Professional Carpet Installation in Houston
Nothing compares to the soft, luxurious feeling of carpet under your feet. Carpeting provides a safe, comfortable spot for kids to play and may even reduce the risk of injury during a fall. Sure, carpet requires a bit of extra maintenance compared to vinyl or tile, but there's simply no substitute in terms of sound absorption, warmth and overall comfort.
With so many different colors, materials and designs available, it can be difficult to choose the best carpet for your home. Some materials may require frequent cleanings that simply won't fit into your busy schedule, others come with a high price tag and some may even have an effect on your health. The wrong carpet may wear out quickly, fade or show stains that stubbornly resist your best cleaning efforts. Protect your investment and choose the best carpeting for your home with these 10 carpet-buying tips.
1. Pick the Perfect Padding
Don't be tempted to skimp on carpet padding to save a few dollars. Just as a building needs a solid foundation, carpeting relies on a layer of padding for support, strength and a bit of extra cushioning. You can't see the padding, but you'll definitely spot the extra wear and tear on your new carpet if you pick an inadequate padding material.
Made from rubber or foam materials, carpet padding conceals subfloor imperfections to improve the appearance of the finished floor. It also acts as insulation to help control the temperature of your home, and it even absorbs sound to protect your privacy and eliminate neighbor noise. Most importantly, padding supports your carpet through years of use, since it prevents carpet backing and fibers from coming apart over time.
2. Consider Various Carpet Styles
Carpet comes in many styles, including plush, Saxony, Berber, textured and frieze. These terms apply to its pile, which is the surface you see, created from yarn tufts that are either folded over into loops, cut straight across or both. While each style has a distinctive look, that shouldn't be your main consideration. Instead, look at how well your lifestyle meshes with a particular carpet style. Plush carpeting, for example, is made from tightly twisted pile, and is thick, soft and inviting. But it also shows footprints and vacuum tracks, and can develop something called "pooling," or areas that appear shaded because the normal direction of the carpet fibers has been reversed. Saxony, the most common type of carpeting, is similar to plush. These carpet styles work best in low-traffic areas like formal living rooms and master bedrooms.
3. Don't Blow Your Budget
Even the most luxurious carpet doesn't have to cost a fortune. Shop around to find carpet that fits your lifestyle and budget. Always request separate pricing for materials and installation so you can make an "apples-to-apples" comparison among different suppliers.
Make the most of any budget by choosing the best carpet for each room. For example, stain-resistant products may be worth the splurge in your busy family room, but more affordable low-traffic carpeting may be just fine for your guest rooms.
Consider lifetime replacement and maintenance expenses to keep costs even lower. If you have kids or pets, try carpet tile instead of rolled carpeting. Rather than replacing the entire room after a few years of spills and stains, you can replace single tiles as needed to keep your carpet looking fresh and new.
4. Select Your Carpet Provider with Care
You can purchase carpet in a variety of places -- carpet showrooms, of course, but also flooring companies, furniture stores, large department stores and even online. While you can end up with beautiful carpet that's expertly installed using any of these options, your best bet is to select a reputable establishment that specializes in carpeting.
Fantastic Floors is a specialized company in carpets installation and cleaning. Call us at 713-939-4422, visit us in 7946 Breen Rd. Houston, TX 77064 or send us an email HERE for a quote.
5. Understand Maintenance Requirements
One of the best ways to ensure you'll be satisfied with your new carpet is to stick with carpeting you can maintain easily. Homeowners with young children or dogs and cats may want to avoid hard-to-clean shag or high-end rugs. Stain-resistant carpets can eliminate the frustration associated with spills and may cut your cleaning time.
6. A Word on Warranties
Carpeting carries an insane number of possible warranties, including five- and 10-year options, matting and crushing warranties, and guarantees against stains, wear and even overall appearance. In general, the better quality the carpet, the more coverage you're offered via warranties, stain protection and the like. However, never purchase a particular carpet solely because the warranty seems really great -- because most warranties actually offer little true coverage
For example, the most common warranty is a "wear" warranty. Manufacturers offering these typically define "wear" as a bald spot, while many homeowners consider a carpet to be worn as soon as it loses its original appearance. Similarly, a crushing warranty may state that if the pile height can be restored to a certain degree, there's no issue. But most carpets' pile can be restored through hot water extraction and a pile rake (even though it will be crushed again once you walk on it), so manufacturers will say the warranty doesn't apply.
7. Compare Color and Patterns
With so many colors and designs available, selecting the right finish just might be the most difficult part of your carpet-buying decision. Narrow your search by choosing shades that match the overall mood or tone you want to set for each room. Try cool blues or greens to create a calm, peaceful setting, and warm reds or golden shades to make a large space feel cozier. Light colors can make small rooms feel larger and more open, so try cream or tan if you're feeling claustrophobic.
Before settling on a neutral shade, decide whether you want your carpet to serve as a focal point or fade into the background. Only go neutral if your walls, furnishings or artwork serve as focal points, as this can help you avoid a plain, monotone design.
Dark shades or patterns can hide stains, as can tweed or textured carpet designs. To make patterned rugs work with other patterns in a room, stick to designs within the same color family [source: Schmidt]. For maximum versatility, use carpet tiles to create your own patterns and designs or to add a border around the perimeter of the room.
Always ask for carpet samples of each color you're considering. Try to get the biggest samples available, and take them home to examine them in natural light before you buy. Keep in mind that sun exposure can fade colored carpeting, so choose fade-resistant products if your carpet will be in direct sunlight.
8. Treat Stairs Carefully
It's critical to select the right carpeting for your stairs, since stairs get a lot of wear, plus the carpeting has to be bent over the edges of each step. A cut-pile carpet is a better choice than a looped pile, as the spaces between the loops will tend to open up where the carpet curls over the stairs in an effect called "grinning." Looped carpets can also snag, especially at any seams or transition areas.
Density is another factor to consider. If the carpet isn't that thick, you may end up seeing the unsightly backing when the carpet is curved over the steps. One test of the density is to stick your fingers deeply into a carpet sample. If you can easily separate the fibers and feel the backing, it's probably not the best choice for your stairs.
The ideal choice, actually, is a woven wool carpet. Woolen carpets are the most durable, and their woven backing helps keep each piece of yarn in place, which is especially important for stairs.
9. Go Green
Many people are shocked to learn just how much carpet, padding and adhesives can impact air quality and health. If you've ever been around brand-new carpet or other building materials, you probably remember that distinctive "new" smell. That odor is caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs, such as formaldehyde, cause poor indoor air quality and can contribute to a host of health problems, including asthma and allergies. Protect your family by choosing carpet made from natural products, including wool, jute and other organic materials. Also, look for organic or chemical-free dyes to keep toxic fumes out of your home. In addition to impacting your health, your choice of carpet can also affect the environment.
10. Carpeting vs. Area Rugs
It's possible you'd be better served with an area rug and not wall-to-wall carpeting. How do you know? Consider the two. Carpeting's main advantages are that it's soft and warm underfoot, muffles sound and provides cushioning if you fall. It's also affordable. However, carpet holds dust, mites and other allergens, so if members of your household have allergies or asthma, it can be a problem. Carpet can also be difficult to clean, holds odors like pet urine and typically wears out within about 10 years, so you'll need to re-carpet -- and sometimes not just the one room with the really worn carpet, but the entire house, depending on where the carpet runs.
Source: howstuffworks
About Fantastic Floors, Inc. We are a successful company with more than 25 years of experience in the market, we have the infrastructure, high quality equipment, materials and supplies to achieve and exceed the expectations of our customers, allowing us to gain the confidence and loyalty for our services.
We have more than 500 residential, 300 properties and 25 commercial customers totally satisfied with our services.
Professional Carpet Installation in Houston.
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