Learn Your Carpeting Basics

Type Of Carpeting Materials

Carpet fiber is typically made from one of four fibers: nylon, olefin aka polypropylene, polyester, and wool.

Carpeting Parts

Carpeting has two layers face pile and backing.  The face pile or (yarn fibers) is the part of the carpet that we walk on and see.  Though the face pile is very important so is the backing yet no one ever seems to consider it when most people shop for new carpeting.

Carpet face pile comes in two different types; cut and or loop.  In a cut pile carpet individual yarns stand up straight from the backing.  This is a common type of carpet as it is less expensive to produce a carpet this way. In a loop pile carpet the yarn comes out of the backing, loops over, and they returns to the backing.  Loop pile carpets will last longer than a cut pile carpet.  Cut and loop carpets combine both pile types to add surface texture and often are used to blend multiple yarn colors.

Weight and Wear Of Carpeting

The heavier the carpet the better the carpet is at handling wear. When buying a carpet you should consider the carpet’s density, pile height, and fiber type that the carpet is made out of.  Carpets are sold according to weight and sometimes one style of carpet is offered in three different weights in the same color.  This is so people that are on a budget can buy a heavier weight and put it in the main traffic areas and the lower weight carpet can be used for the less used bedrooms. Most builders grade carpet is 26 ounces which is the minimum weight required for someone to get a FHA (Federal Housing Authority) loan.

Carpeting companies and most floor salesman don’t know carpeting weight can be mixed so they force customers into an all or nothing position when a customer is buying carpet.  35 ounce carpet in four bedrooms would drastically reduce the price of a carpeting project if a customer wanted 65 ounce carpet but could only afford to do it in the main areas everyone sees.    So before you buy carpeting check to see what weights are available for the style and color you like.  It’s pointless to put really nice plush carpet in a child’s room just because you want it to match with the rest of the house.  Give the children the lesser weight carpet let them destroy it and put the plush carpet in your master bedroom and living room; thus everything matches, you get the plush carpet in your room, and you save money.

Humidity

Carpet will absorb water and is prone to mildew.  So don’t ever put it in a bathroom or area close to water.  This is not healthy! In fact it becomes a nasty situation over time.

Carpeting Styles

Carpet comes in many different styles.  The main styles used for residential carpeting are Tufted, Cut and Loop Piles, Saxony, Textured Saxony, Plush, Frieze, and Level Loop Pile.

Tufted Carpeting

This type of carpet is produced on a tufting machine by using either a single colored or sometimes a non-colored yarn. If non colored is being used, then the carpet will be dyed or printed with a design as a separate process. Carpets that are tufted can either be cut pile, loop pile, or a combination of both. Machines can produce a lot more meters of carpet than weaving, and they are usually at the lower end of the market.

Cut and Loop Pile Carpeting

The cut and loop pile combines both looped and cut fibers. They provide a variety of surface textures for medium durability. Cut and loop carpets are available in either solid or different colors. The several different layers in this carpet can hide dirt and footprints in formal and informal areas.

Saxony Carpeting

Saxony consists of tightly twisted cut piles that are heat set straight. They consist of two or more fibers that have been twisted together in a yarn, and they provide a very soft texture for informal as well as formal areas. They will show each and every footprint and even marks from vacuum cleaners.

Textured Saxony Carpeting

Textured carpet is the bestselling and it works well in informal areas due to the very soft feel. They are tightly twisted and texture headset for medium durability. They also offer a multi colored look that will hide tracks and footprints.

Plush Carpeting

Both plush and velvet are lightly twisted and offer a uniform color. They are very soft and offer more level than textures. This type of carpet is ideal for formal areas due to it's luxurious appearance.

Frieze Carpeting

Frieze is a highly twisted cut pile type of carpet that is suited for high traffic areas. It has short fibers that will tend to curl in different directions at the surface to hide footprints and vacuum marks.

Level Loop Pile Carpeting

The level loop pile is constructed by weaving even loops of yarn into carpet backing at both ends. This type of carpet is durable as well as track resistant, due to the strong loops. Higher loops in the carpet will create a more luxurious look. They are also great because they will prevent dirt from filtering on into the carpet.

At Texas Best Flooring Company our number one selling carpet is Frieze carpeting that is a blend of two colors usually in earth tones.

Carpet Grain

Carpet has a grain that makes its fibers lean in one direction. If you run your hand over carpet in one direction the fibers will lay down.  If you run it back the fibers will stand up.  If you cut a piece of carpet in half and turn it 180% and then put it up against the other piece it looks like you have two different types of carpet.  That’s why when you install carpet you have to make sure the smaller pieces you are seaming together are consistent with the grain of the carpet you are attaching it too.  If you don’t seam a carpet with this in mind you run the risk of seeing a huge noticeable seam running the length of your room.

Carpet Names and Collections

Flooring companies and carpeting manufactures make up the names and collections of their carpet so that one, a customer can differentiate between the many different ones they offer and two, to confuse the customer so they cannot shop around for a better price on that carpet.  Some competing carpeting brands/distributors make their carpet in the same carpet mill.  Or many flooring companies will have their own carpet made directly from the mill at the same mill as 100 other flooring companies are using. So the carpet is the same quality and in most cases the same thing.  However, flooring companies try to get customers to fall in love with one carpet and if the carpet name is made up and no one else is using that name then the customers feels that that flooring company is the only one who offers that carpet.  This is not true! Forget the name.  When comparing carpet prices shop by color, weight of pile, style, type cut or loop, and backing used.  This is how you should compare pricing.  Don’t fall for the flooring companies made up naming system.  

 

These are the seven basic carpeting industry features one needs to know and be aware of when buying carpet.  For carpet installation and padding see some of our other Texas Best Flooring Company blogs at Texasbestflooringcompany.com

Thank You,

David Hill

Owner/ President

Texas Best Flooring Company, Inc. 

Eco-friendly Floors

If you need to replace your carpets or floors, choose materials that are safe for your health and the planet.

EPA studies have shown that indoor pollutant levels can be two to five times higher than they are outside. To find the source of many of these pollutants, just glance down. Installation of new carpet and flooring can fill the air with hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including known and suspected carcinogens like formaldehyde and benzene. It can take years for these substances to dissipate. In addition, carpets are often treated with toxic chemicals for mothproofing or to repel soil and moisture. Carpeting is also notorious for trapping toxic lawn chemicals, VOCs, and allergens tracked in from outside.

There are several sustainable flooring options that can...

Read more:

Eco-Friendly Flooring

TOPCU Tile and Stone at California's Best Flooring Company!

http://woodflooringonline.blogspot.com/2012/04/topcu-tile-and-stone-at-californias.html

Hardwood Flooring, Tile, Laminate Flooring

California’s Best Flooring Company

415.742.0723

Call For Free Samples & In-Home Estimate of All Types Of Flooring Products

 We carry thousands of products! We carry and all major flooring brands! California’s Best Flooring Company is a state wide flooring company who is proud to offer its flooring services to all the wonderful homeowners and businesses of The Golden State.

            We provide all types of flooring materials, flooring design expertise, and turnkey flooring installations in California. Customers can either shop directly on our sister website until our new site is up and running:

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We specialize in wood flooring, solid wood floors, engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring, carpeting, cork flooring, tile flooring, granite countertops, bamboo floors, rubber flooring, natural stone, glue down vinyl plank flooring, and many other types of flooring.   

Many home owners have been remodeling their homes lately, and wood flooring and carpeting seem to be the two biggest factors they are considering as a home improvement. Homeowners should not install seconds or some lesser quality flooring products in home. Due to increasing home values, residents should make sure they only select  #1 grade flooring material and carpeting for quality and long product life.   With California’s Best Flooring Company, homeowners get the best flooring at the best possible price! 

We specialize in taking care of flooring for all of California, and know our customers’ needs inside and out.  Please call or email today and potentially save yourself thousands of dollars from locally-owned, fully independent franchise of the Best Flooring Network.

California's Best Flooring Company's New Address!

Good day, all!

California's Best Flooring Company is pleased to announce the opening of their new office space on San Francisco's historic Embarcadero waterfront:

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California's Best Flooring Company
201 Spear Street, Suite 1100
San Francisco, CA  94105
415.742.0723 office
415.830.2758 mobile

Call today for the lowest prices on Bausen, Max Windsor, Eleganza, Topcu, and many other great manufacturers! 415.742.0723, or www.texasbestflooringcompany.com until our new website goes live.

Getting a Flooring Estimate without getting Ripped Off

How to Get A Proper Flooring Estimate and Discount Without Getting Ripped Off

Whenever we do a home improvement, we first find a contractor or company who is going to do the work and ask them to give us a written estimate for the total cost of the work to be done.  Most contractors will first present the customer with a lump sum price.  Do not accept this and do not ask for a discount on a lump sum price. Each estimate is comprised of three or four items; the costs of labor, the cost of materials, taxes, and the costs of the overhead and profit of the contractor.  When you ask for a discount on a lump sum price one cannot be sure where the discount is coming from.  As a home owner you don't want the discount to come from the quality of the materials. Secondly you don't want the contractor to discount the labor by hiring less than perfect craftsmen.  You want the discount to come from the contractor's profit margin. A fair profit for the skill and service of a contractor is 15-20% on each job or project.  However, I am seeing many companies making a killing off uneducated consumers on an average of 35-60% with terrible craftsmanship or materials.

Your First 5-10% Discount

The best way to avoid this is as follows:  first, ask the contractor to break the estimate down into its 3 or 4 parts.  (labor, materials, Taxes and OP: Overhead and Profit).  Remember some contractors will apply a small profit margin on the material and a larger margin on labor. In a written contract specify that the contractor use only craftsmen that have a minimum of 5 years hands on experience in doing your particular desired task and make sure that if the job is subcontracted out by the company you’re paying that they warranty the work of the subcontractor they are using.  For example, Home Depot hires out all of its contracted work yet warranties the work itself.  You don’t want to come into a situation when someone says, “Oh that’s an improper installation issue. I just sell the materials and you’ll have to go find the installers yourself”.

Get a labor square foot, per-unit installation price if applicable. Locking this in prevents the contractor from charging more later on in a project should you decide you want to do more work.  Then ask the contractor to break down the exact materials to be used by name, brand, and specifications for the job and offer to go to the supplier and pay for the materials yourself.  All contractors mark up materials. If you pay for the materials and pay the supplier to deliver the materials, you avoid the mark up and you make sure you are getting the right quality materials for the job (i.e. nothing gets switched out en route to your house).  Plus, you maintain control of your money and this avoids the “Half-down up-front, never see you again situation”.

It also helps you from being over charged. For example: The contractor says you need 1,000 square feet of wood flooring and you buy 1,000 square feet from the supplier. You have it delivered and you know how many boxes equal 1,000 SF since you have the invoice. When the job is finished and you have too many left over boxes then you were mislead as to the square footage of the project.  If you have the labor rate separated in your contract at a per square foot price then you can say, “Hey I have 200 square feet left over of material and you charged me $2.50 a square foot for labor to install it I am subtracting 200 x $2.50 = $500.00 off the final balance of the job.  I always write on my contracts exactly how many boxes are going to come to the house.  Watch the installers toward the end of the job; They will start moving extra material to their trucks to avoid you from seeing this overcharge as well since they get a paid cut for this extra ghost square footage as well.  Remember all material is yours if it comes to your home! Count all the boxes. If the contractor gives you any problems about not paying once he or she is caught, then just remember this phrase, “Theft of Services”.  If you pay a contractor for work that they do not perform then you can file a complaint with the local district attorney’s office for theft of services.  Don’t be afraid to use this term if the contractor tries to collect on work they didn’t do or add square footage that never existed.

Note: The best way to find a supplier is to contact a products manufacturer.  They will then give you a list of certified distributors/suppliers of their product.  All contracts then go to these distributors to get the material they use in your home.  Some suppliers will not accept payment from the public but many will.  It’s worth the try of at least a phone call to see how much they charge. It is safe to say the contractor will always mark materials up 10-30%.  So if you have to use a contractor to procure the materials no matter what get a 5% discount here.

Your Next 5-10% Discount

Now that you have specified and control the materials to be used for the job, the next discount will come from the labor line-item.  Most labor is marked up 15-25%. Wow, I know right? Ask for a 20% discount on this line items total.  Settle for 5-10%.  Never settle for no discount as the meat of all profit for the contractor or sales rep commission is hidden here.

Your Next 5% Discount

Part three of the estimate should be a tax line item.  Taxes should only be calculated on the material costs only.  The reason contractors give you a lump sum bid is so they can tax the whole project.  It is illegal to tax a home owner for labor.  There is no sales tax on labor!!!! Contractors and retailers don’t pay taxes on labor in a contract to the state or government and neither should you. By making the contractor or salesman separate taxes you will get a discount.  Salesmen and contractors tax the whole project and keep the added tax they charge you on labor as straight profit.  Or they give you a discount of, say, 5% to get you to sign the contract.  What they don’t tell you is they over charged you tax in the first place.  So you will get an average of 5% discount in taxes if you make the contractor break out the bid and only tax the materials per law.  Some flooring “empires” will not break out their bid since this exposes this trick they use in over charging their customers. Also note: when you pay for the materials you know what the taxes are and you control this number. If you buy the materials, taxes are no longer a factor for the contractor to charge you.

Overhead should be 5-10% of the overall total labor price. Not the materials! As you went through the trouble of handling the payment and delivery of the materials this is no longer a factor for the contractor’s profit or overhead factors.  Anything higher than 5-10% is a red flag the company is not efficient and you should avoid that company. Companies that say they need anything above 10% for overhead will not be in business long which means how are you going to get a warranty a year from now? Tell this to the salesman and see what excuses they make up not to mention the look on their face when they don’t have an answer as they just got caught over charging you.

Breaking Out The Bid In Its Basic Elements:

Labor/Installation: $2.50 a Square Foot x 1,000 SF = $ 2,500.00

Materials: 1,000 SF x 5% waste add 50 SF =1,050 x $2.99 per SF= $3,139.50

Tax: Materials: $3,139.50 x .085%= $266.86

O&P: Usually buried partly in the materials and mainly in the Labor section already so be wary of this line item.

Total Cost of Project: $5,906.36.

If the contractor does not want to give you a breakdown as described above walk away! When contractors file their taxes the state and federal government asks for this breakdown and they can't say no, so why shouldn't you get this same information? It is your home and you're the boss since you are paying.

If you get a break down of the actual square footage of a room, as in a flooring bid, the labor price should be x times the exact room square footage amount.  Most salesmen in a lump sum bid will add a 5-to 10% waste factor to a bid and thus mark up the labor as well.  There is no waste factor in labor for a room size.  A room size is what it is. It is a fixed number.  The only waste factor is in the materials that are used not labor and if your room is a perfect square the waste factor for the materials should only be room size, times 5%, times the price per square foot of the material.

When you don't get a bid that is broken out then you set yourself up for overpaying for a job from the start.  When you ask for a discount from a bid that's a lump sum price beware the discount may be tax that you shouldn't have paid anyways, a discount from added labor that was above and beyond the actual square footage anyways, or even if you get a discount you may then have the quality of the material or craftsman's switched out on you.  This is your project take time to control the different aspects of it.  This will also help to avoid cost over runs and weed out any contractors that are rip offs as unprofessional contractors want to only deal with people they can get easy money from. Professional contractors are used to abiding by these terms and conditions and will not shy away from your requests for a break down as they have nothing to hide and plan on staying in business.

Words Used to Manipulate

Words That Are Used To Manipulate Us When We Engage In A Home Improvement Purchase

The English language is an integral part of shopping and everyday commerce.  Businesses know and understand this well.  In fact there are even books written for words that can sell to you, the customer.  We may not pay attention to these words and you may be tricked by them into making a purchase that isn’t as good as you were led to believe.  So in the war of words, here is a quick manual for consumers when it comes to shopping for home improvement products.  Since I am a flooring expert I will correlate many words with the flooring industry, but I am sure you have seen these words and phrases used in other industries. 

The total number of words that are used in the market place far surpass what I will cover in this article, but the true purpose of the article is to get you to pay attention to the words that are used against you. 

Words that are used to mislead you 

Surplus: Something that remains above what is used or needed. 

Overstock:  to stock to excess. 

How many of you have seen signs for flooring companies or the company itself uses the word surplus or overstock in their name to sell their products. There is no such thing as surplus or overstock flooring.  With inventory controls and the high costs of making a mistake in ordering materials, who makes a big enough mistake where a store has thousands of square feet of flooring that is surplus? Every builder and home owner I know measure every square foot to the inch, so I know the surplus isn’t coming from them. When the US military says they have 10,000 boots as surplus I believe it.  But not when a flooring store uses it to promote the idea of discounts or cheaper pricing. How can a flooring company that buys containers of flooring direct from China or from their distributor knowing what they are buying (and in abundance) label their product a surplus or overstock? Where’s the surplus coming from? 

Seconds is a different story. Seconds in the flooring industry means there is something wrong with the flooring in so much that the manufacturer does not want to put their name on it.  Be it a color variation, twisted or not so straight boards, delamination and finish problems, the formaldehyde emittance is too high for industry standards (the glues to bond most plywood engineered floors emit this in low levels), the color changes color in the sun after time and so on and so on.  If you ask the sales rep why it is seconds the majority of the time they will say it’s a color variation because they really don’t know themselves. I wouldn’t believe it. For the headaches and not really knowing why something is seconds I would run away from seconds unless you’re a flooring expert. You will spend more money using flooring that is seconds than just buying the factory approved product.  I have known many contractors who have had to buy 150% or more of material just to finish one area as they had to discard material that didn’t lay straight. 

Factory Direct: Direct: proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course. 

Factory Store: A store that is owned & run by the manufacturer. 

Distributor: A wholesaler who has exclusive rights to market, within a given territory, the goods of a manufacturer or company. 

Dealer: a person who buys and sells articles without altering their condition; trader or merchant. 

These are used all the time in the flooring industry.  Used and abused.  There are only a small handful of distributors that get their product factory direct compared to the number of stores that say they are selling to you factory direct.  The usual chain of events in a factory direct purchase should be: Manufacturer: Approved Regional Distributor: Flooring Store.  Only three Mark ups.  This is how I have positioned my company; http://www.californiasbestflooringcompany.com. 

When this phrase is abused you get: Manufacturer: Approved Regional Distributor: Another Distributor: Flooring Company: Smaller Flooring Store, Dealer, Builders: Fully five Mark ups!  Not every company or distributor can get every flooring product, factory direct. If they say then can then I would not believe it.  Manufacturers preselect who they want to distribute their product in a selected region.  That distributor then picks reputable companies in which to sell their represented manufacturer’s goods.  It’s a form of quality control.  So by the time your builder or installer tells you they can get wood flooring factory direct I’d need some proof. 

To follow the chain of anything factory direct you go to the manufacturer’s website and look for approved distributors.  Then you call the distributor in your area and ask them what flooring store offers the product you are looking for.  Some distributors are the flooring store thus being a one- two mark up. This is the most cost effective way. Work from the source out not start at the store and work backwards.  So the next time a flooring company or someone else claims to be a distributor, misleading you the consumer into thinking you’re getting a product direct form the source, verify this, contact the manufacturer. 

Outlet: a store, merchant, or agency selling the goods of a particular wholesaler or manufacturer. 

Wholesale: the sale of goods in quantity, as to retailers. 

As far as I know there is no such thing as a flooring outlet store in the true meaning of what an outlet is.  Clothing stores have outlets where the factory makes mistakes and the outlets then offer the products at a discount. For example Polo clothing and Coach Hand Bags have outlet stores that just offer their products. I don’t know of one factory-represented flooring outlet store; anywhere in California.  The next time someone claims to be an outlet then ask them why they carry more than one brand and which factory or manufacturer do they represent.  I can say with certainty that if you call a flooring manufacturer and ask them where their flooring outlet is in California. They are going think you are crazy; they may even laugh.  They are going to probably ask you if you mean distributor but an outlet and distributor are two different things. Bottom line is there are no factory direct flooring outlets in California. 

The word Wholesale is ridiculously over used.  Forget the word all together.  Flooring is sold per job pack, per pallet price, then container price, and then multiple container pricing.  Job Pack is usually under 800-1,000SF, Pallets are 1,000- 2,500SF depending on the material, etc. Containers are usually 9 or more pallets, and multiple containers reach up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  As a consumer, the best price you can get, call it wholesale, discount, whatever it is, is pallet pricing.  This is your commando word to fight the enemy.  You want pallet pricing on everything you can get since there’s no way you’re ever going to need a container of flooring with 20,300SF.  This is the term we use and so should you.  I don’t go to my supplier and say, “Can I get some wholesale tile.” I ask what’s the pallet price and how much do I have to buy to get it for xyz. 

Sale and Discount Teasers 

Save up to XX% Off!, YY% Discount!, Price Break! Price Blowout! Prices Slashed, One Day Sale, One Day Only, Giant Closeout Sale, Everything must go, We Must Move Our Inventory, Buy more save more, Huge Discounts, Buy One Get One Free, Store Wide Clearance, Liquidations:

In sales these are called teasers.  Whenever I see up to 50% off I think 50% off of what? One million dollars? Prices change for suppliers and costs fluctuate in the market. Yes, price increases get pasted on the public but not as extremely as some companies would make it.  I never really have sales as my flooring company offers just low pricing year round.  Here is the scenario and you tell me where the huge discount comes from:  The flooring manufacturer has a price that they set and sell to the distributors.  The distributors then mark it up with a little wiggle room to only those who buy bulk.  At this point this is a two markup scenario. If a flooring company is sharp, they find a way to be in this position.  If you as a consumer are dealing with, let’s say three companies that are in the three markup situation then how can one company offer a huge discount over everyone else when everyone buys form the same distributor in that area? They can offer a huge discount because they normally are over-charging customers to begin with.  This is why they can offer 50% off and still be profitable.  Discount only really truly comes into play in flooring when a product line is discontinued and the manufacturer is going to discontinue that product.  Even then you have to ask yourself why would they discontinue a profitable item. Is there something wrong with it? 

Going out of business sale: 

If a company is truly going out of business, wouldn’t you want a warranty on a product that you’re spending thousands of dollars on?  Some would say, “Oh well, in flooring you get it from the manufacturer for the product”. True, but trust me it helps when the person you buy the product from can help you get your warranty.  A flooring company that sells thousands and thousands of dollars of a manufacturers product can have some pull in helping you, the consumer, get your warranty if you come into problems.

If you’re making a large purchase, check to make sure the company is not in bankruptcy. (Store Wide Clearance=red flag)  Companies don’t have to disclose to the consumer they are in bankruptcy as it is public information and it is up to the consumer to do their due diligence.  If you do business with a company in bankruptcy or are buying from a store wide clearance sale, get your product on the spot--don’t wait for delivery or you may find your check cashed and store locked the next day.  Depending on where you live and the company is head quartered the bankruptcy court may vary.

I know this has nothing to do with home improvements but it’s my all time favorite.  Ever see the signs at pawn shops and other places that say, “We buy scrap gold.”  There’s no such thing as gold that is scrap; gold is gold.  The word scrap is meant to devalue the gold you are trying to sell so you get less than fair market value.  When they melt it down and reform it is it marked, “Previously Gold Scraps”. No it’s not! Try going to these places and asking them if you can buy scrap gold one oz bars. Somehow I don’t think they will give you a discount.

The financial and banking industries are examples of where you have to have a license or be what you say you are or you risk fines and jail time. The flooring industry in California and many other states do not have this federal regulation of checks and balances over the use of words to protect consumers. 

Remember: it’s ok to let words pique your interest in a product or service, but don’t let it sway you away from the most important aspect at hand: the final price and value of what you need or want. Every industry has its phases and words and they have a purpose.  Just verify the company you are dealing with uses the words to convey their correct position and meaning in the marketplace. 

Please visit www.californiasbestflooringcompany.com for all your flooring needs!