Blog/Articles

Misconception about carpet vs hard surfaces

Carpet May Even Be Helpful Multiple studies found that carpet my be helpful to humans.  An 18 nation study of nearly 20,000 people found a statistical relationship between carpeted bedrooms and reduced asthma symptoms and bronchial responsiveness.  It seems that carpet actually keeps allergens out of the air.  More allergens are delivered to humans as they become airborne from furniture, mattressesand hardwood flooring than any type of carpet. (Imagine the carpet acting as a filter)  Must be that our nose and mouth do not spend much time on the carpet. Bliss environmentally friendly carpeting from Beaulieu makes some great allergy and mildew resistant rugs. 

To learn more check this carpet and asthma report at
www.flooringsciences.org.

Thanks for reading, Michael Collings

Free or cheap labor misconception
Buyer beware

This  involves attracting you to the store by offering "whole house" carpet installation for one low price; usually less than one hundred dollars.   Don't
be taken in, as any logic will let you properly conclude that the  dealer is making up the labor cost loss by over pricing the cost of the  carpet and pad.  There is no free lunch; talented craftsmen do not work  for free  or minimum wage. Do plumbers offer free installs with toilet purchases? I didn't think so. Also, when you read the "fine print" of these specials , there are heavy extra charge such as $85 and up to go up each floor, $1 per foot for tack strip, $15 per step on staircases, no rip up or disposing old carpeting.

This  type of advertising is more often seen in the big box stores. For example, Home Depot makes the customer purchase their "special pad"  up to  $9/sq yd. (also in the fine print "No glue down install") I wonder why?  This nine dollars includes installation of the pad  also. Maybe this is how they justify charging so much their pad. Also,  in the "disclosure statement", the customer is responsible for removing  the doors. This service is included in most carpet installs by the  majority of carpet dealers.  This means that the "$97 Install" really is  JUST FOR THE CARPET.  Furthermore, there is a heavy charge for moving furniture, pull up and disposal of old carpet and pad, and in some  cases, even more extras for metals and thresholds. Combine this with the  fact that these big companies must hire installers from companies that pay their  installers the lowest wages, and you can see that these corporations may even be making  money on their labor.

Thanks for reading , Michael Collings