Recently there has been an outburst of people deciding to rip up carpet on their stairs and opt for painted stairs with carpet tiles but there are some downsides to removing your carpet and not replacing with carpet again.
Carpeting your stairs come with a few benefits so it is always worth considering these before you decide to bare your stairs.
1. Aesthetic appeal – you may find when pulling up your stair carpet that the structure underneath isn’t perfect or could have chips or damage. This will be more common in older homes. If you do decide to paint over the overall look may not look very good if the stairs are not in good condition.
2. Noise – without carpet on your stairs you will hear people or pets coming up or down your stairs. The cushioning of underlay and carpet diminishes loud noises from heavy feet.
3. Safety – a fall down carpeted stairs is less likely to cause so many bruises or damage due to the cushioning effect of carpet.
Reasons why you shouldn’t hire a carpet cleaning machine
There are many different reasons why you would hire a carpet cleaner such as spillages, general dirt, pet accidents, or odour but there are also many reasons why you shouldn’t. Sometimes the task of carpet cleaning should be left to the professionals but why?
1. Cost – many supermarkets or hardware stores have carpet cleaners that you can hire out for 24 hours or longer. Generally, these are hired out as reasonable prices but you then have to add the cost of specialist carpet detergent, your time spent collecting the carpet cleaner, time spent actually using the machine, and returning to the shop. When you total this all up it can come to well over £50 which is the same if not more it would cost you to hire in a professional.
2. Permanent damage – you are not an expert in cleaning carpets, you could easily use the wrong cleaning detergent which could ruin your carpet. Another issue is using too much water this could potentially leave your carpets damp and ruin them.
3. Equipment – the machines you can hire will not compete with specialist carpet cleaners used by the professionals. Those stains that you’re trying to remove may need more power than the machines you can hire.
Kitchen flooring
The kitchen is a room which endures heavy use and is prone to more spillage, therefore a kitchen requires a durable and hard-wearing flooring to withstand heavy foot traffic which is also easy to keep clean without enduring damage from liquids and food.
Flooring in general has come a long way over the years and there is now much more choice. We’ve compiled a list of flooring that is suitable for a kitchen.
• Laminate flooring – this is the perfect flooring choice for those of you with kitchens that are prone to spillages, its very easy to clean and keep looking its best. It comes in a huge variety of different colours and patterns but you should choose a higher AC rating of laminate to ensure it is durable enough for heavy foot traffic.
• Luxury Vinyl – this flooring is also an excellent choice for kitchens as its water-resistant properties mean that the floor will be easy to clean. Luxury vinyl is very durable which means it’s able to resist the wear and tear of a busy kitchen while maintaining its aesthetic.
• Solid Wood Kitchen Flooring – for those of you who prefer a more traditional looking kitchen, solid wood is a great option. Solid wood flooring gives any kitchen a wow factor and is very hard-wearing.
Pairing a rug with solid oak
Solid oak flooring really does pair perfectly with a rug. You can choose a classic design like Aztec or Tudor, or perhaps a more contemporary faux fur rug, but whatever look you decide on, a rug can add a touch of cosiness and comfort to your solid flooring. Oak may be extremely beautiful and durable, but it doesn’t give home a great deal of comfort, yet many homeowners do not want to ruin the look by adding lengths of carpet, so a rug is a wise option. Whether you have mahogany oak, light oak or something in-between, there are so many colours and styles of rugs to choose between nowadays, so take your time to find one that will look beautiful in your home. It’s important to make sure you choose a rug that matches the character and feel of your property, so let’s say you have a cottage bungalow in the country, a thick sheepskin rug would be a lovely addition to your classic oak floor.
Why your carpet should complement your walls
Many interior designers are fixated on furniture and wall colours but some do not give flooring the time of day. In most homes in the UK, a soft natural carpet is added to most of the key areas in the house, apart from kitchens and bathrooms and those houses that have classic slate or oak flooring. There are certain things you need to take into account when choosing a carpet though, and one of those is the colour of the wall. We feel the wall colour should complement the colour of your carpet and vice versa. Let’s say you have grey walls and your aim was to create a minimalistic room, you don’t want to be adding colour to your carpet, you need to choose a shade that complements the wall colour such as a shade of grey, a shade of brown or even a more pale colour. Adding a bold colour would work against the grey colour of the wall, and it will leave your home looking a tad dated!
Basics of carpet cleaning
The best way to keep your carpets looking newer for longer, is to keep them well maintained and cleaned regularly. Carpets should be cleaned as frequently as needed. That said, once a week should be a minimum even if there is no visible dirt. We have outlined the three main ways to keep your carpets clean and well maintained:
Stains- Stubborn stains can ruin a carpets appearance instantly, that’s why cleaning a spillage as soon as it has happened is so vital. Leaving a stain on a carpet for a long period of time will only make it harder or even impossible to remove.
Vacuuming- Sounds cliché, but it really is that simple. As we have mentioned this should be done once a week as a minimum, but can be more frequent if needed. If you have thick piled carpets, make sure your vacuum is powerful enough to clear the deeper dirt.
Professional- Hiring a profession every 6 months to a year to give your carpets a deep clean will help to reduce allergens, and also improve the cleanliness of your home.
Securing the services of a reputable flooring contractor
Finding a reputable roofing contractor to complete your job is not always easy, and it’s certainly not a decision you want to rush into. There’s so much research needed to find the right individual for you, and this research should include:
- Online reviews
- First-hand recommendations
- Company information
- Locality
- Contact Details and Address
If you’re not able to find much information on the individual and there aren’t reviews from satisfied customers on their website or any third party site, then you should probably keep looking. In most cases, it’s best to ask friends and relatives if there is anyone they can recommend, whilst you can ask for recommendations on Facebook too, which we feel is always a great idea. Once you think you find the right individual or firm to complete the job, be sure to have a meeting with at least one team member who will be present on the job.
Flooring Options for Summer Houses
A summerhouse can be very basic when it’s just been built and some designs will only have a concrete base for flooring, whilst others may have wooden floor panels. So when you’re perking the space up a bit, you may want to consider the different types of flooring on offer.
One option is carpet, but this is only really a good idea if your summerhouse is well insulated and protected. A carpet can add a touch of warmth to the room, but if people are stepping in straight from the garden lawn, it may be hard to keep the carpet clean from muddy footprints, so a pathway will be needed. Another option is laminate tiles, and we like this one quite a lot. It’s stylish, cheap and it’s very easy to install. It will also make the summerhouse feel more homely, and you can always add a touch of cosines with a thick warm welcome mat or rug if you wanted.
Main benefits of a runner rug in your home
Runner rugs are a great addition to the interior of your home, and due to their long narrow design, they fit perfectly in hallways. As hallways are an area of the home which sees a high level of traffic, it is important to try and preserve the flooring.
Runner rugs help to provide extra protection to your flooring or may be required to cover up worn out flooring. Replacing flooring can be quite expensive, an easier and cheaper temporary option would be to place a runner down instead.
Runners, like most rugs, come in a variety of styles and designs. You can choose from a range of colours, patterns and pile type. You can select a design that compliments the rest of the interior of your home, improving the look and style of your home.
As a runner has a long and narrow design, making sure it stays in the correct position is important and movement may cause it to look lopsided. You can help prevent this from occurring by adding a rug grip beneath the runner rug.
Patterned or plain carpet design for your living room?
Living rooms allow you to bring out your creative designer within, with many seeking a unique look for their home. Designing your living room can be fun, however, when it comes to flooring you have a decision to make: Patterned or plain carpet?
Patterned carpets can bring a lot of style to your living room, however with a bold carpet design other aspects of the interior of the room should be subtler. A patterned carpet and a bold wallpaper can become a bit of an eyesore. Patterned carpet can be used to help create the illusion of a large space, for example, striped carpets can make a room appear wider than it actually is, however, a busy pattern can do the opposite.
If bold wallpaper is more your thing, you may want to stick with a plain carpet. A plain carpet allows you to alter the design of your living room easily without having to lay a new carpet each time you fancy a change.