Advantages of Carpet Flooring

Do you know that carpeting during the earlier years was used by nomads as protection from cold weather and considered as status symbol, a sign of wealth or prestige by noble men before?  But in our modern times, carpet flooring is viewed in a different way.  Mostly, it is use for many different purposes – purposes which is somewhat will give a great advantage and of a great value to you whatever type of carpeting you are using, whether it is woven, needle felt, knotted, tufted or flat weave.

Good insulator against cold weather. Have you ever experienced that fuzzy feeling - covered with a mass of short fine hairs or soft fibers while lying on your carpet flooring or while walking barefooted? Generally, it gives warmth and comfort especially during winter season.  It can also help to reduce the cost of electric bills just because you are using your heaters all day long until night during a very cold day.  You can turn your heaters off if you feel the warmth of your carpet is enough to resist the chilly and uncomfortably low temperature.


Carpet offers matchless low price versus hardwood flooring.  Compared to hardwood and tiles, carpet low price per square foot is still unbeatable.  If you will question its durability, carpets nowadays are manufactured with an excellent and exceptional quality.  Thus the money you spent for your carpeting adds value to your home.  It is not a waste of money either.  Hardwood floors costs ranges from $5 to $15 per square foot compared to cheaper carpet for as low as $1 per sq. ft. or even lesser than a dollar.  The price varies depending on the quality and widths of boards of wood.  If you will consider its installation cost, hardwood/laminate flooring is more costly compared to carpet flooring where there are carpet flooring companies that can offer free carpet installation service when you purchase carpet from them.

Carpets can be as good as woofer as sound resistant.  Carpeting can also trap and absorb any form of sounds.  You may want to use wall to wall carpeting as a sound proof especially if you are living in an apartment or condominium and you don’t want to hear your noisy neighbors or you may wish those who living upstairs to at least put some carpeting so you won’t hear their thumping footsteps.  Carpeting can lessen the noise and is even more advantageous if you have young children. It can certainly minimize their loud voices during their playtime.

It provides protection.  Well, hard surfaces (i.e. hardwood/laminate, stone, ceramic tiles and others) are very popular for a long time already.  But the question is who will use your hard surface flooring?  If you are a homeowner with young children or if you have senior companions in your home, it is wiser to consider their safety.  Children are naturally active and playful.  Chances are there were times they may slip, slide and even fall.  And so as with our seniors, they are already weak enough to stand against wet floors or have a hard time to get a good balance in slippery areas or smooth surfaces.  Carpeting is a clever choice to protect them against possible fatal injuries.  Remember, prevention is better than cure.  Institutions like schools (with preschool, kindergarten up to middle school years), nursing homes, home for the aged, hospitals and even private homes with very young children, carpeting is the best alternative flooring for their maximum safety.

Decorating and redecorating is possible.  Carpets can create a natural atmosphere in your home with its different types, styles, textures and colors available in the market.  You can decorate your home now depending on your taste or desired look. Carpet industry has provided us unlimited options to choose from.  If you try to visit carpet depot or retail store, there are number of designs that you can incorporate to your room decor, walls and furniture.  If you are not good in design, you may consider hiring an interior designer for them to suggest and decide what colors, design, style and texture in contrast to your walls and even to match with your existing furniture and decors at home.  But there are flooring companies like Express Flooring which offers free decorating advice and even bring their carpet samples into your home together with their design consultants.  As part of the package make sure to ask them if they do offer the same service to save your dollars.

Express Flooring’s Earth-Friendly Flooring

When it came time for Robert and Mary Lizunno to replace the floors in their home in Phoenix, they struggled with the options. "It had to be beautiful," the Lizunnos say, "but we also wanted to make sure we were conserving nature."

In the end, they chose Express Flooring’s Tigerwood, an amber-striped hardwood from Bolivia. The 3-inch tongue- and-groove planks came from trees that had been grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers and were selectively cut down one at a time, rather than clear-cut in one fell swoop. "The decision to buy eco-friendly wood was the socially responsible thing to do," the Lizunnos say.

Robert & Mary are part of a growing group of consumers who, when it comes to flooring, actually can see the forest for the trees. They're driving the market for "sustainable" products—those made from trees that have been raised and harvested with minimal damage to the environment.

Unlike homeowners of a few decades ago, who had fewer options when it came to saving trees, today's environmentally conscious remodelers don't have to sacrifice the look, feel, and durability of wood underfoot. In fact, sustainable flooring comes in all the popular species: white and red oak, cherry, maple, red birch, hickory, even exotics like teak, rosewood, and cumaru. And it doesn't cost a fortune. Four-inch wide, medium-grade American cherry that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)—an international nonprofit organization promoting responsible forest management — costs low as $2-5 a square foot, the same as standard cherry.

Express Flooring, a retailer in the Phoenix, & Tucson markets, has seen its sales of certified wood double in the last three years. "Environmental concerns are starting to have a very real effect on the wood marketplace, and it's about time," says Jason Bryan, Express Flooring’s director of product sales and marketing. 

Tips for selecting the perfect floors

One: First it is important to consider your unique design style and the function of the room.

Will you be hosting dinner parties, dog sitting for the neighbors, or maybe just curling up on the couch reading a book or watching TV?

Two: Then think....what type of personality are you trying to create...smart and sassy...cool and chic....or maybe you already have some existing decor you are trying to incorporate.

Three: Understand what type of flooring can accomplish your goals. Carpet and area rugs create feeling of warmth and comfort....wood and laminate flooring create the wow factor...lastly tile is the most versatile and can accommodate any desired look or just simply keep the room cool.

Tile Flooring Fun Fact by Jason Valasek:

Tile flooring retains the temperature of its surrounding air. A room air conditioned at 70 degrees will keep the tile floor also cooled at 70 degrees. Human body temperature runs at 98 degrees. Walking on a 70 degree tile floor with a body temp of 98 degrees creates a cool feeling from below your feet which travels upwards throughout your body. This is how tile creates a cool room.

Express Flooring Can Make Your Family Room Look Larger

“Bigger is sometimes better”, says Rick Duran, Installation Manager at Express Flooring.

A larger floor tile, such as a 24”x24”, 20”x20”and 18”x18” can actually play tricks on the human eye. Installing larger floor tiles as opposed to traditional 13” and 12” will create the appearance of a larger floor. “The grout lines play tricks on the human eye. More grout lines make an area look smaller. Less grout lines make areas look larger”, says Duran. Larger tile installed not only reduces the number of grout lines, but also reduces cleaning and maintenance. With less grout lines comes less areas to keep clean, less areas to stain and less areas to maintain over the life of the floor.

Often customers are reluctant to install larger floor tiles in smaller areas such as bathrooms, pantry closets and laundry rooms. “Fear no more”, says Duran. Putting a larger tile in those smaller areas looks better too, once again actually making those smaller areas of your home look larger. “My only recommendation is to hire a professional installer with correct tools and experience installing larger floor tiles. Installing larger tiles in smaller areas can sometimes be difficult for the less experienced flooring installers. All the more reason to hire Express Flooring, We only work with licensed and bonded professional craftsmen to install flooring for our customers” We also are the only flooring company I am aware of that offers a Lifetime Installation Warranty”.

Fung Shway Design: These principles involve the movement of energy and moving blocked areas so energy moves at a balanced pace around the entire home. The selection of floor tiles will actually improve the fung shway of your home as well. “Often customers change the size of tile from room to room. These changes create a break in pattern disrupting the fung shway. Keeping the same tile, pattern of installation, and size of tile throughout all connecting areas of tile installation creates a consistent energy flow and look s absolutely beautiful”, says Duran.

Express Flooring Continues To Deliver Beautiful Floors One Home at a Time

ExpressFlooring’s business philosophy has helped us grow into more than just another flooring company. Express Flooring has quickly found itself as one of the fastest growing flooring companies in the nation. “Our dedication to customer needs and satisfaction is what sets us apart, starting with our customer service department the customer is guided through the process to make their home a happy home”, says Jason Bryan, Director of Customer Relations.

Express Flooring selects design consultants with extensive backgrounds and years of experience in interior home design. In addition to working with the industry’s top design specialists, Express Flooring has devoted a fulltime call center whose focus is to prepare potential flooring customers based on their needs. Part of this preparation is correctly educating prospects on what they should expect. We have found that educating our customers first before asking for their business creates a constructive atmosphere between them and our design specialists. Whether you’re looking for carpet, tile, hardwood, or are unsure what would best fit your home, Express Flooring can ease the process.

Express Flooring understands the fast pace world of business today, and realizes how much your time is worth. We offer the most time effective method of finding and installing flooring you like, FREE in home estimates. This starts in the call center, where we help you get an idea of what you’re looking for, before we send a qualified design specialist to your home. “We equip all our design specialists with fully loaded sample vehicles. Our design consultants travel the city with our mini showroom on wheels, as we like to call them”. Never before has home shopping been so convenient for potential flooring customers, with no commitment necessary.

Express Flooring contributes its ability to offer wholesale pricing to everyone to our massive sales volume. Servicing such a large market so aggressively produces hundreds of jobs per month. Vendors and Licensed Contractors leap for the opportunity to engage into business with Express Flooring. Providing such a secure job market during the peak of a recession influences our vendors, suppliers, design specialists and contractors to perform at their very best in order to continue doing business with Express Flooring.

Express Flooring Offers More Sizzle For Your Nickel.

“Despite the drop in the economy, our laminate sales are still on the rise. Similar to what is happening with all types of consumer purchases, customers still desire products that have a luxurious look or feel to them but are not priced at unattainable levels. In others words, they want more sizzle for their nickel”, says Jason Bryan, Customer Relations Director at Express Flooring.

Though Express Flooring continues to differentiate themselves from the competition, especially during slow times, Express understands the necessity of carrying the most trendy, best selling products offered by their suppliers.

While style choices and color preferences can vary from region to region across the country, there are some trends that go beyond state lines and stretch from coast to coast. And products that hit upon these universal characteristics are what have historically lit up cash registers-even during the worst of times.

By offering these top sellers Express Flooring is showing customers they are on top of the latest, hottest trends, with an educated staff that understands and can help them realize their decorating dreams.

The durability and luxurious looks of laminate flooring for affordable prices will continue to remain a popular product for years to come. “Our staff at Express Flooring especially enjoys the wear resistance tests we often perform with potential customers. They always enjoy watching us light the laminate samples on fire without causing damage to the product”, says Bryan!

Express Flooring Complaints – A Sign of Success

“Nobody is perfect but I can guarantee we make every effort imaginable to achieve perfection” says Jason Bryan Operations Manager at Express Flooring. Express Flooring has managed to grow their business every year since conception, even through the recession.  “Businesses don’t just grow every year on luck. Specific calculated measures must be implemented in order to maintain stead fast momentum”, says Bryan.

Express Flooring has quickly become the target of competing businesses. Often Express Flooring is categorized as a local dominant presence sharing the market with Home Depot and Lowes. “Unfortunately when you’re on top many want to be there with you”, says Bryan. In order to remain a dominant presence in the market Express Flooring performs 1000’s of flooring jobs per year. “With such a large number of jobs going out daily complaints are bound to occur. It’s how you react and treat those complaints that determine your ability to remain a dominant presence”, says Bryan. 

Express Flooring has created multiple departments to effectively manage every aspect of business that can make or break its success. Complaints are no different. “In order to quickly and effectively react to possible complaints we must be ready for anything”, say Bryan. Express Flooring has even created a training program specifically for complaints. Regular role playing is performed as part of Express Flooring’s training procedures. “Half of successfully managing a complaint is attitude”, says Bryan. “We want to assure our employees respectfully handle any situation with respect and professionalism”.

Express Flooring doesn’t claim to be a perfect company or declare that they never have mistakes. Express Flooring does however promise to do everything in their power to strive for perfection and continually implement procedures to provide a superior floor covering experience. 

Express Flooring – Rip Off?

Express Flooring interacts with 1000’s of customers per year. “With so many interactions and chances at success or failure, you are bound to ruffle some feathers along the way”, says Jason Bryan Customer Relations Manager at Express Flooring. “Due to the enormous effort to satisfy every customer, we take offense when hit by negative remarks” says Bryan. “We created a department specifically for the purpose of satisfying an unsatisfied customer”.  Express Flooring truly does strive to make every home, a happy home.

Express Flooring more than once has found itself caught in the middle of a fraudulent rip-off report. Express Flooring’s internet and technology department manages internet traffic, reviews, complaints and rip-off reports. In November 2009, Express Flooring’s Technology Department tracked a rip–off report back to the original source it was created at. This investigation concluded a rip-off report had been created by a competitor of Express Flooring in order to create negative press online. Less than a month later another rip-off report was proven fraudulent. An unhappy customer created multiple identities online using the same email address. This particular customer was unhappy about a color of carpet they had chosen for their home. Express Flooring ‎offered to replace the carpet for no additional charge a week later. This customer has unhappy the new carpet and installation was not available sooner. “This is a perfect example”, says Bryan. “This customer chose a carpet, had it installed, then decided they didn’t like it. We offered to replace it a week later but that was not good enough. We were willing to take a loss in order to make this customer happy and that was not sufficient. This customer proceeded to post multiple rip-off reports using one email address but changing their name each time to portray several unhappy customers”.

“Although the positive reviews make us feel great inside, that feeling disappears quickly when hit by a negative remark due to all the effort we make to bring happiness to our customers”, says Lori Carter, Express Flooring  Customer Service Representative.

Express Flooring continues to push forward with positive hopes that one day this type of fraudulent activity will come with repercussions for those that choose to partake. Express Flooring is a licensed and bonded company with numerous industry affiliations. 

Express Flooring Captures More Market Share with Lower Prices

Express Flooring continues to slash prices while still growing their market share through what most are calling the worst recession in history. “Tough economic conditions have forced us to think smarter, act swifter and search harder for discount prices in order to supply product at affordable prices”, says Jason Bryan, Purchase Manager at Express Flooring. Since conception Express Flooring has prided itself on speedy service, next day installation & industry leading lowest prices available. “Having the lowest prices around sometimes creates our own worst problems” says Bryan. “Offering the lowest prices in the industry makes us a target to our competition. Every day we have to be creative and find new ways to offer lower prices to remain the leader. We launch a promotional discount program, then our competitors copy us in order to compete forcing us to slash prices again. Luckily we have been fortunate enough to do lots of business consistently through the recession making us even more valuable to our suppliers. In return our suppliers create special programs to help us remain the largest discount flooring provider in the nation. Finally we have found a threshold that our competitors can’t compete with and stay in business. These new low prices have helped us capture even more market share which has made us even more valuable to our suppliers again. It’s because of this recession we have needed to find more ways to offer lower prices. We are even more excited about the economy coming back and where we will be positioned with our suppliers”.

Express Flooring’s future looks bright and sunny with a chance of even lower discounted flooring prices. Express Flooring has also become a house hold name being the only flooring company in the nation offering a Lifetime Installation Warranty.

New Construction

Building your dream home, new office, remodeling your favorite room, or landed the skyscraper project of a lifetime? Let our New Construction Flooring Experts provide support and guidance selecting the appropriate flooring for your project. Our New Construction Division provides the highest quality, best resources available, products, and services for all types of new flooring projects. Our team can help with blue prints or accommodate you on-site with laser measuring technology for more accurate material and labor costs.

Follow us on Twitter @xpressflooring

We are socially active!  You may follow us on Twitter @xpressflooring.  We read, retweet and respond to your tweets.  Our Twitter account is manned by real people and not a bot.  So if you have any flooring needs, just mention @xpressflooring or send us DM and we will answer you.

Helpful guide in taking care of your laminate flooring

Glueless flooring is designed to stand up to the toughest household conditions.
However, to keep it looking its best, follow these simple instructions for
protection and care.

Routine Maintenance
•  Use a damp cloth to blot up spills as soon as they happen. Never allow liquids to stand on your floor.
•  Use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth to clean tough spots such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, or tar. Wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove any remaining residue.
•  Regularly sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt and grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.
•  Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care such as Shaw’s R2x  Hard Surface Cleaner.
•  Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.
•  Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong ammoniated or chlorinated type cleaners.
•  Do not use any type of buffing or polishing machine.
•  For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
•  A more frequent dust-mopping or vacuuming schedule may be required in very sandy areas such as a beach home.
 
Environmental Protection:
•  Entry mats will help collect the dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that might otherwise be tracked onto your floor.
•  To prevent slippage of area rugs, use an approved vinyl rug underlayment.
•  Use floor protectors and wide, load-bearing leg bases/ rollers to minimize the chance of indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector.
•  To minimize the natural expansion and contraction of the wood, maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 35 and 65% throughout the year.
a. Heating season (Dry): A humidifier is recommended to prevent excess
shrinkage due to low humidity levels. Wood stove and electric heat tend to
create very dry conditions.
b. Non-Heating Season (Wet): An air conditioner, dehumidifier, or periodically turning on your heating will help to maintain humidity levels during summer months.
•  Avoid excessive exposure to water during periods of inclement weather.
•  Keep your pet’s nails trimmed to prevent them from scratching your floor.
•  Never try to slide heavy objects across the floor.
•  A protective mat should be used under furniture or chairs with castors/wheels.
 
Minor Repair Instructions:
•  In the event that accidental damage occurs, minor scratches or dents can be repaired using a Flooring Touchup or Color-fill Kit. This special touchup kit contains a filler material that is color coordinated to the color of your floor. WhenColor-fillused properly, the repaired area is often invisible. The repaired area
should hold up to foot traffic and wear just like the rest of your laminate flooring.
 
Glueless Laminate Board Replacement Repairs:
•  Shaw glueless laminate may be assembled and disassembled several times.
•  Carefully disassembled glueless joints will retain their original locking integrity during reassembly. New replacement plank(s) should be acclimated in the replacement area for at least 72 hours. This allows them to equalize to the conditions of the flooring in the room where the replacement(s) will take place.
•  To replace the damaged board(s), first remove baseboard, wall base, or Quarter Round as needed. Take the flooring apart one row at a time. Lift each row to detach, then separate the individual boards.
•  Be sure to stack the individual planks in the proper order for re-installation.  This usually eliminates the need to cut planks for start or end of the row lengths.
•  For best visual results, replace the damaged board with a piece from the  edge of the original installation.
•  Insert the properly acclimated new plank(s) along the outer edge of the  original flooring installation during reassembly. This practice minimizes the chance that a newer plank will stand out from the original installation.
•  Reinstall the baseboard, wall base, or quarter round, and the replacement repair is complete.

Source: http://shawfloors.com

Why detergent selection is important when cleaning your carpet?

Your detergent selection is important. It is even more important to remove all the detergent you put into
the carpet. A detergents’ ability to bind to particles of soil and oil is what makes cleaning happen.
However, the detergent residue continues to attract and hold soil even after drying. Increasing the amount
of detergent beyond the recommended level does not increase cleaning performance, but makes the
complete removal of detergent more difficult. Excessive detergent residue is the most common cause
of accelerated resoiling complaints. Shaw does not recommend the use of cleaning agents with
optical brighteners. 

Hardwood Flooring Care & Maintenance

• Do perform routine maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer, this should include sweeping, vacuuming and/or dust mopping to remove dirt and grit.
• Use felt floor protectors on chairs and other furniture. As a general rule, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector.
• Place a doormat outside the exterior entrance to collect excess moisture, sand, grit and other potentially damaging substances from being tracked onto your wood surfaces.
• Do not use any type of buffing machine.
• Do not use oil based wax, polish, or strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners. Never use soap-based detergents as they will leave a dull film on your floor. It's best to use a microfiber mop system. Call Express for their recommended in stock, cleaning products.
• Do not use a wet or damp mop to clean your wood floors, water is woods worst enemy.
• Spills do happen and they should be wiped up immediately and a damp white cloth or paper towel should be used.
• If your hardwood floor has a polyurethane finish never use a paste wax on it. If your hardwood floor has a wax finish never use a polyurethane finish. These products are not interchangeable.

How to take care of your tile flooring?

• The surface of most ceramic and porcelain tiles do not need to be sealed, although some require a light application of penetrating sealer to fill the micro pores on the surface.
• If soil is left on grout surface for long periods of time it will leave a stain mark in that area. All Express Flooring grout has stain resistance sealing in it, but not stain proof.
• You can sweep, vacuum or dust mop but do not use a dust mop with oils. A microfiber mop system is a great choice. A razor blade or putty knife can be used to remove tar, chewing gum or any other stubborn spot.
• Do not use soaps that create suds to clean your floor as it will leave a dull finish. Soaps are very hard to remove from the surface as most soaps have wax in them. Hot water is recommended to use when washing your floors. When you are finished washing your floors, you should rinse with plain warm water to make sure all cleaners are removed.
• Allow floors to dry completely before walking on them to assure that moisture will not pick up dirt from the bottom of your footwear.

How to take care your laminate flooring ?

• Place a doormat outside the exterior entrance to collect excess moisture, sand, grit and other potentially damaging substances from being tracked onto your laminate surface.

• Use only colorfast and non-scratching carpeting or pads on your laminate flooring, do not use rubber mats as it may discolor the surface.

• For added indentation resistance, use felt floor protectors on chairs and other furniture. As a general rule, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector.

• Avoid sharp or pointed objects with concentrated weight such as high heels

• If using a wheeled dolly to move furniture or appliances, place a clean sheet of plywood or other protective layer over your laminate flooring to prevent damage.

• Do not use wax, oils, mop and shine products or any other sealer on your laminate flooring as they do not need anything.

• Do not use a wet mop to clean your laminate floors or any soap-based detergents as they will ruin your floors and leave a dull film on them. It's best to use a microfiber mop system. Call Express for their recommended, in stock, cleaning products.

• Do not allow excess liquid to remain on floor for long periods of time as this can damage your laminate. Spills should be cleaned up immediately.

• Never sand or refinish a laminate floor.