Important facts to know when purchasing a carpet…

Diamond Floorings have been trusted suppliers and installers of quality carpets for many years this is why we have put together a few things you should remember when buying a new carpet as we want you to have as many years of satisfaction as possible.

The Importance of Underlay: Some may argue that the underlay is as important as the carpet as it extends the life of your carpet and helps keep your carpet looking better for longer. Underlay also provides better noise and heat insulation than carpet alone. Like carpet, underlay is available in various grades and qualities. If replacing carpet, don’t be tempted to use the existing underlay. It will have the same wear patterns as your old carpet and these will quickly appear in a new carpet. Ask our friendly Sales Team about the options available when you visit our showroom in Ashford’s Orbital Park.

Carpet Maintenance: Carpet must be regularly maintained by following the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance procedures, which typically include:

• Treating spots and stains as soon as they occur
• Regular vacuuming – All carpets will benefit from regular vacuuming approximately twice a week general use areas and more often in high traffic areas such as hallways
• Professional cleaning every 12 – 18 months

An upright brush rotating cleaner is generally the most appropriate, however some carpets benefit with the use of a suction vacuum cleaner. If you are unsure, we can contact the carpet manufacturers. When a carpet is new it should receive extra maintenance for the first three months as most new carpets will shed more during this period. Do not refrain from vacuuming as this will allow grit to settle into the carpet and cause unnecessary abrasion and soiling to the pile. Whenever possible all carpets should have some protection where you sit, as this will always be the most vulnerable area in the room. Your assistance in this matter can only help lengthen the life of your carpet. Please ask Diamond Floorings for details on your carpet manufacturers recommendations.

Colour variation & appearance change: Carpet will gradually change in appearance over time due to normal use and fading from exposure to ultra violet radiation from sunlight. While sunlight is the most common cause of fading, household chemicals can also contribute to change in colour. Similarly, high temperature and humidity conditions may accelerate the onset of fading. The Carpet Institute recommends that carpet be protected from sunlight by use of shading devices such as window reflective films, curtains, awnings and blinds.

Shading: All cut pile carpets are subject to shading with use to pile pressure. This will appear in traffic areas due to the yarn slanting at a different angle to the unused portion. The effect can create a slight difference in colour and is also more apparent in plain carpets. This is not detrimental to the durability of the carpet and is not regarded as a manufacturing fault. This is also commonly known as pile reversal and can give the appearance of watermarking. This is an intrinsic characteristic of a carpet and has nothing to do with discolouration.

Pile flattening: Carpet pile will flatten to some extent due to normal use. Regular vacuuming and periodic professional cleaning will reduce the degree of flattening.

Matting: Is a wear-induced characteristic that is seen as the merging together of carpet tufts to the stage where they may become less defined. Matting occurs in all carpets to some extent and is not considered a manufacturing defect unless it occurs rapidly or to an unacceptable degree.

Shedding: Is the term used to describe the release from the carpet yarn of very small fibres that collect on the surface of the carpet. Shedding is activated by foot traffic and vacuuming and is usually only seen in new carpet installations. Please do not be alarmed as it is completely normal and as a carpet ‘settles’ or ‘beds down’, shedding becomes less and less noticeable.

Sprouting: Is the release onto the carpet surface of extra-long tuft legs that are trapped within the carpet pile during manufacture, installation or use. Sprouts can be carefully trimmed with napping shears/scissors without damaging the carpet.

New caret smell: Smell from new carpet installation should, with good room ventilation, disappear within approximately four days of the carpet being installed.

Different widths & batch matching: All widths of carpets are permitted a legal tolerance of +/- 1.25% which conforms to the British Standards Institute No 3655. When different widths and rolls are being used no guarantee can be given regarding colour or pattern repeat (unless the manufacturer guarantees to batch match across different widths – please ask Diamond Floorings for more details on these manufacturers).

Stain protection guarantees: Carpets that consist of stain resistant properties does not imply that any spillage incurred can be removed. This protection will allow you more time to absorb the spillage before is penetrates deep into the yarn and therefore assists you in maintaining a better appearance retention. Never use any detergent such as dishwashing liquids, soap or any other cleaners recommended for general household use. Although they may clean the carpet satisfactorily they will almost certainly cause problems such as rapid re-soiling, colour bleeding or other damage to the pile or backing. Please check your carpet manufacturers guidelines for details.

Guarantees: Some manufacturers offer guarantees on their carpets. Each varies and requires you to follow certain criteria to ensure your carpet stays within these guarantees so it is always advisable to check the terms and conditions of the guarantee. Diamond Floorings offer no guarantee regarding the appearance retention of a carpet, as this is totally dependent upon the amount of foot traffic, individual attention and maintenance of the goods received. Diamond Floorings does however offer a full 1 year fitting guarantee on all our installations.

Other important things to remember about having new carpets fitted:

Sub floor preparation: If the concrete or wooden sub floor is undulating or has any slight ridges Diamond Floorings may recommend the floor require extra preparation - especially in the case of installing plain carpet and hard flooring. This will improve the appearance of the new carpet and help it look better for longer. The preparation work will be discussed during your site visit by one of the Diamond Floorings Estimators and priced as required.

Wastage: A small percentage of wastage sometimes occurs with fitted carpets as the carpets come in certain widths and there is an element of cutting waste. Every effort is made to minimise this wastage whilst at the same time ensuring that the work is carried out in a satisfactory manner. All small offcuts will be removed and disposed of, if you wish to keep any of the off cuts please let your fitter know.

Disposal of existing floor coverings: The customer can remove and dispose of the flooring prior to our arrival or Diamond Floorings offer an uplift and disposal service at a small charge.

Moving furniture: All areas should be cleared of furniture by the customer prior to installing a carpet. If this is not practical, please let us know prior to installation and we can arrange additional labour and we can price accordingly depending on the extent of the furniture involved.

Removal and cutting/trimming of doors: Sometimes your new carpet can be thicker than your old flooring; this may mean the doors no longer clear the new floor height. In the event of the new carpet being too thick for the existing clearance we can remove the doors and set aside. As Diamond Flooring do not cut doors the customer will then need to arrange for these to be cut by a carpenter directly.

Storage: Carpets can be stored for up to 12 months, providing full payment is received up front prior to the goods being received onto our premises.

Underfloor pipes/wiring: Some installations require us to penetrate the customers’ existing floor, such as when we nail down the gripper rods or secure ply boarding with pins or nails (maximum 19mm). Very rarely do we get issues but if the location of the pipes, cabling or underfloor heating have been incorrectly installed or their location cannot be ascertained no responsibility can be accepted by Diamond Floorings for damage to under floor piping, cabling and heating or the subsequent damage, such as flooding, unless the exact locations are given in writing prior to installation.

If you have any further questions or need more advice please pop into our showroom or call 01233 500000.