The Naive Floor Covering Consumer

The Naive Floor Covering Consumer

by Terry Weinheimer 

The kitchen is the hub of the average house.  While preparing a meal we constantly move between the range, sink, and refrigerator.  While using other parts of the house we go back and forth to the kitchen for beverages and snacks.  In many houses a laundry area or bathroom are next to the kitchen.  Some houses have a door between the kitchen and garage. Many kitchens have a door to a patio area or backyard.  With every foot step tracked in soil is ground against the floors finish and this results in the loss of luster.  It takes but a few grains of ground in abrasive soil to do a lot of damage to almost any floor covering.

 Unfortunately many consumers have never been taught about flooring maintenance. These same consumers find it difficult to understand why the floor appears so scratched up, dingy or dull.  They sweep or vacuum the floor every now and then but it still gives the appearance of having been scratched with a wire brush or sandpaper. The consumer sees this as a floor failure when in truth it is usually a maintenance issue.

The kitchen is not the only place in a house that receives constant cross traffic and is subjects to damage from abrasive soil.  Any area that has floor covering installed in it will require preventive maintenance to keep the floor appearing good and reduce potential damage.

As a consumer it is your responsibility to learn how to properly care for your floor covering. Sure you were told that the floor covering had a 25-year warranty but what did that truly mean? Many times a warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. Do not wait for the salesperson or dealer to supply you with the warranty and maintenance information. A smart consumer will obtain that information before signing on the dotted line and when you do read the small print very carefully. Doing otherwise may prove to be a very expensive mistake.

A Shameless Industry

A Shameless Industry - by Terry Weinheimer

Most rational adults recognize the exaggerated marketing techniques used by the magazine sweepstakes industry. Almost monthly you receive mailers announcing that your name has been selected to win a large amount of money. Of course, when you read the small print you will usually understand the difference between being selected to win and actually winning. In reality it should come as no surprise that you are just being baited to purchase magazine subscriptions. Yes, you might win something; you probably have a one in a million chance of winning the 50-cent prize and a one in a billion chance of winning that grand prize.

While I hate to admit it, I often see advertising in the floor covering industry that is reminisce of the sweepstakes industry. It is shameless that our own industry day-after-day advertises floors as if they were indestructible and self-cleaning when we know this not to be true. Just like the suckers that bite on the magazine deals, gullible individuals that fail to read the small print in our own ads are taking the bait. Some of the most misleading manufacturers and retailers produce and sell some fine floor covering products. In their quest for a larger market share these otherwise respectable companies allow the advertising departments to push the limits.

Consumers are purchasing flooring products based on the way they perceive the advertising. When they find that their new floor actually requires care and is not indestructible they feel violated or believe that the product is truly defective. Within months of installation the complaints start to pour in but the practice of misleading advertising seems to continue.

In addition to the exaggerated advertising claims our industry has many sales people who stretch the limits even further to make a sale! Week-after-week and day-after-day, as a floor-covering inspector/consultant this author investigates claims where flooring products have been sold as indestructible. At many of these installations the consumer has done everything possible to prove that these indestructible floors can be damaged. Scratch resistant floors have been sold as scratch proof and they often look as if someone has used a garden rake on them. Some floors are swollen and popping off the substrate from leaking dishwashers, broken pipes or pure abuse and the consumer insist they have been told that no amount of water would damage the floor.

For nearly 20 years I have been out of the sales business. I owned floor covering stores for many years. I must admit that there were times that I was tempted to oversell, and in truth there were times that I gave in to those temptations. As a young entrepreneur I had a struggling retail store. I had high goals but was not producing enough volume. The first high-volume salesperson that I ever hired turned out to be an individual that exaggerated the value and ability of products. With dollar signs in my eyes I found myself impressed by his sales production and the profit margin at which he produced. Within days of hiring this man the complaints started to come in from consumers that were misled and overcharged. My own greed had allowed me to believe that the increased sales that he had brought to our struggling store were needed.  In a very short period of time I had allowed my own greed to pull me into his gutter.

It took a couple of weeks before I started to realize that dishonest techniques were not needed to make sales and if they were I was in the wrong business. I recognized that I was giving up my self-respect, and I had been raised to respect it highly. Within the month I had let this sales person go but it took many months to overcome the damage I had allowed him to create during his short stay. From that time on, when I caught employees using blatantly misleading statements, they were immediately reminded that if they could not sell honestly they would be shown the door.

Most companies understand that our industry has no room for salespeople that are going to run your business into the ground. Some of us had to learn this the hard way!

Carpet Cleaning Systems Compared

With all cleaning methods a wall-to-wall carpet needs to be thoroughly vacuumed prior to cleaning to remove any heavy soil such as silicates (the primary constituent of soil), without this pre-vacuuming, dirt and sand are forced to the backing of the carpet.

Absorbent Powder / Dry Extraction Cleaning: An absorbent granular material that has been incorporated into a mixture of detergent, solvent and water is brushed into the carpet pile with a machine incorporating a double cylindrical brush. Once the material has dried the carpet is vacuumed to remove the powder and the soil that it has captured. The best use for the absorbent powder cleaning method is the commercial installation where the carpet is cleaned regularly and requires quick drying.

Bonnet/Spin Pad: This method in appearance is similar to the rotary shampoo method. The machine used is essentially the same. A detergent is usually sprayed onto the carpet. A rotating absorbent pad spins and agitates the carpet fibers as the soil is collected into the pad. This method improperly preferred on cut pile carpet can cause untwisting of the face pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for this method of cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.

Cylindrical Foam Shampoo: The cylindrical foam method uses a machine with an air compressor that whips the shampoo solution into heavy foam. The foam is brushed into the carpet with a cylindrical brush. Once the carpet has dried it is vacuumed to remove the shampoo and the particles that have theoretically bonded to it. Not all of the shampoo and soil is actually captured but instead much of it is forced deeper into the pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for cylindrical foam cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.

Rotary Shampoo: The Rotary shampoo method uses chemicals similar to those used with cylindrical foam. The rotary floor machine usually has an attached solution tank for the shampoo solution. The diluted solution is fed through a tub to a “shower-feed” where it is applied to the carpet. While the shampoo is being applied a round brush on the machine is scrubbing the carpet. This shampoo method uses more moisture than the cylindrical brush method. The rotary shampoo method is not recommended for use on cut pile carpet as it can cause untwisting of the face pile.

Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction: With this method a non-foaming detergent is injected into the carpet fibers and is almost simultaneously vacuumed out of the carpet taking the dirt and soil with it. The extraction method when performed a skilled technician and quality chemicals will leave very residue to attract to soil. In the hands of an unskilled person the carpet can be over-wet.

Optical Brighteners (color brighteners): While not a cleaning method, optical brighteners are found in some cleaning products. These brighteners or dyes can make a carpet appear cleaner while at the same time having a harmful effect on carpet fibers. Technical people in the carpet industry have unanimously taken a stand against the use of brightening agents in the cleaning process. But, even with all of the adverse publicity, optical brighteners or color brighteners, as they are often called, are still used in some spot cleaning products, shampoo, dry-foam and extraction detergents. Optical brighteners are actually dyes, which reflect the light and eventually cause yellowing in carpet fibers. For this reason alone they should not be used for normal carpet maintenance.

Selecting a Carpet Cleaner

Beware of companies that solicit business over the telephone, or offer cheap prices through mailers, newspaper and other media. While reliable companies advertise in many of the same media the bait and switch companies offer prices that appear too low to be true and they usually are.

Check references by asking friends whom they have used and been happy with. Ask the store you bought the carpet from or another local retailer for names of reliable Cleaning companies. Call the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification - IICRC for names of certified companies in your area. That number for the computerized referral directory is (800) 835-4624.Whether the company is recommended or certified it is always a good idea to check references from more than one source.

When feasible have a representative of the cleaning firm visit your home and inspect the carpet for cleaning. Have them explain to you what they are going to do and obtain a written estimate in advance of the job. Written estimates not only help you to compare services it protects you against later on being charged for services that were already included. If large pieces of furniture such as beds, dressers, hutches and entertainment systems are to be moved, have them listed on the estimate.

Warning! Many cleaning companies quote a low price in the newspaper or on the phone. When they arrive at the house they add on a variety of services, many of which should have been included to begin with. E.g., spot removal, preconditioning, deep cleaning, triple processes, pile setting, vacuuming, sanitizing, etc. They charge and additional fee for each of the additional services and in most cases you are paying more for a poor job than you would have paid to the quality company who appeared more expensive in the beginning.

Carpet Maintenance Problems and Tips

Several maintenance problems and preventative steps are common to most carpet installations. While the problem may not be as severe in a residence as it is in a commercial building, school, or office structure the same basic steps should be followed with all carpet installations. A carpet will not look good unless it is properly maintained. Good maintenance requires a small amount of consistent effort.

Transition Areas: A transition area is an area where carpet meets with hard surface flooring or an outside door. At this type of location the carpet will soil more rapidly then most other high traffic areas. The best way to protect the appearance of a carpet and increase its longevity is to take protective measures. At all transition areas use walk-off mats or area rugs to trap soil. Vacuum the protective mats and the carpet near transition areas on a regular basis.

Vacuum deeply and frequently at least once or twice a week. Professional carpet inspectors go into installations where people often claim to vacuum daily and even more often and perhaps they do. Many of these carpets are found to be full of fiber damaging abrasive soil that has not been vacuumed out.

On carpet that is vacuumed frequently excess soil is due to either using an inefficient vacuum or the carpet is vacuumed too quickly.

Thorough vacuuming requires two or three, slow, methodical passes of the vacuum head to remove that imbedded soil. In high traffic areas and in areas such as an entrance or next to a hard surface floor covering extra passes need to be taken. A once per week thorough vacuuming will do more good then the daily quick over.

Spot Removal: Give prompt attention to spots and spills. A wet area be-it water, beverage, etc need to be blotted up immediately. If left for an extended period of time, wet areas and the residues from almost any type of spill will pick up soil making it more difficult to clean.

Most spots can be removed with a water-dampened towel. For information on removing a new spot or a spot that will not come out, the Carpet and Rug Institutes offers a toll-free information line for assistance. The CRI can be reached at 1-800-882-8846.

Recurring Spots: In most situations recurring spots are a maintenance problem and not a carpet problem. Often it is the spot cleaning that is causing the problem. A spot removal product is used on the carpet and the spot returns. The spot is again cleaned and returns. The most common cause of this is the spot cleaning residues are not being removed and they are attracting soil. Many detergent residues leave behind sticky residues that attract soil.

Test your spot removal and other cleaning products to make sure that they are not leaving behind sticky residues. This evaluation is accomplished my mixing the solution to the recommended dilution ratio.

• Place an ounce or two of this solution in a petris dish, bowl, dish or another flat, clean, container. Allow the solution to evaporate and examine the residue to determine if it is sticky, waxy or has turned to a hard crystal like or powder consistency. You will want to stay away from products that dry to a waxy, sticky or oily residue.

Another common cause of recurring spots is the over use of a product. All to often a person will believe that if a drop does a good job several drops will do a better job. Detergents do not work that way. They are formulated to work efficiently at specified concentrates. While the correctly mixed product would have done a great job the higher concentrate will leave residues to attract soil.

Frequent cleaning is a must. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends deep cleaning every 12 to 18 months. Various carpet and fiber manufacturers have minimum recommendations of their own and you need to be familiar with these for the carpet that you sell. A carpet with an active family and pets will usually require more frequent cleaning than one with an adult couple and no pets. Remember that the longer a dirt or stain is there the harder it can be to get out. With synthetic fiber oily soil will actually bond over time and this will never come out.

Wicking: A carpet is wet cleaned, appears beautiful while wet, but when it dries it again looks soiled. At times the carpet may remain its clean appearance for two to three days. This condition takes place when the soil is suspended within the cleaning solution and it moves to the base of the tufts. As the carpet dries the moisture and soil move to the surface through capillary action and end up on the surface of the carpet. Cleaning the carpet again will often result in a repeat of this condition. This condition is seen more often on looped pile carpets in light colors that are constructed with a yarn such as olefin that absorbs little moisture. While more common here it can occur with any carpet style, fiber or color.

Carpet that tends to wick is an indication that either an increase in the frequency or thoroughness of the vacuuming is needed. If this alone does not take care of the problem a change in the cleaning method should be tried.

Carpet that tends to wick can be cleaned using dry absorbent compounds or bonnet cleaning which is a method that uses a spin pad on a buffing machine. A more thorough cleaning can be achieved by extraction cleaning followed by the spin pad. The spin pad will remove the additional soil and moisture and increase the speed of drying. While unusual, carpets in some installations require bonnet cleaning after the carpet has been wet cleaned and dried. If this problem is experienced it may be best to only bonnet clean and increase the frequency.

Dust Mites: Dust Mite allergen must be inhaled to induce an allergic reaction. These little rascals are found on carpet, bedding, furniture, draperies or any other places that dust lands. Thorough vacuuming and routine cleaning best controls this allergen. Cleaning and vacuuming studies have shown that the levels of dust mite allergen can be reduced by more than 92 percent through proper maintenance.

Stain Resistant Treatments: As hard as you look you will not find a carpet that is fully stain proof. Many carpets have stain resistant warranties. Most of these warranties will exclude non-food and non-beverage substances. They will also exclude such foods and beverages that contain strongly colored natural substantive dyes that are found for example in mustard, herbal tea and some coffee. Other common exclusions include bleaches, acne medications, drain cleaners, plant food, strong alkalis and strong acids. Most will also exclude discolorations from vomit, urine and feces.

Tile and Stone Maintenance

Remove soil with a broom, non-oily dust mop or vacuum on a daily basis. Soil can abrade a floor as badly as taking sandpaper to it.

Broom: When selecting a broom find one with a bristle that matches the floor surface. A soft broom or brush is recommended for smooth surfaces. A medium-soft bristle is ideal for texture surfaces.

Vacuum: A vacuum cleaner works better than a broom on textured surfaces. On large floor areas a vacuum is almost always quicker than sweeping.

Damp mop for routine maintenance, using a damp mop or damp cloth. Damp mopping will pick up microscopic abrasive soils and potential staining agents. Damp mopping on a regular basis is recommended for most smooth surfaces. All surfaces should be swept of vacuumed before mopping.

• Remove stubborn debris by scrapping with a putty knife.
• Washing should be performed regularly. The most frequent problems encountered with tile and stone floors are related to ineffective or lack of maintenance. For most surfaces clean with an approved tile or stone cleaning product or use clear water and a mild non-sudsy detergent.
• Thoroughly rinse with clear warm water and wipe the floor dry. Dirty mop water residue is a frequent problem and a major cause of complaint. A two-bucket rinse method will help to prevent a floor from graying out due to soil residues.
• While glazed tiles have good stain resistance spills of any type should always be wiped up immediately.
• Allow tile to dry before placing back into use.

Grout Maintenance

• To remove stubborn stains clean with a fiber or nylon scrubbing pad and grout cleaner.
• Whitening Grout use a commercial grout cleaner that will bleach the grout. If a grout will not whiten removal and replacement is another option.

Cleaning Chemicals

• Natural soaps will help to provide sealing and/or dressing function for stone floors. The best soaps are vegetable based. Highly recommended are specialty soaps that have been formulated for use on most natural stone floors and other stone surfaces.
• Detergents are synthetic surface-active agents (surfactants). They are effective at picking up soils and emulsifying grease and oil. These wetting agents are very effective cleaners. When selecting a detergent for stone cleaning its selection needs to be carefully evaluated for compatibility with the stone.
• Acids are used for removing grout haze, mineral deposits and rust. Care must be taken as acidic type chemicals will attack lime and cement. Caution must be taken with acids and acidic pH products as they attack the polish on marbles and limestone.
• Phosphoric acid, citric acid and sulfamic acid is preferred over muratic, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids in most situations for both safety and control issues.
• Abrasives should only be used on non-polished surfaces. Abrasives can be used in conjunction with detergents or soaps for scouring and removing thin layers from the tile or stone surface.
• Leaches are typically oxidizing agents (generate oxygen) and are helpful in stain removal. Non-hazardous enzyme types are available.

Stain Removal from Stone

• Coffee: glycerin, ammonia, enzyme cleaners
• Copper/bronze: ammonium chloride & talc
• Ink: ammonia, sodium perborate, solvents
• Iron: Phosphoric acid, sodium citrate, glycerin
• Linseed oil: hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, tri-sodium phosphate, sodium perborate
• Oil: acetone, amyl acetate, aromatic solvents
• Soot: tri-sodium phosphate, chlorinated lime
• Tobacco: sodium perborate, soap, sodium carbonate
• Urine: sodium carbonate, sodium perborate
• Wood: glycerin, tri-sodium phosphate, enzyme cleaners.

Notes: You will find that removing stains from stone will often require some experimentation. The above list consists of tips that have worked for others but no guarantees are offered. It is recommended that when you know what a stain is, call your dealer for advice before attempting its removal.

Re-polish an old marble floor

Stone is made shiny by its smooth surface that reflects light. A rough surface must be smoothed to reflect the light evenly. Determine the depth of scratches. Scratches that can be felt with a fingernail are too deep. Light scratches can be seen but not felt.

• To remove light scratches buff with a floor machine and a red pad.
• To remove deep scratches you will need to grind/sand the surface down until the scratches no longer show and a refinisher is applied to bring back the shine.

Efflorescence Removal

• Give the installation plenty of time to dry and the concrete to cure.
• Remove the white powder during this drying time by brushing.
• When new white powder stops developing clean the grout with a tile and grout cleaner to remove the stains.
• If necessary clean with diluted sulfuric or phosphoric acid. (Sulfuric is normally the preferred acid.) Dilution ratio a minimum of 5:1 to 7:1.
• Wet the surface prior to applying the acid.
• After applying the acid, wash the tile thoroughly to remove the acid residue.

Warning

Do not allow the acid to get on anything including carpet and other floor covering products as it can cause severe damage.

When working with chemicals always follow the manufacturer recommendations and good safety practices. Do not allow the acid to come into contact with your skin, eyes or clothing.

Epoxy Removal (black grout stains) from Unglazed Products. The film of epoxy grout will not come off with an acid cleaning. The epoxy cures quickly and cleaning needs to be attempted within no more than 48 hours of grouting sooner better.

• When using a dark grout on an unglazed paver or unglazed quarry product the tile should be sealed in advance with a penetrating sealer. The sealer will not change the tile appearance but it does fill the minute holes in the surface that will trap and hold the dark grout. If the tile was not sealed it will likely have discoloration that may need to be removed. The success rate with this type of stain will probably be no more than 90%.
• From your supplier obtain and use a heavy-duty stripper or a sealer and adhesive remover that is compatible with the product you are going to clean.
• Work the stripper with a stiff bristle type of scrub brush or a nylon-scouring pad. If the stains are stubborn try steel wool.
• Clean the area with a household cleaning product and scrub vigorously with a scrub brush or power floor scrubber.
• Rinse the area thoroughly, repeating as may be required.
• Using lacquer thinner, dampen a cloth and apply the thinner to the epoxy film. Using disposable cloth pads or rags, promptly remove the softened film from the tile surface. Repeat as needed until all traces of the film are no longer visible.
• For heavy coatings of epoxy use a heat gun to soften the coating and scrape off or rub off until the film is no longer visible.

Removal and replacement of a single tile:

• Remove the grout around the tile using a grout saw or utility knife.
• Hit the tile hard right in the middle and chip it away from the middle out. (Value your sight and wear eye protection.)
• A single tile can be placed into the area an appropriate tile adhesive or a silicone adhesive. Care must be taken to sit the tile level.
• For a group of tiles use the same type of adhesive as the original tiles.
• Clean up any adhesive that oozes through the joints.
• After the adhesive has set it can be grouted with a matching grout.

Recommended book: Tile Council of America Handbook of Ceramic Tile Installation.

Waters Effect on Wood and Bamboo

The largest percentage of complaints when it comes to both wood and bamboo are moisture related. The moisture is usually due to a site related condition. Frequently a moisture problem is caused by conditions such as water under the structure, leaking pipe, excessively wet concrete or too much moisture in a buildings structural components at the time the floor is installed.

Improper maintenance also results in the introduction of excess moisture. The major component in many cleaning chemicals is water.

Water can have a detrimental effect on both wood and bamboo floors which are hygroscopic materials. When bamboo and wood are exposed to air their tendency is to either dry or gain in moisture. The loss or gain in moisture will continue until the material is in equilibrium with the humidity and air temperature. If too much moisture is gained these materials will swell and if too much moisture is lost they will shrink. While bamboo is somewhat more stable then wood in this respect, both are affected.

Wood is dimensional stable at its saturation point of 25–30% moisture content. Below this point it begins to shrink until it reaches 0%. As it starts to gain in moisture it expands until it reaches the saturation point again. Once back at the saturation point of 25-30% it again stabilizes.

When wood floors are manufactured it is kiln dried to an average of 6-9% Bamboo floors are usually kiln dried to 8-10%.

Both wood and bamboo when made into a floor are dried significantly below the saturation point. Once at this point the flooring is expected to stabilize with the environment in which it is installed. Since the floor still has a natural tendency to gain or loose moisture, it is imperative that the environment be maintained at a suitable level.

The expansion and contraction of floor material is not equal in all directions. As an example, a solid piece of wood that was over dried to 0% and allowed to increase to its saturation point of 28%, will increase by about 0.1% longitudinally or along the length/grain. The same piece of wood will increase 2 –8% perpendicular to the annular growth rings (racially or in strip width for flooring that is quarter sawn. If the floor is plain sawn flooring the increase will be parallel to the trees annular growth rings (tangentially or in strip width.)

With engineered flooring the expansion will be significantly less. The reason for this is that alternating layers of the laminate are prepared to run in opposite directions. Since they are not all running in the same direction they have a natural tendency to pull against one another, which helps to maintain stability. While the engineered floor is more stable in this respect, equilibrium moisture content still remains critical.

The moisture content of wood and bamboo that is in storage or installed at a point below its fiber saturation point has a natural tendency to fluctuate. This fluctuation is a result of changes in the relative humidity and air temperature within the environment in which the material is stored or installed.

Concrete Vapor Emissions and pH

Frequently dealers, contractors, installers and others are under the mistaken belief that moisture & pH testing are not required or even necessary for a flooring or floor covering installation. This will often prove to be a costly and sometime fatal error not only damaging resilient floor covering, laminate flooring, and hardwood or bamboo floor but also glue down or double stick carpet installed on a concrete substrate.

You installed the job and it looked absolutely beautiful. You were paid in full and the consumer sent you a letter complimenting you on the great job. A few months later you receive a call that the hardwood is buckled or the carpet is full of wrinkles. You contact an independent floorcovering inspector who finds that the floor has failed due to a concrete moisture or alkalinity situation. Suddenly you as the contractor, dealer or installer are getting the blame for this installation failure and the consumer wants a full replacement. “This is not our problem,” you say, “we didn’t poor the slab and that’s where the moisture and/or alkali are located.”

Perhaps the floor covering and/or adhesive manufacturer are receiving the blame because their products failed to hold up to the moisture or alkalinity. You soon find out though that the manufacturer has an out, for the concrete did not meet their requirements. Is the hardwood buckling or the carpet coming up your fault or that of someone else? Hopefully you won’t have to find out whose responsibility it is, but if you do, lets pray that you made the required test before the installation and maintained the records.

In many cases the court will decide that a failed installation is the fault of the contractor, dealer or installer, so always protect yourself by testing the concrete before beginning the installation.

Remember that bigger bucks are made by preventing problems instead of by making them!

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