News
Fungi Allergies & Carpet
Mold and mildew (fungi) is probably one of the most underrated allergens in existence, and few allergy sufferers realize its ubiquitous nature. Fungi is everywhere at various levels. It can be found in the air, on surfaces such as tabletops, upholstered furniture, and bedding material, and is even found on various food products. Due to its microscopic size, few of us realize the frequency in which we are exposed to mold and mildew and other fungi. Those of us who are allergic to mold have very little sanctuary. What type of flooring are...
read moreCarpet Chemical Health Scares
Through the years, numerous public health scares have been introduced based on preliminary findings or unconfirmed studies. The media is usually quick to report these findings because they are news that usually affects a large segment of their viewing audience. The old segway, "Stay tuned after this commercial break for news that a common food item may be causing cancer" is just too much for many newscasters and viewers to resist. Those media scares that turned out to be false include: What type of flooring are you interested in? ...
read moreCarpets & Chemicals
Off-gassing of chemical emissions from consumer products or the presence of indoor chemicals are very real. Chemicals can impact your health, affect your mental functionality, affect your motor skills, and even ambition. Recently, after building and moving into a new office, I developed a seizure disorder, in which I began to have 12-15 seizures per day. Everyone was baffled, including my physicians. The standard answer from these physicians is "you have seizure tendencies"--duh. The only change in my lifestyle that I could differentiate...
read moreCarpet Myths
Numerous myths have developed over the past 50 years related to ordinary consumer products. The Alar scare with apples, the saccharine and NutriSweet scares with sweeteners, the phalate scare with children's toys, the toilet seat scare with syphilis, the red M&M (candy) scare, and so on. Generally, these groundless myths become fact as a result of a news story. The more sensational the story and the more individual lives it touches, the better the news coverage. Many of these myths originate from one scientific study that is never replicated,...
read moreCarpet Dye Methods
There are, essentially, two classifications of dyeing residential carpet styles: pre-dyed yarns and post dyed yarns. As the name implies, pre-dyed yarns are dyed before the fiber is tufted into a tufting blanket. Post-dyed yarns are dyed after the tufting blanket is stitched. There are numerous methods of pre-dye and post dye. These descriptions can get much more detailed than the average carpet consumer needs, so we will keep the description very broad. It is not necessary to understand skein dyed, stock dyeing, yarn dyeing, or space dyeing,...
read moreCarpet Fibres
The majority of the carpet produced in the United States contains one of six pile fibers: nylon, polypropylene (olefin), acrylic, polyester, wool, or cotton. Synthetic fibers make up more than 99% of the fiber used by the U.S. carpet industry. Each fiber has strengths and weaknesses that must be recognized and should influence how it is to be used and constructed. Some fibers have very low resiliency and only should be manufactured in high-density loop pile constructions to limit crushing (pile flattening). Other fibers have the tendency to...
read moreCarpet Construction & Fibres
Every informed carpet shopper should have a basic understanding of carpet construction before venturing out to make a significant investment. Even with a limited understanding of carpet construction, the buying process can be confusing, when salespeople communicate conflicting information. Often, even informed salespeople may have difficulty in describing carpet construction. What type of flooring are you interested in? Carpet Stone Hardwood Area Rug Laminate Do you own your home? Yes No What is your zip code? Did you...
read moreCarpet Types Explained
Inevitably, when consumers seek assistance with carpet problems, the first question asked of the consumer is whether the carpet is a cut pile carpet or loop pile carpet. Just as inevitable is the silence on the other end of the phone. Few consumers really have an understanding of the product they have purchased. It is no wonder that so many people have issues with carpet purchases. There is no clear starting point in explaining carpet construction, but carpet styling seems to be the easiest to explain. What type of flooring are you...
read moreFlowcrete!
The Flooring Group's website now has Flowcrete, the world-famous supplier of commercial flooring, on our website with images of their products to show. Just go to Products > Suppliers and then scroll down until you find Flowcrete so that you can view their products.
read moreChristmas Is Nearing! Flooring Time!
As Christmas nears, The Flooring Group enters it's busiest period of the year as customers seek to impress family and friends with a new floor. Whether it's at Islington Flooring, Kensington Flooring, Hampstead Flooring or Knightsbridge Flooring - the mania reaches all our branches as we assist customers in getting into their festive spirit with a nice new look. Our Commercial Flooring Divisions are not generally as occupied as our residential outlets during this period - not many offices who want to impress their employees with a new...
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