The Process
Before your purchase...
Here are a few other things to know or consider before, during, and after your flooring purchase.
When you go to the store, feel free to bring fabric samples, pillows, paint swatches, carpet cushions, or bedspreads. Don't be embarrassed to bring whatever you need to help you make the choice.
Your flooring installation shouldn't be scheduled until all your painting, wallpapering, or construction is complete. Your flooring should be the last element of your remodeling project.
Check the sample in your home, and be sure to check it during the day and at night. The lighting in the store could give you a completely different look than you'll find at home. Also, look at the sample on the floor, not just at eye level.
After the purchase...
Either the night before or the morning of your installation, vacuum the old carpet to minimize the airborne dust and particles that removing it will cause.
Make sure you get what you ordered. Save your flooring sample. When the installer arrives, match the sample to the new floor. Verify the color, style, and texture. If it's not what you ordered, it's easier for everyone if you catch it immediately.
Ventilate the room well during installation — open doors & windows.
Make sure to request warranty information and read immediately after installing carpet so you are well educated on the proper care of your carpet.
Carpet Fibers
Nylon: In overall performance characteristics, nylon is the most versatile of all fibers, providing excellent flexibility in creating a variety of carpet styles. It is durable, resilient, and receptive to dyeing for color versatility and uniformity; many new nylon yarn systems are also exceptionally soft. Though not inherently stain resistant, most nylon carpets are treated with stain-resist carpet treatment for protection against household spills and stains.
Olefin/Polypropylene: Unlike the other fiber types, polypropylene will not absorb water and must therefore be solution dyed (pigmented) to impart color. Solution dyeing is a pigmentation process in which color is actually built into the fiber when it is formed, or extruded, thereby becoming an inherent part that cannot be removed from the fiber. The color will not fade, even when exposed to intense sunlight, bleaches, atmospheric contaminants, or other harsh chemicals or elements. However, since it is not as resilient as other fibers, polypropylene is normally used in loop pile constructions in which there is less need for superior resiliency.
PET: Fibers retain their color and resist fading due to sun or harsh cleaning. Shades can be richer and brighter than those found in nylon yarns. Because plastic beverage containers are made with top quality PET resins as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, recycled PET is superior to lower grades of virgin synthetic fibers used in making other brands of polyester carpet yarns. PET has exceptional strength and durability and the value of these properties is not lost in their recycling process.
Smart Strand: SmartStrand fibers provide permanent stain protection that is literally built-in to the fiber so it can never wear or clean off. Usually tough stains such as red wine, mustard, coffee, and bleach have vanished with nothing more than hot water and a little detergent. Its stain resistance is so good that, for the first time, Mohawk is offering a Limited Lifetime Stain Warranty for SmartStrand products. SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona fibers are made of 3GT molecules, a molecule structure that provides permanently engineered-in stain resistance. So we don't have to apply topical stain-resistance treatments like nylon or PET polyester carpets do. No chemicals means there are no stiff strands or harsh-feeling fibers leaving it very soft to the touch.
Maintaining Your Carpet's Beauty
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The best way to ensure long-lasting beauty, comfort and durability in your carpet is to vacuum it regularly, as it prevents soil from becoming embedded in the carpet's pile.
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Depending on the type of carpet you have, you'll want to use a vacuum with a rotating brush, a beater bar or SUCTION only. If you have shag or wool carpet, use a suction-only vacuum cleaner with no beater bar.
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Consider professional cleaning every 12–18 months, depending on traffic and other use factors, frequency of vacuuming and whether the carpet is a light or dark color.
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If your carpet snags DO NOT pull on the fiber or you may damage the carpet. Contact a carpet professional and they will walk you through the appropriate repair steps.
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To remove a dent caused by heavy furniture, stroke carpet with the edges of a coin. You can also use a hair dryer or a steam iron to gently raise the dented area while you tug upward on the tufts. CAUTION: DO NOT LET THE IRON TOUCH THE CARPET.
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If a flooding occurs from a burst pipe, washing machine overflow or other leak, the carpet needs to be dried, front and back, by a professional cleaner with the proper equipment.
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Bleaches, hair dyes, iodine, insecticides, mustard with turmeric and plant fertilizers: For these types of stains, call a professional. In order to maintain and protect your warranty coverage under the terms of these warranties, you must do the following: A minimum of one professional cleaning every 18 months is required.
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If the carpet becomes soiled always consult the maintenance guidelines from the carpet manufacturer. If using topical cleaning solutions read directions carefully and NEVER rub the carpet — blot with a white towel till stain is removed.
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