The benefits of luxury wool carpets for Chester rooms

Though there are many types of floor covering available, many people in Chester prefer the traditional look and feel of a luxury wool carpet.

Where does the wool come from?

Though carpets can be made from a number of fibres, most people associate a pure wool carpet as the height of luxury. There is a lot of beautiful countryside around Chester. In spring, many of the fields are full of sheep and their newly born lambs. You may think that these Chester sheep supply the wool for carpets, but it is unlikely that any of their wool ends up in your carpet.

Carpet manufacturers need wool from specialised breeds, and much of the wool found in carpets comes from Asian and New Zealand sheep, but there are some wool breeds found in the UK. Rare breed sheep roam the Cumbrian fells and their wool is used to make 100% wool carpets.

Durability

Top quality wool carpets can last over a 100 years if they are well looked after. Commercial grade wool carpets are suitable for business premises with heavy footfall.

Wool is strong and does not need any other fibre to improve its durability, but many carpets are made from wool blended with other fabrics. Synthetic fibres are added to improve stain resistance, fibre flexibility, and the effectiveness of the dyes that colour the carpet.

Care of wool carpets

Wool contains natural oils that are resistant to dirt and stains. Regular vacuuming will keep the carpet clean, while spills can be wiped up with an absorbent cloth. Wool has a natural crimp which means that the fibres “bounce back” after they have been compressed by people walking or sitting on the carpet.

Practical

Wool is very comfortable to walk and sit on, but it also has practical qualities. Wool acts as an insulator to keep the room warm and save on energy costs. Wool carpets absorb sound so that echoes and noise are dampened.

If a wool carpet is installed over good quality underlay, it has a cushioning effect that prevents serious injury from falls. This is important for areas used by young children or old people. An underlay also increases the life of the carpet.

Environmentally friendly

The wool used in most carpets comes from sheep who are allowed to graze freely. Wool is a 100% natural and sustainable fibre. Shearing sheep is part of caring for their welfare.

Wool is biodegradable and in soil produces natural plant nutrients of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Looks

Wool carpets are available in a number of attractive colours and patterns to suit every décor.

A high-quality wool carpet is not for those who want any old floor covering, but rather for people who appreciate a quality comfortable carpet that looks stylish. A high grade wool carpet will last a long time. When other floor coverings need replacing a wool carpet still looks great.

Your carpet supplier has a wide selection of wool carpets for your Chester residential or commercial room.

Demand for wood floors on the up in Europe

The European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP) has reported that sales of solid wood floors in Europe have increased slightly.

The FEP defines wood flooring as either solid wood or engineered wood flooring with a wear layer that exceeds 2.5mm thickness. The FEP met at the beginning of October to examine the trends for wood floors. Germany, the largest market for wood floors, had a growth in sales in the first six months of 2019 compared to the first half of 2018, as did Austria, France, Poland and Spain. Sales in the rest of Europe had a mixed picture with some markets slightly increasing and other countries slightly down compared to last year, with Norway and the Netherlands two of the nations to have seen a small decline.

The FEP said that luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are the main competitor for wood floors. The trade wars between the US and China has affected the European market because of increases in tariffs that have made wood floors manufactured in China more expensive.

Wood floors are very popular in Chester. They look stylish and are very durable. They can be expensive to buy and install but they add to a home’s value. Engineered wood looks the same as solid wood flooring because it has a top layer of real wood. LVT tiles that have a realistic wood pattern are a less expensive alternative to wood and are more suitable for wet areas where wood floors could become water damaged.

Garden bin fees could increase demand for artificial grass

Many local authorities charge for plant waste collection, and it has been suggested this causes more people to use artificial grass.

The average cost for local authorities that charge for removing green waste is £31, but can be as high as £100. Chester does not charge for removing green plant waste unless residents need an extra bin. Some authorities in North Wales charge, and Wrexham is considering introducing a charge of around £25 a year from 2020.

According to Ilona Amos writing in The Scotsman, these charges could result in more people giving up gardening, getting rid of flower beds and installing artificial grass.

The environment spokesman for the Local Government Association, Martin Tett, justifies the charge for garden waste collection:

“Ultimately garden waste collection has to be paid for by someone. It’s only fair that those households which have gardens and generate the waste pay for the service.”

As an alternative, garden waste can be recycled into compost rather than being sent to landfill.

The small fee that some councils charge to remove plant waste is probably not the main reason why people install artificial grass in their gardens. More significantly, they want a lawn that requires minimal maintenance, looks good, can be used all year round, and is safe for children to play on in all weathers. If Chester and North Wales continue to have very hot and dry summers, artificial grass will not affected by hosepipe bans, as it does not need watering.

Waste carpets turned into ultra-pure polypropylene

Proctor & Gamble’s PureCycle Technologies has successfully created a process that can turn waste carpets into odourless and clear ultra-polypropylene (PP) resin.

Carpets made from polypropylene are hardwearing and easy to clean, but at the end of their life, they are often thrown away, which is not environmentally friendly.

Polypropylene can be recycled, but most councils do not accept carpets in their recycle bins. Carpet Recycling UK collects carpets for recycling and is making some impact on reducing carpet waste. At the PureCycle Ohio plant in the USA, the company has demonstrated that it can recycle polypropylene carpets on a large scale, and plans to process 119 million pounds of waste PP when the plant comes fully online in 2021.

High-quality recycled polypropylene is in demand for making a number of products. The PureCycle system removes odour, colour and impurities to produce a virgin-like resin. The firm is now planning to build PP recycling plants in Europe.

Kathy Fish of Proctor & Gamble says:

”This technology, which can remove virtually all contaminants and colours from used plastic, has the capacity to revolutionize the plastics recycling industry by enabling P&G and companies around the world to tap into sources of recycled plastics that deliver nearly identical performance and properties as virgin materials in a broad range of applications.”

Polypropylene carpets in Chester homes and businesses are popular for their low cost and durable qualities. At the end of its life, a carpet should be recycled wherever possible.

Artificial grass needed to protect Cornish attraction

Planning permission is being sought for artificial grass to be installed to protect areas of Cornwall’s historic St. Michael’s Mount.

MRDA Architects on behalf of St. Aubyn Estates, which manages the tourist attraction, has submitted plans to Cornwall Council to install artificial grass lawns to the north of the cafe on the island. The reasons for this is because of the damage caused by the high volume of visitors on the existing lawn.

To support the planning application, MRDA Architects, said:

"The impact of ever-increasing visitor numbers on the former drying lawn has been to destroy the grass and, in the wet, to reduce the bare soil to mud.”

Temporarily, 100 tonnes of topsoil was removed and replaced with hardcore and a top dressing of gravel. However, the gravel was a safety problem with minor injuries caused when children fell. The proposal is to lay artificial grass over geotex with a type 1 MOT granular sub-base and bordered by existing cobbles. This will resemble the original look of the area.

St. Aubyn Estates, in support of its application, said artificial grass has been successfully installed in sites managed the Royal Horticultural Society and the National Trust.

Many organisations have installed artificial grass in Chester. They may not have the number of people walking on their grass as St Michael’s Mount, but they find artificial grass a good-looking and safe covering for outside areas that can be enjoyed all year round, whatever the weather.