What makes artificial grass ideal for autumn?

It’s not uncommon for property owners to neglect their gardens when autumn arrives. While spring and summer are ideal times to enjoy fresh air, warm sunshine and cool breezes, when the colder temperatures and rainy spells start to hit, many of us prefer pastimes indoors.

If left uncared for, homes with a real grass lawn can run into trouble when the seasons change. Littered with fallen leaves and debris blown by the wind, they can become unsightly, while rainfall can pool in patchy areas, creating muddy areas.

In the next sections, we’ll explore some of the advantages of choosing an artificial lawn when autumn arrives, and we’ll explore how it can allow you, your family and friends to enjoy your garden for more of the year.

Green and soft all year round

Synthetic grass has come a long way in the last 10 years. Designed to resemble the real deal, artificial lawns capture and keep the look of a vibrant spring or summer lawn and offer it to homeowners all year.

This authentic appearance is never impacted by the sun or rain, and if properly cared for, it continues to provide a perfect lawn you can always enjoy. Unlike real grass, which can be discoloured by sunlight, the latest artificial options are treated with UV protection.

Great with rain

If you have children or pets and real grass, you’ll know the chaos that comes in autumn, when your lawn gets waterlogged and muddy. From digging dogs to messy games, kids and animals will then drag the dirt indoors, trampling it into carpets and across clean floors, meaning you’ll then have to tackle baths and piles of laundry.

Artificial grass has a permeable membrane specifically engineered to filter water harmlessly away from the surface of your lawn, ensuring it can’t pool. With the earth below completely covered, pets and children never interact with mud, keeping the mess minimal and reducing your chores around the house.

Additionally, it’s ideal to be able to let your pets out to the garden if they need the toilet in any weather, avoiding the need for walks in the rain or litter trays indoors. Fortunately, pet mess is very easy to clean from artificial grass, which doesn’t see the same harm suffered by real grass.

An easy-care solution

While real lawns may require reseeding, mowing and weeding, synthetic grass is exceptionally low maintenance. Simple sweeping is all that’s required to remove any leaves and debris blown by autumn winds, and if you should happen to spill a drink or food on them, they can easily be hosed down.

Artificial grass – an answer to autumn

As you can see, there are numerous reasons that make artificial grass a much easier lawn to cope with when autumn rolls around. With a life expectancy of around 15 years, you’ll get a significant return on any investment you make, and every product offers you far more free time than you’ll receive if you opt for a natural lawn.

Bold staircase carpets create striking first impression

While neutral hallway and stair carpets are seen as a safe design option, there is a growing trend of choosing brighter, bolder carpet designs for entrance areas to create a striking first impression of a home.

Stripes, geometric and floral patterns add impact to a once-plain hallway. For example, brightly coloured stripes add colour to dark hallways. Fit them on stairs to draw the eye upwards and away from a dim hall. Geometric patterned carpets add interest to small halls and provide a sense of flow in the space. Floral patterns are not to everyone's taste, but a bright floral carpet in a hallway that otherwise has plain features can work.

Many believe that a dark hallway needs light colours to brighten it up. According to Livingetc, designer Abigail Ahern says the opposite can be true, and that dark colours can work well:

“White walls just make the lack of light even more obvious. Instead, embrace it, go with dark strong colours and you’ll immediately have oodles of intrigue, drama and glamour.”

Halls in period properties often have decorative tile floors, and homeowners feel that they should have a plain stair carpet. However, a contrasting pattern stair carpet can also work well.

Stairs and halls are high-traffic areas that require durable and hard wearing carpets. People walking on hall carpets in Chester and North Wales homes often come in from rainy weather, spreading mud and water. Durable and easy to clean hall and stair carpets are ideal.

European carpet market forecast to grow

A report based on research by Grand View Research Ltd has predicted that the European carpet market will be worth £46.22 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 3%.

Despite competition from hard floorings such as laminate, wood and vinyl, carpets remain a popular flooring choice. There are rising concerns about climate change linked to carbon emissions, which have led to carpet manufacturers developing carpets that are 100% recyclable, and some have reduced the energy required to manufacture carpets by 95%.

Carpets can be made from sustainable natural fibres, like wool, or synthetic fibres. Sales of nylon carpets are expected to grow considerably, particularly for commercial buildings, as nylon is hard wearing, cost effective and has a lesser impact on the environmental than other synthetic flooring. In response to government pressure, the European carpet industry is recycling more and more carpets every year.

In 2018, 734.7 million square metres of carpets were fitted in Europe, and this is expected to rise to 889 million square metres by 2025.

Carpet sales are forecast to rise in both the residential and commercial markets. Carpet is a great way to insulate retail stores and offices.

Sales of carpets in the Chester and North Wales regions are buoyant. People have been spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. They have saved money by not socialising or going on holiday abroad, which means that many households can afford to renovate their homes, including decorating and buying new carpets.

Five reasons to buy a new carpet

There are many reasons why people replace carpets in their Wrexham, North Wales and Cheshire homes. While reasoning varies from household to household, here are five main reasons why people opt to change up their carpets:

1. Water damage

Water that is absorbed in carpets can cause mould and mildew, which is a health hazard. Water-damaged carpets should be replaced.

2. Stains

Stains come from many sources, such as spills, leaking pipes, pet accidents and dropped food. Deep cleaning with a carpet cleaning machine will remove most stains, but stubborn ones may remain.

3. Odour

Professional carpet cleaning will get rid of most lingering odours, but smells caused by dog and cat messes, or rotten food, cannot always be removed.

4. Allergies

Some carpets don’t trap allergens, allowing them to float freely in the air. If a member of your household suffers from allergies, first try an allergen vacuum cleaner. If that is not sufficient, buying a wool carpet is a suitable option, as this has hypoallergenic properties and can trap airborne particles.

5. Outdated pattern

Some people begin to dislike the pattern of their carpets, feeling that is in an outdated style. A new home with carpets already fitted may save money, but if the colour or pattern is not to your taste, replace it, rather than living with it.

Expect a high-quality carpet to last for many years, provided it is cleaned regularly, but if you have any of the above issues, it's time to replace your carpets.

New carpet tiles designed to improve wellbeing

The Covid-19 pandemic has led many people to focus on the importance of wellbeing. New ranges of carpet tiles have been developed for hotels and hospitality venues that look stunning, but are also practical in protecting the wellbeing of staff and visitors.

Floor tile ranges have been created that absorb sound and reduce echoes so that they contribute to the wellbeing of guests and staff. Guests resting or sleeping in their hotel rooms don’t hear the footsteps of people walking along the corridor outside.

Carpets tiles, unlike solid hard flooring, collect and trap dust in the carpet fibres, and this contributes to good, clean air quality. Carpet tiles are easy to clean by vacuuming and regular deep cleaning with a carpet cleaning machine that uses specially formulated cleaning solutions. Stains and damaged areas can easily be replaced with new carpet tiles. Cushion backing makes carpet tiles feel comfortable and extends their life.

Wellbeing is not only important in the hospitality industry. There are many rooms with carpet tiles in Chester and North Wales commercial buildings and residential properties. They are available in a wide range of colours and patterns to suit all decor styles.

As more manufacturers see wellbeing as an important consideration in carpet tile design, more carpet tile ranges with acoustic properties that are easy to clean will likely be launched.

Installing carpet tiles in produces less waste than carpet rolls, which can save money, especially on large-scale commercial flooring contracts.