Making the Right Design Choice – Part 2 July 22, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Hints and Tips , add a commentMany people find that they can make the broad brush decisions on their home design options, but get stumped when they get to the final choices. What can you do to shake off the confusion and really be sure you are selecting the right option for you? Let’s take a look at two approaches that can help you with your decisions.
What do you do if you can’t narrow your choices far enough to really compare them easily? If you are sitting on more than five or six options, it’s almost impossible to really evaluate each one. This is the time to use the divide and decide approach. Group all your options in sets of two, and for each set choose the one you like the best. When you’re only comparing two, it’s much easier to make a selection. Make those decisions and suddenly you’ve cut your possibles in half. Just make sure to ask your salesperson to whip those eliminated options out of your sight so you don’t start second-guessing yourself.
If you’re down to three or four options and find yourself stuck, use the reverse decision tactic. Instead of deciding on the one you want, pick one to eliminate. By reversing your thinking to consider the choices you like the least, you end up with more insight into what you really want. When you discover which one you really can’t let go of – that’s your best choice!
For part 1 this series, click here.
Making the Right Design Choice – Part 1 July 14, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Hints and Tips , add a commentAre you ready to jump into making flooring choices but aren’t sure where to start? The process can be fun or frustrating, depending on how you approach it. Let’s consider a couple of tactics to make your selection process more straightforward.
First, if possible narrow your choices before you start shopping. Do you feel you have enough information to decide whether you want tile, wood or carpet in the various areas of your home? If so, make those choices and determine a preliminary budget before you start shopping. Just like shopping for a pair of black pants rather than just wandering through a clothing store, the more defined your mission the easier it is to make just the right choice.
If you don’t feel you have the information you need, start your shopping expedition by sitting down with your salesperson and figuring out what you want, drawing on our knowledge of each type of flooring. With that and your budget, you can quickly eliminate most of the options and focus on those that fit your profile.
Finally, don’t get drawn away from your efforts by other items on display. With the wealth of choices available today, it’s easy to get distracted by other options. However, you will have a better experience if you focus on your goals. There will be plenty of wonderful choices for you within your parameters.
Creating Your Own “White Box” to Help Your Flooring Decision July 6, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Design and Decorating , add a commentAre you an HGTV addict? If you are not a fan, Home & Garden Television offers programs on decorating, home improvement and design. “Design Star,” is HGTV’s reality program that pits 12 designers in a contest to win an opportunity to develop their own show. After watching the first episode from this season, it made sense that you could use one of their concepts to make choosing flooring easier.
Are you ready to take a chance and consider a dramatic shift in your home but don’t know where to start? Well, it’s difficult to make a change when faced with all of your old decisions in a room. Let’s clear out most of your old choices to leave the door open for new ones.
Start by removing all the accessories from the room. Lamps, small tables and chairs go next. Are there larger pieces that you are ready, or almost ready, to replace? Cover them with white sheets. Now you’ve created your own version of a white room. You’re down to the room’s bones, without any distracting elements taking your attention away from the possibilities of the room itself.
Now that you’ve cleared the space, take a walk through it, considering every angle. Are there features you almost forgot were there? Are there wonderful windows, or possibly an appealing fireplace to warm the space? Play with any photos you may have saved of flooring from magazines, or lay out any samples you have. Picture light and darker floors, and consider what appeals to you most.
Next, take pictures of the room from every angle, and bring them with you to the store when you select your new flooring. It will be so much easier to imagine the floor with those photos in your hand. Keep the accessories packed up until your new floor is installed, then replace each item, considering whether you want to keep it, and where to put everything. In some ways by doing this you actually get to start over, with your own white box to decorate any way you want.
If you aren’t ready to do heavy lifting, you could always try out virtual room designer, here!.
Nylon Carpet Maintenance June 28, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Care and Maintenance, Carpet , add a comment
It is actually pretty easy to protect your new carpet. Start by checking the manufacturer’s warranty to see what they require. Some manufacturers now demand periodic, regular professional steam extraction to maintain their warranty in force.
According to maintenance studies, up to 80% of soil that reaches your floors arrives with the first 4-6 steps from outside. Equipping each entry with appropriate walkoff mats or entry rugs will dramatically reduce the amount of soil.
Everyone hates vacuuming, but it is your top line of defense in keeping carpet looking its best. Vacuuming needs to be done regularly, with high traffic areas vacuumed daily. Dirt particles have sharp edges that can cut and abrade the carpet’s fibers, ultimately leading to a crushed and matted appearance. Make sure your vacuum cleaner has strong beater bars and good suction. If it has bags, change them often.
Even with regular vacuuming, every carpet should receive a periodic, professional deep clean with hot water extraction. Home models are typically ineffective at removing enough water and cleaning solution, so use a professional!
Spills and spots must be addressed immediately. Blot the spill with a clean, absorbent cloth, working from the outside to the center. Use a neutral pH cleaner and rinse with clean water to remove all the residues. Dry well and vacuum before walking on the spill area.
Cover any oil-based stains completely with baking soda, baby powder or cornstarch, allowing it to sit overnight. Vacuum well in the morning and if there is residual staining, repeat this process and then follow the routine outlined above for water-based stains.
We hope this helps you feel more comfortable about how to maintain nylon carpet!
Bring a Friend, Stretch Your Perspective! June 21, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Hints and Tips , add a commentShopping for flooring can be intimidating. One helpful idea is to grab a friend to take with you. This can be a great idea, or it can backfire. Here are some tips to make shopping with a friend an asset rather than a liability.
Choose carefully. The friend that is so fun to run around with may not be your best choice when making a flooring decision. Does your friend have taste in home décor you admire? Will he/she help you make a good decision or want to take over the decision-making process? Do they help you make decisions or are they more likely to distract you?
Set ground rules. This is your home, not theirs. You want to end up with your own flooring choices. Let them know why you are bringing them along. A friend can help you remember certain characteristics you want that you may forget in the excitement of picking flooring (a reminder that you have children and dogs is helpful when you are drooling over that white carpet). Pick a friend who helps you think through decisions by asking the right questions.
Be prepared. If your friend is proving to be a distracting rather than a helpful element, let yourself either ask your friend to help you focus, or stop the process and come again later by yourself.
Consider a non-friend. Maybe your best helper is not a friend at all. How about your cousin Rita whose home always looks so beautiful? A spouse can be a real help or a challenge – consider past shopping trips when making that decision. How about your mom? Even consider someone you don’t know well, but you know loves home decorating. You may be surprised to find out that they would love to join you. Having finished their home, they may want to have the fun of helping you with yours!
Polyester Carpet Fibers June 17, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Product Education , add a comment
There is great confusion these days about polyester fiber for carpets. When you talk about polyester carpet, do you mean just plain polyester, PET or PTT? Most of today’s polyester carpets are made from PET fibers, which are manufactured primarily from used plastic soda bottles. PET is an improved fiber over the older, original polyester, but it still comes with some of the performance baggage about which you may have heard stories.
The main positives about PET carpets are that when new, they have a great “hand,” which means a particularly soft and luxurious feel. Probably the greatest lure of PET carpets is the price, which is generally inexpensive. Another selling point is the colorfastness and resistance to water-based staining agents. The biggest complaints about this carpet are its propensity to crush and mat quickly – and that oil-based stains are at best difficult – and at worst, impossible to remove.
PTT polyester is a relatively new introduction into the fiber market (by DuPont in 2000) and sold under the trade name Sorona. It has some unique characteristics, like 37% renewable resource content (corn-based) and reports of advanced stain and wear capabilities over older generations of polyester. In fact, because of its unusual performance characteristics in carpet construction, the FTC granted in March, 2009, a new generic carpet fiber name and classification, Triexta. Smartstrand carpets from Mohawk are manufactured from this fiber.
Early reports from both DuPont and Mohawk indicate that carpets made from this fiber will perform to the expectations of nylon, and will also retain the soft feel and stain-resistance of polyester.
We hope this helps you understand more about polyester carpet fibers! To learn more about Nylon, click here!
Nylon Carpet Fibers June 10, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Uncategorized , add a comment
60 years ago, the United States was in a wartime economy. Military fabrics producers were running out of the silk they needed to make parachutes – and the scramble was on to produce a synthetic replacement for silk. The result, originally created by DuPont’s chemical and textile engineers is the nylon we now utilize in myriad industries. Because of nylon’s incredible strength and durability, it made its way into both the commercial and residential carpet manufacturing markets.
Since its debut all those years ago, very little has changed in the essential chemical construction of nylon carpet fiber. Attendant processes though, like dye methods, carpet construction and finishing technologies have undergone regular improvements. The result has been consistent, incremental increases in performance, so that today’s nylon carpets perform exceptionally well, whether in plush (cut-pile) or loop pile constructions.
One of the keys to nylon’s popularity is its dramatic colorfastness. Solution dyed nylon – where the polymer is colored prior to extrusion into filament fiber – is virtually impervious to the effects of direct sunlight or bleach! Even nylon dyed after extrusion is incredibly colorfast, because of the latest stain protection technologies.
When they are constructed, installed and maintained properly, nylon carpets retain their original shape and appearance, providing years of useful life. Besides their ability to resist stain and soiling, nylon carpets also respond well to common commercial cleaning methodologies. Today’s nylon carpets will never actually wear out – they simply get ugly at the end of their useful lives.
Tigressá SoftStyle Carpet June 2, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Product Education , add a comment
At Big Bob’s, we want you to be in the know with what’s new and changing in the world of carpet. Shaw Floors has introduced a product called Tigressá. This new carpet has advanced engineered yarn that produces a stong, durable and soft new carpet.
The difference between Tigressá and other carpets is its unique fiber shape. This unique fiber shape helps maintain a smoother appearance and an ultra-soft texture. It also makes it stronger than ordinary carpet.
Other advantages of Tigressá carpet:
- Dense, resilient super-strong fibers show less matting, crushing and wear.
- More filaments per square inch spread out daily abuse over more individual fibers.
- Patented color enhancement system protects each fiber and allows for deeper color and textures.
Click here and you can enter to win in the Tigressá Sweepstakes.
Today Brings….A Poem by Riley Millner June 1, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Don't click here! , 3commentsToday’s post is a little different than our usual posts…. It’s not about how to decorate a room, how to remove a stain from your carpet or what the different types of flooring and mattress options are, but something far more important! Please take a few moments to read the following inspirational poem by 14 year old, Riley Millner and hopefully look at what today brings for you a little differently! – Thanks, Riley for sharing!
Today Brings…
When I wake up in the morning
I can hear the birds’ song.
It’s the tune that keeps me smiling
And dancing all day long.
As soon as I step outside
I see the wonderful things,
Which God has made for all of us,
So I find joy in that he brings.
The trees then beckon me towards them,
As a small breeze makes them sway.
Their arms of gentle branches
Make me skip their way.
On entering the forest,
I see a golden shine.
It shimmers in, between the leaves,
Into a secret place o’ mine.
I feel a tap upon my shoulder,
And welcome my dear friend.
She teaches me the beauty of life
And how it never ends.
Now, at the water’s side,
The sun begins to set.
The birds start to quiet their hum,
As I sleep with no regret.
Riley Millner
All About Carpet Fibers May 25, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Product Education , add a comment
20 years may have come and gone, but carpet fiber options remain essentially the same! Nylon and polyester have continued to remain solid choices as they’ve evolved to higher performance, quality and appearance levels. But wool retains its position as the fiber of choice for a unique, luxurious look and feel. In upcoming entries, each of the fibers will star in it’s own post.
Nylon products have continued to lead the residential market. Today’s nylon carpets are attractive, stain resistant, and high-performing at reasonable prices. Installed over a quality cushion and with basic maintenance, nylon carpet will perform well for 10 – 20 years.
Polyester has made a significant comeback after having once been known for poor performance. Polyester carpets now account for up to one-fourth of residential carpet sales. Polyester’s draw is price. Just be sure to ask for yarn with multiple plies and multiple twists.
Wool, with a rich history of distinctive beauty and charm, is still the fiber of choice for those who dream of “the best!”Nylon may “ugly out” as it ages, but wool – because it wears so gracefully, keeps looking good year after year. With only basic maintenance, wool carpets will perform wonderfully for 20 years or more. It’s not hard to find beautiful 30-year-old wool carpets – despite a threadbare spot or two at high traffic or pivot locations!
