Can new floors save high street shops?

According to an article in Furniture News, updating a retail shop with contemporary design trends can transform customer experience and result in more sales.

Many high street retailers are facing financial challenges, and in some cases are struggling to keep in profit because of fewer shoppers, high rents and rates. A traditional retail shop business model is about completing transactions with customers as quickly as possible, but Furniture News says that this is outdated, and that customers should be encouraged to browse and take their time. If the interior of the shop is transformed by modern creative designs, it is more inviting.

Apple’s retail shops have pioneered this approach. Customers are invited to take their time with hands-on use of the tech company’s products. No salesperson tries to sell anything, and stores are well designed and encourage people to stay for a while.

New LVT, laminate or solid wood flooring is a key element to make stores brighter and more appealing. Many stores have environmental concerns and use wood flooring from sustainable forests that can easily be recycled at the end of its life. Wood provides a natural look that can be enhanced with using natural light sources from windows and skylights.

Retail trading in Chester, Wrexham and North Wales face the challenge of attracting more customers. Upgrading shops with modern decor and new flooring can make them more appealing. Installing solid wood flooring in Chester and North Wales shops could revitalize a business.

Carpet vs. laminate flooring in bedrooms

Carpets and laminates are both suitable floor coverings for bedrooms, but which is best?

Durability and cost

Most people living in the Chester, Wrexham and North Wales areas are concerned about value for money. Laminates and carpets come in various qualities, and of course the better the quality, the more you are likely to pay. The cost of floor coverings is not just the price per centimetre, you may have to pay fitting costs. Laminate flooring and carpets are easy and quick to fit, but laminate fitting charges can be a bit more expensive.

The other factor to consider is the lifespan of the floor covering. Carpets won’t last as long as laminates so will need replacing more often. A cheap carpet may cost less but will need replacing a lot sooner than laminate flooring, which makes the total lifetime cost of carpets more expensive.

A carpet can last from three to five years, or for between 10 and 25 years for top-quality carpet. Laminates last from 15 to 25 years, though very cheap laminates will not last that long. Bedrooms are not high-traffic areas, so expect any good quality flooring to last for 10 years or more.

Warmth and feel

Bedrooms are places where people are often barefoot, so a carpet feels warmer and more cosy. If there is laminate flooring in the bedroom, a few rugs are recommended, especially next to the bed.

Carpets have insulating properties thath can keep the bedroom warmer and save heating energy.

Acoustics

Sound from laminate floored bedrooms can often be heard by the people below. Carpets dampen sound so that it is either not heard in a room below, or is muffled.

This could be useful in family homes, where sound can be an issue. People in the lounge don’t want to hear the sounds of their teenage children playing noisy video games!

Moisture

Chester, North Wales and Wrexham have high annual rainfall. For this reason, it may not be advisable to have carpeted areas next to outside doors, as carpets don’t like too much water. Bedrooms are not high-moisture areas so carpets are fine. If the bedroom has en suite bathroom facilities, people should dry off before entering the carpet area.

Laminate flooring is water-resistant but cannot stand prolonged immersion in water. This could be a problem if your home is in a flood risk area, but floodwaters should not reach a first-floor bedroom.

Maintenance

For good bedroom hygiene, laminates and carpets need regular cleaning. Sweep laminates to remove loose dirt and mop using a laminate cleaning solution. Carpets need vacuuming and deep cleaning at least annually.

Stains are easily removed from laminates but can be more difficult to remove from carpets unless you buy a stain-resistant carpet.

Looks

Laminates usually come printed with realistic-looking wood grain designs. There is more variety of shades and patterns available for carpets,

Laminates and carpets are both fine for bedrooms. When deciding which to buy, consider all the above factors or talk to your local flooring supplier for further information.

Carpet vs. laminate flooring for rental property

Carpets and laminate flooring are popular for use in rented property, but the better choice for a particular property depends on a number of factors.

Time to replace

There is no shortage of rented property in the Chester, Wrexham and North Wales region, with many landlords providing quality properties for rent.

No matter what the type of floor covering there is in a rented property, no floor is permanent and there comes a time to replace it. A landlord can stick with the current floor type or change it.

When converting older property for rental use, the floor covering usually needs replacing. There are many choices of floor covering, including wood, LVT, and vinyl. The most popular floor coverings are carpets and laminate.

Durability

Generally, good quality laminate flooring is more durable than carpets, especially in multi-occupancy homes where many people use a room. A carpet will show wear and tear long before laminate looks worn.

However, unless carpet tiles are used, if a carpet is damaged, you cannot replace a section of it, so the whole carpet needs replacing. Planks can be replaced on damaged areas of laminate floors, on the other hand.

Durability is not the only consideration when choosing between carpets and laminates. A student house where many parties are held is often now the best place for a carpet, as it is likely to get damaged. A carpet in a property with one or two careful tenants will last a long time, as long as the tenants keep the carpet clean.

Look

Most laminates are made to look like different wood varieties. Carpets come in various colours and patterns to match the decor of the room.

Feel

Laminate is a hard floor covering whereas carpet varies from short pile harder ones to soft long pile wool carpets that feel warm and cosy. To make a laminate floor warmer, rugs can be added, either by the landlord or the tenants.

Maintenance

Laminate flooring is easy to clean and is stain resistant. Loose dirt can be vacuumed and a regular clean with a mop and laminate cleaning solution will keep the floor clean.

Carpets need regular vacuuming and a deep clean at least once a year, or between tenancies. Some carpets are stain-resistant.

Water resistance

The Chester, Wrexham and North Wales region has a large annual rainfall. Any area next to an outside door can expect to wet regularly from people coming in from heavy rain, so carpet may not be the best choice for these locations.

Laminate is water-resistant if fitted correctly. Special waterproof laminates are suitable for bathrooms and kitchens.

Which is best?

Laminate is cost-effective, and is easy to maintain, while carpeted rooms feel warmer and cosier and are better for bare feet. There is no best choice – both floor coverings are good, so it depends largely on circumstance and personal choice. Some landlords use both, favouring carpets in bedrooms and laminates in the rest of the property.

Although you can buy a cheap carpet that costs much less than laminate flooring, a quality stain-resistant carpet will last longer.

Has the Queen’s carpet been ruined by Peter Andre?

Singer Peter Andre admits he may have ruined the Queen’s carpet at Buckingham Palace after spilling coffee.

The ‘Mysterious Girl’ singer was invited as a guest a Buckingham Palace event for the Duke of Edinburgh award. In his column in New! Magazine he said:

"I was in this beautiful room, which had the best carpet I've ever seen and, me being me, I tipped a cup of black coffee all over it.”

He begged the palace staff not to tell the Queen because he thought that she would ask him to pay for a new carpet which, judging by its quality, could have resulted in a bill for many thousands of pounds. He said that the incident had been praying on his mind and it was time to confess.

If you have carpets in your Chester home, coffee stains can easily be removed. The Good Housekeeping Institute recommends blotting up as much coffee as possible using a cloth with a mixture of liquid soap, a teaspoon of white vinegar and warm water to remove the stains. After the stain has been cleaned, sponge the carpet area with cold water then blot dry.

Andre told a member of staff about the spill, which means they probably made sure that the coffee stains were discreetly cleaned without the Queen noticing.

The Royal Household uses top quality Axminster carpets that can withstand the odd spill, so it is unlikely that Andre’s confession will result in a damage claim from the Queen.

Soya makes artificial grass more sustainable

A new artificial turf with a soya backing has been developed to makes artificial grass more environmentally friendly.

Installing artificial grass in North Wales homes and businesses is popular, but to ease environmental concerns, Universal Textile Technologies in the United States has developed BioCel and EnviroCell backing for synthetic grass made from soy-based polyol. This backing replaces the petroleum-based polyurethane equivalent usually used. Manufacturing soya-based backing creates lower carbon emissions and improves air quality.

The largest artificial grass manufacture in the USA, SYNLawn, is replacing all its petroleum-based backed artificial grass with soy-based ones. It claims that the new soya backed range of artificial grass is 100% recyclable and lasts at least as long as petroleum-based backing grass. Non-soya based artificial grass can be recycled to some extent – for example, some manufacturers have turned the materials in artificial grass into other products, including bags and dog bowls.

A major advantage of artificial grass is that it does not need watering. North Wales has high annual rainfall, but summers can be dry and areas run low on water supplies, which makes it important to save water,

Soya farmers in America are looking for new ways to use soya and see soy-based artificial grass backing as an innovative use for their crops. After Kyle Bridegforth of Bridgeworth Farms in Alabama was shown SYNLawn, he said:

“SYNLawn turf has the natural qualities of real grass in appearance and feel. The product is as innovative as it is beautiful and functional.”