If you have kids, you know that they can be tough on your house, especially floors.  For a kid’s playroom or bedroom, there are plenty of flooring options that will please your style and stand up to the daily rigors of life with kids.  If your kids don’t have a designated playroom, having the right flooring in your living room and family room is even more key.  Once the toys and games are put away, you’ll want to feel like you are sitting in your room and not a play zone.

If you are putting in new flooring, talk with us about the best options for kids.  You can also take our “How I Live Quiz” to learn more about the best flooring options suitable for your lifestyle and home. There are many stain resistant and stain repellent carpets on the market. This means you can put carpet in a kids’ area and not fear every time something spills it will stain forever. Another option for carpeted rooms is to put a large area rug over the carpet to protect it.  Feel free to browse our area rug catalog to learn more.  As the kids get older, you can remove the area rug or swap it out for a new pattern or color. With this same idea in mind, carpet squares can be used and replaced if they get stained.

Hard surfaces like tile and stone are durable but might be too tough on little knees and elbows. Hardwood is good as is cork, which has a soft feeling under foot. Again, area rugs are your friends when it comes to protecting floors.

Kids and pets are probably the hardest on your floors.  Work with your flooring person to choose the best option that will be durable and stylish for years to come.

Did you host a Labor Day party or barbeque?  Were you prepared for stains, spills, or any other mishaps that came from having a few dozen people walking through your home with food and drinks?  We’ve got a few great tips for your next hosting experience!

Today we will focus on how to get BBQ sauce out of carpet because that is a likely accident waiting to happen.

First, use a butter knife to scrape as much of the sauce off the carpet as you can. The sooner you catch the stain the better.

Dab some lukewarm water on the stain if it has already dried. Hopefully if someone spills they will tell you right away, but sometimes that doesn’t happen.

Add ¼ teaspoon mild detergent or carpet shampoo to 1 liter of cold water. Stir the solution in a bowl to mix thoroughly.

Before you apply any cleaner to your carpet, test the cleaner in a small patch where no one will see it. Wait a few minutes. If the cleaner discolors or otherwise adversely affects the carpet, remove it immediately with cold water and a sponge. If it ends up causing permanent damage, at least it won’t be right in the middle of the room.

If the cleaner does not affect the carpet, moisten a clean cloth liberally with the cleaning solution, and simply lay the cloth over the stain.

Use the bottom of a spoon to gently press down on the cloth. Gradually work your way all over the cloth, starting on the outside and working your way toward the center in a spiral to prevent spreading the stain. This process works the solution into the carpet without rubbing the stain in or damaging the carpet fibers.

Lift the cloth off the stain and gently spray with warm water.

Blot the stain with a clean cloth.

If the stain is gone, use a hair dryer on a low setting to dry the carpet.

If the stain is not gone, keep the carpet damp and call a professional dry cleaner as soon as possible.

At the end of the day a stain on your carpet is not the end of the world, however, they can be fixed if you follow the steps above. No need to let a little accident ruin your fun of hosting another party.

Saxony carpets are plush, luxurious and extra soft, made by the cut loop pile method. These carpets are specially designed for extra softness. Available in different patterns and numerous textures, these carpets are made of 100% wool, or by combining silk or linen with wool. This carpet is woven very fine, which makes it quite dense. This accounts for its extra softness and smoothness.

Saxony carpets are generally used in formal areas which require a sober, and solemn appearance, such as office, or a study room. This is also because they are moderately durable and are not suitable for handling very high foot traffic. Saxony carpets have a tendency to show foot prints on them; although it has been rectified in some of the latest Saxony carpets to come out, which makes it easy to maintain and clean.

While buying a Saxony carpet, take care to notice that there are various types of weaves available, so choose which best suits your needs. The extra softness they offer is useful for home which has toddlers; but before buying, you should check whether the product is non-allergenic or not. The lush, beautiful finish of Saxony carpets makes them one of the most desirable carpets out there. Although slightly expensive, they more than make up for it by providing you with an unprecedented comfort. A Saxony carpet can set the tone of your room. If comfort and extra softness are your priorities, then go get a Saxony carpet for your home and enjoy its sumptuousness for years to come.

What makes this room work? It’s the study in contrasts that make a traditional design like this stay new and interesting.

The classic elements such as the design of all the furniture, the moldings and most of the accessories contrast with the contemporary approach to color and design.

Painting the walls this dark green grey provides the first leap from the standard. The fabric choice for the loveseats and drapes also depart from a traditional approach.

The carpet, while traditional in color, departs with its willingness to include pattern. Both the base pattern of the carpet and the overlay of a matching rug with a contrasting border take this room up a design notch. Both the colors and the carpet choices make this room stand out as a fresh take on an old look.

This room shows the power of contrast in design. Taking a chance on a dark wall tone, combining different patterns, and encouraging both very light and very dark elements to interact makes for an exciting room.

Does your home show your more daring side? How about challenging yourself to take some chances with your décor? Even if your taste is traditional, let your creative side experiment. You never know what may happen!

This is the month for Surfaces, the largest flooring event in the world. As all the newest in flooring is presented, demonstrated and sold, it’s worth taking a few minutes to consider how flooring started and how far we’ve come.

Bill Bryson, the author of a number of books including the best-selling A Walk in the Woods, recently wrote a book about the origins of everyday aspects of our homes, called At Home, and in it, he talks about the origins of flooring.

When people first started building homes, the focus was on protection from the elements rather than comfort. Flooring reflected that. You would find dirt floors in almost every home in the 1600’s, and in rural England and other parts of Europe, dirt floors were common until the early 20^th century.

To provide some protection from the cold and dust, the wealthier households spread rushes over the dirt, with a new layer about twice a year. Unfortunately, they often didn’t remove the old rushes, which left plenty of space for insects and even mice and rats.

Once wood and tile floors became more common, carpets began to appear. However, these were so valuable that they were almost never laid on the floor to be walked on; rather, people hung them on the walls or placed them over tables. Because of transportation costs and limitations, the wood, tile or stone used for homes and floors was all local. This is one of the reasons why in England, most floors, moldings, and furniture were made of oak.

Today, instead of cutting rushes when you want new flooring, you can visit our showroom and choose carpeting, tile and wood from around the world. Rather than having carpets too valuable to walk on, you can warm your feet on them in every room in your home. We’re happy to have a hand in making flooring a source of pleasure and style rather than just the basic protective covering it once was.

This interesting article was found on Talkfloor.com. Thought you might enjoy it!

Mathematician-philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said, “It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” This certainly rings true with Chris Maluszynski’s Las Vegas Carpets series, whose name explains it all. The photos draw out the psychology of Las Vegas through the simple observation of carpet.

Years ago, while in Las Vegas covering the World Series of Poker, Maluszynski found himself as enraptured by the drama unfolding below the tables as above them. Originally from Sweden, now based in New York, Maluszynski spent four years roaming Sin City’s kaleidoscopic corridors with his camera.

“The carpets definitely play a big part in keeping the town as surreal as it is,” said Maluszynski by e-mail. “Thought has been given to the carpeting by people who want to create this special atmosphere, [one] that defines Vegas as a gambling city.”

That’s a theory backed up by Dave Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research, at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Schwartz theorizes that “casino carpet is known as an exercise in deliberate bad taste that somehow encourages people to gamble.”

Schwartz also points out that the busy carpets are not without design: There are floral designs at Mandalay Palace, abstract pointillist floors at Paris and, at Caesars Palace, the wheel – the Roman symbol of the “relentless capriciousness of fortune.”

As he trod the psychedelic multilevel-loop carpets of Vegas, Masulynzski’s thoughts flashed back to the Vegas experienced and described by Hunter S. Thompson: “You’re in a prison of sensory impressions. I was trying to rest my eyes, and I looked at the carpet and thought, Shit, I can’t do it there, either,” Maluszynski recently told The New Yorker.

Vegas isn’t all obvious ornament however; Maluszynski did manage to find refuge, “There is actually a surprising number of galleries in Vegas where great art can be found. Wynn’s art collection is impressive.”

Maluszynski exhibited Las Vegas Carpets in April and has no intentions to return to the series. However, he continues to explore his interest in, and expand his collection of “odd patterns that define particular places.” Maluszynski plans to point his lens at another smothering of American kitsch: “I have started shooting motel bedspreads; it’s a great excuse to go road-tripping.”

All Images @Chris Maluszynski/MOMENT.

Chris Maluszynski is represented by Moment Agency. Pete Brook writes regularly about visual cultures at Prison Photography.
Read More here.

Nylon clearly holds the top spot as the most popular fiber for high-performing carpet, but did you know that olefin (also called polypropylene) actually accounts for nearly 80% of business carpet sold? In a tough economy, and at around a 20% lower cost than a similarly constructed nylon, olefin carpets are now being considered much more often for the home. Typical residential styles for olefins will be berber loops, which means multi-color, multi-level loop pile construction, often in earth tones. The identification “berber” actually descends from the name of an ancient North African people famous for their woven fabrics of more than 2 colors and textures.

There are some significant benefits to olefin besides its incredibly low price. One main advantage is the colorfast, fade-resistant quality of the fiber. Because color is introduced while the material is still in a liquid state, prior to extrusion into fiber, it can easily withstand direct sunlight or exposure to strong agents like chlorine bleach. Other qualities of olefin are that it is both static and mold resistant, making it a good candidate for recreation rooms, screened-in patios or even basements.

Nonetheless, olefin does also bring some challenges. It is highly susceptible to staining from oil-based materials, which is why you should never attempt to utilize a solvent-based stain protection product. Also, olefin has a low melting point, allowing for the fiber to actually melt and leave permanent damage from friction caused by something heavy being dragged over the face of the carpet. Finally, olefin fibers will crush and mat in areas of high traffic.

Protecting your new carpet shouldn’t be a chore. Just a few practices can keep your carpet looking good. First, review the carpet manufacturer’s warranty for their requirements. Some manufacturers now require periodic professional steam extraction to keep their warranty in force.

Entryways, according to studies, are the primary source of soil entering your home. Since about 80% of soil arrives on your floor in the first 4-6 steps from outside, good walkoff mats and entry rugs will significantly reduce the amount of soil making it onto your floors.

Vacuuming regularly—daily in traffic areas—is the next best thing you can do to protect your carpet. Dirt particles have sharp edges that can gash and abrade carpet fibers, leading to a crushed and matted look. A good vacuum with strong suction and beater bars will remove most of these particles. If your vacuum has bags, change them often.

Every 12-24 months, have your carpets professionally hot water extracted. The home models generally don’t have enough power, heat or suction to adequately clean and remove the dirty water and cleaning solution.

Address spills and spots immediately! Blot water-based spills from the outside to the center, using a clean, white, absorbent cloth. Use a neutral pH cleaner and rinse afterward to remove any residues. Dry well and vacuum before walking on the spot.

For oil-based spills/stains, cover the spot completely with cornstarch, baking soda or baby powder and allow it to sit overnight. Vacuum in the morning. If you can still see the stain, repeat this process, then follow the procedure above for water-based stains.