Carpet Quality Factors

What to look for when shopping for a quality carpet.

Yarn Material

As discussed in a previous article about carpet fibers, nylon is considered to be the most versatile carpet fiber.  However, your fiber choice might change depending on the application.  For example, if you are less concerned about the damage a carpet will receive due to traffic and more concerned about stains, polyester may be the better choice. You might also consider polyester if you are concerned about a carpet growing mold in an area that may be exposed to prolonged moisture (i.e. a porch) or you have a limited budget.  If you are looking for a carpet that will remain attractive for more than a decade, wool is a fantastic choice.

Yarn Twist

Heat setting is the term used to describe a thermal process, either a steam or a dry heat process, which gives fibers and yarns dimensional stability.  We like to refer to the heat set twist as the backbone of a the carpet pile. Heat setting works well with staple yarns and bulked continuous filament (BCF) yarns.  Generally speaking, the more twists per inch, the higher quality the carpet.

Carpet Backing and Density

Density, along with twist and yarn type, will also determine how well a carpet endures wear from surface abrasion (wear and tear from walking on the carpet).  Density is measured at the carpet backing, not on the surface of the pile.  A poorly twisted carpet tuft may appear to be thick and full on the surface, but when you dig your fingers in you can feel how sparse the tufts really are.  When examining the backing, look for the nice white color of the silicon sealants and adhesives.  Low quality adhesives can be grey or brownish.

Carpet Texture and Style

Style not only determines the look of the carpet, it also has a lot to do with how well it performs.  A shaggy frizee berber carpet,which is very popular in Colorado, does a great job of hiding lint, foot prints, vacuum tracks, and dirt or stains.  A short, dense loop-pile carpet will perform extremely well in high traffic areas.  Formal plush and saxony carpets look great in a living room or sitting area, but are not very forgiving.  Plushes and saxony carpets tend to show all vacuum tracks, foot prints, dirt, stains, and will "ugly out" more quickly in high traffic areas.

US Floors likes to empower our customers.

We'll give you the information you need to make an educated decision about what products will best fit your home.

Call us today for a free in-home estimate.    (719) 391-9319

Colorado Springs: Housing Market in Okay Shape

According to Hanley Wood, the Colorado Springs Housing Market is in a better position to bounce back from the recession than other communities.   This outlook is based on job growth and building permits pulled.   "Colorado Springs sets up well to recover more strongly,” said Jay Peterson, Hanley Wood’s regional director in Denver. The Hanley Wood forecast was presented recently to the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs.

What does this mean for homeowners who have been unable to sell their home?  Keep it updated.  You want to be ready to sell when it comes time to list your house on the market.  Don't wait till the last minute.

You can increase the value of your home, especially by upgrading the kitchen and bathrooms.  Give us a call to find out how easy it can be to give your home added value.  (719) 391-9319

Colorado Springs Real Estate

Local Economy in 2010

A UCCS College of Business and Administration report in their Quarterly Updates and Estimates publication gives me some cautious optimism.  According to Fred Crowley, Senior Economist for the college,"Sufficient time has passed to be able to say the local economy definitely bottomed out in February 2009. Since then, the BCI (Business Conditions Index) increased from 68.8 to 81.3, an increase of 18.2 percent."

That's great news for Colorado Springs!  Crowley writes that their are some especially good signs in the local real estate market.  The National Association of REALTORS® reports that the national average increase in year to date homes sales from 2009 to 2010.  Compare that national number to the 5.9 percent increase we've experienced in El Paso county year to date home sales.  El Paso County is also experiencing a more than double the national average home price increase this year over 2009.

If my fellow Southern Colorado businessmen continue to attract Californians to Colorado Springs, we might have an even better 2011!  Let's build some more houses!

What can you do to stimulate the local economy?  Buy your flooring from us!  :)  All the proceeds of the sale go toward local Coloradans who, in turn, like to spend their profits on goods and services from other Coloradans.  Let's KEEP IT LOCAL!

Call US Floors Direct today for a flooring estimate!

(719) 391-9319

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In 2005, carpet shipped in the United States totaled 2.057 billion square yards (18.5 billion square feet) or $13.9 billion at the mill level (In 1950, industry shipments were 97 million square yards). Today, the carpet manufacturing industry offers many different looks and styles, much more than just a conventional loop pile. New technology can produce multilevel loop and cut/loop patterns. There are many options such as diamonds, bows, pin dots, or fleurs-de-lis designs that "pop out" in sculptured effects. Using a solid color, textured carpet is a great way to provide interest and pizzazz, without going to a multicolor, overall pattern.

Textured styles also fit well with today’s active and casual lifestyles. Whether or not a carpet is textured, it can be created through the use of several construction techniques.

• Cut pile - Loops are cut, leaving individual yarn tufts. Still one of today's most popular constructions, its durability is achieved with factors including the type of fiber, density of tufts, and the amount of twist in the yarn.

• Plush / Velvet – Velvets and Plush carpeting are manufactured with a gentle twist.  Because of the gentle twist, they are softer than Textured and other carpets. Visual luxury and feel make Velvet and Plush carpeting perfect for living rooms, master suites, theater rooms, and all other formal areas within the home. This style shows all traffic marks.

• Saxony - Carpet fibers in a Saxony carpet are twisted tightly, cut, and then straightened using heat. The texture of a Saxony carpet works well in both formal and informal rooms.  Saxony carpets have a medium level of durability and show foot prints and tracks from a vacuum cleaner.

• Friezé – Frieze carpet is recommended for high traffic areas.  The yarns are tightly twisted, forming a "curly" textured surface.  This informal look hides almost all foot prints and vacuum marks.

• Loop Pile - In the past, loop pile (often confused with Berber carpet†) was considered a more casual style and was typically used in basements, game rooms, and other informal high traffic areas. As carpet styles have evolved, more variety became available. Loop pile may have a look anywhere from very casual to extremely formal.The term "berber" is used to describe any type of carpeting with more than two colors. Berber can be loop, cut pile, frieze, and others.

• Level loop pile – Loops are the same height, creating an informal look.  It generally holds up well in high-traffic areas.  Many of today’s popular Berber styles are level loop styles with flecks of a darker color on a lighter backg round.

• Multi-level loop pile — Usually has two to three different loop heights to create pattern effects, providing good durability and a more formal loop.

• Cut-and-loop pile – Combination of cut and looped yarns. Provides variety of surface textures, including sculptured effects of squares, chevrons, swirls, fleur-de-lis, etc.