Carpet Express' Flooring Blog

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?

We just introduced a new line of handscraped hardwood flooring to our website called “Hickory Road.”

Hickory Road has some of the best looking colors you will ever see in a hand-scraped wood floor. The style takes you back to the times of riverboats and petty-coat dresses. The traditional look and feel is represented in each and every plank, and gives any room a time-honored characteristic look, displaying the unique grain and texture of Hickory.

This wood is a 3/8″ engineered product, with a thick top veneer, giving it structural stability. It can be used above, on, or below grade, and can be glued, nailed, stapled, or floated. It carries a 25 year residential finish warranty, and a lifetime structure warranty. All planks are 5″ wide, and come in random lengths, between 18-48″ each.

We invite you to take a look at Hickory Road, and let us know what you think of it.

Question: I installed NAFCO Custom Quarry 9230 in my home 11 years ago. I would now like to continue it in an adjacent room but all I can find now is 9230-F. What does the “F” mean following it and do you think it would be a close enough match?

Martha
Palestine, TX

Answer: Just to make sure about your question I called the Nafco distributor to confirm what I thought and that is the 9230-F has always been the sku # on this product for last 15 yrs or so.   There will probably be a little difference in the new tile compared to the old but they should match pretty close.

Thank you for your question that was a good thing to consider before buying the same product from years past.

Mike Jones
General Manager

Question: We have installed Knight-Tile KP107 in our motorhome.  A professional installed it for us, but The trim is a 11/4″ dark brown trim and stands out like a sore thumb.  We were told that there is no matching trim.  What do other customers use as trim.  The rubber trim makes our floor look cheap.  I am very upset with the appearance.  Can you help me with my problem?  I thank you in advance.

Bill
Mahomet, IL

Answer: I am not quite sure of what trim you are speaking of weather it’s a wall trim or a transition piece.

Whatever the case may be there is some manufactors that specialize in trim.   To name a few:  Roppe Rubber, Johnsonite, Burke Rubber Co. You can look these companies up on the internet and maybe they will have what you are looling for.   By the way they have so many colors to choose from you will think they are owned by Crayola. If you need any help to decide what you actually need please feel free to call us and we will be glad to assist you.

Thanks,
Mike Jones
General Manager

Question: A great informative site. I sure wish I had seen it before my install. I laid Bruce’s cabin (tavern) grade. I knew about all the minor imperfections it could have, in fact I even like them. Makes it look a bit more real. What I do not like though is the edging where the planks come together. The lock and fold is not nearly engineered as the 1st quality. Overall, it is nothing like the 1st quality Bruce flooring I have used in the past. Is there any thing I can do to make the seams more level? As they are right now, not all of them, you can catch a toe on it if not careful.

Thanks so much for you valued input,
Jim – Garland, Texas

Answer: Jim,

There are some things that can be prevented during the time of the installation to help level the ends or edges but it would be very difficult for me to give a correct answer without actually looking at the floor.  One way I personally like is rolling the wood with at lest a 75 lb roller when setting it in the adhesive.  This helps give a smooth surface and it will also give a better adhesive transfer or bond.  You will always have what we refer to in wood the business overwood and in the cabin grade quality it will be a little worst.  Still it should be something that you could live with.   One way to test your overwood problem is to take a credit card and set it on the lower side of the wood and match it up to the higher side.  If the height difference is less than the credit card then it should be within the industry standard. One problem with overwood is that in some of the darker colors you can actually see the wood where it is not stained.  In this case you can get a stain marker pen that matches the existing stain and color the edges.

You can purchase the markers at a local Home Depot or Lowe’s.  Be sure to take a piece of your wood to match the proper stain color.

Thank you for your question,

Mike Jones

Heeeeerrrrre’ssssss Mike! – Besides a 35 year career in all phases of the floor covering industry, Mike is also an accomplished writer, producer, and actor. The TV commercials on the following page were filmed by Charter Communications, and aired over the last 6 years. A few of the commercials were controversial, most were humerous, but all were intended to promote the excellent prices, products, and service at Carpet Express. In no way did Mike or Carpet Express intend to offend anyone in producing these 30 second ads. I hope you will enjoy the show.

Carpet Express’ TV commercials >>

Question: Hello,

I’d like to get wood floors. I have carpet, and under it there is asphalt tiles (30 or 40 years old) and the 2 contractors suggest to have an asbestos contractor to remove those tiles before they do the wood.

What do you suggest?

Thank you,
Sandra

Answer: Sandra,

I would say that your contractor might be right about the ashpalt tile having asbestos in it. But just to make sure, here’s a few things to help you. If your tile was installed before 1982, then there’s a good chance it’s asbestos. Also, if your tile is 9″ x 9″, then, again, it probably has asbestos.

But here’s the good news – you don’t have to take up that old tile! There are some wood products on the market now that you can loose lay, or what we refer to as floating floors (example – Bruce Lock and Fold).  This is what I would recommend in your case because removing that asbestos tile from your home will be quite an expense, and there’s even a great chance that the adhesive used on those tiles will also have asbestos.

By using this floating floor method you can install a new wood floor without removing that old tile, saving you time and expensive labor.

If we can be of any help, please call (800) 922-5582 or email us, info at carpetexpress.com.

Thank you for your question, and good luck on your remodeling project.
Mike Jones

Question: I am installing a powder room. I plan on ceramic  tile for the floor. Does the tile need to have grout under the toilet, and if so does the grout need to be sealed under the toilet, and if so, how long do I have to wait after grout and/or sealing before I can install the toilet?

Thanks,
Sue

Answer: At the time you’re grouting the tile, it would be just as easy to grout under the toilet. The toilet will be removed at this time, so there won’t be any extra time involved in doing so. As far as sealing the grout under the toilet, it really isn’t necessary, but if your toilet hasn’t been put back at the time you’re sealing the rest of the floor, go ahead and seal it, also. Either way should be fine, whether there’s grout or sealer under the toilet or not. It’s best to install the toilet back after the tile has had time to bond to the floor, which in most cases is approximately 24 to 48 hours. You could even grout the floor after the toilet has been reset, if you wish.

Hope this helps,
Mike Jones

Question: I am considering Mohawk Wunda Weve Highrise Retreat carpet for the dining and family room. I would appreciate comments regarding the quality and wear ability of this carpet.

Thank you,
K.

Answer: This carpet is in the Premier Series from Wunda Weve, and should provide long lasting durability. I would highly recommend using a certified installer for Highrise Retreat, because of the pattern. This type of carpet is a good example of why carpets need to be power stretched, and not knee kicked.

Also, being a Weardated nylon, this carpet should keep its beauty for years to come.

Thanks for the question,
Jim Young, Jr.