Carpet and Floring Expert: The Carpet Store

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Tip of the month

August - Why is it important to use the right underpad for your carpet?

Why should you buy an underpad for the carpet you just bought? It will help you maintain the "value" of your investment. An underpad will help absorb traffic and the wear and tear on your carpet. It will add comfort, plus, it will add years to the lifespan of your carpet. Some manufactuers have specific requirements of carpet pad for warrenty purposes. Make sure you check your carpet warrenty first, before buying your underpad.

Most recently answered questions

What is the best way to clean solid hardwood floors with a factory finish. Should a cleaner be used on a weekly basis or simply vacuum and clean less frequently.

When cleaning hardwood flooring, it is important to remember that there is that protective finish on the floor. Cleaning too often with harsh chemical cleaners will result in additional wearing down of that finish, decreasing the lifespan (and often voiding the warrantee) of your hardwood floor. Optimal cleaning strategies include sweeping or vacuuming with a soft brush piece of your vacuum, or even using something like Swiffer floor cloths, which gently trap dust and small particles of dirt. Wash floors with a damp cloth for more stubborn areas of dirt. Try and use chemical cleaners only periodically or when absolutely needed. There are products available specifically for hardwood floors, some of which we do carry.

What is the best way to clean a very expensive laminate floor, the kind with the grooves that collect dirt? Also, can you repair a nail scratch to a laminate floor?

Use a damp cloth to blot up spills as soon as they happen. Never allow liquids to stand on your floor.
Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt and grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish
Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care
Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and likely void the warranty
Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong ammoniated or chlorinated type cleaners
Do not use any type of buffing or polishing machine
For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth
Currently we have two laminate cleaners available in our store that we recommend to consumers:

1) HG Laminate Wash and Shine - This product is used for deep cleaning situations. It works by leaving minuscule acrylic balls behind on the flooring surface, resulting in superior protection of the surface against scratching and wear. This product also prevents laminate floors from becoming dull by cleaning and adding shine.

2) Another HG product that is gentle enough for daily use. It removes light areas of dirt from laminate floor in no time.

For both of these cleaners, it is very important to closely follow the directions so that the laminate does not become too wet. Making the floor too wet can lead to joint swelling and eventual warping of the laminate boards. Remember that grooves in any flooring product make it harder to keep clean. Vacuuming and sweeping will help to decrease dirt build-up in these grooves. Dust removal products, such as Swiffer cloths, can be effective in removing lighter particles of dirt and debris.

In terms of repairing damages to the laminate floor, such as a nail scratch, it really depends on how severe the damage is. In Minor scratches or dents can be repaired using a flooring touch-up or colour-fill Kit that can be found at a local hardware store. Touch-up kits typically include a filler material, color coordinated to the color of your floor so that, when used properly, the repaired area is often invisible. The repaired area will hold up to foot traffic and wear just like the rest of your laminate flooring. If the damage is more major and this solution does not work, you may have to remove the damaged plank. We recommend contacting a professional to do this to ensure that the damaged plank is properly removed without damaging surrounding planks and to ensure that the new one is properly installed. This service is available through The Carpet Store's skilled professional flooring installers

We would like to put a new floor in the front hallway which is also our laundry room but we our undecided what to use Please let us know could sure use some Help

Due to the fact that your front hall acts as a laundry area as well, it is likely a high-traffic area. Vinyl flooring is a good option because it is highly durable, inexpensive and comes in many different colours, patterns and textures. Vinyl cleans easily and is easily installed depending on the style you choose. Floating vinyl floors can be laid down without the use of an adhesive. It is recommended that you have someone install glued-down vinyl in order to get the seeming right. If vinyl is not for you, another good option is ceramic tile. Tile is very durable and comes in many colours and sizes. Overall, it is very low maintenance, particularly in terms of keeping the surface clean. Ceramic tile retains virtually no dirt and can be kept clean with water and a damp cloth or mop. In terms of price, ceramic can be slightly more expensive, but equally as beautiful.

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