Articles
Add Value & Beauty with Fabulous Flooring
Story by Judy Colbert
Southern Maryland: This is Living
When you decide to look for new flooring, whether it's
for a new construction or replacement, Gwen Tennyson of Griffin Carpet in
Leonardtown, suggests you should bring your plans to the store and pick
out the carpet you like. Though the builders do their best to please when
it comes to flooring, if you know what you like, why not do the choosing
yourself? Once you have chosen Griffin will measure and give an estimate
right in the home.
Rob Menefee, president of Abbey Carpet and
Floors (formerly Carpet Country) starts with a list of qualifying
questions you should ask yourself when considering new flooring, such as
how much traffic? What kind of traffic (pets, children, mud-caked boots)?
What life expectancy is desired? How does it fit with the décor? Because
flooring is such a large part of the décor image, it's better if it's
chosen first, rather than having to match flooring to the colors of wall
paint, furniture, and decorator touches. This is particularly true of
carpeting.
There are five basic types of flooring, according to
Menefee, who has taken over the White Plains business his parents, Shirley
and Ed Menefee started in 1979, they are carpet, hardwood, laminate, sheet
vinyl, and ceramic tile. About 50 percent of Menefee's business, located
at the intersection of Route 301 and Demarr Road, is residential
installations, with the other 50 percent in new construction and
commercial flooring.
Carpeting (and rugs), which have the shortest
life span, can run from $2 to $6 a square foot installed, including
padding. A plus about carpeting is that it's warm to walk on and offers a
variety of colors and textures. Nylon is the most popular (about two
thirds) and practical fiber because it is the most wear- and
stain-resistant, followed by, olefin (polypropylene) and polyester, and
then wool. Good quality padding is an essential element, both for comfort
of walking and carpet durability. Carpeting is the most difficult to
maintain. If you do own a pet you should consider the color of the pet's
hair and how much it sheds. A dark carpet will not fair well with a
white-haired shedding pet, and a high loop pile will not do well with a
pet that digs and claws. According to Tennyson, berber carpets, made of
olefins and some with nylon, are very popular because of their endurance
and stain resistance. She adds that people think the thicker the carpet
the better, but she says the twist count is much more important than the
pile height. A twist count of 4 (out of 5) is desirable; otherwise the
high pile will just mat down and show a traffic pattern.
Hardwood,
which Menefee says is becoming the most popular surface, can be oak (the
most popular), maple, birch, ash, or even pine. Hardwood flooring runs
between $6 and $12 a square foot, installed. According to Tennyson the
humidity in Southern Maryland can sometimes be hard on this type of
flooring. Menefee checks properties that are near water to make sure the
subfloor doesn't contain so much moisture that it could affect such
finishes as wood and laminates.
Laminate is basically maintenance
free, and can adjust easily to an uneven subflooring. A laminate floor is
$8 to $10 a square foot, installed.
Sheet vinyl is easy to maintain
and is particularly desirable in any heavy wet area such as a kitchen or
bathroom. It is, however, easy to damage and difficult to fix. Included in
the price of a vinyl floor, at $3 to $6 a square foot, is the installation
of a subfloor. Tennyson has noticed an increase in ceramic flooring,
although she says that carpeting is still the best seller and adds that
vinyl flooring is now coming out in patterns that look like ceramic
flooring. Vinyl doesn't wear as well as ceramic, but it doesn't need the
subflooring that ceramic needs to avoid cracking, and it's less
expensive.
Ceramic tile has a cooler feel to it than carpet, but
it's relatively maintenance free, other than keeping the grout clean and
fresh looking. A subfloor is also required for ceramic tile to make sure
the tile is laid on an even, level base, and the tile and subflooring run
from $10 to $15 a square foot, installed.
The biggest mistake
people make with flooring, says Menefee, is not taking care of it. Just as
a car has to have a regular maintenance schedule, so does flooring.
Carpeting has to be vacuumed weekly and cleaned regularly, particularly as
soon as it's stained. Smooth floors should be vacuumed, dusted, and wet
mopped weekly. Another mistake is buying the cheapest product available.
It will have a shorter lifespan and need to be replaced sooner and more
frequently. Considering the cost of a second flooring installation, not to
mention the inconvenience to the family, it's more practical and economic
to buy the best quality possible.