Tag: Carpet

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Walls & flooring

How to lay carpet

Add another level of comfort to your home

Carpet can add a soft touch to any room and serve as the base for the rest of the room design. The right carpet can instantly transform a space. Aside from purchasing the carpet, hiring an installer is a major expense. If you are thinking about skipping this expense and doing it yourself, make sure you actually understand how to lay carpet. Failing to do so may end up ruining your new carpet or having to live with noticeable mistakes. If you want to do it yourself, here are some basic steps and considerations. 

Choosing the right carpet for your space

Carpeting is a big investment, and you will want to take this decision into careful consideration. This decision is about more than colour and pile. Here are some things you might want to think about. 

  • Lifestyle –This is the most important factor in the carpet purchasing decision. You might not want that carpet with the long pile if you have children and pets. Also, consider how well the pattern will hide stains. 
  • Plush piles vs loop piles – There are two kinds of piles; plush piles and loop piles. Loop piles are usually low and are typically what you find in office carpeting. Plush piles have cut ends and have a soft, luxurious feel on your feet. Short, loop pile carpets are often easier to clean than plush pile carpets. They are an excellent choice for high-traffic areas. 
  • Colours – When it comes to colour, you might be tempted to go with something trendy, but trends come and go. Buying carpet is a longer-term decision, so you want to make sure that you will be happy with it in the future. Neutrals are a always a good choice.
  • Fibre types – If you want natural fibers, you will probably have to choose a rug to go on top of the carpet as an accent. Most modern carpets are made from synthetic fibers, but you can find some carpets that contain a percentage of natural fibers. The most common types of carpet fibers are acrylic, nylon, olefin, and viscose fibers. Viscose is made from natural plant fibers. All of these choices have advantages and disadvantages in terms of wear resistance, resilience, and resistance to fading. Each of these choices has an effect on the cost of the carpet per square metre. 
Bedroom with carpet
Carpeted bedroom / Source: Tradezmen

Materials and Tools

 The first thing that you need to do is to calculate the amount of carpet needed per square metre. You will want to purchase a little extra to account for any odd areas or mishaps. Once you have purchased the carpet, here are a few other carpet laying tools that you will need to do the job. 

  • Tackless strip
  • Tape
  • Tack strip cutter
  • Hand stapler
  • Wall trimmer
  • Top cutter
  • Hammer
  • Measuring tape
  • Knee kicker
  • Carpet knife
  • Stair tool
  • Razor knife
  • Power stretcher
  • Gloves

How to Lay Carpet

 As you can see, there is a lot of specialty equipment needed for laying carpet. There is also a difference between carpet installation and how to lay carpet tiles. Tiles might require special adhesive and a trowel. Once you have the tools assembled, you are ready to begin. 

  1. Prepare subfloor. The first thing you will need to do is to remove the old carpet and clean the subfloor surface. It must be smooth and clean. Remove any joint compound, paint, or rough areas. You will also want to give it a good sweep and vacuum. 
  2. Install tack strips. Now, you can cut the tack strips to the proper length and nail them about 1.27 cm from the wall. Make sure to wear gloves as they are sharp, and do not install them across doorway thresholds. The tacks can poke through and cut your feet. 
  3. Install padding/underlay. Roll out the carpet pad and staple it near the tack strips. Make sure to place the edges close together so that the surface is smooth. Staple the pad seams to hold them down. Use a carpet knife to trim the pad. 
  4. Measure and cut carpet. Roll the carpet out and notch the corners for trimming. This can be done on a garage floor or outdoor driveway, this is easier with two people. Trim the carpet to size. Now, bring it inside and lay it in the room.
  5. Lay and secure. Lay the carpet down and glue the seams. Trim around any obstacles. Attach the first edge of the carpet to the tack strip. Place the flat end of the knee kicker against the carpet and forcefully strike the padded end to stretch the carpet and cause it to grab the tack strips securely. Now you can trim any excess from the edges. 
  6. Stretch the carpet. Use the power stretcher to attach the carpet to the strips on the other side of the room and the corners. Use a binder bar to secure any areas where the carpet is not against a wall, such as a doorway threshold. Make sure the carpet is well-stretched and does not have any wrinkles or puckers. 

Contact a carpet expert

How to Hire a Carpet Installer

As you can see, laying carpet requires special equipment and knowledge. It is also physically strenuous work, and you will have to be on your hands and knees quite a bit. Also, if you do not do all of the steps correctly, the carpet can come loose or have wrinkles that represent a tripping hazard and look unsightly. These are many of the reasons why hiring a professional is a good idea in the first place. 

Carpet laying is considered a trade but is no longer licenced under the Home Build Act. Although you do not have to have a licence, you want someone who is experienced and has undergone an apprenticeship or training program. If the carpet is not installed properly, you may have to purchase a new piece of carpet and start over. When hiring a carpet installer, here are a few things to consider. 

  • Ask them how long they have been installing carpet 
  • Ask for references or to see pictures of their finished jobs
  • Ask if they offer any type of guarantee or warranty on their work 
Categories
Walls & flooring

The carpet cleaning secrets the professionals don’t want you to know

Despite the preponderance of other attractive flooring solutions that make our living spaces look and feel good, we are still in love with the good old rug. Carpets bring warmth and softness to our living spaces, and depending on the choice; they can even add a touch of luxury.

However, it is not all smooth-sailing when it comes to carpet installations. The downside with carpets is that they will trap dirt and dust pretty fast. Carpets can also be precursors for foul odour in your interior spaces. Suppose you fail to take timely carpet maintenance. In that case, they can form breeding grounds for bacteria, mould and various other microscopic allergens that can transform an otherwise well-maintained home into an unhealthy environment for the occupants. 

Regular carpet cleaning helps you prevent all of this while keeping your carpet in tip-top shape. Central to this is proper carpet cleaning. Buying cleaning products or hiring a professional cleaner might be easy. Still, the hard part is doing the cleaning right and using a carpet cleaning method that will work for you and help keep your carpet clean, fresh and in the best shape over its lifetime. Carpet Cleaner Cairns explains the top carpet cleaning secrets that the professionals don’t want you to know.

Brown carpet being vacuumed by person in blue jeans and white sneakers.
A dirty carpet being vacuumed / Source: Clean House Melbourne

Frequent vacuuming is your carpet’s best friend

Vacuuming is probably the most underrated carpet cleaning and maintenance technique. Doing it frequently keeps your carpet clean for a longer duration of time which saves you the cost of having to call on a professional carpet cleaner regularly. Some dirt serves as ‘magnets’ for more dirt so the less on your carpets, the better for your overall carpet cleaning regimen. A good culprit is an oily dirt which will attract more dirt on your carpets and spread rather quickly. 

Vacuuming should not just be focused on the carpet. It is also advisable to vacuum areas adjacent to the mat, including the entrances and high-traffic areas. Your feet will pick the dirt from these areas and transfer it to the soft fabrics of the carpet that readily hold onto the dirt. Ensure you clean the edges of the room as well as beneath your furniture as these areas can hide lots of dirt and dust that eventually find their way onto your carpets. 

It is also advisable to master the right vacuuming technique that will maximize every cleaning action. Vacuuming your rooms and carpets is a cumbersome chore, so you better do it right whenever you master the energy and will to do it. You will have tremendous success when you vacuum with slow passes than doing it fast. Slow passes are especially crucial in the high-traffic areas that accumulate lots of dust and dirt.

You can manage most of the small stains yourself

Your professional carpet cleaner won’t tell you this, but you can handle most of the small or spot carpet stains yourself. You have to ensure that you do it promptly and with the right cleaning materials and techniques. Some of the ‘must-have’ cleaning materials that are essential to the optimal cleaning and maintenance of your carpets include the following: 

  • Club soda: Best for handling wine and beer spillages
  • White vinegar: You can mix vinegar with water for juice and soda stains
  • Dishwashing liquid: Ordinary dishwashing liquid can work on several stains when mixed with warm water to form a friendly cleaning solution.
  • Wet wipes: Wet wipes are hyper-efficient in quickly blotting out spot stains on the carpets. 

Always blot and never rub your stains 

Rubbing and scrubbing stains immediately is a sure-fire way of ensuring that it not only spreads over a large surface area but also embeds itself more in-depth into the carpet fibres. Rubbing adds permanence to the stain. The best spot stain treatment merely is blotting it out. 

When a stain spills on your carpet, start by blotting out gradually using an absorbent paper towel, sponge or napkin. Do this many times, gently applying pressure in each blotting action. It takes as much stain as possible out of the carpet rather than pushing it deep into the carpet fibres. When blotting out the stain, start from its outer edges and gradually make your way to the centre.

A dirty grey carpet gets vacuumed.
The results of a freshly cleaned carpet / Source: PestX

Treat all stains immediately

Your professional carpet cleaner probably won’t tell you this. Still, you have a perfect shot at eliminating carpet stains when you treat them immediately. Granted, you can’t always be there when the spillage or staining happens. Still, when it happens on your watch, it is recommended to treat the stain immediately. This allows you to get the stain out before it percolates deep into the carpet’s fibres. Unless you are familiar with professional carpet cleaning techniques and materials, avoid using powerful detergents or chemicals. If the stain is stubborn, you can promptly contact a professional carpet cleaning service. You can try using vinegar, club soda wet wipes, hydrogen peroxide or the simple dishwashing liquid depending on the type of stain to clean out the stain immediately. 

Contact local carpet cleaning experts

Hydrogen peroxide can remove your blood stains

Bloodstains on carpets aren’t as common as wine, beer, juice, dirt or food stains. If you cut yourself and blood spread or spatters on your carpets, you can remove these unsightly stains with hydrogen peroxide. If the bloodstain is still fresh, you can try removing it by blotting it out with an absorbent paper towel or napkins. If the blood has dried out, try loosening it using water and a mild detergent. Using a butter knife, you can gently scrape off the dried blood stains off the carpet fibres. After scraping them off, you can use hydrogen peroxide to clear off the rest of the blood residues. Hydrogen peroxide will fizz and then foam when it comes into contact with the bloodstains, eliminating the stain in the process.

Use area rugs in high traffic areas

The high traffic areas on your carpets will suffer a higher degree of wear and dirt than the low traffic areas. Because they take in a lot of dirt, they are also generally harder to clean. They will accumulate a lot of dirt from the high foot traffic that will necessitate a higher cleaning frequency. One way of preserving your carpet is by using area rugs in the place where your carpet is particularly taking a good beating. These can include the following:

  • The spot where your kitchen meets your living room
  • The hallways
  • The spot where your bathroom meets the joint area or the hallway
  • Backyard doors

The best way to relieve pressure off the high-traffic areas is by using area rugs. Beyond the functional aspect of protecting your carpets, these rugs can also be a decorative item. You can choose different styles, shapes and patterns to add some style and charm to your house interiors.These are some of the best carpet cleaning secrets that your professional carpet cleaner won’t tell you about. However, it would be best if you mainly used these for small localized stains. An experienced and well-trained carpet cleaner better use powerful carpet cleaning detergents, chemicals and equipment.

Categories
Design & decor

Why you should choose a custom made rug

Even in homes that are fully carpeted, custom made rugs can add an extra sense of luxury and warmth. Of course, most buy rugs to cover up cold floors and protect hardwood, but rugs have many other uses as well. They also provide a more comfortable area to sit on the floor, they absorb sound so that rooms feel less empty, and they’re just simply beautiful to look at. While buying a rug off-the-rack is certainly an option, custom made rugs tend to be of higher quality, making them more affordable in the long run.

Types of custom made rugs

As the name suggests, custom made rugs can come in a wide variety of materials and styles. Common types of materials used in rugs include sisal, wool, acrylic, jute, silk, and viscose, just to name a few. You should choose your material based on the decor already in your home, as well as which room you plan to place your custom made rug in.

Custom made rugs can either be machine-made or handmade, depending upon your preference. Either way, there’s a huge selection of options when it comes to the design. Additionally, buying a custom made rug gives you the option to have it made in whatever shape or size that you desire. Rather than searching high and low for a rug that’s just the right size for your home, custom made rugs are always exactly what you need them to be.

A stylish, carpeted bedroom with a textured rug
Rugs are a great addition on top of carpet / Source: Ama Studio

Benefits of custom made rugs

While custom made rugs might seem like a big investment, the benefits far outweigh the cost. For example, instead of spending a great deal of time searching for a rug that fits your hallway perfectly, you can have a custom rug made exactly to your specifications. On top of that, the flexibility and freedom to choose the colour and design also allow you to turn your custom made rugs into a focal point for any room. No matter what you choose, you’ll also rest assured in the knowledge that your rug is completely unique.

How to choose a custom made rug

How will the rug be used? Above all else, the function is the most important consideration. If the furniture will sit on it, then you probably don’t want an ornate design that will just end up covered by a table or couch. How large is the room? Simple rug design is better for larger rooms since elaborate designs tend to make a space feel busy and cramped.

If you’re not sure exactly what kind of custom made rugs would be right for your home, but you know that you’d like to invest in one, many rug manufacturers have consulting services. Consultants will make a home visit, bringing sample rugs to serve as placeholders so you can get a better idea of what you want. They’ll also offer their opinion on what kind of rug might be best suited to the room, and they can give you valuable advice on materials and budget.

Measure the space you have

Before you decide on a rug, you need to make sure you measure the area you plan to fill with the new item. If you plan to put the rug underneath a coffee table, make sure it is at least as long and as wide as the piece of furniture in question. Even if you just plan to put the rug in the middle of a room, you need to avoid choosing one that is too big or small, which means you should consider the size of the floor. Then think about how much area you want the rug to take up.

Decide on colours

Take into consideration the colours, patterns and styles of your room, and decide whether the rug is to be the focal point of the room or not. A feature rug is one that can be used as a throw rug and a focus piece. Alternatively, you can try picking out the rug for the floor before you select stuff like paint, wallpaper and furniture. Then you can let the rug colours guide your purchases for the rest of the room.

Contact local interior designers

Considerations for kitchen rugs

Depending on the size of your kitchen and the type of flooring you currently have, adding a simple kitchen rug can create a new dramatic feel for your kitchen. 

Anti-slip rugs

These are possibly the best type of rugs you can purchase for your kitchen. Since the kitchen floor often gets wet or slippery from cooking, washing dishes or cleaning, having no grip on the bottom of your kitchen rug can cause it to move around, which can be quite dangerous. An anti-slip rug has a special type of rubber underneath that keeps it in place. This keeps the rug from moving all around the kitchen, and more importantly, it keeps you from sliding.

A kitchen with a small patterned rug on the floor
There are many choices for carpets in kitchens / Source: TexAus Design

Anti-fatigue rugs

Anti-fatigue mats are used to support your weight and to reduce some of the strain that’s caused from standing in place for a number of minutes or hours. These mats are made from special materials, but the most popular type of anti-fatigue rug is the memory foam mat. Although these mats come in beautiful finishes, they are relatively stain-resistant and easy to clean.

The braided variety

Braided kitchen rugs are made from synthetic blends or from material like wool and cotton. These mats are often plain; however, some are stained or have painted designs on them.

Plush rugs

Plush kitchen rugs are similar to the ones that people place in their bathrooms. They have a deeper pile so that your feet are more comfortable when standing on them. They take the impact of the hard flooring, so your feet don’t hurt after standing for prolonged periods of time.

Washable choices

Most kitchen rugs are washable, with the exception of braided rugs. Some can be cleaned by simply running them under the shower while others can be tossed into the washing machine with the rest of your clothing.

Categories
Walls & flooring

What are the different types of carpet?

Choosing between carpets can be tricky and with the range of colours and textures on the market, it can get overwhelming. The texture and colour you choose for your carpet will primarily depend on the way your space is used. In areas of high activity, durable fabrics will work best but in rooms that cater to children, a darker carpet will be preferable. Discover how to choose a carpet for your space based on the different styles and fibres available.

Different types of carpet available

Cut or loop

Carpets are either a cut pile or loop pile construction and both styles offer something different. The differences lie in the style, level and length of the yarn, but the material you choose will depend on the durability and ease of the maintenance you prefer.

In a loop carpet, the yarn is looped and doesn’t show external marks created by walking or vacuuming, making it ideal for areas with high foot traffic. On the other hand, the exposed yarn is cut and looped in a cut and loop yarn carpet. These carpets are more suitable for bedrooms, where foot traffic is quite low.

  • Twist carpets: also known as ‘frieze’ carpets, are comprised of yarn twisted in different directions that create the appearance of depth and texture. As a cut pile style, twist carpets provide a comfortable and soft surface but are also long lasting and durable, making it the ideal option for households with pets. The textured look is currently trending and can complement modern home designs.

twist carpets

  • Plush carpets: are level-cut piles that are luxurious options for the home, ensuring comfort and style. With consistent fibre lengths and a high-sheen surface, cut pile plush carpets are more prone to display temporary shades from vacuums and footprints. Textured plush carpets, however, have fibres twisted in different angles and effectively conceal vacuum or footprints making it an ideal option for high activity areas and people with busy lifestyles.

plush carpets

  • Loop carpets: Loops of yarn can create a range of modern carpet finishes. Loop carpets referred to as Berber, are created with yarns that are looped back into the carpet and are generally made from nylon or olefin fibres. Level or multi-level loops are constructed with rows of looped yarns of the same or variant heights, depending on your preference and style.

loop carpets

Wool or nylon

In Australian homes, the most popular carpet selections are made of blends from nylon, wool or olefin (polypropylene). Choosing a carpet won’t depend on the fibre selection alone, but determining which fibres are best suited to your environment will help you make the right carpet choice.

Wool carpets can be a great addition to a space, feeling soft and luxurious. Wool is a natural and sustainable fibre, which is bound to keep you warm in winter and cool in the summer. As a resilient and easily dyed fibre, wool is also available in a range of styles to adapt to the look of your home. Textured or twist carpets can often trap dirt between fibres and will quickly absorb any liquid stains so the required maintenance should be considered prior to investing in a wool rug or carpet. The elasticity and resilience of wool also makes it a suitable option for high traffic spaces, while its durability and soft surface makes it a great choice for cooler climates.

Close up of a wool carpet / Source: Supplied

Ingrid Powell from Choices Flooring, estimates that around 90% of all residential carpets are made from nylon, a durable and stain resistant fibre.

“Wool is the ultimate natural fibre when it comes to carpet whereas nylons and polypropylenes are manmade and have more manufactured properties included in their makeup,” she said.

Nylon fibres are either woven or made from sunken loops, creating a simple and compact texture. Nylon is cost effective for its durability and versatile range of colours and styles, and is highly resistant to abrasion. It is a synthetic fibre however so it is prone to emit off-gas.

Nylon is a durable and versatile synthetic option / Source: Supplied

Olefin fibres have a low absorbency rate. As a positive, this means olefin carpets are stain resistant but on the flip side, olefin is not easily dyed, providing limited style choices. Olefin carpets can be most useful for outdoor areas or spaces prone to spillage or liquid damage. Olefin is non-resilient and it will not regain its shape easily when exposed to weight or high activity areas.

Contact local carpet experts

Colour options

Take a moment to consider the space you intend to carpet as this will influence the style and fabric you choose. With pets or children about, carpets with lower maintenance are preferable and a dark charcoal or coffee coloured carpet will show less of the stains, but in small spaces, dark carpet colours can make the space appear smaller. When paired with white walls, lighter coloured carpets will draw your eyes outwards, giving the appearance of extra space, but can be a lot more difficult to clean or maintain.

Start by considering what mood or effect you wish to create with your carpet. For example, if you wish to add a homely touch to an empty space, you may consider opting for a neutral or warm tones carpet such as greys or soft pinks, to add an inviting allure to a space. A neutral colour carpet will also shift the focus away from the flooring and complement your furnishings. Alternatively, if you wish to open up a small and stuffy space, you might choose a carpet with whites or cool tones such as blues and greens, to make a room feel cooler and brighter.