Pub patron has unusual carpet hobby

Kit Caless is a fan of the pub chain Wetherspoon, and this has led him to an unusual hobby. Kit writes a blog about Wetherspoon carpets which contains images of different carpets from Wetherspoon pubs.

No two carpets in Wetherspoons’ pubs are the same, each is unique. Wetherspoon’s head of property development Jon Randall explained:

“All of our new pub carpets are individually designed, some with details to reflect aspects of the building's history or local area.”

Kit says that his interest in pub carpets began when he read the novel The Way Inn by Will Wiles, which features a character who visits the same hotel chain whenever he travels. When Kit found out that every Wetherspoon carpet is different, he decided to become a dedicated fan of the carpets. He says:

“I got really interested, because, for a corporate chain to not repeat itself is a really rare thing. So, I started looking into it – and it just sort of snowballed."

Wetherspoon has over nine hundred pubs which require lots of carpets. Kit does not aim to visit every single one like the character in the novel, so he has asked visitors to his blog to submit photos of their local Wetherspoon pub carpet

Individually designed carpets for Chester or North Wales rooms can be commissioned, but they are expensive and beyond the budget of most households. As local carpet retailers have a wide range of carpet designs and colours available, you are bound to find one to match your individual taste.

Woman ruins carpet in dye disaster

A viral online video shows what happened when a woman attempted to change the colour of her hallway carpet with dye. Her escapades left the carpet ruined, and her walls were stained.

Melissa Ashleigh wanted to refresh the look of her hallway by changing the colour of her carpet to a trendy dark grey. She did not want to spend money on buying a new carpet, so tried using fabric dye. She made a mess of the carpet with patches of uneven colour. The dye was not applied carefully enough and splashed onto her walls, causing unsightly stains. She must now buy a new carpet and paint the walls.

Melissa shared her room renovation disaster in a video on TikTok. She commented:

“So, this is the carpet, and these are the walls that I've ruined because I didn't use anything [to protect] up the sides. So yeah, it's going to need ripping out."

Some were amused by the video, commenting that dyeing the carpet was a good example of an action that is “instantly regretted.”

If you are after different colour carpets in your Chester or North Wales home, this video shows that you should not attempt to dye them. Ultimately, there is no substitute for installing a new carpet. A decent quality carpet is not cheap but will last a long time and is a terrific way to update the look of a room. A deep pile carpet has good insulating properties which help keep a room warm, saving heating costs.

Innovative design trend inspired by the 1970s

There is a trend for interior style inspired by 1970s design that commonly features wall-to-wall deep pile brown carpets.

Many interior designers are creating room decors that resemble luxury avant-garde Italian homes from the 1970s. Tiffany Howell, a Los Angeles based designer, explains the appeal of the seventies look:

“The ’70s brought on the love of lounging. The colours and fabrics created a sense of lushness and plushness.”

Many believe they are living in troubled times post-Covid, with high inflation levels and huge energy bills. People want their homes to be a sanctuary, a place to relax and socialise in. The 1970s look creates the illusion of living in an era with a more carefree attitude to life.

The 1970s was a time when pop culture influenced design which could be garish, bright and outrageous. Tiffany Howell says:

“We live in deeply disturbing times. It’s very understandable that we would look to design styles with outrageous forms.”

The home of designer Marion Maeander features the 1970s look, with stainless steel seatbelt chairs and a sunken living room that has a low sofa and a deep pile carpet, which she often sits on to relax with a drink. She loves the 1970s style for its glamour and chic look.

The 1970s style may not be a top trend in England and Wales, but 1970s type plush texture dark colour carpets in Chester and North Wales homes are a great way to add a touch of plush luxury to a room.

Five reasons to use carpets on stairs

People spend a lot of time on stairs travelling from one level to another. Many home staircases in Chester and North Wales homes are wood, but there are at least five reasons why carpets should be added to stairs.

1. Protection

Stairs are a high footfall area and wood will eventually show signs of wear. Carpet will protect stairs from marks. If you want to preserve the look of the wood grain, use a runner that protects the middle of the stairs but keeps the sides exposed.

2. Safety

Many people injure themselves by falling on stairs. Carpeted stairs are safer than wood. They provide a soft surface that prevents slipping and cushions falls to reduce the risk of serious injuries. Worn stair carpets are not safe and will need replacing.

3. Noise reduction

Firm surface stairs amplify and reflect sound. Stair carpets absorb and dampen sound. If people walking on stairs wakes you up at night, install a soft stair carpet.

4. Style

Stair runners are available in a wide variety of colours and patterns to help you personalise your stairs. A bold pattern carpet adds a vivid visual statement to a staircase.

5. Comfort

Carpet runners feel soft, cosy and more comfortable than bare wood. For maximum comfort, use a thick, soft underlay.

Stair carpets in North Wales homes are quick to fit and are available in different qualities to suit all budgets. Choose a high-quality stair carpet that lasts a long time.

Common mistakes when laying laminate flooring

A lot of people like laminate flooring. That is because it is a cost-effective choice for the floors of homes or commercial spaces that is easy to clean and suitable for all types of rooms.

Laminate is a material that offers both flexibility and durability, as well as being quick and relatively simple to install. That does not mean that there are no potential problems that can arise when fitting it though, especially for non-professionals.

These are some of the frequent mistakes people make.

Failing to find out about sealants

It used to be said that laminate was a bad choice for floors in rooms where water is a factor, such as bathrooms. That was because it was prone to bubbles, discolouration and warping when it got wet.

This is no longer such an issue because most laminates now come with a water seal coating already added to the material. However, this is not always the case and failing to enquire about water sealing is a common mistake.

If your choice of laminate floor does not have this built-in sealant, you would need to seal it yourself with something like silicone caulk or glue to prevent the sort of damage mentioned above.

Forgetting to let it acclimate

The majority of laminate floors are made out of either medium density fibreboard (MDF) or high density fibreboard (HDF). These are man-made composite materials that are manufactured using compressed wood fibres.

What this means is that, just as with natural wood floors, the planks need to be allowed to acclimate for approximately 72 hours before they are fitted into place. Non-professionals often forget this or are just not aware of it in the first place.

Allowing planks to acclimate means giving the floor planks the opportunity to adjust to the heat levels inside your house or commercial space. If you fail to do this, the end result can be that they start to buckle or warp out of shape once they have been installed.

Not levelling the floor before installation

Another mistake that people sometimes make is not ensuring that the floor surface is smooth and level before laying the laminate on top of it. Being one of the thinner forms of flooring material, laminate will be unforgiving if the floor is uneven or has bumps or soft areas in it.

The way to avoid this is to check the floor for these imperfections and then sand or grind them out before laying your laminate. Using one of the levelling solutions that are in most shops will help to get rid of any unevenness and allow 1/8 of an inch at the absolute most.

Not putting down an underlay

Laminate floors consist of HDF and MDF planks with the chosen ‘look’ – usually something like marble, tiles or wood – laminated on top of them. However, they are not among the thickest types of flooring material on the market.

That makes them quite vulnerable to damage such as flexing or bending when you walk on them. The way to prevent this is to put an underlay beneath them, but not doing so is a fairly common error that people make when installing laminate floors.

This underlay is usually made of foam and serves as both insulation and as an absorber of shocks. It also helps to cover any slight imperfections in the surface below, even after levelling. Failing to fit an underlay will put strain on the floor and it will also make it hard to walk on.

Failing to leave space for the edges to expand

Laminate flooring is described as a type that ‘floats’ on the surface. What that means is that no adhesive is used to stick it into place, so there is slight movement when it is walked on.

While this is not a problem in itself, people often do not realise that it can lead to damage such as buckling if the laminate hits the walls and there is not enough space left when it is laid to prevent that.

Make sure that you factor in sufficient space between the laminate and the walls in the room to ensure that this does not happen to your floor.

Failing to read the installation instructions

This is a particularly common mistake – precisely because laminate is seen as a simple type of flooring to install. However, different types of laminate require different methods of installation to get the best long-term results.

A way of avoiding this and other common errors is to let a flooring professional do the job. There are firms with plenty of experience of fitting laminates for businesses and homeowners across Chester, Wrexham and other parts of the North West and Wales.

Laminate is an excellent choice of flooring, but always ensure you get it properly fitted if this is your preferred option.