Here at Carpetland, we know that choosing flooring for your space can seem overwhelming. The many different colors, styles, and materials to choose from lead to many questions, such as which type of flooring is right for your space?

Carpetland has created the user-friendly Flooring Guide to help you solve your every flooring need! Please locate your flooring choice below to receive all you ever needed to know about which floor is right for your needs!

Carpet
Tile
Hardwood
Laminate
Vinyl



Carpet Flooring Guide

Shopping for carpet is no task for the light-hearted! You will find a spectrum of colors, textures and styles - often leading to frustration. That is why at Carpetland we recommend you spend time with us to determine which carpet style is best-suited for your home! We realize that committing to a certain type of carpet unveils the beauty of your home, and brings your own personal decorating style out in the open!

What to look for in Carpet: The general rules of shopping color and price are important factors in choosing your carpet, however they may not lead you to the best value. Your primary consideration should be performance value, or the way the carpet actually performs when it is on your floor. Predicting how well a carpet will perform in your home is no easy task. Better quality fiber and packing density will equate to a better performing carpet. Lower quality carpet is easy to identify, it is thin and lightweight. A good indication of a product's performance value can be located in the manufacturer's warranty. Almost any carpet looks good when it is first installed, the key is that the longer it stays looking good, the greater the real value.

How to Choose your Carpet: During your planning stage, you will most likely be collecting fabric swatches, paint chips and photos. It is recommended that you bring those with you when you visit Carpetland to choose your carpet. It is also recommended that you bring along a sketch of your room's floor plan, to help us meet your needs in a precise fashion!
Beware of bargains! In the long run, cheaper carpet that wears out quickly can prove more costly than a higher-quality, more costly carpet. A good rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for! A good standard to consider is the cost per year. The true cost of the carpet must reflect its length of satisfactory service. Don't constrict your budget on high-traffic areas of your home, such as hallways and family rooms. This will lead to higher costs as you will need to replace carpet in these areas more frequently. Different rooms have different requirements for carpeting.

Halls and Stairs: These higher traffic areas require densely tufted carpet with low pile height. To better translate, a carpet that will resist matting and crushing is ideal for this area. An idea for consideration is to choose medium colors with a texture or soil-hiding pattern. Recommendation: textured plush, frieze, hard twist, level-loop, multi-level loop.
Living Room: A more formal setting, elegant saxony plush or textured plush work well in this area of the home. Factors such as how often you use the room will help you determine the purchase of any high-performance carpet. Stain resistance and ability to be cleaned are important if this area is used frequently. Recommendation: saxony plush, textured plush, frieze, berber loop, and berber.
Dining Room: Important factors in choosing carpet for an area where food and drink are common are stain resistance and cleanability. Carpets with soil-hiding features and easy maintenance are ideal for dining rooms. Recommendation: saxony plush, textured plush, berber, graphic loop and sisal loop.
Family Room: Stain and soil resistant, dense carpets are ideal for multipurpose rooms. Consider patterns, multicolor tweeds and berbers. Recommendation: textured plush, frieze, level-loop, multi-level loop and berber.
Bedrooms: Generally low-traffic areas such as bedrooms don't factor durability into the selection process. Your own personal flair and imagination can shine - look for delicate colors and comfort. Recommendation: saxony plush, textured plush, and cut-loop.
Kitchen: Carpeted kitchens prevent slipping while reducing foot fatigue and breakage. This is an extremely high traffic area, so look for a small pattern to minimize stains while it is easy to clean. Recommendation: level loop, multi-level loop, or an area rug in front of your sink.


Carpet Styles, Textures & Performance

Berber: Made of thick tufted loops that create a very nubby surface and is often designed in geometric patterns. Berber wears extremely well, is easy to clean and ideal for informal settings.
Cut and Loop: Combines the effect of a Saxony carpet with a tracery loop patterned effect, creating a carved or sculpted effect.
Frieze & Hard Twist: A smart choice for any high traffic area. Tightly twisted heat-set yarns curl back on themselves, creating a distinctive nubby or curled appearance. Frieze and hard twist wear very well and minimize footprints.
Level Loop: Made with tufted loops of the same height. It has a tight, pebbly surface that can take hard wear and hide footprints. Soil tends to stay on the surface, making it easy to clean.
Saxony Plush: Dense level cut pile of about one-half inch or less. It has a slight twist in the yarn, which yarn tufts are closely packed to present a rich, pin-point definition and smooth luxurious surface. This style will show footprints and shading as part of its styling effect. Saxony plushes are among the most elegant and are generally used in rooms of a formal setting.
Multi-level Loop: Thick nubby loops in a multi-level construction create unique designs and patterns in natural colorations.
Sisal Look: Provides the perfect natural backdrop that emulates other materials, such as natural wicker, jute, sisal and seagrass.
Textured Plush: Level cut pile carpet with yarns textured to give a twisted look. Not as formal as Saxony plush, but this construction is tough enough for any room. This style will minimize footprints and is very popular because if its rich surface finish.

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Tile Flooring Guide

Ceramic tile is simply a mixture of clays, molded into a shape and fired at high temperatures - resulting in a hard finished product. This resilient material may be left untreated or it may receive a glazed wear layer. Raw material used in creating ceramic tile comes from the earth, including the colorful glaze! All ceramic tiles may appear alike, but like most products they come in all shapes, sizes, qualities and price points. Here are some factors that contribute to the quality and performance of ceramic tile:

Clay Body: Density is the factor which defines the strength of the bisque. Stronger bisques have been "atomized" to create the smallest and fewest number of air pockets - minimizing the risk of chipping. Atomizing the bisque ensures a denser product while removing impurities in the base.
Glaze: When discussing glaze, strength/wear resistance of the glaze is determined by its hardness. The hardness of the glaze is determined by temperature in the kiln, as well as the color and gloss level. Lighter shades of color are harder, as a shiny tile is softer than a matted or satin tile.
Water Absorption: The density of the tile determines water absorption. Tiles that absorb more than 3% moisture are suitable for indoor use only, while tiles absorbing 0-3% moisture are considered frost resistant, and can be used for interior or exterior decor.
Glaze Application: A new demand in products over the past few years has developed for those that show pattern variation and have hand-crafted looks. It is easier to make tiles that look alike than to make tiles that look different. There is a greater opportunity to show variation with more applications of glaze.
Thickness: Thicker tiles do not always equate to more durable tiles, but it does increase the price since thicker is more expensive to ship.
Construction: Check to see if the tile is consistently square, thick and uniform.
Why use Ceramic Tile?: Durability, stain resistance, promotion of hygiene and ease of cleaning are a few reasons why ceramic tile is so widely used. Also, ceramic tile is scratch and scuff resistant, doesn't fade and will resist burns while remaining friendly to the environment.

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Hardwood Flooring Guide

The perfect structural material for flooring is provided by nature! Wood floors keep your feet warm on cool days and cool on warm days. Wood floors offer insulation that is seven times better in value than ceramic, laminate or vinyl tiles. Not only is wood physically warmer, it radiates an aura of warmth and friendliness within your home. From traditional to contemporary, wood offers style and versatility that allows you to decorate and redecorate without having to perform costly renovations within your home, adding resale value as well.

Solid hardwood flooring: Available in strips or planks, strips are available in 3/4" thickness and widths of 2" and 2 1/4".
Planks are available in 3/4" thickness as well, but planks are a bit wider with 3" to 8" widths. Factory finished solid wood flooring is pre-sanded and stained.
Engineered wood flooring: is produced by bonding layers of veneer and lumber. These products are more dimensionally stable and are ideal for glue-down or float-in installation on all grades, including basements and humid climates. Engineered wood flooring is available in strip or plank form. Strips are available in widths of 2" and 2 1/4". Planks are available in widths ranging from 3" to 8".
Decorating with Wood: Wood is likely the most beautiful material you can put on your floors. The colors are rich and warm, and the styles and creations with wood are endless! It is important to consider the look you are aiming to achieve when decorating with wood. Are you seeking contemporary or traditional? Wood with less texture and grain such as Maple, Birch or Cherry will create a contemporary look. If you are going for a rustic look, use Oak or Ash, which have heavier grains.
Where can I install hardwood?: Solid hardwood floors can be installed into any room within your home that is above grade, except for a full bathroom. There is too much moisture in a full bathroom on a regular basis to allow for hardwood. There are precautions that you should take with your hardwood flooring. Walk-off mats should always be placed near doorways and entrances. Other steps for protecting your flooring are to trim pets' nails, use area rugs, and place felt pads under furniture legs to prevent dents and scuffing.
Cost: Hardwood flooring holds an overall value when compared to other flooring and is competitively priced. Hardwood has also been proven to increase the resale value of your home and can last a lifetime with proper maintenance.
Maintenance: Specific finish types may require different maintenance procedures. Some guidelines may apply to the care of all wood floors. These guidelines are as listed:

• All furniture should have floor protector pads placed on the legs

• Invest in a humidifier or some type of humidity control to prevent shrinkage in wood

• Sweep, vacuum, dust-mop to remove dirt and grit

• High heels and pets nails will damage wood floors, so keep shoes off and pet's trimmed

• Be attentive to water and spills

• Use manufacturers instructions for cleaning your wood flooring

• NEVER use household dust treatments, wet mops or ammonia on your wood floors!

Prefinished or Unfinished: Most hardwood flooring sold today is prefinished. Several coats of UV-cured polyurethane are applied to factory finished floors. Factory finishes are tough and durable. Installing a prefinished floor eliminates the time, the dust and the odor associated with the on-site sanding and finishing of an unfinished floor. Prefinished flooring can be installed in one day! An unfinished floor may require twice as much time to install for the same amount of area.

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Laminate Flooring Guide

Laminate floors have the beauty of wood and ceramics without the worry and hassle of these other materials. That is why it is the fastest growing flooring material in North America. Laminate flooring is easy on your budget, does not require wax or polish, is durable and easy to install! The endless benefits of laminate flooring include the following: it won't fade, it is easy to maintain, easy to install, more dent resistant than vinyl and wood, it is wear, stain and fade resistant, and is available in a broad assortment of design.
Laminate floors reflect the style of your home through an extensive range of great-looking styles with all the appeal of hardwood and tile. Certain brands offer accent blocks or border pieces that allow for a custom designed look. Transition pieces and coordinating moldings complete the finished look of a floor and are available in a wide variety of profiles and patterns.
Installation: A great advantage of laminate flooring is that it can be installed on any grade in your home, given that the subfloor is sound, level and dry. It can be installed in almost any room in your home, though special precautions should be taken in any room where there is constant moisture.
Cleaning: No other flooring material is as easy to care for as laminate! A simple run of the vacuum for everyday caring will suffice in a quick clean to remove dirt and debris. However, soap, wax, and household cleaners should not be used on laminate flooring. This will leave a film on your floor that can attract more dirt and leave streaks and footprints. The best way to clean your laminate floors is to use ammonia and water or any window cleaning product.
A note of caution: Scouring pads and abrasive cleaners can scratch and damage the surface of laminate flooring. Sanding and waxing should never be part of your cleaning routine on your laminate surfaces.

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Vinyl Flooring Guide

Vinyl is the most versatile flooring option available. Your options are endless when shopping for styles and colors, and versatile pricing options make vinyl workable for most any budget. Positive aspects of vinyl include easy care and cleaning, wear-resistance and resilience. They "give" when you walk on them, creating a soft comfortable feel ideal for kitchens or bathrooms.
Sizes: Sheet vinyl is available in 6 and 12 foot roll widths in almost any length. Vinyl tiles are also available, and vary among manufacturer.
Cleaning: Maintenance, cleaning and care of vinyl flooring is very simple. Innovations have made floor cleanup a breeze. Simple sweeping as needed and occasional mopping with a no-rinse floor cleaner are sufficient to care for your floor.
Installation - Do it yourself or Not?: Tile is simple to install, especially the peel-and-stick variety. Basic everyday tools are all you need to install this flooring, and save yourself some money in the process. Sheet vinyl is also fairly simple to install if you are fairly handy. Most sheet vinyl come with do-it-yourself kits. However, if you are not sure about your skills, it is better to call a professional to help you with your installation.

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