Q: What should I do/know when I come in to pick out my new flooring?

A: Important things to consider are: room measurements, even an approximate measurement will help, until we send someone out to measure; what your subfloor is made of; and what flooring in adjoining rooms will butt up to the new flooring. If you do not know this information, don't worry - we can figure it all out for you!

Some other information that will help us figure out what type of new flooring will be best for you and your home is:

*Does this room receive light or heavy traffic?
*What is this room used for?
*Are there children or pets in this home?
*How long do you expect this floor to last?
*Is there an outside entrance in this room?
*What are the room's lighting sources?
*And finally, what is the "look" or "feel" of the room?

Q: What about carpet padding?

A: Carpet padding is often overlooked and taken for granted. Most people do not realize that the proper padding will extend the life of their carpet several years - it is not there for your comfort, but rather to protect the carpet itself. Without padding, or with inadequate padding, your carpet is left to carry the burden of hundreds of pounds of impact every day!

Carpet padding is often described by its "weight," that is how many pounds it weighs per cubic yard of material.  In addition, padding can be made from different types of material; the three main types are foam, fiber and rubber. Bonded foam pads, often referred to as "rebond" are made of chopped and shredded pieces of foam in various sized and colors.  This is traditionally the most popular type of padding; it comes in various weights for improved performance, but will eventually wear out.  Rubber padding is the carpet industry's emerging favorite. It can be waffled or flat, with flat being typically used for berbers or commercial applications. Rubber padding provides excellent comfort and superior resiliency - it usually offers a "life of the home" warranty or to double the life of your carpet. Fiber padding is the oldest type of pad and typically used to stretch-in commercial carpets.  Here is an introduction to the carpet padding we carry at Finney's:

• Pad 1: This 6-pound foam rebond pad is our standard residential pad; the carpet industry recommends a 5^1/2-pound or greater pad.
  
  
• Pad 2: This 8-pound foam rebond pad provides less comfort than Pad 1, but is better for high traffic and a longer carpet life.
  
  
• Pad 3: This 4-pound foam rebond pad is typically used for rental applications and provides a relatively short carpet life.
  
  
• Pad 16: This 20-pound waffled synthetic rubber pad is hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, self-deodorizing and offers a "Life of the HOME" warranty.
  
     
  The pictures don't tell much - come in today to hold a sample and discuss the importance of carpet padding with Rick, Josh or Chanda!

Q: What should I know about my new hardwood floors?

A: Hardwood floors are the easiest type of floors to maintain, for best results:

• For daily maintenance; sweep, dust or vacuum regularly - and occasionally wipe the floor with a damp mop or cloth.


• Do NOT use oil based, wax, polish, strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners such as steel wool or scouring powder.


• Do NOT wash or wet-mop your hardwood with soap or any liquid cleaning material - this may cause swelling, warping and/or delamination, as well as voiding the warranty.


• Use floor protectors and protective mats - good entry/exit floor mats will do wonders to collect the dirt and grit that would otherwise be tracked onto your hardwood; and floor protectors are one of the most important steps that you can take to protect your floor, any table/furniture leg that rests on the hardwood should have a floor protector pad to minimize indentations and scratches.


• Maintain a relative humidity - between 45% and 65% is typical. During the heating season (dry), wood stoves and electric heat tend to create dry conditions and a humidifier is recommend to prevent excess shrinkage of the wood. In the cooling season (wet) a dehumidifier, air conditioner, or occasionally turning on your heat can maintain your humidity level.


• Avoid sharp objects! Your new hardwood is very durable, most newer styles have Aluminum Oxide built into the finish, creating the most durable finish available - however, you should still avoid wearing stiletto-style heels, golf shoes or cleats on your hardwood. Along the same line, when moving furniture you should use furniture slides to prevent flooring damage.


• Periodically rearranging your rugs and furniture will allow the hardwood to age evenly - UV sunlight can soften the tone of different species of hardwood to varying degrees. Exotic woods tend to show the most color change with aging.
 

• Finally, minor damage to your hardwood may be repaired using color fill and color sealant products that will still hold up well to traffic and wear.

Q: What's the difference between all those carpet fibers?

A: The main types of carpet fiber that you will encounter are Polyester, Nylon, PET and SmartStrand. 

*Polyester is a great-looking carpet and commonly used.  It is known for its crush-resistance, vibrant colors that are naturally resistant to fading and its easy to clean and resists water-based stains.
*Nylon is an excellent carpet fiber that is durable, static-free, stain resistant and repels mildew.  This carpet fiber is more expensive than polyester, but excellent for all traffic areas.
*P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthalate) is made from recycled plastic bottles.  It is durable, water resistant and static resistant, although it is not as soft as other fibers.
*SmartStrand is the newest carpet fiber on the market. Made by DuPont Sorona, it carries a lifetime stain resistance warranty, it is incredibly soft with a 15-year texture retention warranty, and it is environmentally friendly - 37% of materials are bio-based; and its production requires 30% less energy and 63% lower gas emissions than other carpet fibers!

Q: How should I clean my laminate or hardwood floor?

A: Natural wood products are never suitable for wet mopping. An excellent solution is to lightly spray a hard surface cleaner and wipe it off with a damp (never dripping!) mop.

Q: Can I use vinegar to clean my vinyl floors?

A: Yes, a ratio of one part vinegar to three parts warm water is a suitable alternative for daily cleaning of hard surface flooring. It leaves no residue, but it is not effective for heavy duty cleaning.

Q: What do the measurements given in your "In Stock Hardwood" descriptions mean?

A: The first measurement (a fraction) refers to how thick each piece of wood is. This value is important for several reasons; (1) when transitioning between different types of flooring, you want it to be as level as possible and (2) Installation methods (hardwood may be nailed, stapled or glued down) may differ depending on the thickness of the boards and your type of sub-floor. For instance, on a concrete subfloor a hardwood that is 1/2" thick or less must be used in order to be glued down. Your flooring salesperson will be able to assist you in making the right decision. The second value refers to how wide each board is. The term "strip" refers to any piece of hardwood that is less than three inches wide, while "plank" refers to any piece that is three inches wide or greater. This is mainly a personal preference and typically does not effect installation.

Q: Should I use solid or engineered hardwood?

A: Each product has strengths and weaknesses. In more humid climates an engineered hardwood does very well because of its ability to resist cupping (where moisture makes the edges of the boards turn upward). This is because it consists of 3 to 10 thin layers of wood that are glued together in a cross-ply construction, which also makes it excellent to glue-down over cement subfloors. However, this also means that engineered hardwood has a thin "wear" surface, or top layer, that cannot be refinished to extent that a solid hardwood floor may be.  Although, it is worthwhile to note that most hardwood only needs to be refinished every 20 years or more - with many new hardwoods carrying a 25 year warranty.  Both solid and engineered hardwoods come in a variety of sizes, widths, styles and patterns - for more information, come in and speak with a Finney's salesperson today!