Carpet Sense and Flooring

Hardwood Flooring - Solid vs. Engineered

Web Admin - Thursday, December 10, 2015


Engineered flooring construction has several benefits over solid hardwood. The most important one is how the material reacts to temperature and humidity. With solid hardwood flooring, any changes in either temperature or relative humidity can cause the boards to warp, cup, gap, or buckle. Engineered wood flooring is more dimensionally stable, due to the multi-layer construction. Engineered wood floors also offer an advantage in the installation methods. Solid hardwood must usually be nailed down to a plywood subfloor. Engineered wood has the option of being either stapled or glued down over a wood or concrete subfloor. Some engineered wood products can also be installed using a “floating” system, where the planks are fastened to one another, and are simply “floated” over a padding or underlayment, 

One of the main advantages of solid hardwood over engineered is it’s ability to be sanded and refinished. With solid hardwood, you can sand any number of times, until you reach the top of the tongue-and-groove (about 1/4″). Depending on the thickness of the engineered flooring wear layer, it may be able to be sanded, at most 1-2 times.  Generally speaking, solid hardwood floors will tend to last longer than engineered with the same levels of care and maintenance. At the same time, engineered floors will react better to seasonal changes.

Typically engineered hardwood flooring will cost you less than solid hardwood flooring for the same look, because less of the “species” tree is used than with solid wood.  Also, freight costs are lower because engineered flooring is lighter in weight and therefore less costly to transport.  These factors also help make engineered flooring friendly to the environment.

How to clean a Carpet Stain

Web Admin - Monday, October 26, 2015



If you live in a house with normal humans who go outside and occasionaly spill their coffee, you know what it is to deal with a pesky carpet stain. Here's how to conquer even the worst of them.

De-grit doormats

Interior doormats can only stop dirt from being tracked inside if they're clean. If the care tag allows, you can toss mats into the washer and dryer — use the gentle cycle on warm and tumble-dry low. Otherwise, use a vacuum. Go over the front of the mat, flip it over, and then vacuum the back, even if it's rubber or plastic (this loosens any embedded dirt). Then flip the mat again, and vacuum up the grit that came out. (Just you wait: It'll be no small amount.) For a quick refresh, take the mat outside for a good shaking, beating it with your hand or a stick a few times on each side.

VACUUM CLEANER FAQS

Refresh high-traffic areas
Spy a gray, matted trail from your couch to your kitchen? In between heavy-duty cleanings (with a rented machine or by a professinonal), hit the dingy path with a powdered or foam carpet cleaner, like Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaner. Apply it according to the package directions, and then vacuum.

RELATED: 4 Stains You Should Never Blot With Water »


Get the spots out
Everything from red wine to gravy to mud can find its way onto your rugs. Here's our expert-approved method for banishing most dried-in blotches:

1. Take two empty spray bottles, and fill one with cold water. In the other, mix 1/4 teaspoon mild dishwashing liquid and 1 cup warm water.

2. Spray the detergent solution onto an absorbent cloth (not the carpet — you don't want to wet it too much), and dab, don't rub, it on the spot. As the stain dissolves, blot with a clean section of cloth. Keep applying and blotting this way until the stain is gone.

3. Spray another cloth with the cold water, and use it to rinse the detergent solution from the carpet; blot again with a dry cloth. T

4. Pile a stack of white paper towels on the spot, and place a heavy pot on top. Overnight, the towels will soak up any residual stain deep in the carpet. In the morning, fluff the fibers with your fingers and allow to air-dry.

Keep dirt outside

Try implementing a no-shoes-in-the-house rule. Stow extra slippers or flip-flops next to a shoe rack near your door, and encourage family members to make the switch inside. Stash a broom in a closet near the entryway to collect dirt before it gets ground into doormats, and put down mats outside your door, too, so you can wipe your feet before you go inside.


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Mon - Fri: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

 

613.729.3989
Info@CarpetSenseFlooring.ca
36 Colonnade Rd Ottawa
ON Canada K2E 7J6

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