Carpets N More

Today’s post is wrapping up what you need to know about luxury vinyl tile (LVT). If you missed our other posts on LVT, be sure to check them out here.

Here’s what you need to know after installation of LVT:

Depending on the manufacturer these guidelines may vary:

After installation, furniture and foot traffic should not be on the floor for at least 24 hours. This allows the adhesive to dry completely.

After installation, the floors should also not be washed for 48 hours.

The adhesive residue on the floors after installation can be removed with mineral spirits.

Floor covering subjected to excessive heat and light exposure is subject to

thermal degradation. Use appropriate precautions to minimize potential

affects on the floor covering.

Oil or petroleum based products can result in surface staining. Do not track

asphalt driveway sealer or automobile oil drips onto the vinyl floor covering.

During the life of the floor, the temperature should never drop below 55°F.

Care and Maintenance

Floors should never be flooded with water or be allowed to have standing water. This can loosen the adhesive.

Care should be taken with heavy furniture and appliances. Furniture protectors should be used that are at least 2” in diameter. The hard and small buttons sometimes found on the bottom of chairs and other pieces of furniture should be removed. High heeled shoes also apply here.

Protect the floors from dirt and grit that can be tracked in by using walk off mats at every entrance.

Do not use rubber backed mats. Certain rubber compounds can permanently stain vinyl.

Never use vinegar, acetone or lacquer thinner to clean these floors.

For extreme staining like nail polish , paint, dye and permanent markers try applying fingernail polish remover that contains acetone, but is not pure acetone with a soft cloth and gently rub.

Spills should be removed immediately.

The floor should be swept, dust mopped or vacuumed on a regular basis.

Stubborn rubber heel marks can be removed with a soft cloth dampened with mineral spirits.

When the floor gets build up, consult the with the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner system to see if a stripper is available.

What to know before you buy Luxury Vinyl Tile

• These floors should not be used in high moisture areas.

• Typically, these floors should not be installed over existing resilient floors.

• When using radiant heat flooring, the substrate should not exceed 85°F.

• If not installed properly, the floors can look unsightly and not wear properly.

• These floors can scratch and indentations can be made.

• It is recommended that these floors not be exposed to too much sunlight. Drapes and window coverings are recommended during peak sunlight hours.

• Hot items like cigarettes and matches can burn the floors.

Installation – Preparing for:

Depending on the manufacturer these guidelines may vary:

The floor covering, adhesive, and room temperature must be kept with

in a temperature range of 65°F to 100°F for at least 48 hours before,

and 48 hours after installation. In certain cases where epoxy adhesive is used, the temperature should not exceed 85°F.

The flooring material should be allowed to acclimate to the temperature of the area it will be installed for at least 48 hours in advance.

Start with a clean jobsite, a prepared subfloor and remove any items that may damage a finished installation. Substrates must be dry, clean, smooth, and free from paint, varnish, wax, oils, solvents, adhesive from former flooring and other foreign matter.

A properly prepared subfloor is important because the wrong type can telegraph through the new floor. This will not only be unattractive, but it will cause uneven wearing. Underlayment panels are intended to provide a smooth working surface, but are not designed to correct or properly cover structural deficiencies.

Some types of nails, such as common steel nails, cement coated or someresin or rosin coated nails, may cause a discolor-ation of the vinyl floor covering. Use only non-staining fasteners with underlayment panels.

Before getting started, check each box to make sure it is the right style, color and pattern number. Then, be sure to check and make sure the dye lot numbers are the same on each box. It is best to know if a box does not match in the beginning in order to give you time to get a replacement. If there are many boxes that are not the same, you may need to return the entire shipment.

Once you have checked all of the cartons, mix tiles or planks from each carton to minimize shade variation.

Read the manufacturers installation instructions to see if your subfloor is suitable to install the new product over. Often, resilient products should never be installed over residual asphalt type or cut back adhesive. It can bleed through onto the new flooring. All of the adhesive needs to be removed or properly covered before proceeding with the installation.

The manufacturer’s recommended adhesive should always be used in order to maintain the manufacturers warranty.

When installing, be careful and precise measurements must be taken during tile layout. Lay all tiles in the same direction, all directional arrows pointing in the

same direction. With plank layout it is also important to balance the layout of the plank format. Proper planning and layout will revent narrow plank widths at wall junctures. Accurately easure the room todetermine the center line, adjust this stablished line to accommodate a balanced lay out and then transpose this line to a comfortable width away

from the starting wall (approximately 2’ to 3’ wide). Apply the adhesive in this area and begin installing planks.

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When determining the proper layout for mixing tile and planks for custom installations it is important to consider overall pattern and concept before getting started. The pattern should be carefully calculated and laid out for a successful installation.

When the installation is complete, most floors must be rolled with a minimum 100 pound three-section

floor roller immediately after installation. Roll the flooring in both directions

to firmly seat the tile into the adhesive.

Next, we will follow up with what you need to know after installation as well as care and maintenance advice for Luxury Vinyl Tile. Be sure to check out our previous post on advantages, styles and how LVT is made.

Luxury Vinyl tile floors are a durable, affordable and attractive alternative to ceramic tile, natural stone and hardwood. Patterns can be created for a modern look with metallic styles or traditional looks with travertine and slate looks.

Advantages to these floors include:

 Ease on joints
 More quiet underfoot than most hard surfaces
 Easy to maintain
 Available in wide variety of styles, colors and sizes
 Commercial and residential use
 Real wood, tile and stone looks
 Easier installation than ceramic or stone

How it’s made

Limestone Composite Construction Resists Cracking

One particular product on the market is made of 67% post consumer recycled material. Vinyl products that were previously discarded in a landfill are now reclaimed in a proprietary process. LEED points are available for these products.

Styles

Luxury vinyl tile comes in a variety of styles, shapes and colors. The different types of styles include:

 Planks
 Tiles
 Wood looks
 Decorative borders
 Geometrics
 Tile and stone looks
 Grout option or no grout option
 Overall patterns

An advantage to Luxury Vinyl Flooring is the ability to install modular patterns. Different tiles can be combined, different planks can be combined as well as tiles and planks can be combined.

Stay tuned for more info on LVT – what to know before you buy, what you need to know before and after installation and care and maintenance advice!

Today we just wanted to share a quick post / note from a Carpets N More customer. It’s so nice sometimes to see a good old fashioned hand written note!

Understanding Color Part 3: Color Blending from Room to Room

Now that you have that dream home with a great room approach, are you feeling concerned about how to use color? One color can feel boring, but too many different colors in one space can cause color overload. The easiest way to handle this decorating challenge is to select three colors that work well together, and feature one of the three in each space: kitchen, dining room and family room.

Not sure which three colors to use? Start with the furniture you already have, and decide which colors you want to keep that will work in the space. The next place to visit to choose color options is an upholstery fabric store. You will find many patterns that feature your three colors together, and you may find one that you can use as a color tool. Make sure you set your colors against your flooring and paint choices, to make sure they all work together.

The next step involves determining which color will be the focal color in each space. Do light cabinets in your kitchen beg for a dark, rich contrast color? Could your dining table’s dark wood benefit from a bright color? Is the sofa anchoring your family room covered in a dark red that will be a perfect choice for one of your three colors? Once you locate your focal colors, use curtains, pillows, table linens and accessories to pull those colors across the entire great room’s space, so that areas are clearly defined, but everything links together.

If you missed Part 1, click here and if you missed Part 2, click here!

Understanding color part 2:


Warm vs. cool neutrals – which choice works best for your home.


One of the best ways to take a room in a cooler or warmer color direction is by bringing in cool or warm neutrals. Warm neutrals consist of tans, gold and beiges, as well as warm blacks. Cool neutrals include white, ivory, gray and silver. Blacks can come together as a cool neutral if the undertone is cool. Also, ivories that lean toward cream become warm neutrals. When you’re not sure if a neutral is warm or cool, look for the undertones: blue for cool and orange or yellow for warm.


Neutrals are like the sky in a landscape painting – giving you room to let the colors of your space stand apart, and letting the eye rest. If you want to take a chance with a monochromatic room in neutrals, think carefully about textures to add the variety and personality that color normally provides.


The term neutral sounds like the tones can be combined without thought, but clashing neutrals is possible. Compare all the neutrals with each other when developing a room’s color palette. A neutral flooring choice frees you to experiment with color in paint, furniture, accessories, and other easier to change decorating choices. Be sure to bring samples home when making the final decision, or bring a room’s color samples with you when making your selection. Choose the right neutral, and you are well on your way to creating a room that works for you.

Did you miss part 1? If so, click here to read part 1 and stay tuned for part 3!

Understanding Color Part 1: Warm vs. Cool Colors

For most of us, color is simply a matter of taste. You may be drawn to reds, blues, greens, or browns without questioning why. When you start decorating, it pays to consider colors a bit more deeply. Some colors almost seem to approach you in a space, drawing you toward them. Others appear to be calm, receding. One reason for this is that warm colors seem to stand out and approach you while cool colors have a more distant feel.

You may not have heard about warm or cool colors since art class in grade school. Here’s a quick catch-up. Warm colors are yellows, oranges, and related colors such as orange-reds, yellow-greens, and browns. These colors are termed warm because they seem like the colors of a sunny day. Cool colors, such as blues, purples, turquoises and some reds and pinks with a blue undertone, match the color palette of a rainy or foggy day.

As the “approachable” colors, warm hues draw the eye, and tend to seem inviting and invigorating. High energy rooms such as dining and family rooms can benefit from a warm color scheme. Cool colors are more calming, and invite quiet and reflection. Bedrooms work well with a cool color scheme, calming you down and possibly even helping you to sleep. This is one reason why yellow is not recommended for an infant’s room. The color is too distracting and energizing.

For most rooms, a combination of warm and cool tones works best. Warm colors can be overwhelming without a bit of cool color to reduce the color noise. However, a room containing only cool colors may appear to be unfriendly. Adding only a few warm colors can change a cool room immediately, because warm colors have a stronger visual impact than cooler ones.

When you’re ready to change the colors in a room, first determine whether you want it to be lively or peaceful, and choose your colors accordingly. Does the balance of warm and cool colors work right now? If so, stay on the same side of the color wheel when you make your adjustments. If the colors of a room aren’t working, consider the balance of cool vs. warm colors. Do you need to cool it down or warm it up? Make a few color experiments with fabrics and accessories you already have at home, to help you decide the changes you need to make.

Stay tuned from Part 2 and Part 3 coming soon!

Submit pictures of your kids or a kids room for a chance to win!

Here are the details:

• Contest runs through June 30th, 2010

There are 2 ways to participate.

• Come to our store and pick up the contest poster and your free T-shirt.
• Or visit www.shawfloors.com/disney , register on the website, vote for a photo

Then:

• Take a picture of a kid 0-12 years old or take a picture of their room showing the Disney poster

Next:

• Go to www.shawfloors.com/disney, register and upload it to the Shaw website

Finally:

• Invite everyone you know to vote for your photo (hint hint – post it on your Facebook page or Tweet about it!)

The GRAND PRIZE for each category (kids and kids room) is $5,000 for the picture with the most votes. There are also prizes of $5000 for each category and the voter that is drawn after the contest is over. Finally, there are $10,00 in other prizes.

The winners of the Colorado Grand Opening give away just recently took their trip to Las Vegas where they enjoyed luxury accommodations at the Paris Hotel and show tickets a part of their prize. The couple is soon to be married and had these kind words to say to us,

“A huge thank you for the fantastic trip to Las Vegas my fiancé and I won through Carpets N More!!! Everyone was wonderful in making sure every last detail of our trip was perfect, from the best seats in the house for our Cirque du Soleil show to our amazing room at the Paris Hotel overlooking the pool…it was all abso…lutely wonderful!! Again, thank you so much. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and the fabulous people at Carpets N More who go the extra mile, you have all made a fantastic lasting impression with us!!!”

We are so happy that the winners of the drawing had such a great time. Thanks to everyone that came out for the Grand Opening of the Colorado location!