Carpeting is like a new car: Expect its value to decrease over time.
Hardwood and tile are still a homeowner’s best flooring bet for increasing property value. Those surfaces are more permanent than carpet, says Stuart McArthur. He owns the new Floor Coverings International showroom in Centennial, which opened in January.
McArthur’s appointment-only business relies on digital photography and special computer software to show off how each product will look in an existing room. The Denver Post caught up with this flooring pro to chat about hot trends and cool technology.
How does your design software work?
We take a picture of your room and the computer program allows us to put that photo online. We mask out your existing floor and then we can put any type of flooring in place of it… You can look at the flooring as it will appear in your room.
What flooring do you think is best for a house with small children?
I have four kids of my own, so I know that the most important thing for homes with small children is to have flooring with stain resistance. Tile, hardwood and luxury vinyl are very good options for easy clean-up. If you have carpet, use a product called R2X. Stain Master is applied on top of the carpet fiber, but R2X is applied to the entire fiber and goes all the way down to the plastic carpet padding.
What are the latest trends in “green” flooring?
Bamboo and cork are popular hard surfaces because they don’t use the entire tree (in production). Green soft surfaces include wool, which is beautiful though expensive. The real exciting thing is Anso nylon, which is a recycled carpeting. Shaw Industries is taking 300 million pounds of old carpeting and recycling it so it doesn’t go into landfills.
Another increasingly popular green option is engineered hardwood, which is particle board with a thin layer of read hardwood on top. An aluminum oxide protects the top layer of the hardwood. (It) is stronger and more scratch resistant than natural wood. Engineered hardwood lasts longer, is less expensive and can be put in areas of the home not traditionally suitable for hardwoods such as basements.
How long should floors last?
Hardwood floors can last for generations, but can get wet or warped. The life span of carpet is generally seven to 15 years depending on wear. Be very careful with what kinds of products you use to clean carpet. Certain chemicals will wear out the stain protector. Don’t use vinegar or carpet cleaners, just use water. The idea is if you have stain resistant carpet, all you need to do is blot the stain with a towel. Most floors don’t wear out, they just ugly out, which basically means they get too damaged or too ugly to stand any longer.
And the hottest flooring trend is…?
Hand-scraped flooring is really big. Instead of choosing a smooth, shiny looking floor like oak, there is more demand right now for the rustic, rough look of hand-scraped flooring. Many homeowners say it’s difficult to keep a shiny floor polished, but a hand-scraped floor has lower maintenance.
Sheba R. Wheeler: 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com
