Before we begin, let’s get a quick refresher on what exactly a subfloor is. The subfloor is, as the name suggests, the floor that is or will be immediately below your finished floors. In typical residential situations, the subfloor will be made of plywood or OSB (oriented strand board). Wood subfloors are durable and affordable and make an ideal surface for affixing a wide range of flooring products. These wood subfloors can be attached to flooring joists, or often laid down over a concrete slab. However, adding that wooden subfloor can lead to additional costs and complications when having new floors installed on concrete. For this reason, many homeowners find themselves searching for a floor that can be installed on concrete without needing additional preparation.

Carpet on Concrete?

Believe it or not, you can have carpet installed directly onto a concrete floor without any additional subfloor material. Depending on the area of your home that you would like carpeted, there are a few things to consider. If your goal is simply to spruce up a three-season room or unfinished basement, you might consider indoor/outdoor carpet. This rugged carpet is built to withstand exposure to the elements, making it more it an excellent choice for anywhere that regularly deals with lots of dirt or water.

A key part of its outdoor-ready construction is that it’s designed to be installed directly onto a concrete slab. However, it’s important to note that because it doesn’t use any carpet padding, indoor/outdoor carpet won’t be a huge upgrade in comfort. But it can still go a long way towards making a sunroom or dingy unfinished basement feel more welcoming.

Carpet tiles are another option. Though typically used in commercial settings like offices, they are perfectly suitable for use in areas of your home where you want a simple yet rugged soft surface floor. One of their main advantages is that carpet tiles can be installed directly onto concrete. Their modular nature also makes them great for oddly shaped spaces as well as areas likely to see higher traffic—if one area of the floor becomes severely damaged or stained, you’ll only need to have a few carpet tiles replaced instead of the entire floor.

If your primary goal is to maximize comfort on those cold concrete basement floors, then you’re in luck. Thankfully, you won’t be limited just to indoor/outdoor carpets. In fact, the most common styles of carpet, like plush or Berber carpet, can also be installed onto a concrete floor. When selecting a carpet for concrete floors, you’ll also often have the option to choose from a variety of carpet pads to be used during the installation. Opting for a thick, dense rubber carpet pad can greatly increase how soft the carpet feels underfoot, as well as help insulate it from the cold concrete flooring below it.

Vinyl Flooring is an Ideal Concrete Covering

While traditional carpet over concrete is a viable option for many homeowners’ needs, it isn’t a good choice for certain spaces, like a basement that deals with persistent dampness or a mudroom that will see, well, lots of mud. Situations like these are best served by floors that are easy to keep clean, and which can endure exposure to water. In areas like these, your best bet will be some type of vinyl flooring. Sheet vinyl, vinyl plank, and vinyl tile all offer options that are rugged, waterproof or water-resistant, and also still look great.

One of the great benefits of having vinyl flooring installed over concrete is the vast array of visuals available across its multiple formats. Luxury vinyl plank floors offer the convincing look of hardwood; vinyl tile is an affordable alternative to porcelain or ceramic tiles; and sheet vinyl is available in a mix of both aesthetics. While vinyl flooring can be installed directly onto concrete, you can also choose to have an optional underlayment used during the installation. This underlayment will help insulate your new vinyl floors from the concrete slab below, and can also add a bit of cushion to make it a more comfortable surface

Tile Floors are a Great Choice for Concrete

And there’s always ceramic or porcelain tile, the stalwarts of basement flooring. Both types of tile can be installed on concrete floors. Tile will provide much of the same feel and functionality as a bare cement floor—it will still a hard surface that will feel cool underfoot and won’t do much to improve the comfort of a room. But tile’s similarity to a concrete floor means it also shares many of the benefits: a tile floor is typically very durable, resisting scratches and chips; it’s easy to maintain, requiring little more than regular sweeping and mopping; and it’s a floor that can stand up to the spills and dampness that a basement might typically encounter. Plus, tile floors are a great way to improve the look of a bare space without adding worries about complicated upkeep.

When it comes down to it, if you’re looking to have finished floors installed onto concrete, you’ll have more choices than you may have imagined. There are even some wood laminate and engineered hardwood floors that are suitable for installation directly over concrete, though they often come with a few more maintenance concerns and may not be a good choice for basements. But Empire® offers a great variety of carpet, vinyl, and tile floor products that can be installed on concrete, improving the look and feel of your home while still keeping some of the low maintenance of bare concrete.

If you’re hoping to have flooring installed onto concrete in your basement, three-season room, or other area of the home, give us a call or click any of the “Schedule In-Home Appointment” buttons on the site to set up a free, no-obligation consultation with a flooring professional today.

The post The Best Floors to Have Installed onto Concrete appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

Cut Pile Carpet for Cats

Pile type is one of the most important factors to consider when trying to choose the best carpet for cats. Every cat owner has, at some point, had to deal with their scratching at anything they can get their paws on. While they’ll commonly go for couch arms, table legs, and other pieces of furniture, it’s likely that your floors will also end up a victim. Opting for a cat-friendly carpet is integral to both your pets health and the survivability of your floors, and that starts with choosing a cut pile carpet.

Carpet fibers are finished in one of two ways: loop pile and cut pile construction. As their names suggest, loop pile fibers form a loop at the carpet surface, while cut pile carpets are trimmed so the ends are loose. When a cat scratches at a loop pile carpet, its claws are likely to snag on the looped fibers, often pulling the fibers from the carpet base, causing the surface to look uneven and leading to premature wearing. 

One way to prevent this is to opt for a carpet that has cut fibers. With no loops to grab onto, it’s less likely that your pet will be able to rip the fibers from a cut pile carpet, which will help to extend its longevity. Think of the difference between combing hair that’s full of knots compared to a smooth, well-groomed mane. Your comb will get hung up on every knot, pulling at the hair, instead of gliding smoothly through it.

And a cut pile carpet isn’t one of the best carpets for cats just because it’s more likely to endure their playing—it’s also safer for the pets themselves. In addition to being a good way to damage the carpet, clawing at looped fibers can can also hurt your pets’ paws. It’s not uncommon for a cat’s claws to get stuck in the carpet loops, which can cause them anything from minor discomfort to serious injury. So instead of a Berber or pattern carpet, try a plush or frieze style for a comfortable, cat-friendly carpet. 

High-Density Carpets

The density of a carpet greatly affects its level of comfort, with denser carpets typically offering a springier, more cushioned feel underfoot. It can also play a significant factor on the stain-resistance of the carpet by helping limit how deep a typical spill will seep into its fibers. As a pet owner, you may not catch every spill or accident your cat has on the carpet. And the longer that accident goes unnoticed, the deeper it will penetrate into the carpet backing and even the padding below.

But the denser a carpet is, the less quickly liquids tend to soak in, helping give you more time to address the mess. The extra time can help you clean up more of the accidents before they fully soak in and cause permanent stains or long-term damage. Aim for a high-density carpet to lower the risk of accidents ruining your flooring. 

Polyester Fibers

An extremely popular choice for homes with pets, polyester fibers are used in many of the best carpets for cats. Polyester fibers are non-porous, which means they won’t absorb liquids. That makes them more stain-resistant than other carpet materials, and also less likely to absorb the odors that tend to linger from a cat’s accident long after you’ve cleaned up the liquid. If you’re looking for a stain-resistant carpet for cats that is easy to maintain, polyester fibers are the way to go. 

Carpet with Darker Colors 

Of course, even with all of the best materials and technologies in place, there’s no way to completely pet-proof any carpet. Stains, whether from missing the litter box or those tiny paws tracking mud in from the yard, are an inevitability in any pet-friendly household. One simple way to mitigae their impact is to skip the white or light carpeting and instead opt for a dark-toned carpet. Dark carpets, or even multicolor carpets with a mix of dark and medium tones, can help conceal minor stains.  

Pet-Protected Carpet

In addition to seeking out each of these specific technical specifications, one easy way to ensure your floors can better stand up to life in a pet-friendly household is to choose a carpet that is specifically crafted to deal with pets and their accidents. Empire Today® offers a range of pet-protected carpet, which is specially designed to help protect against pet urine.

Carpets with PUP® (Pet Urine Protection) are built specifically to resist the penetration of pet urine. These carpets will usually also have additional protective features, like SureBlok Stain Protection for overall resistance against soiling; or Microban®, which inhibits the growth of mold, mildew, and other odor-causing bacteria. These carpet features will all help ease your worries when your cat misses the litter box, and go a long way to letting your carpet and cats peacefully coexist. 

The Bottom Line on Carpet for Cat Households 

So many pet owners think that just because they have a cat, they can’t also enjoy the comfort of carpetted floors. But you can have both, with minimal headaches, simply by choosing a cat-friendly carpet for your home. Choose a carpet style that will accommodate their habits and mitigate their occasional bad behavior, and both you and your cat will be happier in the long run. The Empire® selection of cat-friendly carpets runs the gamut of styles, so you don’t have to compromise on your design goals either. Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate today to see a selection of carpet that would be ideal for your kitty.

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What is Indoor/Outdoor Carpet?

First things first. What exactly is special about this type of carpeting, and how is it different than traditional home carpets? To the surprise of many shoppers, indoor/outdoor carpet is actually quite similar to the soft stuff you might have installed in your family room. Indoor/outdoor carpet is closest in construction to Berber carpeting, the low-pile carpet most often installed in busy areas of a home. Like Berber, indoor/outdoor carpet is a loop pile carpet—the fibers are formed into low-profile loops of a consistent height. This lends the carpet a dense feel and uniform look while giving it extra durability and resistance to crushing and matting.

There are two main differences between this outdoor carpet and normal indoor carpet, however. First is the fiber material. Indoor/outdoor carpets are constructed of extra-tough synthetic materials like olefin or polyester, which prioritize fade and moisture resistance. While both indoor and outdoor carpets share a similar need to be resistant to wear and fading, the carpet outdoors will be exposed to all manner of precipitation and long days in direct sun. Using materials that can endure this exposure helps ensure that the carpets won’t start to deteriorate after a season of intense weather. The water resistance also helps make outdoor carpets highly resistant to mold and mildew formation.

In addition to the material differences, outdoor carpeting is not installed with a layer of padding like your bedroom carpet is. Most carpet padding is made from porous foam or rubber materials, and having an absorbent material under an outdoor carpet would compromise its weather resistance. So it’s important to know that, while it will add significant comfort to your porch or patio, outdoor carpet won’t feel quite as cushy as the Berber carpet in your home.

Indoor/Outdoor Carpet vs Artificial Turf

Much of the confusion about indoor/outdoor carpet comes from it getting mixed up with other popular outdoor flooring options like artificial turf and grass substitutes. Though they’re both soft surfaces suitable for outdoor spaces and they may look the same from a distance, indoor/outdoor carpeting and artificial turf are actually quite different.

Unlike indoor/outdoor carpet, artificial turf is crafted specifically to replicate the look and feel of natural grass. That means instead of looped fibers, turf is constructed of thousands of individual blades of fake grass. These are free-standing blades, generally much thicker than carpet fibers, and not looped at the end. This construction gives artificial turf a loose, flowy feel similar to natural grass—but makes it much more likely to show crushing and matting marks than low-pile indoor/outdoor carpet.

Where can Indoor/Outdoor Carpet be Installed?

As the name suggests, indoor/outdoor carpet is suitable for a wide range of spaces inside and outside the home. The most popular application is in transitional spaces like a sunroom, three-season room, or covered porch. These spots are not directly exposed to the elements but will typically get indirect splashing from rain or outdoor messes tracked in on shoes that would quickly destroy a regular carpet.

And yet these spaces value comfort enough that a hard-surface floor often feels too cold—both literally and figuratively. Indoor/outdoor carpet strikes the perfect balance between durability and comfort, while also improving the look of a space. It’s built to last and helps make these rooms feel like a main part of the home.

Of course, indoor/outdoor carpet works just as well in fully exposed areas, like a typical concrete backyard porch or front patio. The simple act of having carpet installed on these hard surfaces can have a profound effect, transforming them from cold and sterile into welcoming gathering places.

Can I Have Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Installed in Rooms Inside My Home?

Yes! Indoor/outdoor carpet can actually be an ideal flooring option for certain spots that are completely indoors, like the basement. Many homeowners keep their basements in a semi-finished state—oftentimes the space has enough issues with dampness or water seepage to keep it from being a fully livable area of the home. But they still want to outfit it with enough creature comforts to make it welcoming as a man cave, workshop, or other usable room. Indoor/outdoor carpet adds a bit of style and comfort to basement floors without the worries that traditional carpet would bring with regard to occasional basement seepage.

Or perhaps your basement is fully unfinished and used only for storage and laundry. Though no one actually hangs out down there, you still need to pop down a few times a week to grab something or put a load in the washer. Having indoor/outdoor carpet installed on just the stairs can help increase safety by adding a bit of traction and goes a long way to keeping your shoes clean from any of the dust, dirt, and dampness they’re likely to pick up while downstairs.

How is Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Installed?

Unlike a typical patio rug, indoor/outdoor carpet is permanently affixed to the floor—just like your indoor carpet. While the carpet in your home is installed using tack strips, indoor/outdoor carpet is typically secured with an industrial adhesive. This method works well on the most common surfaces you’d want outdoor carpets installed, like a concrete patio.

Securing indoor/outdoor carpet this way helps keep it from blowing away in a strong wind, and keeps the carpet surface looking and feeling smooth regardless of how much traffic your space sees.

Is it Right for My Space?

Indoor/outdoor carpet is a great choice for most outdoor areas and many traditional spaces within the home, but it won’t always be the best choice. If you’re on the fence about having it installed and still need some guidance with your decision, we’re here to help! Contact us via phone or any of the “Schedule In-Home Appointment” buttons on the site to set up an in-home consultation with a flooring pro. In addition to samples of the indoor/outdoor carpets available from Empire Today®, they’ll bring a variety of products that might work well for your situation—helping ensure you end up with floors that fit all of your needs.

The post What is Indoor/Outdoor Carpet, and is it Right for Your Space? appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

The good news is that these days there are quite a few eco-friendly flooring options, including products like bamboo wood floors, which are made from a fast-growing, easily renewable natural resource. Ceramic and porcelain tile also get high marks for eco-friendliness because they’re long-lasting flooring products that are made from a plentiful raw material. But what about homeowners who want something a little softer? The common soft surface options, like synthetic fiber carpets, would seem to be among the worst choices. But believe it or not, carpet can be one of the most eco-friendly flooring options that you can choose. Read on to learn more about the eco-friendly carpet options available from Empire Today®.

It’s true that most of the carpet on the market today is made from synthetic fibers like nylon or polyester, which are petroleum-based products. And on the surface, that would seem to make them one of the worst choices when it comes to the environment. But what many consumers don’t realize is that a growing number of those new carpets are actually made from recycled materials. Some carpets are made with small amount of recycled material blended into their existing manufacturing stream, while the most eco-friendly carpets may use up to 100% recycled consumer products.

Eco-friendly carpet: the comfortable, Earth-conscious choice

Empire® is proud to carry a selection of carpets crafted using a proprietary manufacturing method called the Continuum Process. This process takes discarded plastic bottles, transforms them back into a raw material that is purified and formed into soft fibers. Those fibers can then be woven into gorgeous, comfortable carpets that are indistinguishable from carpets made from raw polyester or nylon stock.

According to Earthday.org, Americans buy around 50 billion plastic bottles of water a year. The Continuum process prevents some 3 billion of those bottles from ending up in our oceans or landfills every year, and turns them into a useful product for your home. Each square yard of carpet made this way contains the plastic of about 63 recycled bottles. This manufacturing process itself also uses less energy than the act of making the fibers from scratch, leading to additional environmental benefits.

 And the Continuum process has fringe benefits that are more immediate to homeowners. Carpet made with Continuum fibers are often more durable and easier to maintain that traditional synthetic carpets. In fact, some of these carpets include limited lifetime warranties against staining.

Empire’s selection of eco-friendly carpet spans a wide range of colors and styles, offering options that will match nearly any interior design scheme. With a look, feel, and durability that matches traditionally made products, you’ll get everything you love about new carpet—all while helping do something good for the earth. Contact us today to speak to a flooring professional about our eco-friendly carpet or any of the other green flooring products we offer.

The post How Eco-Friendly Flooring Can Reduce Your Environmental Impact appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

While you don’t need to be an acoustical engineer to understand the benefits of particular surfaces and their influence on noise levels, a basic background on how sound travels will help illustrate why certain rooms can “feel” much louder than others. Sound travels in waves of energy which, like a tennis ball, bounce off of hard, flat surfaces with predictable strength and direction. Throw it straight down at a concrete driveway, and it will bounce straight back up with nearly as much force as you used to throw it.

But try to bounce it on a lush lawn, and it will either simply stop with a thud in the grass, or bounce a tiny bit in an unpredictable direction. In short, the harder a surface is, the more easily a soundwave will bounce off of it. A bounced sound wave becomes an echo and contributes to a louder sounding room. But soft materials greatly cut down on the reflection of sound waves by absorbing the energy or scattering it in many different directions at once.

Carpet is King for Quieting a Room

From that very brief science lesson, you might guess that a carpeted room will sound quieter than a room finished in ceramic tile or real hardwood floors—and you’d be correct. A fully carpeted floor can help reduce ambient noise levels by upwards of 20 decibels compared to tile or vinyl floors. That can mean the difference between being able to hear someone who is in the same room whisper vs them needing to speak loudly. In general, the thicker and more dense the carpet, the better its sound-reducing characteristics will be. So, you can usually expect a frieze or plush carpet to be a more sound dampening floor that a pattern or Berber carpet.

Another factor to consider is what type of carpet padding is used. Based on the same scientific principles as before, the thicker and denser the carpet padding is, the better its noise reduction properties will be. And here’s where auditory and tactile comfort converge: those thicker and denser carpet pads will also be more comfortable to walk on. This combination makes carpet the ideal flooring for gathering areas like the den or a dedicated playroom. After all, the benefits of having an isolated home office or a dedicated playroom for the kids aren’t as great if noise still becomes a distraction.

It’s also a smart choice for kids’ bedrooms that are on the upper level of a home, as the noise-insulating properties of carpet will help keep more of the ruckus from coming through the floor and reaching the rest of the home. This is one of the main reasons that many multi-level buildings in major cities have an “80% carpet rule,” which stipulates that the majority of hard floors should be covered by rugs or carpet in order to help isolate noise within a unit.

But even with the practical noise-reducing properties of carpet, for many people, carpet simply will not fit into a décor scheme. And even if a quieter home is a high priority. Recent industry surveys have shown that if homeowners could choose their “dream floors,” they would overwhelmingly opt for hardwood flooring. So what can those shoppers do if they’re caught between their desire for a quieter home and the floors of their dreams, which are made from wood—a notoriously “noisy” floor material? That’s where WhisperHome® from Empire Today® comes in.

WhisperHome®: An Engineered Hardwood Sound Dampening Floor

WhisperHome® is an engineered hardwood flooring material that has been specifically optimized to prioritize quietness. In a typical use case, a WhisperHome® sound dampening floor can absorb almost as much noise energy as a carpeted floor. That means much less of the clacking and tapping that often comes from typical foot traffic on a genuine hardwood floor.

And because WhisperHome® is an engineered flooring material, you still get many of the benefits of genuine hardwood floors: the real wood top surface with its truly unique grain patterns, and the ability to be refinished one or more times in its lifespan.

There are, of course, other variables to consider when shopping for new floors if controlling noise levels is a high priority. The type of subfloor already installed in your home and the multiple types of available underlayment materials can help create a more sound dampening floor. With all of the options to consider, it can be nearly impossible to come to any solid decision on your own. And that’s why the Empire® In-Home Shopping Experience can be so valuable. Being able to see and feel hundreds of samples of carpet or other flooring types while picking the brain of a season flooring professional—all in the comfort of your own home—takes all of the guesswork out of buying new floors. Click the link or give us a call to set yours up today and you’ll be enjoying the benefits of sound dampening floors in no time.

The post How a Sound Dampening Floor can Make Your Home a Calmer Place appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

The major worry that comes along with having new carpeting installed in a basement is the potential for water damage, which is a very valid concern. It’s important to stress that these recommendations are all intended for basements that do not regularly take on water—if yours does, then that’s something that you should address before making any cosmetic or livability updates to the space. But if your only worry is above-average dampness or an overall musty environment, then having carpet installed just might be the first step to creating your family’s new favorite room.

Carpet in the Basement? Really?

Yes! If there were only one upgrade we could give to a basement in order to make it more livable, it would be hard to choose something besides having new carpet installed. A simple soft surface between you and a concrete basement floor can completely transform how the space looks and feels. And it doesn’t have to be the headache that many imagine carpet in the basement will end up being. Here are some of the top reasons why you might want to install carpet in the basement:

It’s a warm, soft surface: Bare concrete is the most uncomfortable surface imaginable for an area where kids will play and the family will gather. Even a hard surface like vinyl flooring can still feel cold, both literally and figuratively. But a cozy carpet in the basement can turn that dim cave into a welcoming retreat. The added warmth and softness will let you kick off your shoes and really relax.

It helps muffles noises: While the basement is probably the best place to corral kids and pets when you want to cut down on noise in the rest of the home, all that ruckus in one spot can get irritating. As large spaces made entirely of bare, hard surfaces, basements can get pretty echo-y and make everything sound louder. A basement carpet floor can cut down on the noise for those who spend time down there, plus it can significantly improve the acoustics of your home theater sound system.

Carpet conforms to surface irregularities: This is an important consideration if you’re still deciding what type of flooring to install in the basement. If your basement floor is like most, it’s not perfectly level. Basement concrete is often not leveled to the tolerances that an above-grade floor would be, especially since upper-story irregularities can be fixed with various forms of underlayment between the subfloor and your choice of flooring. But these irregularities in your basement floor can either fully prevent products like tile or laminate flooring from being properly installed or will rack up additional costs for the labor required for leveling it. But if you don’t mind the slight waves or unevenness of your current basement floor, carpet can be installed right over them, hugging the surface and making that cold slab much more welcoming.

Do You Need to Have Special Carpet Installed in A Basement?

As mentioned in the opening, this article is based on the premise that your basement does not regularly flood. And if yours does stay dry year-round, then any carpet suitable for busy areas of the rest of the home, like a frieze or Berber carpet, will also work as a basement carpet. However, there are some optional features that can be of great benefit in your basement. Here are some things to look for when choosing a basement carpet:

Solution-dyed fibers: Odds are, the basement will be one of the major spots in the home for the rowdier activities. That means heavy foot traffic and a higher likelihood of spills. Solution-dyed carpets are highly resistant to fading and staining and can endure the use of strong cleansers. That means your basement carpet will stay looking new for longer.

Mold and mildew resistance: Even if your basement never takes on water, it will still most likely stay damper than the rest of your home. Add in the lack of natural light and regular air circulation, and it’s an environment perfect for mold and mildew growth. Empire Today® offers a variety of carpets with Microban protection, an antimicrobial treatment that inhibits the formation of mold, mildew, and bacteria.

Odor-reducing carpet: Regardless of your best efforts, it’s common for the basement to always have a bit of a funky smell. It’s just the nature of below-grade space with a lack of natural air circulation. And if that’s where the pets hang out and the kids make their messes, those can contribute to stale smell. Opting for an odor-reducing carpet like HOME Fresh from Empire® can go a long way to cutting down on the dank odors. HOME Fresh is built with natural minerals that actually destroy the compounds that cause bad odors, instead of just covering them up with a fragrance.

Hypoallergenic carpet: This feature often goes hand-in-hand with odor reduction. Hypoallergenic carpets are specially designed to greatly reduce the amount of dust, dander, and other allergens that get trapped in their fibers. They’re also certified not to contain or create any allergens on their own. Look for carpets that have a CRI Green Label Plus certification to be sure you’re getting the low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) carpet.

With all of that said, we know there are some of you who may have been converted to the idea of putting carpet in the basement but are now bummed because yours occasionally gets some seepage. If your basement does take on the rare bit of water but you’d really like to soften those cold floors, then indoor/outdoor carpet might be an option worth considering. It will give you many of the benefits of a traditional Berber carpet while adding a little bit of color to your basement, but it’s built to withstand regular exposure to the elements. That means it should shrug off the occasional exposure to standing water without any issue, plus it’s built to be highly resistant to wear and the formation of mold and mildew.

Want to learn more about whether carpet is the right choice for your basement, or see other possible basement flooring options? Contact us to set up a free in-home estimate and flooring professional will guide you through all of the best choices, letting you see and feel samples of each product, all in the comfort of your home.

The post The Best Carpet for the Basement appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

Choosing a Carpet for a Pet-Friendly Home

Let’s clear this up right away. These days, pets and carpets can peacefully coexist in the same household. Thanks to continuous advancements in stain-resistant carpet fibers, overall durability, and other pet-specific features, you can now happily enjoy soft and cozy carpet floors without constantly worrying about your cat or dog ruining them.

Carpet with PUP® Pet Urine Protection

Perhaps the single biggest concern that pet owners have with carpeting is the issue of any “accidents” that will happen. Even the most dependably house-broken pets can have them, whether Spot gets nervous during a thunderstorm and leaves, well, some spots, or Nala gets lazy and misses her litter box. It’s almost an inevitability that every pet owner will, at some point, need to deal with pet urine on their carpet. This is where carpet with Pet Urine Protection (PUP®) saves the day.

PUP carpets from Empire Today® are specially crafted to resist the penetration of urine and other liquids into the padding underneath. When a pet accidentally goes to the bathroom on a typical carpet, even an immediate clean-up response might be too late because the urine has already begun soaking into the padding. Once that happens, it’s nearly impossible to fully clean—and it’s that soaked-in urine that ends up causing the lingering smells often found in pet-friendly homes. But because PUP carpet resists the soak-through of urine, you’ll have more time to thoroughly clean up any messes, greatly reducing the chances of any lingering smells. As an added bonus, PUP pet-friendly carpet will usually also have other valuable features, like enhanced resistance against stains and the formation of mold and mildew.

Today’s general stain-resistant carpet will go a long way towards preventing urine stains and can often be enough protection for the rare bathroom boo-boo.  But for households with pets that tend toward more frequent accidents, it’s worth upgrading to a PUP pet-friendly carpet from Empire®.

Odor Neutralizing and Hypoallergenic Carpets

A pet’s bathroom habits are only one aspect to consider when it comes to choosing carpets for cats or dogs. Regardless of how well-behaved they are when it comes to bathroom breaks, or if they never so much as roll around in the backyard, there will always be certain lingering odors that come along with owning a pet. A major source of these odors is pet dander—microscopic flakes of skin that are shed by your cat or dog. All animals that have fur release dander, and though regular bathing will reduce it, there’s nothing that can be done to totally prevent it. And what can be even worse than the resultant odor is dander’s effect on air quality.

Pet dander is a very common allergen and is, in fact, the underlying cause of the majority of pet allergies. After being shed, it floats in the air and then settles on every surface in your home, working its way into the nooks and crannies of your carpet. Once there, it can be hard to fully remove and gets thrown back into the air every time the carpet fibers are disturbed. The good news is that there’s a product that addresses both of the issues caused by pet dander.

Exclusive to Empire Today, HOME Fresh is a 100% hypoallergenic carpet with advanced odor-neutralizing capabilities. Its innovative design greatly increases airflow through the carpet and padding below, letting your vacuum’s suction reach deeper and remove more allergens like dander. Plus, an odor-neutralizing mineral is integrated into the fibers, actually canceling out the substances that cause odors once they hit the carpet. The result is cleaner, better-smelling air in your home—a must-have when it comes to pets and carpet.

Cut-Pile Carpets Keep Claws Comfortable

Choosing the best carpet for cats and dogs should be about more than just making coexistence more convenient. It’s also important to consider how your floors can impact your pets’ comfort and even health. Carpeted floors in a pet-friendly household often come with one major, unfortunate snag—pun intended. The loop-pile construction used in some of today’s popular carpets is notorious for ensnaring cat and dog claws, sometimes trapping their paws. When the pet reacts and pulls their paw away, the yanking can cause them great pain and, in some instances, actually tear their claw off.

So, if you’re shopping for carpet for cats or dogs, it’s highly recommended to stay away from loop carpets. A common misconception with new shoppers is that a low-pile product like Berber would be the best carpet for pets. While it’s true that Berber is well-equipped to stand up to wear and tear and some of the staining that often comes with pet life, it Is, in fact, a loop-pile carpet. And though they’re relatively low-profile loops, they still pose a risk to your pets. Instead, look for carpeting with cut piles, like plush or frieze carpet. As a plus, many of the frieze and plush carpets available from Empire offer the aforementioned benefits like PUP treatment or hypoallergenic construction, making them an ideal carpet for pet-friendly homes.

Waterproof or Water-Resistant Flooring

Waterproof or water-resistant floors offer a double-whammy of convenience when it comes to pet households. First is the protection they offer against the liquid messes caused directly by pets. Whether it’s a knocked-over water bowl, a potty accident, or a trail of wet footsteps tracked across the kitchen, knowing your floors won’t be damaged by that wetness is a huge stress reliever.

But the benefits of waterproof floors extend beyond just protecting against your pet’s liquid mishaps. They also make cleanup of all sorts of messes—liquid or solid—much easier. And that’s because a waterproof construction means you don’t have to be concerned with how wet your mop is or if you let a caked-on stain soak for a few minutes before you begin scrubbing. Even if your pet never has an accident and never plays in the mud, waterproof or water-resistant flooring can be a serious blessing when it comes to cleaning up after your pets.

Scratch-Resistant Coatings

Hard surface floors have long been the favorite for pet-friendly homes, but even those don’t always play nicely with pets. Anyone who’s ever caught a stray claw during an aggressive play session knows how sharp they can be—and many flooring materials are no match. While ceramic and porcelain tiles are naturally scratch-resistant, they can be a little cold for many areas of the home. While materials that are slightly softer—like hardwood, laminate, or vinyl flooring—will be more comfortable, they’ll also be easier to scratch. That’s where scratch-resistant coatings come in.

Empire offers an extensive range of scratch-resistant laminate, vinyl plank, and hardwood flooring. These products are finished with an ultra-tough aluminum oxide top coat, which helps guard against the scratches and scuffs that would damage an unprotected floor. That means your pooch can run laps till through the house until he’s pooped, and you won’t have to worry about your new wood floors getting destroyed in the process. As an added benefit, this coating also protects against fading caused by the sun’s UV rays, and eliminates the need for any regular polishing or waxing.

The Best Flooring for Dogs and Cats Can Be the Best for Humans, Too

The great thing about all shopping for pet-friendly flooring today is that you don’t have to compromise on what you really want just to make life with a cat or dog a little easier. You can get all of the beneficial features discussed above, without sacrificing on style or comfort. We know there are a lot of factors to consider when shopping for flooring, and as always, we’re here to help. Give us a call or contact us online to set up a free in-home consultation, and you’ll quickly be on your way to finding the best floor for your pets—and the rest of your family.

The post Five Must-Have Flooring Features for Pet Owners appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

So, what exactly do these terms mean and when it comes to selecting a carpet, is there any real difference between solution dyeing and piece dyeing? Is one form of dyeing better than the other? Well, each has its pros and cons, and deciding which is a better choice will depend on what traits are most important in your new floors. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at solution-dyed vs piece-dyed carpets in a way that will help you make the most informed choice.

The Basics of Carpet Fiber Construction and Dyeing

Before we get to the dyeing differences, it helps to have a basic idea of how carpet is created. Most modern carpets are typically made from one of three different synthetic fiber materials: nylon, polyester, or olefin (some high-end carpets are also made from wool, but they are rarer, and these dyeing methods don’t both apply). Each of these types of carpet is made by melting pellets of the raw material, and then, via a process known as extrusion, squeezing it through tiny holes in a machine called a spinneret to create a fine fiber. Remember making Play-Doh spaghetti? It’s essentially the same process.

In their raw forms, each of these carpet fibers is usually translucent or has a dull, off-white appearance. So, regardless of the fiber type, every carpet needs to have color added in order for manufacturers to be able to offer a full range of carpet hues to their customers. Without dyeing, all carpeting would be drab and colorless. And while the totally natural look might be sought after on some occasions, people overwhelmingly choose shades with more personality when redecorating their home—especially as the current carpet trends point towards a return to more intense colors and patterns.

Whether a subdued gray, a bold merlot, or anything in between, all carpet gets its color via dyeing. This dyeing process is done through one of the two methods mentioned in the article opening: solution-dyeing or piece-dyeing (sometimes referred to as yarn dyeing). Though they both achieve the same end goal—giving your carpet its distinct color—the methods differ, and each has its pros and cons.

Technical Differences Between Solution Dyeing and Piece Dyeing

With solution dyeing, the carpet coloring is added during the extrusion process—after the raw material has been melted but before it has been transformed into the carpet fibers. If the carpet material was a cake dough, the color would be added during the kneading process. Adding the dye at this time creates a solution—the dye and the raw material get completely mixed and turn into an inseparable compound. As a result, the carpet is colored through and through. If you were to cut a fiber in half, the entire cross-section would have a consistent color.

With piece-dyeing, the color is added after the raw material has been extruded into fiber. The finished fibers are dunked into a vat of dye to take on their final color. It’s the same concept as dyeing an Easter egg or painting a house. Or, to continue the cake analogy, it’s like applying  a colored frosting to a baked cake.

The Benefits of Each Type of Carpet Fiber Dyeing

So what’s the difference between these methods of dyeing carpet fiber, and why should you care? The main and most important difference is the permanence and resilience of the resultant color.

Let’s go back to the cake analogy. Say you’re starting with a white cake mix—this is our raw carpet material. During the mixing process, you decide to add some cocoa to the dough. After completely mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, and baking it, you will have a chocolate cake. Cut a slice of it, and every bit of the cake will be chocolate, from the entire outer surface to the very middle. It’s essentially impossible to remove the chocolate from the cake once it’s been baked in. This is solution dyeing.

Solution-dyed carpets are prized for their incredible resistance to fading and staining. There is no risk of the fiber color being dulled by strong cleaning agents, which makes it much easier to remove heavy stains. Even if the fibers wear or break over time, the color of the carpet is highly unlikely to change.

Alternatively, you can proceed with your cake as the original recipe suggests. You’ll end up with a beautifully bright, stark white cake. At that point, you decide you want to frost it in chocolate. After whipping up a batch of decadent cocoa frosting, you expertly cover the entire cake in it. Now, when you cut a slice of it, the entire inside will still be white. But on its surface, it’s the most rich-looking cocoa creation ever to come out of your kitchen. This is piece dyeing.

Piece dyeing’s greatest benefit is that it greatly increases the range and intensity of available color options. If you’ve got your eye on a vibrant blue plush carpet, it’s likely a piece-dyed product. Any baker knows that it’s much easier to get bold colors through a layer of frosting than it is to try to dye the entire batch of dough. Piece-dyeing also allows for selective coloring, giving manufacturer’s the flexibility to add design elements or flecks of color after the carpet has been woven.

And the Downsides of Each Dyeing Method

As hinted at above, the main downside to solution-dyed carpet is the limited range and vibrance of possible fiber colors. Solution dyeing can create rich earth tones and reliable neutral shades but falls short when it comes to bolder modern colors like vibrant blues, greens, and reds. To get the desired richness with those shades, manufacturers will almost always turn to piece dyeing.

And the greatest disadvantage to piece-dyed carpet is that those bold colors are more likely to fade or be damaged by wear and harsh cleaners because the dye only exists on the surface of the fiber. Like paint on your car or the frosting on that cake, a deep enough scratch will reveal the bare material underneath.

Is Solution-Dyed or Piece-Dyed Carpet a Better Choice for My Home?

There are very few absolutes in the world of home renovation or redesign, and that extends to your carpet choice. While many flooring professionals will tell you that solution-dyed carpet is always the better option, there will always be variables to consider. It’s true that you should probably look for a solution-dyed carpet for high-traffic homes or if you expect to regularly be scrubbing stains out of your carpet. A carpet whose colors will never fade will be invaluable in these settings. And if you’re specifically interested in more subdued shades anyway, you won’t miss out on anything.

On the other hand, if you make your choice knowing the potential quirks, piece-dyed carpets can be the right choice for your home. After all, there is nothing inherently wrong with piece-dyed carpets; they just aren’t quite as colorfast as solution-dyed options. And they’re still washable, you just have to take some extra precautions with the type of cleaner you use and how intensely you scrub. Plus, with how advanced today’s stain-resistant carpets are, regardless of dye type, the average homeowner doesn’t need to do much deep cleaning. But if you live in a home that doesn’t see tons of traffic or accidental spills, and bold flooring is key to your design scheme, then piece-dyed carpets will likely serve you well—and for many years.

Still need some help deciding on what type of carpet would be best for your home? Give us a call or click on any of the “Schedule In-Home Appointment” buttons on our site to set up a consultation with a carpet professional who will not only guide you through the entire decision-making process, but will do it with a full range of samples for you to see and feel—all in the comfort of your own home.

The post Solution-Dyed vs Piece-Dyed Carpet. What’s the Difference, and Which is the Better Choice for Your Home? appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

Stretch-In Carpet Installation

This is the most standard and practiced technique for installing carpeting in homes, which is typically called residential carpet. Strips of wood, called tack strips are nailed around the edges of the room. These strips have very sharp pins, or tacks, that will grip the back of the carpet and hold it in place. Padding is used in this type of installation to make the carpet feel softer underfoot, and to protect the back of the carpet from wear. One tack strips and padding are place, the carpet rolled out and then stretched to the edges and attached to the strips. There are special tools professional installers use in order to properly stretch a carpet, such as a knee kicker and power stretcher.  Carpet will not stay flat without getting lumps unless enough tension is place on the carpet to pull it close to the wall and fix it to a tack strip.

Your professional installer with Empire Today has the essential tools and expertise to properly complete stretch-in carpet installations.

Glue Down Carpet Installation

Used commonly in commercial spaces or special areas like your basement, a glue down installation is when the carpet is glued directly to the floor and without a pad. While this provides a solid base, the lack of a pad means less comfort and less durability. Also, the floor that the carpet is being glued to needs to be completely smooth otherwise you will feel (and maybe even see) imperfections through the carpet.

Wood Flooring Installation Methods

Nail Down Wood Flooring Installation

This flooring installation method is how it sounds, flooring is nailed or stapled to a subfloor. Solid hardwood is typically nailed down, while some engineered hardwood options may be stapled. In order to nail down a floor, there must be a suitable subfloor underneath. A floor cannot be nailed down to concrete, and the subfloor must be dry, level, and flat. This type of installation is considered to me more permanent because it is difficult to remove planks once their nailed down. 

There are also special tools needed to property perform a nail down installation, such as a specialty flooring nail/staple gun, jamb saw, and router. Your Empire Today installation contractor will have all the necessary tools to complete a nail down installation.

Glue Down Wood Flooring Installation

Like carpet, engineered hardwood and vinyl flooring can be glued down. This leaves no space between your floors and the subfloor, creating a cohesive surface. It also helps reduce bounce on the floor and helps deaden the sound of footsteps. Keep in mind, that while it’s possible to glue down laminate, it isn’t common since most laminate was built for a floating installation, which we will discuss next.

Floating Wood Flooring Installation

A floating floor installation does not require the floor to be nailed or glued down. Instead the floor planks are connected together using a click-and-lock system. The planks have tiny groves along the edges that allow them to be strongly joined together. An advantage of a floating floor is that it allows the floor to adapt by expanding and contracting to alterations in the room’s humidity.

Installing floors is a big job that requires tools, experience, and knowledge. Empire has been installing floors in homes for more than 65 years – it’s what we do… everyday. Avoid a DIY disaster and leave flooring installation to the pros.

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When on the hunt specifically for carpet like this, there are four main factors to consider: carpet that resists stains, carpet that helps hide stains, a product that resists overall wear and fading, and one that doesn’t easily show footprints and traffic marks. Some homes may need only one of those traits, while many homes—especially those with pets or children—will benefit greatly from carpets that offer some measure of each of those features. One type of carpet may be better with one feature than another, while some carpets excel in every aspect. Here is a closer look at how each type and style of carpet holds up to stains and wear marks.

How Carpet Materials Handle Stains, Wear, and Footprints

Polyester Carpet

Polyester carpet provides some of the most beautiful color variations, because the fiber material is easier to dye. And because it is usually solution-dyed (the color permeates the entire fiber, not just its surface), it has excellent fade resistance as well. Finished polyester fibers are hydrophobic, meaning they will not absorb liquids-and that in turn makes them more resistant to liquid stains. Polyester carpet is often made from recycled materials, making it eco-friendly, and tends to usually be budget-friendly. Its main downside is that it’s not as durable as other common carpet materials, which means it may begin to show wear earlier than, say, nylon carpet.  So if you’re not terribly concerned with physical wear but are looking for the best carpet to resist stains, polyester carpeting is a safe bet.

Nylon Carpet

Nylon is one of the other most common carpet materials, alongside polyester. Nylon carpet shares many traits with polyester, including its overall soft feel and ability to be woven into many different styles of carpet. It’s crafted from very durable, elastic fibers that tend to bounce back into their shape. This trait gives it superior resistance to wearing and matting compared to polyester carpets. Nylon fibers’ main downside is that they are absorbent, which means it’s more likely for an untreated stain to stubbornly set in a nylon carpet. In short, the pros and cons of nylon carpet are almost exactly the opposite those of polyester carpet. These features make it the best carpet for those whose primary concerns are long-term wear and minimizing marks from furniture or daily traffic and have fewer worries about stains.

Polypropylene Carpet

Polypropylene, commonly known as olefin, is a material that’s growing in popularity for certain residential carpeting applications due to its affordability and high resistance to mold and mildew growth. Like polyester, olefin fibers repel moisture and dry quickly, which is what gives the carpet its mold and mildew resistance. Those same properties also make it resistant to liquid stains. However, the polypropylene material can actually be more susceptible to oil-based soiling, like those that might happen if a piece of food is dropped on the carpet. Olefin is also not as durable a material as nylon, which makes in unideal for high-traffic areas. Overall, polypropylene/olefin carpet is best suited for rooms like the basement, or areas that get light to moderate traffic, and where liquid spills are the greatest stain concern.

Dark and multicolor carpet

Most homeowners have come to accept that when daily life meets carpeted floors, stains are going to happen. And despite the best intentions to deal with these stains, they’ll often happen quicker than they can be treated and may end up hanging around for a while. If that sounds like a likely situation for your floors, prioritizing a style that disguises stains may end up being the best type of carpet for your home

When you just know that stains are going to happen regularly and probably linger, a dark or multicolored carpet can be the key to staying sane. The typical carpet stain will be much less visible, or even completely undetectable, on a darker carpet like black, dark blue, or a deep brown. Of course, those hues may not match your home’s aesthetic. If that’s the case, we recommend a multicolor carpet. These styles can have an overall lighter look, but with a mottled design that includes flecks of darker color throughout. While today’s stain-resistant carpets and powerful carpet cleaners can get most stains out, opting for a carpet that simply makes them less visible can save you significant stress.

Carpet Construction Types

Plush Carpet

Plush carpet is known for its clean, classic look. Also often referred to as Saxony, velvet, or texture carpet, plush carpeting features a smooth, level surface that provides a blend of soft comfort and traditional style. This soft, springy construction helps to hide footprints in high-traffic areas, while the dense, twisted fibers help keep dirt near the surface—making for easier cleanup. If you are looking for a great “whole house carpet,” a plush carpet can be the best choice due to its universal style and versatility.

Frieze Carpet

Frieze carpeting is made by tightly twisting fibers together to create a casual, shaggy look. This shaggy style can do more than just give your home a fun look—it also makes frieze one of the best carpets for hiding stains and footprints. Many frieze carpets are multicolored, so individual stain spots are less likely to be seen. And because frieze fibers are of varying length and look slightly disheveled by nature, footprints, vacuum marks, and other temporary impressions don’t obviously stick out.

The one catch is that the properties that make frieze great for disguising stains and footprints also make it more difficult to clean. If dirt does make it down into the depths of those shaggy fibers, you may need quite a powerful vacuum cleaner to reach deep enough into the carpet to get it fully clean.  Overall, frieze carpet is a great choice for common rooms that will see lots of activity and will have to deal with the typical small spills that happen in daily life—but probably not in rooms that will see heavy amounts of crumbs, dirty shoes, or other solid contaminants.

Berber Carpet

Berber carpet’s low profile and dense construction make it the best carpet type for all-around resistance to stains, wear, and footprints. Because its fibers are short, thick, and tightly packed, it resists matting and compacting better than high-pile carpets. That means furniture marks and footprints are less likely to linger. This dense construction also keeps stains near the surface, making for easier cleanup. Berber’s main downside, however, is that its resilient build can be less underfoot cushioin than other carpet styles. Overall, Berber carpet is a great choice for practical performance in rooms that see the most activity in your home.

When searching for a carpet that hides stains and footprints, there are quite a few variables to consider. And like just about any subjective choice in home renovation, there’s not really one “best” carpet for all situations—rather you’ll have to find the best carpet for your particular needs. But that’s where Empire Today® comes in. We’re here to guide you through the carpet shopping experience and ensure you end up with floors that fit all the requirements of your life. Schedule a FREE Empire® In-Home Estimate today to find out which carpet type is the right one for your home.

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