nearly 20% down from where they were at the turn of the year. Since the purchase of new carpets is normally on the back of buying a new house or redecoration, one could be forgiven for thinking that this was grim news. However, anecdotal evidence from Carpet Foundation members suggests that...
read moreWool Prices
Wool prices are on the rise – again! The latest British Wool Marketing Board sale this week saw prices rise from between 2 and 12 per cent. 70% of all British Wool goes into carpets so the UK carpet manufacturers take a keen interest in raw material prices. As we always say, and honestly it is true, wool is the best fibre for carpet. However, continuing price rises mean that desired or traditional price points for retailers are having to move – upwards. And, ultimately, it means that consumers will have to pay more for their wool...
read moreStylists
Stylists are those ‘trend setters’ who determine what goes on magazine pages, the ‘secret weapon’ for magazines and industries. If a room design, kitchen, carpet, sofa or wallpaper grabs you, the chances are it will be down to the skill of a stylist. As Katrina Burroughs said in the Sunday Times, ‘they’re the people who can inspire, entice and persuade without a single word’. As one our key objectives at the Carpet Foundation is to ‘promote carpet’ they are a key target audience for us. Many stylists are ‘freelance’...
read moreReasons To Be Cheerful
Reasons to be cheerful may be at odds with recent economic data. Victoria Factory 10Concerns that Britain’s economic recovery is running out of steam heightened last week with disappointing retail sales figures. Manufacturing output was also said to have slowed down. It was the first drop in retail sales since February. We, however, are are not so gloomy. We all have short memories and it is too easy to forget the ‘Indian Summer’ we had which must have affected the high street. The UK recovery may be slowing but our economy is...
read moreCarpet Marketing
Marketing in the carpet industry has always been a bit of a sore point. Marketing departments are rare and all too often it is seen as an adjunct to sales with marketing tools limited to labels. Marketing exists for one reason – to ensure a business survives by promoting its products and services. Yet, in the UK carpet industry, the consumer is all too often overlooked altogether. There are, of course, notable exceptions. Who can forget Brintons campaigns with Vivienne Westwood using models dressed in carpet? But consumer facing...
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