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Carpet Cleaning Tips
A popular homeowner question is “How much will it cost to have my carpets cleaned?” If it’s been several years since your last professional carpet cleaning then your carpets are likely quite dirty, even though it may not appear dirty it may require some special “carpet cleaning” attention. The price you’ll pay for carpet cleaning depends on the age and condition of your carpet and the amount of time and effort and cleaning products it will take to do the job right. Rule # 1 The dirtier your carpet is… the more it’s going to...
read moreKarastan Carpets
Question: We had a Karastan nylon carpet installed about 8 years ago. It’s now deteriorating rapidly. We continue to find thousands of broken carpet fibers in the carpet and on adjacent surfaces every day, even after vacuuming. I was led to understand that nylon carpet is the most durable fiber available, so I’m very surprised at this deterioration. Parts of the carpet are often exposed to sunlight, and deterioration is worse in those areas. Is this deterioration common in nylon carpets? Would steam cleaning prevent further...
read moreA Bad Carpet Buying Experience
“UNLESS YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE WISE AND INFORMED CARPET CHOICES THIS SCENARIO COULD HAPPEN TO YOU…” After saving upyou have finally stashed away enough money to buy new carpet for your home! So you head over to a nearby carpet retailer and the salesperson helps you select the carpet of your dreams. After your new carpet is installed you are pleased with the way everything turned out, you love the color and how soft it feels underfoot. You upload photos of your beautiful new carpet on your social media page and are looking forward to...
read moreWhat Is Engineered Wood Flooring?
Engineered flooring is somewhat of a mystery to some people. Familiar terms to those outside of the flooring industry will recognise product names like real wood flooring and laminate. Real wood flooring is understood to be made by machining kiln dried timber, solid woods, such as Oak, Beech, Maple and many more including Bamboo, which is actually a kind of grass. Laminate flooring is a compound of materials with the image of a desired wood on top, just beneath a hard wearing layer of plastic. We know lots about these floors, but a term people...
read moreDo I Really Need A New Sub Floor For My Wooden Floor?
Preparation, preparation, preparation. Unless you get the sub floor preparation right, the chances of your wood floor installation being a total success are slim; in fact it could even turn into a disaster. There is nothing worse than spending thousands of pounds on a beautiful new hardwood floor, only to find that it feels like a trampoline when you walk on it! So, if sub floor preparation is so important, why do some companies pay so little attention to it in the UK? The answer is usually money. A new sub floor can cost nearly as much as...
read moreThe Real Difference Between Engineered & Multi-Layered Wood Flooring
Multi-layered floors, multi floors, or semi solid floors as they are sometimes known, have become incredibly popular over the past 5 years, mainly because of the ease of manufacture and lower production cost. However, although most wood floor companies simply call them 'engineered', a multi floor is not an engineered floor. It's not that they are trying to deceive you, it's just that the word 'engineered' has almost become generic. But be warned, there is a huge difference between the two. diagram of a 'true' engineered floor showing the...
read moreSoundproofing For Wooden Flooring
Many years ago, in another life, I used to work as a recording engineer (how I ever ended up in the hardwood flooring business is still a mystery). Here I am, many years later, and - instead of listening to nonsense about whether the singer's slightly off key, or whether the drums are too loud for the track - I frequently have to listen to the total nonsense spewed out about 'soundproof' underlays for wooden flooring, particularly engineered wood flooring. Over the years, a great many people have called Türgon to ask about soundproofing,...
read moreAre Solid Wood Floors Better?
Our customers have many considerations when buying a hardwood floor, and as well as guiding them through the huge range of colours and finishes and advising on the strengths (and weaknesses) of the different species, we are also very often asked 'Should I choose solid flooring? Is it better than semi-solid?' We'll say this first: from an aesthetic point of view there will be absolutely no difference whatsoever. From a technical point of view there is a huge difference, so let's look at the main issues. 'Solid' does not mean better...
read moreMoisture – It Can Ruin Your Floor!
Unfortunately most flooring contractors don't stick to some very simple and basic rules. Before you even think about fitting a floor, you should always use a hygrometer to measure: the moisture content of the sub floor, the moisture content of the delivered wood, and the humidity in the room where the floor is to be fitted. And just for the avoidance of doubt, it is the responsibility of the installer to check moisture levels before installation. If it goes wrong and they haven't used a hygrometer it will be the installer's...
read moreDo I Need To Acclimatise New Wood Floor?
This is one of the questions that is most frequently asked, and getting this right is the first step for a successful installation. The answer is (of course) 'yes' and 'no' - depending on the construction of the product you are using. So here's a quick guide. Engineered Floors A real engineered three-layered constructed board should not be acclimatised, and should be fitted immediately after opening the box that it came in. The instructions will normally come in the box; if they don't, you should call the supplier and check. An engineered...
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