Designer makes furniture from waste carpets

Riccardo Cenedella, an Italian designer, has released a one-of-a-kind tables, stools and lamps made from carpet waste.

Many thousands of carpets are thrown away each year when they become worn, thin or stained. Many are disposed of at landfill sites. Some councils and carpet retailers are concerned about this issue and will take old carpets away from homes and commercial properties and send them to specialist carpet recycling firms that use material from the carpets for use in other products.

Cenedella, however, collects old carpets and extracts material from them to form what he calls “Carpet Matter”. He uses this material to make unique furniture and lamps. His carpet matter lamp features curved LED light strips that connect two purple Carpet Matter round bases.

The Carpet Matter stool has a flat disc attached to a round base. The stool can also be used as a small table. Larger tables are like a conventional table, featuring four stout legs. Cenedella wants to develop chairs, shelves and other furniture made from recycled carpets in the future. Carpet Matter could also be used to make jars, pots, trays and much more.

In the future, rooms with carpets in Chester, Wrexham and North Wales could have furniture, accessories and fittings made entirely from old carpets. This is an example of the circular economy, where items in a home or office are not thrown away but recycled to make other useful products. This reduces the amount of toxic waste that is dumped into the environment.

Carpets become rising American design trend

The USA is experiencing a renewed trend for carpets in interior design.

In the past, millennials in America rejected carpets in favour of hard surface floors that are easier to maintain. Many landlords ripped out carpets when tenants moved out, as they believed that carpeted apartments were less popular and made it more difficult to attract new tenants.

According to Los Angeles designer Kerry Vasquez, however, tastes are changing. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, she said that more of her clients are asking for carpets. The most popular carpets are low-pile, single-colour ones in earthy shades. Her clients find that carpets add texture and warmth to a home.

Carpets deteriorate unless they are regularly cleaned. This makes a carpet seem less practical than wood or laminate flooring, but to some Americans, a carpeted home is regarded as a status symbol that demonstrates the homeowner has the money to pay someone to keep their carpets well maintained. Though quality carpets are hardwearing, many like to replace their carpets every few years with a new colours one to refresh the designs of their homes.

Though some households prefer hard flooring in Chester and North Wales properties, carpets remain popular. Consumers like the wide range of carpet colours and patterns that are available. Those who don’t want to pay someone for carpet maintenance can maintain them with regular vacuuming, but it is recommend that at least once a year, the carpets should be deep cleaned by a professional carpet cleaning service.

When should I use commercial grade flooring?

Most people can spot the differences between different flooring materials. However, when it comes to understanding what makes commercial grade flooring different to residential, far fewer people will be sure.

The essential difference is that commercial grade flooring is the more hard-wearing and durable, so when should you opt for this over standard residential floor choices?

If it’s an office space

An office space will have a lot of people walking across its floors during a typical day. Everyone from members of staff to clients will do so each day while wearing either shoes or boots.

Office spaces are also likely to have heavy furniture and equipment placed on their floors. That will cause further wear and tear and make commercial grade floor options like luxury vinyl tiling (LVT) or carpet tiles the most effective and durable floor choice.

If it’s a shop

Again, the floors of a shop will experience large volumes of traffic. The people using them will range from employees to suppliers and customers, and all those feet would cause residential floors to get scuffed and damaged. Furthermore, in places like Chester and Wrexham in Northern England and Wales, there is a lot of rain, and wet, muddy shoes will inevitably make for dirty floors.

Shop floors also have to be able to withstand trolleys of goods being moved across them on a frequent basis. Many shops choose laminate as a hardwearing floor option that is quick to clean and fairly cheap to install.

If it’s a kitchen area

Commercial grade flooring solutions can be best for busy kitchen spaces too. These floors will be at heavy risk of spillages and grease stains, which means that they need to be easy to keep clean.

For that reason, tiling tends to be a common choice of commercial grade flooring for kitchens in restaurants and hotels. Tiles can be wiped clean at the end of the day without fuss, and are resistant to staining.

If you have pets or children

Although the name ‘commercial grade flooring’ may imply that it is just for businesses, there are situations where it can be the smart option in a home.

If you have young children, pets, or both, this will inevitably increase the risk of damage to carpeted floors, so vinyl or laminate will be safer.

If you want advice about commercial grade floors, start by contacting a specialist that can handle every stage of the process.

What is the best thickness for engineered flooring?

Engineered wood is a popular type of flooring, but many do not know precisely what the difference between it and solid wood flooring is.

The primary difference is that solid wood floors are entirely made of natural wood, while engineered ones combine a top layer of real hardwood with underlying layers of softer ones such as plywood.

Precisely how thick the layers should be is something else that’s not widely known. In fact, a number of issues will determine the thickness needed.

Will the room have underfloor heating?

If the engineered floor is being fitted on top of underfloor heating, it is generally best not to go for maximum thickness. In practice, that means no more than 15mm for all of the layers combined.

In this situation, the hardwood oak top layer should be on the thinner side of what is typical – roughly 3mm in thickness. If the engineered wood layers are too thick it will make it harder for the warmth from the underfloor heating to spread through the room efficiently.

How often will the room be used?

The amount of footfall the floor is likely to experience is another factor that will determine how thick the different layers need to be. This is particularly true if the floor is for commercial premises rather than a home, because then everybody walking on it will be wearing shoes.

That can lead to the hardwood veneer layer of the floor becoming scuffed and marked, which will be unsightly. Opting for a top layer of around 6mm thickness will ensure that the floor can be periodically sanded and refinished without wearing away.

Is it a replacement floor?

If the engineered wood is being put in to replace a previous floor, the easiest option is to go with a thickness that closely matches the old one.

A big disparity between the two will mean that everything from the height of the door in the room to the skirting boards would also have to be adjusted to accommodate the different thickness. Whether the floor is being fitted in a house or the premises of a business, this is a process that will cause a lot more disruption, as well as increasing the overall cost of the new floor.

If you are still unsure about what you need, it will make sense to talk to a flooring company with a good reputation and long experience of installing engineered floors.

Carpet recycling conference to discuss circular economy

A key topic at the Carpet Recycling UK’s (CRUK) annual conference, which is to be held next month, will be the circular economy.

The main principles of the circular economy are the elimination of pollution and waste, and the reuse of materials at the end of a product’s life. CRUK is a not-for-profit organisation that is decreasing the number of worn carpets that are sent to landfill sites. The latest data from CRUK shows that the number of carpets sent to landfills has been reduced by 65%.

The conference members will discuss the latest circular initiatives and technologies that make carpets more sustainable, reduce waste and promote recycling. A new circular design award will be given at the 2022 conference that recognises achievements in the circular economy.

In a statement, CRUK Scheme Manager Adnan Zeb-Khan said:

“Our packed two-day conference programme highlights the sector’s clear change in attitudes and commitment towards sustainable solutions and progress towards creating more circular opportunities within the sector.”

Zeb-Khan said that there has been a significant increase in enquiries to CRUK from carpet companies that have concerns about their business’ environmental impact.

There are several ways to dispose of carpets in Chester. If replacing a carpet, the carpet installer or shop may take away the old carpet. The council will collect the carpet for a small fee. If the carpet is still useable, people can contact Freecycle, which arranges for household items to be given away for free to others in need of them.

The Carpet Recycling UK’s annual conference is set to be held on June 29th and 30th.