We were fitting a lovely Karndean floor to the kitchen, utility and family room.  As part of this job we had to take up the old door bars and replace them.  When I uplifted the carpets in the door ways, I noticed that both the door bars and the gripper had been nailed into the subfloor.   Where there is underfloor heating nothing should be nailed into the floor as these nails can go through the underfloor heating pipes.  A good carpet fitter should stick the gripper rods and also the door bars.  Some carpet fitters don’t do this because cutting gripper into small lengths sticking it and waiting for it to stick takes more time than nailing the 5′ lengths direct to the sub-floor.

Luckily for this customer the nails from the gripper rods and door bars does not seem to have penetrated the underfloor heating pipes.  However I would always recommend that gripper and doorbars are stuck down where there is underfloor heating or any kind of piping sunk into the sub-floor.  It takes slightly more time for the carpet fitter but a bust pipe in the sub-floor would result in an lot of mess and expense.

• The door thresholds; the builder had not fitted thresholds to the doorways, however we couldn’t fix this because the flooring was stuck to the sub-floor and he had not left a sufficient gap for a new threshold or door bar to be inserted.  This gap is too small to insert a door bar or threshold but wide enough to collect loads of small bits of dirt and rubbish.
• The fitting of the wooden flooring stopped where the builder needed to trim under door frames and working round the fiddly bits of the building.  You should expect your wooden floor to go under the door frames and to be fitted in all the nooks and crannies of a room.  Consequently the home owner has got to have a massive doormat to fill this gap.

I am a carpet fitter and floor layer not a builder, plumber, decorator or electrician, so if a job I am doing requires some preliminary work by any of these trades, for example fixing a radiator, asphalting a floor to prevent damp or moving some wires I would ask my customer to get someone in to do this before we start work.  So why do builders insist of fitting flooring.

This is not the first time I have seen problems created by the builder laying a floor.  Other examples include fitting wooden or laminate flooring before the floor is dry enough.  Wood is very sensitive to moisture and although the modern manufacturing processes mean it can cope with the normal changes you get in a home according to the seasons, anything above this will result in the wood expanding.  So if your sub-floor is not dry enough you floor will move and in 6-12 months after the installation your boards will start to bend and move.

The carpet fitting and floor laying is something that is always done at the end of any building or decorating project in your home.  However it makes a big difference to the look and feel of your home and can be one of the more expensive items, therefore it makes sense to get it right first time.  I would recommend you get advice and a quote for new carpets and flooring early in the project.  This will avoid making mistakes that cannot be rectified at a later date.  I am always happy to make a home visit to give advice and a quote for new carpets, flooring and carpet fitting with no obligation to my customers in the Leicester, Rugby, Northampton and surrounding areas.  If you live outside my catchment area for carpet fitting I recommend you visit the NICF (National Institute of Carpet and Floorlayers) who can recommend a carpet fitter local to you.

If you have underfloor heating,  the floor covering plus any underlay must allow heat transfer.  How well a product allows heat to transfer is measured in tog ratings.  Unlike a duvet where you want a high tog rating, for underfloor heating you want your flooring coverings to have a low tog rating which means the heat can escape from the floor into the room.  Recent research by the Carpet Foundation in conjunction with the Underfloor Heating Manufacturers Association has found that the most carpets can be used with underfloor heating.  The exception is foam/felt backed carpet and some underlays.  So if you have underfloor heating make sure your carpet fitter knows this and selects the right underlay with a tog value of 1.0 or less.   The underlay we use with carpets where there is underfloor heating is Duralay Heatflow which has a tog value of 0.75.

If you would like an information sheet on underfloor heating and different flooring products please contact us.

The fitting was great, but the carpet looked like it had loads of different shaded puddles on it. This kind of affect is known as pile reversal or shading.  It happens when the pile of the carpet goes in different directions and reflects light in different ways.  Carpet manufacturers do not really know why this happens and have done lots of research to try to resolve the problem.  The manufacturers say this is not a manufacturing fault so in general they will not pay for a replacement carpet.  This makes life very difficult for the good carpet retailer as no customer wants a new carpet that doesn’t look like new.

So what should a good carpet retailer do:

• Stop selling any products that they have had shading problems with in the past.
• Advise customers if the carpet they have chosen is prone to shading or pile reversal.  It is much more noticeable on very plain carpets, particularly velours.
• Give a refund to the customer where, as in this case where shading occurs in a matter of days as in this case and try to get some recompense from the manufacturer.

1. Choose the right quality laminate or wood product

There is a wide range of laminates and engineered wood products to choose from, so how do you know which to choose.  Here are a few recommendations:

• Choose a product with a click system that does not need glueing.  Glueing  will require more time and more equipment.
• Choose a product with a base layer of MDF or plywood.  The cheaper products have a base layer of chipboard.  Chipboard is the least stable of all the base layers and will result in your flooring expanding and contracting more.  It is also more likely that the top layer will chip.
• If you are in the store, inspect the laminate packs for damage.  Do not choose the product if you can see chips in the top layer of laminate in the unopened packs.

2. Measuring

Measure in metres (all products are sold in metres, measuring in feet and inches and then converting is the route to big mistakes) the length and width of your room and multiply these two measurements together, then add 10%.  This allows for wastage, which occurs because after the cuts you always get planks that are too small to use.

3. Test for Damp

Even the very smallest amount or water or dampness will cause long term problems to a laminate or engineered wood floor.  So before you fit you laminate flooring make sure there are no leaks from radiators or pipes.  If the flooring is going in a new house or extension make sure the floor is dry enough.  As a rough guide for every 3cm of concrete allow a months drying time.  A good flooring contractor will have a damp meter to check the floor, but a simple test you can do at home is as follows.  Get a piece of plastic about 30cm (12 inches) square, lay it on the floor and tape all round it with masking tape.  Leave it for at least 12 hours, if there is any moisture on the plastic then you subfloor is not dry enough to fit laminate or wood flooring.

3. Allow an Expansion Gap

All wood floors more, laminate and engineered wood systems are fitted on a floating floor system and an expansion gap must be left around the perimeter of the room of 15 mm (half inche).  This gap can be covered by skirting boards or if you do not want to remove the skirting boards with matching quadrant or scotia.

4. Laminate floor fitting is not a quick fix

Fitting laminate is much slower than fitting carpets or sheet vinyl.  When we price for a laminate or wood job we expect our experienced fitters to be able to lay between 10 and 15 square metres of flooring a day.  It varies according to the layout of the rooms.  Hallways tend to take the most time because of the numbers of doorways and the fact that hallways are often not square.

However most people want a rough idea whether they can afford a new carpet or flooring so I have put my thinking cap on and I have come up with the following table, which shows a rough estimate of the starting price for a carpet supplied and fitted various rooms, in various qualities of carpet, with and without underlay.

We always recommend using underlay in rooms or areas that get loads of wear, like lounges, halls, stairs and landings. This is because underlay prolongs the life of your carpets and makes them look good for longer. If you already have underlay this can be used provided it is not worn out. Don’t fit your new carpet on old underlay as it will make it wear out quicker!

This is just a rough guide. To get an accurate price get a local company to come round to measure up and give you a quote. Most companies including us (we supply and fit carepts in Leicester, Northampton, Rugby and surrounding areas) will do this for free with no obligation.

One of their representatives will come out and assess the damage and provide you an estimate, which will be the amount you can spend on replacing your damaged furniture or floor coverings. Independent Inspectors also have a network of Authorised Retailers who you can contact directly to spend your insurance mandate, which is great if you don’t have a preferred supplier.

At the moment there are lots of allegations in the carpet and flooring trade press that Independent Inspectors’ Representatives are insisting that insurance claimants go to Carpetright or Victoria carpets, or if the customer insists on going elsewhere offering a reduced payment amount.  If these claims in the Carpet and Flooring Journal are true, then the representatives of Independent Inspectors are not truly independent and worse their actions are illegal.

So what actions can you take if you think you are being forced to use a retailer to replace items as part of an insurance claim.

What can I do if I think the amount offered by my insurance company is too low?

You will need to provide evidence that the amount offered is too low.  If you have got the original invoice for the carpets, flooring, furniture (or other items) you could show them this.  Items like floor coverings and furniture, unlike electrical goods have increased over time.  If you haven’t got this evidence then get two quotes, from local “independent” retailers or a respected national retailer, for example John Lewis.  Assuming these justify your claim that the offer they made is too low, then present these to your insurance company as evidence.

What do I do if I want to use my own carpet fitter or furniture store, for work that is subject to an insurance claim?

If you would prefer to use your own carpet fitter or furniture retailer this is not a problem. Neither your insurance company or Independent Inspectors can insist that you use their recommended suppliers.

Can the insurance company offer me a lower payout if I do not use their recommended retailer?

Again no, it is also illegal to  offer you a lower insurance pay out if you go with your own preferred supplier.

What should I do if Independent Inspectors or my Insurance company insist I must use their recommended retailer?

If your insurance company or their representatives (for example Independent Inspectors) force you to use their recommended retailer or give you a lower pay out because you use someone else, they are acting illegally and in the first instance you should complain to your insurance company. If this doesn’t work then you should complain to the Finance Ombudsman.

What has the Finance Ombudsman got to do with Home Insurance?

All insurance companies in the UK are regulated by the FSA, therefore if your insurance company does not deal with your claims correctly then you can contact the FSA.  The financial ombudsman ruled in October 2001, that it is illegal for insurance companies to force you to buy goods or services as part of an insurance claim from a specific supplier and they also said that insurance companies cannot offer you a lower amount if you don’t use their recommended supplier.  More details of the Ombudsmans ruling on this matter can be found on their website at Ombudsman News October 2001 – Read the article “Repair/Replace or Cash”

Making an insurance claim is always very stressful because it means that something awful has happened in your home.  On face value the service offered to customers by Independent Inspectors seems great as it saves you the hassle of finding a retailer.  However if the allegations in the press are true then Independent Inspectors are taking advantage of insurance claimants at a very vunerable time in their lives.

Wool carpets and rugs are one of the key areas where we see wool in our everyday lives, and there are lots of benefits to wool carpets compared to their synthetic rivals.

Wool carpets look better & last longer

Wool is a natural springy product this means it can bounce back, so it means that carpets with a large wool content is are more likely to bounce back from squashing by furniture or foot traffic.  This means it wears very well and looks good for longer.

Wool Carpets have natural safety features

Wool is naturally fire inherent and complies with contract fire rating naturally. Wool is alsonon-static – perfect for a room with lots of electrical and computing equipment in it and what home is not stuff full of electrical gadgets nowadays.   This means carpets with high wool content meet the Building regulation codes for commercial installation.

Wool Carpets are Stylish

There are almost an unlimited amoount of wool carpets in a wide range of colours, textures and patterns.  There is something out their to suit everybodies home or office.  Popular companies that make wool carpets include, Adams Carpets, Brintons, Georgian Carpets, Tomkinson Carpets, Alternative Flooring and Ryalux, plus many more.

Wool Carpets offer Great Value for Money

Although in general wool carpets cost a little more than their synthetic rivals they last longer and look good for longer, so over the lifetime of your carpet they will work out less.  It is also possible to get the same colour of carpet in different qualities.  Carpet manufacturers have realised that you don’t want or need the same quality of carpet in your bedroom compared to your hall, stairs and landing, so there are many wool carpet ranges that come in different different weights.  The weight of a carpet tells you how the weight of yarn used per square metre of carpet.  For a heavy wear area you would want a minimum of 40oz but 60oz would be better.  For a seldom used guest room a 30oz carpet is perfectly adequate.

Does this mean that these people are looking for the very cheapest carpet or flooring even if it is not right from a visual or practical view point or is it just that customers want to make sure the get the best possible deal on the new carpets and flooring in their home.

I am assuming that customers don’t want the very cheapest of carpets but do want the best possible flooring for their budget.  So how can they be sure of getting that.  There are three key points to consider:

• Selecting the right quality of carpet for the amount of wear and tear and your lifestyle is very important, especially if you want your new carpet to last.  A bedroom quality carpet will be cheaper than heavy domestic carpet, but it will soon wear out if it is fitted on stairs.
• Don’t forget to include the cost of any accessories & fitting in the total costs.  Many companies give headline low prices on the carpet only to charge ridiculously high prices for the underlay, doorbars and other accessories.  When I key cheap carpets into Google the first company that comes up is Carpetright and they sell their carpets at low prices but their accessories at high prices!  The remaining companies just sell you the products via the internet, so you will need to find a local fitter to lay your carpet.
• Finally if you want your new carpet to look good from day one and wear well you need to get it fitted properly.    Choosing the right carpet is only half of the decision.   A badly fitted carpet will always look like a cheap carpet irrespective of how much you pay.

In conclusion, if you are looking for new carpets or flooring decide if you are looking for a cheap carpet or a good value for money carpet.  If it is the later then contact a local independant retailer to price for the new carpets and compare it with a big company like Carpetright or buying online and I think you will be surprised how competative it is.  What’s more with the local company you will have a person who will take responsibility for the whole job from planning, fitting and after sales care.