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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When Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors?

There’s no set interval that determines when hardwood floors should be refinished because that can be determined by many variables. In short, you should consider refinishing your hardwood floors when they have scratches, fading, and/or discoloration that cannot be removed by thorough cleaning or polishing. And, of course, you can always refinish perfectly good hardwood floors if you simply want to change their stain color.  

Perhaps the most  important bit of info to know is how often you will be able to refinish hardwood flooring. That will depend on the flooring’s thickness and how many times it has been refinished before. In general, your hardwood must have 1/8-inch or more material above the tongue and groove  to safely be refinished. When new, a solid hardwood plank is typically at least 3/4 inches thick and can likely be refinished at least four to six times during its total lifespan. It’s commonly accepted that you should expect to refinish a hardwood floor every seven to ten years. 

Important notes: some hardwood is only 1/4 inch thick even when new. In this case, attempting a refinish could catastrophically damage your floor. Additionally, these guidelines do not apply to engineered hardwood floors, which are constructed of a real wood layer on top of an engineered plywood core. Engineered hardwood can be refinished, but usually only once or twice in its lifetime. 

Unsure how thick your hardwood is? Consider measuring board thickness by removing an air vent in the floor to expose a side view of the board. Another option, which requires a bit more effort, is to remove a section of the baseboard where your floor meets the wall, which should also allow a similar view of the hardwood’s edge. quarter round. Usually, either of these methods will let you accurately measure hardwood thickness without tearing up the room too much. 

Problem #1: Excessive Dents and Scratches

Although it’s a tough material, a hardwood floor will still pick up its fair share of scratches and dents—especially if you have kids or pets. While many homeowners actually prefer the patina of a timeworn floor, ignoring serious scratches or wear spots can lead to real problems. Refinishing hardwood floors can be a great way to remove surface scratches that are not yet deeply embedded in the wood. 

Problem #2: Fading and Discoloration from Sunlight Exposure

Direct sunlight can also negatively impact hardwood floors. Too much exposure to UV rays and your hardwood floor can eventually fade and/or become discolored. You can try to prevent this by blocking or diffusing the sun during peak hours with blinds and shades. But if your floors are already showing significant fading, a refinish may help restore their original color. 

Problem #3: Water Damage on Hardwood

If a protective hardwood finish wears off, your floors can become susceptible to water damage. You can determine if your finish is worn by performing a water drop test. Put a small drop of water on the suspect section of your hardwood floor. If the water soaks into the wood immediately rather than resting on top, it’s likely time for a refinish. Another sign? Water-damaged hardwood often turns a shade of gray. The darker the boards become; the more damage is occurring. Once black, your floors probably need to be replaced altogether. 

Refinishing Hardwood Floors Isn’t Always Enough

Hardwood flooring is a major investment that should last for many years. Discoloration, scratches, and even signs of water damage can be reversed if hardwood floors are properly refinished. However, there are a few signs (some more obvious than others) to look for that indicate a need for a full flooring replacement, such as: 

• Boards have turned extremely dark or black compared to the original color 
• Gaps between planks, loose planks, or any other kind of significant movement 
• Deep gouges or scratches that go below the surface layer 
• Warped or buckled planks 

Many of the above scenarios can be avoided with preventative hardwood flooring care. Like many home improvement projects, being proactive before real problems occur is the best way to avoid expensive, stressful repairs. 

How to Refinish Hardwood Floors

Refinishing hardwood floors yourself can be time-consuming, costly, and frustrating. Worst of all, you risk damaging your investment and making the condition of the floor worse. While we’re not here to scare you, we do want to stress the importance of having realistic expectations before taking on a DIY project. Here’s what refinishing hardwood involves: 

• Moving all furniture, pictures, curtains, and personal items out of the room 
• Covering all air conditioning units, windows, and doorways with plastic to help contain dust. 
• Cleaning the floor thoroughly to prepare for sanding. 
• Renting a professional sander, and often a handheld detail sander for edges and corners. 
• Removing all baseboards.  
• Completing three separate passes with the floor sander: first with coarse-grit sandpaper, then medium-grit, and a final pass with fine-grit.  
• Filling in dents and scratches with wood putty or other wood repair compound. 
• Vacuuming dust and debris, and then wiping the entire floor with a tack cloth. 

And that is likely going to be a full day’s work—before you even get to restaining and resealing your hardwood floor. After those steps are completed, you can apply the wood stain as directed by the manufacturer and then finish up with a coat of polyurethane sealer.

Refinishing Hardwood is Not for Everyone

Refinishing a hardwood floor is not an impossible DIY task, by any means. But it’s also not a project for everyone, and that’s okay. You can read articles or watch how-to videos, but nothing can compare to the years of knowledge and expertise that a professional, experienced contractor will have. 

Remember, if the damage to your hardwood is extensive, unsafe, and impossible to ignore, it may be time to replace your flooring completely. Empire Today® makes the whole process easy. Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate to see high-quality hardwood samples in the natural light and context of your home.

The post Refinishing Hardwood Floors 101: When, Why, and How appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

Kitchen

The kitchen is usually the place that sees the majority of the stains, spills, and messes in your home. It’s also a room where your family gathers to cook, work on school projects, and entertain guests. Instead of worrying about all the foot traffic in your kitchen possibly ruining your floors, choose flooring that’s durable enough for heavy traffic as well as moisture resistant. This would make ceramic or porcelain tile, vinyl tile, vinyl plank, and wood laminate the best options for your kitchen.

Living Room

Your family likely spends lots of time together in the living room, whether for movie nights, the occasional dinner on the couch, entertaining friends, or celebrating the holidays. Solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, wood laminate, and carpet are all excellent flooring options for a living room.

If you have pets, remember to look for flooring that is resistant to damage from their nails. Engineered hardwood, wood laminate, and carpet that won’t snag—plush, frieze, and our hypoallergenic HOME Fresh carpet—are all excellent options for a pet-friendly living room.

Pro tip: It’s recommended to stay away from Berber carpet if you have animals with nails or claws that spend time on your floors. With its looped design, pet nails are likely to get caught and snag on Berber sooner or later.

Bedroom

No matter what day it is, your bedroom is the place you escape to at the end of each day, so making it a comfortable and welcoming area is important. You can go in a few different directions with bedroom flooring—either carpeting the space for a soft feel, or finding the perfect tone of a wood-look floor to match your area rug. The best options for bedroom flooring include solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, wood laminate, and carpet.

Bathroom

Unlike your bedroom or living room, your bathroom is likely to be a moist environment where flooring will continually get exposed to water droplets and puddles from activities like showering or washing the family pet. Plus, the steam from showering and bathing means that your bathroom will have higher levels of humidity, too. The best options for your bathroom include ceramic or porcelain tile, vinyl tile, and vinyl plank. Waterproof laminate can work, too.

Laundry Room

While guests likely don’t visit your laundry room too often, beautiful floors can make this space feel more like a retreat and less like the home of one of your least favorite chores. However, your laundry room is another area where flooring can be exposed to moisture and higher humidity levels. So, the best options for your laundry room include porcelain or ceramic tile, vinyl tile, vinyl plank, and waterproof laminate.

Basement

The most important thing to consider when choosing new floors for your basement is the concrete subfloor, since not all types of flooring can be used on top of solid concrete. This means the best options for your basement are vinyl plank, vinyl tile, engineered hardwood, wood laminate, and carpet.

The flooring you choose for your basement should also be dependent on what you use your basement for. Do you have kids who use it as a daily playroom? Then consider comfy carpet. Do you occasionally entertain guests in your basement bar? Then look into wood laminate or vinyl plank. Does your basement act as a second living room for movie nights and kids’ sleepovers? Then carpet, wood laminate, or vinyl plank may be your best bets. 

Wrapping It All Up

The flooring you choose for your rooms can make or break the entire space, so it’s important to know your options and choose wisely to fit your family’s needs. That’s what we’re here for! To help you with these big decisions. Your Empire Today® flooring professional can guide you through the whole process—making choosing new floors more straightforward, easy, and even fun!

The post Matching Your Rooms with the Right Types of Flooring appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

1. Shop for carpet with built-in stain protection.

Scotchgard 3M, R2X® Protection, and Stainmaster® make it more difficult for puppies to leave permanent stains, odors, and soiling.

2. Always check for “pet urine protection” labels on carpet samples.

Some brands will have different names for it. This can help keep accidents and odors on the surface for easy clean-up, rather than deep in the fibers where it can turn into a tough stain.

3. Scratch, stain, and moisture resistance goes for hard floors, too!

Check for tough protective coatings such as aluminum oxide on flooring samples. This can defend floors with most scratches, stains, and moisture.

4. Aim for darker colors for carpet.

Although it is possible to have a lighter carpet color if you own a pet, having darker or multi-colors can make cleaning and your life in general much easier. Why? Stains tend to stand out more on lighter colors, which can be an eyesore for you and your guests if not cleaned properly.

5. Grooming is everything.

When’s the last time your dog’s nails were trimmed? Long, jagged nails can cause scratches to hardwood and laminate if overlooked.

6. How resilient are your floors?

Dogs tend to follow their own pre-determined paths over and over and over again. Durable laminate, hardwood, or  vinyl flooring are great for heavy foot traffic.

7. Avoid loop carpet.

Even if your dog keeps those claws trimmed, you may want to avoid looped carpet, as nails at any length can snag and rip it easily.

8. Pattern, frieze, and textured carpet can help hide dirt.

Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to clean up immediately. Certain carpet styles conceal crumbs and flecks of dirt better than others.

9. Don’t let sleeping dogs lie.

Not only is sleeping on a hard surface uncomfortable, but a dog’s dead weight could leave an impact on your floor over time. Find a comfy dog bed large enough for the pup to stretch out on!

10. Time to chow down? Use a feeding mat.

Puppy eating and drinking manners are a little different from ours. Opt for a feeding mat beneath the water bowls to avoid standing water on your floor.

11. Floor mats can keep mud and dirt at bay.

There’s no avoiding a little mud or dirt in the house, but strategically placed mats at every entryway and long hallway can make a huge difference.

12. Consider tile or vinyl entrance ways.

Taking the mat concept a step further, tile or vinyl is a lot better next to the backyard door than wall-to-wall carpet. It adds a buffer for liquids, mud, and dirt.

13. Keep bones and toys in one place when you can.

Bones and doggy toys can be pretty heavy! If they’re being knocked off a couch or dropped from a decent height, bad things could happen to your floors.

14. Drink on the edge of the table?

That’s just asking for a tail-whipping! Pets are just like kids in a lot of ways. Lots of sudden movements, not much grace. Keep drinks in hand or away from edges to avoid messes!

15. You can never have enough clean towels.

If you are constantly “acting fast” cleaning up spills left and right, make sure you have a steady supply of towels strictly for the dogs.

16. Where there’s a will, fur will find a way.

While cleaning up shedding, use mops, brooms, and vacuums without the beater bars to avoid scratching your floors.

17. Regular vacuuming is a must.

On both carpet and hard flooring, vacuum twice a week in high traffic areas. Once a week is fine for “pet-free” rooms.

18. Don’t be afraid to deep clean.

Use manufacturer-recommended products for carpet, wood, laminate, vinyl, and tile alike. Absorb stains as much as possible with a towel to remove excess moisture. Avoid abrasive scrubbing. Steam-mops and heavy machinery are not recommended.

19. Hire a professional cleaner once a year.

To keep your floor looking fresh longer, consult a professional cleaning service through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification. They can get out the doggy bits your deep cleaning missed.

20. Above all else? Be prepared!

Accidents will happen. Don’t panic! If you have soap-free cleaners, mops, clean towels, and a vacuum on hand, you’re already halfway there. Most stains and soils can be avoided if you act fast and thoroughly.

Dogs and flooring can peacefully exist. It just requires a little more effort to keep your floors looking their best. If you need any help figuring out what dog-friendly flooring would be best for your  home, Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate now!

The post 20 Ways Dogs & Flooring Can Peacefully Coexist appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

1. Luxury Vinyl Tile

This premium vinyl tile product is designed to look as similar as possible to high-end materials like natural stone. However, luxury vinyl tiles are much more cost-effective, and they withstand moisture much better than most natural stone tiles. Plus, they won’t feel cold to your feet!

2. Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

Generally speaking, hardwood is one type of flooring that may not withstand the moisture of the bathroom or the kitchen. Water in large amounts can be a problem for wooden surfaces, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up the warm, natural wooden look you love. Select styles of Empire Today’s vinyl plank flooring are 100% waterproof, meaning you don’t have to pull your hair whenever there’s a spill in your kitchen or bathroom. In addition to guarding against water, its wood look is so realistic that you might actually have a hard time telling it apart from planks of Brazilian Cherry or Acacia.

3. Ceramic Tile Floors

Made from clay pressed in a kiln at high temperatures, ceramic is calibrated to be the same thickness and size, which gives you a uniform look in the home. Ceramic tile also looks luxurious, and Empire Flooring offers ceramic tile that replicates the color variations and texture of natural stone tile.

4. Porcelain Tile Floors

Similar in many ways to ceramic tile, porcelain tile is also a very popular flooring option in the home. Porcelain is dense, durable and is moisture-resistant, which makes it perfect for wet and humid environments like the bathroom or the kitchen. Homeowners can select the style, texture and color variation of tile that they like best for their bathroom or kitchen.

5. Sheet Vinyl Flooring

If maintenance and cost are two big priorities, then sheet vinyl is a solid choice for both the bathroom and the kitchen floor in your home. Sheet vinyl is installed without gaps or creases where dust and debris can settle, which makes it easier to keep clean without a lot of effort. These large sheets of vinyl come in a variety of colors and styles to best fit your style, and they can even replicate the look and patterns of more expensive stone and wood.

With so many flooring options on the market, it can be difficult to select the best one. These five flooring options are some of the top choices to consider for your kitchen or bathroom. Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate to see what works best in your own kitchen or bathroom. We’ll come to you.

The post 5 Flooring Options for Kitchens and Bathrooms appeared first on Empire Today Blog.

1. Pet and Family-Friendly

One of the main draws of laminate floors are their overall durability, making them pet and family-friendly, and a great choice for areas like hallways and the rooms where everyone gathers. The secret to laminate flooring’s resilience is its multi-layer construction, which results in a product that can be both durable and beautiful. Every laminate plank is built around a high-density fiberboard core, which is reinforced by a melamine backing for extra stability. The photorealistic wood layer is applied atop the fiberboard, and then this entire sandwich is covered in a highly durable transparent wear layer. These layers get fused together with high heat and pressure in the lamination process, and the result is a strong, stable flooring material with a realistic wood look. The wear layer helps protect the laminate floor from fading, staining, and overall wear, while the dense core gives it long-lasting resistance against twisting, buckling, or warping. 

When it comes to installing laminate floors, the advanced tongue-and-groove locking system ensures that every individual plank is locked securely together to form a strong, solid floor. A laminate floor installed by skilled craftsmen is designed to give many years of trouble-free use, resisting separation, squeaks, and other issues common to low-quality wood-look flooring products. 

2. Great for Just About Any Room in the Home 

Laminate’s durable construction and physical characteristics make it one of the most versatile flooring products on the market today. We’ve mentioned its scratch and wear resistance, which are essential features for high-traffic households. In addition to that, some laminate floor products from Empire Today® are water resistant—or even fully waterproof, which makes them suitable for areas like kitchens, laundry rooms, and mud rooms. Plus, it can be more comfortable underfoot than other durable, versatile alternatives like ceramic or porcelain tile. 

3. Easier to Clean 

Another reason why we love laminate floors at Empire®? They’re supremely easy to clean! Laminate floors don’t require any specialized cleansers like genuine hardwood floors. Giving your floors a quick sweep and once over with a damp mop is usually all you need to keep your laminate floor looking great for the long haul. If you’re attached to the beauty of hardwood, but not the need for careful maintenance, laminate might be the best flooring option for your home.   

4. Highly Realistic Look and Feel 

It’s true that all the previous points can be applied to other products carried by Empire, like luxury vinyl plank or tile floors. Both of those materials can even be made to look startlingly like real wood. But one characteristic of laminate floors that those products can’t offer is the realistic wood feel. Because even though laminate products do not use solid wood planks in their construction, it is still made largely from real wood materials. If you were to handle a plank of wood laminate or knock or walk on a laminate floor, it would feel and sound remarkably like real wood.  

In the past, you might have been able to tell that laminate was artificial wood, but with technological advances it can be difficult to tell the difference. Laminate reproduces grains, coloring, and tight tongue-and-groove locking systems for a highly realistic hardwood look and feel. Not only do the grain and knots look like real wood, but the texture is also like real wood as well. Today, even the savviest consumers have been fooled by how closely laminate can mimic real wood. And that is an important characteristic that many customers are looking for, for both practical and intangible reasons.

5. Exceptional Value 

Of course, all of the most enticing features may mean nothing if the product is outside of most homeowners’ budgets. Thankfully, laminate is commonly considered to be one of the most cost-efficient flooring materials that still checks all the previous boxes. If you’re searching for exceptional value, laminate floors may be your best bet. When comparing a laminate floor to a hardwood floor of similar style and durability, the laminate will almost always be significantly more affordable.  It’s a great alternative to real hardwood floors for homeowners on a budget. Laminate floors from Empire give you the look and feel of hardwood floors—and not the price tag. 

It’s obvious why laminate floors continue to grow in popularity throughout American homes today—it’s durable, can be used in most areas of the home, and is easy to maintain. It offers both exceptional value, while maintaining an authentic hardwood aesthetic. Ready to add laminate floors to your home? Schedule your FREE In-Home Estimate now to learn more about the myriad options available from Empire Today.  

The post 5 Reasons Why Laminate Flooring Can Be an Ideal Solution for Your Home appeared first on Empire Today Blog.