Much thought and effort is put into choosing a carpet, deciding which fibres and colours are best. Even though you won’t see it after installation, carpet pad (or carpet cushion) is an important part of carpet installation that should not be neglected.

Why is carpet pad important?

• It will make carpet feel feel thicker, softer, and more comfortable underfoot
• Carpet will last longer because carpet pad relieves stress on carpet backing and fibers
• Noise is reduced and carpet feels warmer due to extra thermal insulation
• Installation of carpet pad is often a condition necessary for the manufacturers warranty of new carpets

How do I know what carpet pad is right for me?

The type and thickness of carpet pad needed will vary based on the traffic level and carpet. Areas with light traffic like a bedroom are best suited to thicker and softer carpet pad. Hallways, living rooms, and other heavy traffic areas require a thinner and firmer cushion.

As a general rule, the carpet and rug institute recommends a maximum thickness of 7/16″ for cut pile residential carpet. For a low carpet like Berber or commercial carpets, carpet pad should be 3/8″ or less. Full details about the best carpet padding system for your preferred carpet are best reviewed with a salesperson.

It’s not only humans that are affected by UV light – your hardwood floors are too. Avoiding the surprise of “bad tan lines” on your wood floors is a process as easy as buying sunscreen. It starts with understanding photosensitivity.

Wood is a natural material, and like fine wines, it ages. Instead of wrinkles, wood shows its age through gradual changes in colour. The amount of colour change a species of wood experiences depends on photosensitivity, also known as the reaction a material has to light.

The chart below shows the average photosensitivity of each species. Each species is rated from stable to 10, with stable species less likely to change colour and “10” species experiencing a more dramatic change in colour.

Always ask your sales representative about the photosensitivity of the specific hardwood you’re interested to get a complete understanding of the effects UV light will have on your floor.

If your dream floor is more photosensitive than you had hoped, don’t worry. Take the following steps to find out if photosensitivity will have an impact on the hardwood floor you’ve envisioned:

1. Plan for the colour change by finding out what your floor will look like once its colour has changed. Will it get darker or lighter, and more importantly, do you like that colour? If you do, onto step two.
2. Consider how much light the space will get. If the space doesn’t get much UV light, the colour will not change much.
3. If the space does get a lot of light, consider investing in blinds or window coverings and closing them during the day to minimize UV light.
4. Rearrange furniture, mats, and area rugs occasionally to ensure even colour change.

By understanding the photosensitivity of your hardwood floors you can take the appropriate steps to prevent unexpected colour changes.

Carpet is often not thought of as an eco friendly flooring choice but advances in carpet manufacturing and new fibre options available are changing that.

Wool carpets
Made from the cut hair of sheep and llamas, wool is a great renewable choice. It’s durable as well as fire and stain resistant. Wool carpets trap pollutants to keep them out of the air and are a less hospitable to dust mites.

They look and feel luxurious, like the area rug in the picture above from Unique Carpets. But the luxury of wool comes at a higher price than synthetic carpets. Consider purchasing wool carpets as an investment in your home and sustainability.

Plant fibres
The variety of natural plant fibres available presents more biodegrable and sustainable options. While some plant fibre carpets are available as wall to wall carpets, they are most often used for area rugs.

One popular choice is Sisal, made from the leaves of the agave plant. It’s a durable, easy to clean, and absorbent choice. As with many plant fibres, Sisal is known for being scratchy so make sure you feel a sample before choosing it.

Seagrass is a thicker plant fibre grown underwater. It’s known for being easy to care for. Its natural dark pigment is retained because is it unable to hold dye. This makes it good for hiding dirt tracked inside by kids and pets.

Carpet recycling
If planet fibres aren’t suitable for your space and wool is out of your budget, there are still some eco-friendly options available. We work with a 100% Canadian company to offer carpet recycling. After we remove your carpets from your home, they are sent to the carpet recycling plant. At the plant the carpets are sorted by fibre, sheared and converted into pure fibres. Depending on the fibre type, the fibres will be sent to manufacturing companies and can be used to create new carpet and other products that use nylon or polypropylene fibres as inputs. One example of these recycled carpets is the Anso Nylon carpet. This carpet is made from fibres of recycled nylon carpets and can be recycled again and again. Anso Nylon maintains good performance and continues to look stylish after each time the fibres are recycled.

Shaw’s environmentally friendly manufacturing focus extends beyond recycling carpet. The EcoLogix carpet cushion system is made from 91% post consumer recycled content from recycled plastic bottles.

Hardwood floors are a great choice to consider when renovating your space. They are a timeless and elegant option that adds value to your home. Solid and engineered hardwood flooring are the two main types of hardwood. Both types are made from wood and look the same once installed – can you tell the if the photo to the left is engineered or solid? But there are some differences between them in how they are manufactured and their features.

Solid Hardwood
As its name suggests, solid hardwood is milled from wood. It can be sanded and finished many times to stay in pristine condition. Solid hardwood is not recommended for rooms where moisture from daily activities or the ground could damage the floor. This includes kitchens, bathrooms, and any areas below grade such as basements. Homeowners should be prepared for solid flooring to expand and contract as moisture changes in each season.

Engineered Hardwood
Each plank of engineered hardwood is made up of multiple sheets of either hardwood, fibreboard or plywood laminated together with a final layer of hardwood on top. Each layer is put on top of each other in the opposite direction to create a dimensionally stable floor. Using this method called “cross-ply construction” creates a dimensionally stable floor that withstands changes in moisture better than solid hardwood. It is suited to kitchens, bathrooms, or basements. Engineered floors can even be sanded and refinished.

In addition to your budget and personal preference, consider the rooms you will be installing hardwood in before making your flooring decision. The research is worth it when the end result is a beautiful hardwood floor for generations to come.

We’re excited to say that we now carry cork and vinyl floors from Cork Art! With the new display in our showroom, we’ve been asked a lot of questions about this lesser known flooring option. Here’s 5 main reasons why you’ll love cork floors in your home:

1. Comfortable
Cork Art floors have forty million cells per cubic centimetre that are filled with air. These cells allow the floor to reduce the conduction of temperature and sound. Your cork floors will stay warm and comfortable underfoot and reduce noise.

2. Healthy
If you love the warmth of carpet but suffer from allergies, cork floors are a great solution as they are safe for asthma/allergy sufferers. It’s anti microbial and resists mold and mildew. One of the substances cork is composed of, suberin, is a natural insect repeller that keeps bugs and termites away.

3. Easy to install
While most cork floors are known to be easy to install, the patented Uniclic system of Cork Art floors makes it even simpler.

4. Resistant and durable
Cork is known for being very resistant to wear. Its flexible nature means cork is less affected by impact and friction than other similar surfaces are.

5. Sustainable
When cork is harvested, the trees are not cut down. Instead they are stripped. This process doesn’t harm the tree and allows it to continue renewing itself naturally. Cork oak forests will continue to flourish even as the popularity of this amazing floor continues to grow.