Carpet Express' Flooring Blog

We’ve been asked many times over the years what is meant by promotional grade carpet. We thought it would be a good idea to explain exactly what it means here.

Promotional Grade carpet is a generic term used by carpet manufacturers to describe carpet sold at a substantial discount to its normal price. The carpet is sold through the mills’ promotional goods department and usually does not have a warranty. The carpet may or may not have defects, but you should be made aware of why the carpet is being sold through the promotional department.

Several reasons may cause both residential or commercial carpet to be sold as promotional goods:

1. Dropped Style: When a style is dropped by a mill and most of the best colors are sold off, often the remaining rolls will be sold at a substantial discount through the promotional department.
2. Off-Shade: This means the color does not match the sample swatch and therefore cannot be sold as a running line product. The carpet is then sold as off-goods through the promotional department. These off-shade rolls are sold as off-goods or promotional goods even though they have no defects. Off-shade carpet is usually a tremendous value.
3. Side-Match: After carpet is dyed, a swatch is cut from both sides of the carpet to be sure they match. If the sides do not match, it is called a side-match problem, becuase placing opposite sides together at the seams will cause an obvious color variation. A bad side match will not be visible in smaller rooms where no seams are necessary.
4. Streaks: There are many degrees of streaking, and many causes. Most streaks are caused  by one strand of yarn having a different twist level than the rest. This may result in what is called chicken tracks. There may also be a high line or low line that was caused by a problem in tufting or shearing. Streaks may be very minor (A seconds), very noticeable (B seconds), or somewhere between. It is best to see streaked carept before you purchase it, or have your sales representative inspect the carpet for you. Small rooms, especially bedrooms with lots of furniture, will hide most streaks.
5. Dye Spots: These spots can be a splothcy look to the carpet or small drops which may or may not be very noticeable. Like streaks, they just need to be looked at and evaluated. Slight spotting is not very noticeable and usually fine for small rooms.

Side-match problems, streaks, and dye spots are only visual defects and in no way hurt the life or performance of the carpet. However, there are other carpet defects which most consumers should avoid. These include loose jute or backing, delamination, wet carpet, and I’m sure there are others. These are structural defects that compromise the integrity of the carpet.

Promotional Goods cover a broad range of 1st quality carpet, carpet with slight visual defects, as well as carpet with major defects. At Carpet Express we are very open with our customers and try to represent the promotional carpet we sell completely and honestly. Your sales person at Carpet Express will ensure you know exactly what you are buying. Promotional carpet can be a tremendous value not only for rental property, but also for your home.

The primary business of Carpet Express is selling 1st quality, running line floor covering complete with Manufacturer’s Warranty.

Just to keep you informed of the upcoming price increases in the carpet industry, here are some excerpts from a couple letters sent to us by the mills.

Mohawk stated in a letter dated April 25, 2008:

“The recent series of increases occuring in the energy sector have continued to plague the floorcovering industry. As oil approaches historical records, the entire raw material chain associated with carpet production has been negatively impacted by these trends. While we have continued our efforts to mitigate the impact of high enrgy and material costs through a combination of aggressive cost controls, expense reduction and increased prices, these latest rounds of further material increases by our suppliers in polymer, fiber, backings and latex have required us to raise carpet prices. Effective with order of all residential and commercial carpet products on June 3rd, and shipments after June 16th, we will be increasing prices by a range of 4-7%…”

On April 29th, 2008 Beaulieu had this to say:

“Raw materials and energy used to produce and transport carpets have continued to increase during the first quarter and into the second. During the past four months, we have been absorbing these additional cost increases. We had hoped to see these increased raw material costs to subside. Unfortunately, they have not, and we must pass them along both in carpet and freight surcharges.

Effective with order on June 2nd and shipments on June 16th we will increase carpet prices 4-8%.”

Here at Carpet Express, we fully comprehend the frustration of rising prices. We will continue to offer our floorcovering products at the best discount prices we can.

It was a festive week at Carpet Express. Our annual “Spring Sale” was a grand success. We served over 900 of Randy’s Famous Hot Dogs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, along with Mike’s spicy chicken, and Murray’s grilled salmon. We all ate very well.

Sales were strong and our sales goals were met. This is a reflection of the value we offer to both retail and wholesale customers at Carpet Express. We know it’s not easy out there with a weak housing market and sky rocketing gas prices, but we know how to use our buying power to keep our prices extremely low, and we pass these savings on to you. Our employees understand just how important our customers are, and we do our best to earn your trust and treat you right.

Carpet, hardwood, vinyl, vinyl tile, laminate, ceramic, and installation make up our core business, but I’d like to talk about the continued popularity of laminate flooring. Our Venetian, at 89¢, is our entry level and “Basis II” from Witex, at $1.99 sf is a nice upgrade. These products are extremely popular and make a beautiful floor at a fantastic price. As carpet manufacturers continue to raise carpet prices, the entry level laminates will continue to gain in popularity. Our Witex Grandeur, Armstrong Grand Illusions, and Bruce Park Avenue are absolutely beautiful and very popular. The durable piano finish on exotic wood patterns offers customers a laminate floor that would be extremely difficult and expensive to reproduce with natural wood. These are the most exciting laminate products I’ve ever seen.

If you missed our Spring Sale, it’s not too late to enjoy great savings at Carpet Express. We’re America’s Floor Store, and we’ll treat you right.

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We should be discussing new products and innovations in the flooring industry quite regularly, so be sure to bookmark this blog. We’re sure you’ll find new and interesting facts everytime you come back!