[My Favorite] Tigressa SoftStyle Carpet by Travis Mack

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Travis is one of our highly specialized Flooring Design Consultants in our Ellicott City/Columbia Showroom.

 

"Hands down, Tigressa Soft Style is my favorite carpet in the store because Tigressa is affordable luxury. It’s all about the fiber. Nylon is the industry leader in carpet fiber and Tigressa has made it even better, giving it a silky smooth touch without compromising its amazing durability.

"The nylon fiber used is half the size of a human hair, allowing Tigressa to pack more of these fine denier filaments per inch. This gives Tigressa its ultra soft feel and making it stronger and more resilient than other nylon fibers. These ultra soft styles are densely tufted and backed by our Gold and Platinum warranties, ensuring these carpets will stand up to nearly anything you can throw at them.

"Offering the lush World of Softness, the warm and cozy Art of Softness, or the higher styling of Uriel and Camael in a beautiful natural color palette, our customers will find the look and feel they are looking for. My personal favorite is the Navajo color in the World of Softness series."

Do you have Tigressa carpet in your home? What style and color did you choose?  How is it performing for you?

Online Home Design Tool Review

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Are you one of those people who likes to collect images?  It doesn't really matter what the picture is of, just that it inspires you, you're drawn to it.

• it could be a color or color scheme
• it could be the layout of a space
• it could be the feel of a area
• it could be a unique item, a piece of art, a nick-knack

Actually, it could be anything.  But I'm getting a little sidetracked...

If you are a fellow image collector (yes, like me), I have found the tool for us! It's Pinterest.com and it's a website that let's you organize various inspiring pictures that you find online with a bookmarking tool.

I personally have not been able to use it yet, but have requested an invitation to join (the website is still in beta stage so they're keeping traffic down).  I learned about it through one if its current members: Camila of Effortless Style.

Here's what Camila, a well known interior design blogger, has to say about pinterest.com:

"Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board. Once you upload the Pin It button to your bookmark tab, you can just click it when you find an image you love... It will then post it on your board and credit the source where it came from. Love this! You’ll never forget where you found an image and with the different boards you can separate things by color, style or even clients!


Plus you can search for items you are looking for (like chevron) and then all of the images tagged as chevron will pop up! Voila instant inspiration!"

Sounds pretty useful doesn't it?  I personally am exited to being able to start using it as I just love to play with different design ideas for various spaces (though I usually have to live vicariously through others).

If you already use Pinterest, what do you think of it?  Is it as useful as it sounds?  Is the website easy to use? 

If you don't currently use Pinterest, how do you pull together design ideas and keep your various inspiration pieces organized?

P.S. - If you are looking to redesign a space in your home (from a small tweak to a major overhaul) inspiration collections are a fantastic way of figuring out how all the pieces should work together.  And they make it much easier when shopping for paint, furniture, fabric, floors, and all the other parts that help turn a house into a home.

[My Favorite] Tigressa SoftStyle by Maureen Schildt

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Maureen Schildt is one of our Flooring Design Consultants in our Historic Downtown Showroom.  Her background is in home design:

"I am completely inspired by color and design.  I enjoy working with different styles, textures, and colors to customize a look that will appeal to you.  I am here as a problem solver, to bring your ideas to life, and to inspire you to live magnificently in your home!"

In this post she talks about why she likes Tigressa Soft Style carpet and also has chosen her favorite style and color.


Maureen Schildt



“The newest, softest, strongest carpet!  This is also an exclusive line in which colors have been developed for us by color experts. The fiber is thinner and woven very slowly making more fiber per square inch thus reducing split ends. It comes in 12’ and 15’ widths, which gives it more flexibility in terms of installation. Styles predominately include Platinum Level Warranties with some Gold Level Warranties. It’s also a Green Select product.

“The style I choose from Tigressa as my favorite is 'Barefoot Soft' in color Dry Dune. I think this is the best multi-color frieze at a reasonable price and warranty level. It has a high end look with a great hand and a lot of great colors.

"Platinum Warranties feature our 90 Day Beautiful Guarantee, 20 Year Texture Retention, 20 Year Wear, and Life on Soil, Stain, and Installation. In addition it features a 10 Year No Exclusions Stain Warranty.”

Tigressa is the Softer, Stronger carpet that has better stain and soil protection

Do you have Tigressa in your home?  If so, what do you think about it?  What color and style did you decide to go with?  (We'd love to see pictures of it on our Facebook page!)

Why Engineered Hardwood is the Wood Floor of the Future

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Its longevity, versatility, and ease of care make hardwood floors the perfect solution to adding simple, timeless beauty (as well as resell value) to any home.
There is some scepticism about engineered hardwood; some even believe it is another name for laminate floors.  This is actually a misconception: engineered hardwood is 100% real hardwood just like solid wood floors.  In fact, I think that engineered hardwood floors are the way of the future for 3 main reasons.

1: Increased Versatility -

Because of the increased structural integrety gained through criss-crossing the layers of wood, enginered wood floors can be installed in more areas of the home than solid woods.

Gaping caused by dry air

These spaces include...

• 1/2 baths (we do not suggest installing any hardwood or other moisture sensitive flooring in full baths)
• kitchens
• basements
• entrance ways
• over concrete slab

Note: all hardwood reacts to changes in humidity levels, here are some ways you can reduce this reaction:

• make sure all hardwood is aclimated to your home before installation
• use humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioning, and/or central heating to control changes in humidity levels within the home

And, of course, promtly clean up any spilled water.

2: Increased Sustainability -

In an engineered piece, the 'pretty' wood layer goes on top with the less attractive parts of the tree carefully layered in the middle to give it structural stability.  This allows for a hardwood floor that holds less of an environmental footprint as more of the tree is used in its construction.

This construction method means fewer highly prized trees such as maples, birches, or exotics need to be harvested.  The inner layered pieces of the engineered hardwood floor can be constructed of the not-so-pretty outer layers of something as common as oak, while leaving that beautiful maple layer on top for all of the world (and your house guests) to see!

And, it is easier and more cost effective to reclaim wood into new floors when it is engineered vs. solid.

3: Increased Cost Efficiency -

Because more of the tree can be used and less of the more expensive trees are needed, the cost of engineered is lower when compared to a solid hardwood of the same quality and the same appearance (when looking at the top layer since that's all will be seen and walked on).

This enables you to go for the more attractive and higher quality hardwood floor while still staying within your budget.

Here are some of the top main misconceptions about engineered hardwood flooring:

1: It's not real wood -

This is a false assumption.  Engineered hardwood is 100% real hardwood.  They take slabs of hardwood and criss-cross them.  That is what they mean by 'engineered.' 

To learn more please take a look at a previous blog post: Engineered Hardwood Floors are real Hardwood Floors, not Laminate.

2: Engineered hardwood is poor quality wood flooring -

Just like everything out there, there is multiple levels of quality and you get what you pay for.  When looking for the differences in quality, ask about the warranty details.  That is the easiest way to determine the quality of any flooring.

3: You cannot sand engineered hardwood so it doesn't last as long -

This is actually less of an important concern now compared to decades past.  With the highly improved wear layers (typically made with aluminum oxide which is as tough as diamonds) and technically advanced manufacturing techniques (such as temperature and moisture control), hardwood floors (as long as they're properly maintained) will rarely need to be sanded and refinished. 

Typically, all that is needed is a screen and refinish (which is much less labor intensive, time consuming, messy, and costly).  And this generally only has to happen every 20 to 25 years for a hardwood floor that is given the proper care and maintenance.

Now, people seem to think that they can sand and refinish a solid hardwood until they reach the subfloor.  This is also not true.  You can only sand the top 20% of the floor for both styles of hardwood flooring which is typically three to five times. 

Do you have hardwood in your home?  If so is it engineered or solid and why did you decide to go with one or the other?

[My Favorite] Tigressa SoftStyle by Martha Bubert

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Martha Bubert is our in-house home design expert.  She has been a part of the Mercer Team for over a decade and received her design degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art.  In this post she talks about why she likes Tigressa SoftStyle and her favorite design.

“Our Tigressa line of carpet uses the newest in nylon fiber technology on the market today. This gives each style the softest feel while maintaining strength and longevity. Using very fine fibers (smaller than a human hair), Tigressa twists twice as many together as other brands to create this great carpet line. Think of a steel cable created by many individual strands for strength.

“Tigressa uses a revolutionary procedure to apply the stain protection as well. During the manufacturing process while the carpet is still warm it is completely submerged into the stain protection. This allows the open cells in the fibers to soak up more stain protection than other brands which simply spray the surface of the carpet once the manufacturing process is complete.

“Tigressa also includes a soil warranty which is rare in this industry. With top warranties in every level, Tigressa will give your home not only the style you desire but the assurance you will always be pleased with its superior performance for the life of the carpet.

“Let me show you the Tigressa cut and loop patterns which are my favorites for today’s modern homes.”

What do you look for in a carpet for your home?

[Flooring Myth] People with Allergies Should Avoid Wool

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Many people think that they're allergic to wool.  In most cases this is not true.

Many people think that any kind of carpet is bad for people with asthma and/or allergies.  This is only true if we're talking about DIRTY carpet, especially with wool.

In this post I'll go over the various parts of this myth including the prick factor, different grades, and some of the natural properties of wool that actually make it good for those with allergies.  I previously wrote a post about dirty carpet and allergies.

The Prick-Factor:

Have you ever worn a wool sweater?  Did it make you itchy?  Then, later, did you wear a different wool sweater that didn't cause you to itch?

The itch is caused by the 'prick-factor'.  Like with anything, there are different quality of wools. 

• Some breeds of sheep have better coats than others
• Some wools go through a better harvesting and refining method than others
• Often the wool closer to the skin is considered to be a higher quality than the rough wool on the outside of the coat that's been exposed to the elements

And, of course, higher quality of wool performs better with the 'touch test' and has a lower 'prick-factor'.  These are the different grades of wool in the carpeting and area rug world:

• Grade 1 - New Zealand Wool: the most durable and luxurious wool available world wide; the prick factor with this grade is all but non-existent
• Grade 2: this is the second best of wools, it's still very soft and durable; the prick factor at this grade is very low
• Grade 3: this is the 3rd best and Mercers doesn't deem it to hold enough quality and value to carry it; this grade could cause you to feel itchy after touching or wearing anything made from it
• Grade 4: this is the worst grade of wool; this is what any horrible feeling sweaters or blankets are made of; it is rarely (if ever) used to make carpeting or rugs; this grade of wool will definitely cause an itchy rash because of its high prick factor

If you're unsure of the quality of wool touch it, rub it...heck, roll on it! The softer the better. If you ever feel itchy or even disgusted at the feel, throw it down and don't look at it again. Good wool should feel inviting. Oh, and because it's such a prestigious name, all New Zealand wool is marked as such.

Natural Benefits of Wool:

Like most natural materials, wool as many features that nature built into it.  A couple that are not necessarily related to allergies are its flame retardant and natural soil repelling nature.

First of all, probably the greatest benefit to allergy sufferers that wool carpet and rug offers is its air filtering quality.  This benefit comes in two parts:

1. Like most soft fibers, wool grabs onto any possible irritants that are floating in the air.  And as long as you vacuum it regularly (like you would clean any other air filter), they won't be kicked back into the air of your home.
2. Wool also grabs onto air pollutants and doesn't release them back into the air, effectively neutralizing them.  Examples of the air pollutants that wool neutralizes include formaldehyde and noxious oxides.
3. It also does not give off any dangerous emissions.

The other great benefit of wool for allergy sufferers is that it naturally resists the growth of allergens such as microbes and dust mites.

Wool area rugs and carpet is a completely natural product that is proven to improve your quality of life because of its many health benefits, its stunning beauty, and its luxurious softness.  Wool is what all of the synthetic fibers attempt to imitate.

My mother raised me and my two brothers (plus our numerous pets and Dad!) on wool rugs.  They still look brand new and we put them through it all, trust me!  All of us have different allergies and none of us ever had any negative reactions to our wool rugs or carpeting. 

Yes, I've touched lower grade wool and it did give me an itchy rash (to the point one time that I thought I had a bad poison ivy reaction).  I will always stand behind the quality of wool rugs and carpet, I even have a (beautiful) rug made from the 2nd grade in my apartment.  You just can't beat the durability and comfort of wool.

I've inbedded two videos for your enjoyment.  What do you think?  The first one is a sheering demonstration and the second is a pleasent view of a herd of sheep with their newborn lambs.






What about you?  Do you have wool in your home?  What do you think of it?

[My Favorite] Tigressa SoftStyle by Dwayne Unger

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In this post, Dwayne Unger will speak about why he likes Tigressa SoftStyle carpet and what his favorite design is.  Dwayne is one of our highly trained sales consultants and specializes in insurance replacement and commercial flooring aspects.

“In case the style name doesn’t convey it, the carpets in this line are SOFT! It used to be that nylons gave you some of the best durability, but you had to have that ‘bullet-proof’, rough feel to get it. Well, Evans and Black and Carpet One Floor and Home International (along with Warren Buffet) teamed up for 2 years to create a carpet line so soft and so strong that only a Tiger can personify it.

“Because of its fiber construction, this carpet line has some of the best warranties available. All Gold and Platinum Warranties assure that you get a minimum of 15 Years on Texture Retention and Stain Resistance (including 10 Years No Exclusions Stain Proof Warranty through 3M’s Everguard). Soiling is also no problem as these fibers shed dirt and clean very easy. Live in your living room!

“My personal favorite is Lost in Soft in Cedar. This warm feel and unique ‘marbling’ of colors catches the eye. Upgrade your pad to HLI* and throw away your bed. This is soft enough to sleep on with only a pillow and sleeping bag!”

*HLI: Healthy Living Installation - helps protect you and your loved ones from germs, dust mites, mold and more.

Do you have Tigressa SoftStyle carpet in your home?  We'd love to hear what you think of it!

A BIG Thanks to All Who Helped

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Our Care Packages for Our Troops campaign was so successful, we've decided to make it into an ongoing drive!

The Westminster Team and 85 care packages!

Highlights:

• 85 care packages packed and ready to ship by 4pm on Sunday, January 30th
• over 40 volunteers helped prepare the care packages
• about 70 of the care packages were packed within the 1st hour
• volunteers started showing up 45 minutes early
• over 100 people helped by donating time, money, and/or items
• we recieved about $1,000 in monetary donations that were used to purchase more items, shipping supplies, and pay for shipping costs
• our youngest helper was about 4 years old; many children helped out for community service hours



We're thrilled to say the least and would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who helped. 



Event Sponsors:

• Sherri of Birdie's Coffeehouse donated coffee for the volunteers at the event; she also helped spread the word - http://www.birdiescoffee.com/
• Karndean International donated $650 - http://www.karndean.com/
• Shaw Floors donated $100 - http://www.shawfloors.com/
• WTTR donated air time to help spread the word - http://www.wttr.com/
• Carroll County Times donated ad space and put us on the front page with their article about it - http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/westminster-store-sending-more-than-packages-to-troops-overseas/article_00bfd386-2cf5-11e0-a787-001cc4c002e0.html

Individuals:

• Vic
• Austin
• Amanda
• James
• Matthew
• Dwayne
• Kevin
• Jeff
• Maureen
• Martha
• Travis
• Brooke
• Jim

This list of people and companies that helped out is by no means complete.  If you'd like to see an up to date list, take a look at this Facebook Note. 

If you'd like to see more pictures of the event, check out our Facebook album.

If you are just hearing about this and would like to help, learn more at our website.  We have a drop box to accept item and monetary donations in our Westminster Showroom.  When the donation box is full, we'll send another batch of care packages to our troops.

Be sure to check back as I'll keep you posted with new developments!

Did you help out?  If so I'd love to hear your thoughts!  How can we improve the event?

To our troops and their loved ones, thank you for everything you are doing, have done, and will do for our nation.  We stand behind you and appreciate the saccrafices you have made, are making, and will make.  It is because of you that we are 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.'  Be safe and remember that we are thinking of you.

How to Find a Floor that Improves your Quality of Life

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How can discovering the right floor improve the quality of life for you and your family?

• decreased stress about damaging or staining your floors
• decreased time spent cleaning and maintaining your floors
• increased pleasure gained from the overall design of your home
• increased 'life' of the floor = decreased replacement costs

To name some of the basic benefits you can get from finding the best floor for the needs and wants of your lifestyle.  And that, at Mercer Carpet One, is our goal.

We've seen time and time again the costs occurred from someone putting the wrong or an 'ok' floor in their home.  So it's our imperative to provide you the information you need to make that important decision that too many skimp on.

So, here are 10 questions that you should know the answer to before shopping for a new floor:

1. Where is my new floor going?
2. How will/do I use the space?
3. What feeling am I hoping to achieve in the space?
4. Does anyone in my family have any allergies that I need to consider?
5. Is an environmentally responsible flooring choice important to me?
6. Is it important to me to buy products that are made in the U.S.A?
7. Will I be installing it myself or do I want a professional?
8. Is this space prone to high humidity levels or spills?
9. What DO you like about the floor you currently have?
10. What DON'T you like about your current floor?
11. How much am I willing to spend without the use of any financing?  How about with financing?

All of these questions are important.  Make sure you answer them fully and in detail.  Do new, clarifying questions appear as you are answering the 11 above?  Answer these as well.  If you need to, jot down your notes.  Use your notes when researching and when you start your shopping.

Yes!  We want you to research what options are best for you!  If you need to, ask us questions at any time.  Sadly, there are a lot of flooring myths and misconceptions out there in cyber space.  So if you're seeing contradicting statements, feel free to ask for clarification.  Our team receives the best training in the industry and we'll be glad to help!

In addition to your notes, you're going to want to bring these when shopping for new flooring:

• a basic floor sketch
• approximate dimensions
• paint swatches
• cloth samples
• other items for design inspiration
• a friend (it's always good to have a second opinion!)

What do you think?  Did I leave any important questions, considerations, or tools out?  Would you rather I went into more detail about something?