Waste from saris turned into carpets

The silk sari industry in South India is huge. A sari is about five to six metres in length, but when making a sari, about one to one and a half metres of silk fabric is wasted. An enterprising company has found ways to recycle this waste into new carpets.

Ishrat Sahgal is a 29 year old interior architect who has founded Mishcat Co. The company sorts sari waste into similar colours, then turns the material into yarn. Traditional weavers in Indian villages use the yarn to weave contemporary eco-friendly carpets.

The carpets use vibrant colours and intricate patterns. They are durable and easy to keep clean with regular vacuum cleaning. The carpets are sold in India and exported to Hong Kong, US, Dubai and Singapore.

The company incorporates eco principals in everything they do, including using no dyes and reusing the water that washes the textiles.

Ishrat says:

“When I came across this (waste) material it really bothered me. I was like, why are we throwing away this beautiful inspiring material where we can try and think of doing something with it.”

Mishcat carpets are not available in the UK, but there are plans to sell them in London. If you want more eco-friendly carpets from your Chester home or workplace, choose natural wool carpets made from British sheep wool. There are carpets made from reclaimed fishing nets and plastic bottles or choose luxury carpets made from cashmere goat hair. You can also buy more environmentally friendly underlays.

University of Glasgow library installs quiet floor

The University of Glasgow has installed a new floor in its library in a bid the keep the building as quiet as possible.

Taralay Impression Comfort flooring from Gerflor, a multi-layered vinyl two-metre-wide sheet flooring, met the University’s specifications for a floor covering that has acoustic properties and is able to stand up to heavy footfall.

The flooring has a foam glass reinforced backing, a printed wood effect vinyl design and a transparent wear layer. This vinyl flooring contains no heavy metals and complies with the REACH specifications for products with no harmful chemicals. It has a 19 decibel sound insulation and is easy to maintain. In addition, it is soft to the foot, and impact and scratch resistant.

When installing LVT flooring in Chester homes and business, you may not need your rooms to be as quiet as the University of Glasgow library, but top-quality thick vinyl will reduce unnecessary noise to some extent. Leading brands like Amtico have noise-reducing properties that are useful in busy offices where too much noise could affect workers’ concentration. In the home, LVT can be installed in noisy children’s bedrooms to reduce the racket heard by relaxing adults in the lounge below.

Quality LVT may cost more than thinner tiles, but because it lasts longer, it is usually better value in the long run.

If, like the University of Glasgow you want vinyl flooring that is hardwearing, easy to maintain and reduces noise levels, luxury vinyl is a good choice.

Luxury vinyl tiles make prize-winning office look like home

A Norwich law firm wanted to create an office environment that looked more like a home than a workplace, so luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) were are an essential part of the interior designed by architects Fielden + Mawson.

The innovative design has received a Highly Commended award in the 2017/2018 Fly Forbo competition held by vinyl flooring manufacturer Forbo.

Architect Josephine Harkins described the design brief for the offices of Norwich lawyers Mills & Reeves:

“The brief was to create a design that felt less corporate than your average office and fused working from home with working in a formal office”.

Autumn Oak luxury vinyl tiles are laid in a chevron design, which creates a warm and homely tone in the cafe and reception areas. LVT was also chosen for these high-traffic areas because of its durability and impact resistance.

Sand tone wood effect tiles were used in the shower room and coffee making areas. These are slip and water resistant tiles designed to last a long time.

There is a trend for people to spend at least part of their working week working from home. Many home workers have offices in their home, but these rarely look like formal office spaces – rather home-style rooms with a desk and storage furniture. Fielden + Mawson has taken this concept and adopted it for the workplace.

Wood effect LVT flooring in your Wrexham office is ideal for creating the feel of working from home.

How to fit a carpet on stairs

It’s no secret that it can be a little tricky to lay carpet on stairs. You will need the right tools and some confidence in your DIY abilities. If at all in doubt, carpet suppliers will fit stair carpets for you.

If you want to have a go yourself, though, you will need a sharp utility knife. Carpets dull blades quickly, so you may need spare blades. A carpet knee kicker is useful for making sure that it fits tightly. You may want to wear kneepads, which will make working more comfortable.

There are various options for fixing the carpet to the stairs. Perhaps the best is carpet grippers, which may need to be cut to size and screwed to the wood.

To improve the look of the carpet, you can use stair rods.

Do you need carpet padding on stairs?

It is not essential to use carpet padding on stairs, but there are advantages. Padding can make the carpet last longer and feel more comfortable underfoot. Padding can help reduce noise.

Can you carpet concrete stairs?

Yes, carpets can add warmth and attractive looks to dull looking concrete. They can also make the stairs safer as smooth bare concrete can cause slips that cause injury.

Most wooden stair carpets leave a gap either side so that you can see the wood, whereas concrete carpets usually cover the whole width of the stair.

If the concrete has been painted, cracked or peeled paint needs removing with a knife, the stairs will need to be thoroughly clean so that there is no loose debris. A stiff brush, hot water and a strong solvent may be needed to clean the cracks. You might even need to use a grinder to smooth rough patches.

The carpet can be secured using concrete nails or double-sided adhesive tape.

How do you measure carpet for stairs?

Measuring the stair carpet is not difficult as such, but does require some care.

Start by measuring the width, length and height of one step. The width of the carpet will be the width of the stair, minus a gap on either side if you want some of the wood to be visible.

If you want the carpet to be one continuous piece that covers both the top and the height of each step, the length of the carpet needs to be the stair height and width multiplied by the number of steps.

An economical way of fitting the carpet is to only cover the top of the step. This will require a carpet length equal to the step width multiplied by the number of steps. The carpet will then need to be cut into strips.

If using underlay, you will need to cut this to size as well.

The carpet can be fixed using carpet nails, a stapling gun or double-sided adhesive tape. Many people prefer carpet gripers, as they are easy to screw into wood and keep the carpet in place.

If this all sounds a bit daunting, a professional carpet installer may be a better option for you.

What are the best floor coverings for children?

The type of flooring you install in your home could affect your children’s development. A study by the University of Salford concluded that the school environment affects a child’s learning by as much as 25%. These findings have influenced school designs, but can also guide your choice of flooring in the home.

Studies have shown that colour affects children. Red, yellow and orange stimulate, while more tranquil shades are restful. This may not be important for the colours chosen for your living room, but it can affect the colour choices for your children’s bedrooms.

Impact resistant flooring is advisable. Many schools have rubberised floors, but a good quality vinyl floor will cushion falls by children. Luxury vinyl lessens the chances of items breaking when children drop them.

There have been increases in children suffering from allergies and asthma. Exposure to dust and dust mites can trigger allergies, so install floor coverings that are easy to clean or ones with the Allergy UK ‘Seal of Approval’. If you have allergy sufferers in your family, regularly clean floors, and have carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year. You may need to avoid using cleaning products containing chemicals.

Another factor is acoustics. Laminate and wood flooring in a child’s upstairs bedroom can transmit noise through the ceiling that is heard below. Either install an acoustic underlay or luxury vinyl that has noise reducing properties.

If you have children, there are definite benefits to installing vinyl flooring in your Chester home.