Carpet Recycling UK wants more partners

Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) works with 80% of the United Kingdom's carpet and textile flooring manufacturers, and it is seeking more partnerships to reduce textile flooring waste.

Carpets in North Wales and Chester are regularly recycled to prevent them from going to landfills. Condor Carpets and Penthouse Carpets are two of the major manufacturers whose waste textiles are recycled in the region by CRUK.

More industry support for CRUK will, according to its manager Adnan Zeb-Khan, add weight to the organisation’s discussions with the government on waste management policies.

Carpet manufacturers are developing new carpets that include recycled materials and contain mostly textiles that can be recycled. A partnership with CRUK saves carpet manufacturers thousands of pounds a year on disposal costs. CRUK also claims that, when tendering for commercial work, carpet suppliers and fitters can be looked on favourably if they use CRUK to dispose of waste textile flooring.

In a statement, Adnan Zeb-Khan said:

“Our ultimate aim is to move carpet and textile flooring up the waste hierarchy and create circularity to maximise the use of these resources.”

CRUK hopes that low-cost carpets can be made from recycled carpet waste for use in social housing and affordable property developments.

In 2020, 70% of waste carpets were diverted by CRUK from dumping in landfills. More up-to-date figures are due to be publicised at the CRUK annual conference in June this year. If more carpet manufacturers join CRUK, the percentage of carpets recycled could be nearer to 100%.

How long should a carpet last?

People love the feel of soft carpets in their Cheshire homes. Carpet experts are often asked when it is time to replace carpets. There is no exact answer to this question, as a carpet's lifetime depends on several factors. These include the quality of the carpet, how busy the household is and whether the carpet has been regularly cleaned.

Interior designer Artem Kropovinsky says:

"In general, if your carpet is older than 10 years, a replacement is probably needed."

After a decade of use, carpet fibres may wear, making the carpet look worn and feel less comfortable to tread on in bare or stocking feet. However, a carpet in a room with light footfall that has been well looked after could be in good condition for well over ten years.

Foot traffic, or how many people tread on the carpet, influences its lifespan. A living room or hallway carpet in a busy family home will show signs of wear quicker than a bedroom carpet.

Another sign that a carpet needs changing is when colours deteriorate. Cream carpets may look brown, and deep blue shades may turn lighter. This is often caused by bright sunlight.

If a carpet has stains that cannot be removed with deep cleaning, it is probably time to change it.

Carpets in hallways and on stairs in households with pets and a large family will need replacing more often than bedroom carpets.

Even if your carpet is in decent condition, you may want to replace it because you no longer like its look, or you wish to renovate the room in a different decor style.

Pets that scratch a carpet also shorten its life. If the carpet has tears, especially in high-traffic areas, it will need replacing.

If the carpet is old, even if it doesn't look worn, you may want to change it for one with a more up-to-date style, especially when renovating a room.

If you want a carpet to last a long time, buy a good quality one and keep it clean. It also makes a difference if you don't wear outdoor shoes in the house as wearing slippers or just socks means less carpet wear.

When it's time for a change of carpet, visit your local carpet retailer to look at the latest carpet colours and patterns.

Will laminate flooring increase my home’s value?

Most people will want to do everything that they possibly can to increase the market value of their homes. It can sometimes be presumed that this is an issue only for those with immediate plans to sell and move elsewhere, but that is certainly not the case.

Of course, it does apply to homeowners in that position, but your home is an asset and maximising its value is always a good idea. You may want to move in the future and being able to get the best price for your current home will help you with that.

Flooring is one part of the home that can potentially be upgraded to improve its market value. Laminate is a popular floor choice, but is it one that will increase the value of a home?

Laminate: A Choice for Increasing Value?

Essentially the answer to that question is: yes, with some reservations. Laminate is a floor choice that can closely replicate the look of other desirable types of material like hardwood, at a much lower cost to the customer. That makes it a very popular selection for people who want an attractive floor on a restricted budget and strong visual appeal can certainly help boost the value of a home.

However, there are issues with it that can act against that. There are some key factors that determine whether laminate will increase or decrease the value of your home.

• Location

• Condition

• Quality

• Design

Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Location

This is one of the most important factors. What rooms within the house you are fitting laminate floors in will play a big role in deciding what effect it has on the value. Laminate is best suited to rooms like kitchens. That is because it is an easy type of flooring to wipe clean.

It can also now be a good choice for bathrooms due to new technology that provides it with a coating that protects against water damage. Excess water should still be removed from the floor fairly quickly though, to prevent longer term degradation.

On the other hand, if you fit laminate in high traffic areas like a living room where people will pay particular notice to the floors, it could act against the overall value. That is because scratches on laminate cannot be refinished as they can with hardwood.

Condition

That brings us to the next point – the condition of the floors. If kept in good condition, laminate floors can be very attractive to the eye, but if they are fitted in rooms that have heavy footfall and become discoloured or scratched, that will not increase your property’s value. The location and condition of laminate floors are closely linked to one another.

You can take steps to protect laminate floors by sweeping them on a regular basis. Take particular care to remove sand and small pebbles or stones that can get lodged in boots or shoes and cause the surface to get scratched. Cleaning should be done carefully with a damp, rather than wet, mop and a gentle brand of floor cleaner.

Quality

The next thing that can determine the impact of laminate floors on property value is the overall quality of them. Opting for high grade laminate will ensure it lasts longer and continues to look good years after it was installed. There are things that you can do to make sure you get good quality.

For one, look for the AC rating. This will tell you how durable the laminate is, with higher ratings like AC3 or AC4 being better quality. The texture will also be important if you want laminate that looks like hardwood. Embossed laminate floors will replicate the feel and the look of wood most closely.

Always buy your laminate floors from a reputable company with many years in the business and a good word-of-mouth reputation. That way you should be able to get the answers to any queries you have before anything is installed in your home.

Design

The design of the laminate flooring is the last major factor that will determine their effect on the value of your home. A laminate floor that has been manufactured to look like another type of material will be better than one that has not.

Laminates are created through a manufacturing process that involves blending together several layers – a base, core, decorative and wear layer – and you should make sure that the decorative layer is effective. This is what people will be looking at and you want it to be as attractive to the eye as possible.

Choose a design and a colour that work well together as aesthetic appeal does a lot to enhance the value of a property.

Laminate floors can increase value if you choose well and look after them properly.

Expert reveals how to keep floors looking as good as new

Whether you have carpets, or smooth floors such as wood, vinyl or laminate flooring in your Chester or North Wales home, in a busy household the floors are walked on every day. Unless floors are well maintained, they can look stained and dusty. A flooring expert has shared her top tips for keeping all types of flooring looking fresh.

Flooring brand director Johanna Constantinou says that before vacuuming the floor, first clean the vacuum. Dirty filters and full bags can decrease suction power by half. Bags need replacing when they are three-quarters full. Change filters every three months.

If deep pile carpets lose their bounce, refresh them with baking soda and vinegar. Sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet and brush it in so that it penetrates the pile. Leave it overnight then vacuum the carpet. After vacuuming, spray with a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar. Use a stiff brush to work the mixture into the fibres to eliminate odours and bacteria.

Johanna Constantinou warns against making a smooth floor too wet.

“There is no need to use multiple cleaners and finishing products as you don't want to risk soaking your floors with a wet mop because excess moisture can seep through the surface and can cause lifting and warping.”

Don’t use steam cleaners on wood or laminate floors as these can discolour the flooring. Most smooth flooring can be cleaned with a dry mop, or use a cleaning solution formulated for your smooth floor type.

What’s the difference between regular and luxury vinyl flooring?

Vinyl flooring is easily one of the most popular choices for homes and businesses. This is because it is a flooring type that can last for a very long time while also requiring fairly minimal levels of maintenance to keep it looking good.

People like vinyl because it is able to mimic the appearance of other flooring choices at a lower cost. It is possible to get vinyl floors that look like wood, stone and other surfaces, but that are much cheaper and easier to install than these materials would be.

There are two different versions of vinyl flooring though: regular and luxury vinyl. It is important to know the differences between them so that you can pick the best one for your home or commercial premises. That is what we will look at in this article.

The differences between regular and luxury vinyl

There are several basic differences between these two types of floor surface. They are the following:

• Manufacturing

• Thickness

• Installation

• Appearance

• Maintenance

We will look at each of them in turn.

Manufacturing

Although they are both made from PVC vinyl, regular and luxury vinyl floors are manufactured in very different ways. Regular vinyl is made by bonding a layer of vinyl to a backing layer that is usually made out of a materials such as fibreglass or felt. After that has been completed, the chosen design style is then imprinted onto it and a protective covering that is transparent is added as the final stage of the manufacture.

Luxury vinyl floors are available as both tiles and planks. They are made up of multiple layers of material rather than just two, usually anything between six and eight. These include two backing layers made from PVC and fibreglass that provide rigidity and strength; a foam layer of cushioning; the main vinyl layer with the chosen design printed on it; a layer over that to prevent damage; and a transparent layer to provide sheen.

Each plank or tile of a luxury vinyl floor is made separately in this way before they are fitted together during installation, whereas regular vinyl consists of a single sheet.

Thickness

Another difference between the two is how thick they typically are. Regular vinyl is a very thin floor surface that usually has a wear layer of between 10mm and 15mm. Despite this, it is a pretty durable and long-lasting surface, but the thinness does mean that it can be harsh underfoot if it is laid over a hard surface such as concrete.

As you might expect given the multi-layered manufacturing process, luxury vinyl is a much thicker floor surface. The wear layers alone will usually be anything between 2 mm and 8 mm in thickness, and there are several additional layers involved in creating it. That means it provides a comfortable surface to walk on whatever the floor underneath is made out of.

Installation

The installation process for regular vinyl flooring involves bonding it to the floor underlay with glue. In some cases it can be fitted with this glue bond only at the perimeter of the vinyl, so that it is attached to the underlay solely at the edges and seams. Glue bonding is always the fitting metho, however.

Luxury vinyl involves a more complicated installation. The tiles or planks are usually fitted to the floor using a system known as click-clock that interlocks them at their edges.

Appearance

One thing that regular and luxury vinyl floors have in common is that they can both be printed with designs that make them look like stone, wood, ceramic or porcelain tile floors. However, because regular vinyl is a single smooth piece of material, it does not replicate the look of individual tiles or planks of wood very closely.

As luxury vinyl is made up of separate planks or tiles to begin with, it achieves a wood or tile effect more convincingly. Nevertheless, it will only really be noticeable if you are paying close attention to the floor.

Maintenance

Sweeping, vacuuming or wiping with a damp cloth are the standard methods of maintaining both of the surfaces on a day-to-day basis. They are equally easy to keep clean. It is only when it comes to longer term maintenance that clear differences between them emerge.

Regular vinyl is quite thin and soft, which can leave it prone to rips or scratches – especially if you have children or pets. The greater thickness and hardness of luxury vinyl means that kind of damage is a lot less likely to occur. Thus, it is the floor choice that will last for longer in most circumstances.

Both of these flooring choices have their advantages and which you pick could depend on whether longevity or cost is your prime consideration. Speak to an expert for information about pricing.