Carpet Express' Flooring Blog

Las Vegas is an exciting place for a convention and the 2010 International Builders’ Show held Jan 19th -22nd was no exception.  Outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sin City was just good ‘ole Las Vegas. Every year there seems to be more and more hotels, people from all walks of life, and of course – expensive taxi rides. The place is truly amazing, but inside at the builders’ show it was business as usual.

I’ve heard it said that, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”, but today I’ll give you the rundown on all the Carpet Express highlights and experiences at the largest builders’ tradeshow event of 2010. The West Coast downpour of rain didn’t deter the hordes of  attendees, nor did it affect our excitement as we set up the Carpet Express exhibit booth alongside top notch flooring brands such as Shaw Industries, Armstrong Flooring Products, and others. We showcased our wide range of flooring options including carpet, laminate, vinyl, hardwood flooring and more to lots of potential customers looking for the best and latest building materials. 

Our luxury vinyl tile “Gemstone” stole the show. A strikingly beautiful tile manufactured in the USA exclusively for Carpet Express, Gemstone’s appeal surpasses aesthetics, it’s also affordable.  Several years ago Congoleum, Inc.  jump start the LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) industry with the introduction of Duraceramic.  Since then the popularity of  LVT products have revitalized vinyl across all channels.  Mannington’s Adura and Armstrong’s Alterna have both come on strong. Our introduction of Gemstone into the LVT market place affirms our committment to low prices and quality product. We’re hyped on the excitement Gemstone generated at the 2010 International Builders’ Show, but there’s even more to share.

Besides tile, builders were eager to see the latest carpet styles, hardwood flooring, vinyl, ceramic tile, and laminate.  Here’s my take on the rest of the most popular and best received products at the show.

Carpet

There’s no doubt that Bob Shaw’s new PET extrusion and manufacturing facility in Calhoun, GA makes for the most exciting news in carpet.  All of their residential staple polyester carpet styles use recycled  PET (polyethylene terephthalate) chips, which are made from recycled plastic containers. The plastic is ground into flakes and cleaned, extruded into fiber, spun into yarn, and finally tufted into carpet. It’s all about a better product at a cheaper price and that’s good news for everyone except the competition. Our new exclusive carpet styles made from this fiber are about $2.00 a sq. yard LESS than comparable styles from the major mills.

Vinyl

Vinyl continues to look better and better. The new technology is innovative. Our signature lines are probably the best in value. Builders can now purchase a broad selection for about $1.00 a sq. ft. and really quality products from $1.79 to $2.79 a sq. ft. For the most part, picture quality and core boards continue to improve. I’m sure laminate will be a popular choice for years to come.

Carpet Express was a great success at the 2010 International Builders’ Show. We had the opportunity to mingle with old friends and earn new customers – all the while globally expanding the Carpet Express brand. A great time was had by all, and we look forward to attending the IBS in 2011 show in Orlando, FL. We hope to see you there. If you’ve never been to the show, make it a point to go. It’s an event you don’t want to miss.

Installation is probably one of the most important issues when purchasing your floor covering. As a consumer, we will spend hours (and sometimes days!) making a decision on what kind of style, color, or particular product we want to beautify our home. Now after the decision is made, we will ask, “how soon can you do the job?”

No time has been spent and no questions have been asked about installation. All the time and effort spent has now been wasted, because the installation is a disaster.

Please take the time to ask questions about the labor. Find out as much as you can about what you are being charged for. Ask for some referals or maybe even a job you can go and look at.

If you are hiring the installers yourself, beware of the shade-tree mechanics. Ask if they have the proper insurance or carry worker’s compensation on their hired help. Get two or three quotes from different installers, and then go with the one that you feel the most confidence in.

Don’t let a cheaper price be the deciding factor, because usually this is the installer that will cost you the most in the long run.

For more information about installation, call (800) 922-5582, or email info@carpetexpress.com.

This was sent to us from one of our customers. This particular customer purchases new flooring for their booths at trade shows and conventions. We ship it to them on location, where they set it up, use it, and remove it, all within about a week’s time.

If you have any questions about the products we have to offer, give us a call today at (800) 922-5582.

Hi Bret- I thought you might like to see your flooring in action! It  looked so great in our latest booth!

- Meagan

Question: I am in New Jersey and have remodeled a sunporch with concrete floor that has wet kids coming in from the pool in the summer, but is also used year round as a TV/game playing room.

The indoor/outdoor carpet has been removed, and we want to re-carpet with something low-pile, but would like a little more cushion. What would be a good pad to put down that can get a little wet (not too wet, just some wet feet and swimsuit bottoms)?

Thanks,
Frank

Answer: This is a great question because padding can make a big difference in the performance of your carpet. Based on the information that you gave me, it sounds like the only water that will be getting on the carpet or padding is just what the kids bring in from the swimming pool. I would compare this to a situation very similar to walking out of the shower into a bedroom with carpet in it.

This is not a lot of water, but is still something to be concerned about. They make pads with a moisture barrier on them, such as Stainmaster pad to name just one of many, so I would check out some of these type pads which would seem to be the most suitable for your situation. If I can be of any more help in finding you some of these type of pads, please just let me know.

Thanks for the question,
Mike Jones

Carpet Express, Inc.
(800) 922-5582
915 Market Street
Dalton, GA 30720

Question: We purchased carpet from Home Depot manufactured by Dixie Home. Began to notice matting and packing down in front of chairs, then in high traffic areas. We have had inspection by Stainmaster and Dixie Home. They say that is normal, not covered as normal traffic, and I have no claim. This began to show after only one and a half years. Warranty was for 7 year against normal wear, against matting and packing. We are in our 60s, and are not in this home but around 8 months of the year, so we just want people to question and read the fine print on the warranty.

Sincerely,
Anita & David

Answer: I am sorry that you are not happy with your carpet that you purchased at Home Depot, but some carpets just look more matted or crushed compared to other types. For instance, a real loose Frieze with a long yarn might look matted compared to short tight twisted carpet. It will not matter what the yarn is, it will just appear to look matted and that’s why the warranty may not apply in your situation.

I don’t know this for sure, but Stainmaster is usually pretty good about taking care of claims. I just don’t know if you were sold the right carpet for what your expectations were. Sometimes inexperienced sales personnel don’t really listen to what the customer’s needs are, and they get lost in just trying to close the sale.

If we can in any way help you get the proper carpet for your home, just call or email us here at Carpet Express. We’d be glad to help you get the carpet you’re really looking for.

Thanks,
Mike Jones

Laminate flooring is a wonderful product that can give you the look of natural oak or exotic wood at a much more affordable price. But one complaint about laminate flooring is the clicking or hollow sound it makes when you walk on it with heard sole shoes. This sound can be annoying, but there is a solution – use a good underlayment. Laminate underlayment is an important moisture barrier, but it is also a very important ingredient in producing a floor with a quality sound.

You have lots of choices in laminate underlayments. They range in price from about $.20 per square foot to about $.50 per square foot. They are usually 6 feet wide and 100 square feet per roll. Laminate pad is easy to install with an adhesive edge on one side that overlaps.

Choosing the correct pad is fairly easy. There is an obvious difference between the cheap pads and the best pads. Pads range from vary light weight and flimsy, to a much heavier and sturdy construction. In most cases, a good pad underlayment is well worth a little extra expense. Our premium sound barrier, our most popular pad, is an excellent choice at $.40 per square foot.

Purchasing your new floor can be an overwhelming process. It is said to be the third largest purchase the average consumer makes, behind houses and cars, and the average consumer buys a new floor about every 7-10 years. That’s a long time to live with a floor you don’t like. For that reason, we want to help you to make an informed, well-thought out decision, before you buy.

Over the last few years, we’ve written a few guides that aid consumers looking to purchase a new floor. After reading these guides (or the ones relevant to your upcoming purchase), we feel that you will be able to make a better decision about your next purchase.

Please let us know if we’re missing anything, or if you need any additional information.

Thanks,
Carpet Express, Inc.
(800) 922-5582
915 Market Street
Dalton, Georgia 30720

Cabin Grade vs. First Quality: Which is cheaper?
Flooring Comparison: Advantages and Disadvantages of different types of flooring
What is Promotional Grade Carpet?
How much did you pay for that carpet? – Why square foot prices can be misleading….
What is Cabin Grade wood?
How to Choose the Right Carpet
How much carpet do I need?
Hardwood Flooring Accessories
What’s the difference between vinyl flooring and linoleum?

Our fall sale at Carpet Express was a tremendous success. Lots of customers and suppliers mixed business with pleasure as they joined us for Randy’s famous hot dogs and some fantastic deals. We served over 800 hot dogs with all the trimmings during this 3-day event. Good food and satisfied customers made this sale a fun time, despite all the rain.

The following are highlights of the many deals offered during the fall sale:

• “CASH FOR CARPET” – we paid cash for your old carpet when you purchased new flooring and installation.
• 121 pages of vinyl inventory to choose from starting at $0.29 per square foot.
• Tremendous selection of hardwood flooring like Armstrong’s 5″ Northshore plank (tavern grade) at $1.59 per square foot.
• Great deals on residential and commercial carpet (cuts at roll prices from most mills).
• 15% off our already low priced area rugs. Plus an additional 10% off if you purchased hardwood flooring.
• Laminate flooring at $0.79 per square foot.
• Premium high-gloss laminate at $1.99 per square foot.
• Great deals on ceramic tile which can be installed by the best installer in Dalton, Ga.
• Bostitch nail gun FREE with the purchase of a pallet of Bostitch staples.
• Installation deals from our FloorTek Installation company.

It was a great week for Carpet Express and we hope each and every customer enjoyed their shopping experience. Great deals and expert customer service is what we are all about.

Thanks for another successful Fall Sale!

At Carpet Express, we try to bring our customers the best values in the flooring industry. Bruce Springdale Plank by Armstrong is one of the best engineered wood flooring products on the market today. Its 3-ply construction is 100% oak, where most engineered wood uses a cheaper wood as a filler, and only has oak as the bottom ply and the top veneer.

We wanted to bring this product to the market at a price that would compete with Chinese imports and lesser American made products.

And then it hit us. Bring in truckloads. Buy it in bulk, and sell it cheap.

Call us today to find out what we’re selling this hot product for – (800) 922-5582.

Cabin grade wood is a huge market in Dalton, Georgia and throughout the country. Many customers shop long and hard for cabin grade wood without ever considering first quality, fully warranted, American grown and milled hardwood. Bruce’s Dundee Strip and Plank is an example of a first quality, 25 year finish and structural warranted hardwood floor that can usually be purchased for less than 10% more than the tavern grade Dundee (Timberland) or a Chinese import.

If you like a rustic look with color variations, knot holes, and heavy mineral streaks, then the tavern or cabin grade may be right for you. Just be open minded to a first quality, fully warranted floor without missing tongues and more uniform color. In many cases, the cost is about the same.

Read the full report:
Cabin Grade vs. First Quality: Which is cheaper?