This year the trend with decorators is color, and lots of it! . Shaw Carpets has reworked their carpet line with bright bold colors that are suitable for any room. In addition to bright and bold colors, look for amazing textures, sculpted carpets in contemporary patterns and retro shags with multi color threads that will make your home pop! Feeling a bit retro? that’s ok so are the colors this year! From retro brown’s and blues to light greens, the trends of the 60′s and 70′s are making a comeback!

What do you think?

EASY CARE STEPS FOR CLEANING HARDWOOD FLOORS:

DO:

• Wipe up spills immediately.

• Use interior and exterior doormats at entrances to collect dirt and moisture and prevent it from being tracked onto the floor.

• Vacuum, sweep or dust mop your hardwood floor once a week, or more, if needed. The vacuum head must be brush or felt.

• Area rugs are recommended in front of kitchen sinks, at all pivot points and within high-traffic areas. The rugs must be made of a breathable material to prevent moisture entrapment.

• Place runners and area rugs (with slip-resistant backings) along high-traffic areas.

• Keep animal nails trimmed to prevent finish scratches.

• To prevent surface damage avoid rolling heavy appliances and furniture on the floor. Use plywood hardboard or appliance lifts, if necessary.

• Use furniture leg protector pads under all furniture legs.

• Replace hard, narrow furniture rollers with wide rubber rollers.

• Keep the relative humidity in your home between 35% and 55%.

• Protect your floor from direct sunlight.

DON’T:

• Use any of the following products (or products similar in nature) on your floor: ammonia based cleaners, acrylic finishes, wax based products, detergents, bleach, polishes and oil soaps, abrasive cleaning soaps or acidic materials such as vinegar.

• Allow water to stand on your floor for any length of time – wipe up immediately.

• Walk across your floor in poorly maintained shoes with heel taps, spike heels or with any sharp object protruding from your shoe.

• Allow furniture to rest on the floor on small metal tips or hard domes.

• Use rubber, foam back or plastic mats as they may trap moisture and possibly discolor your floor.

• Do not use vacuums with beater bars or hard heads.

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appearance as well. Most soiling in carpet is of the dry, particle type,
which can be removed with a vacuum cleaner. Use a vacuum with a
rotating brush or beater bar. Change the bags often and check the beater
bars for burs and gouges so as not to damage the surface of the carpet.
Some thick loop pile carpets will fuzz if a rotating brush vacuum is used. In this case we recommend
a suction vacuum only. Vacuum high traffic lanes daily, medium to high traffic areas twice weekly,
and the entire house at least once a week.

Preventative Maintenance

• The use of mats or runners at all home entrances and on uncarpeted areas adjacent to carpet
  will reduce soil and moisture in traffic areas. Clean mats and any other rugs placed over carpet
  regularly.
• The use of furniture coasters to distribute the weight of heavy items is also recommended,
  especially for furniture with wheels. Take care when moving furniture with wheels by putting a
  protective barrier between the wheels and the carpet.
• To extend the beauty of your carpeting, close drapes or blinds during hours of direct sunlight.
• Exercise extreme caution with all bleaches, tile cleaners, mildew removers, oven cleaners, drain
  openers and plant food. They are strong chemicals that can permanently discolor or dissolve
  carpet fibers.

Cleaning Recommendations

Even with regular vacuuming, soil particles and oily dirt will cling to the carpet fibers. With foot
traffic these particles and oily dirt are driven deep into the carpet. We recommend professional
hot water extraction every 12 to 18 months. Periodic cleaning, using the hot water extraction
method performed by a professional cleaner, will refresh carpet appearance.

The most used areas, such as entrances, doorways, traffic lanes, and in front of chairs will
collect dirt faster than other areas. Clean these areas as they begin to show soil. This will stop
dirt from spreading, and will extend the time between professional cleaning.

Hardwood Flooring Care and Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance

• Sweep or vacuum regularly to rid your floor of dust and eliminate abrasives that can scratch the
  finish.
• Quickly wipe spills from floor to protect wood from excess liquid.
• Use mats outside and inside entrances to prevent sand and
  abrasives build-up on floor. Avoid rubber or other dense mat
  backings that prevent airflow beneath rugs and retain abrasives
  and humidity
• Use mats near sink, dishwasher and workstations to protect floor
  from cooking utensils, water spills, detergents, oils and other kitchen
  mishaps.
• Stick felt pads under any furniture or chair legs to ease movement and
  prevent scratches. Keep pads clean at all times and regularly check for signs of wear.
• You should opt for large soft polyurethane or rubber casters rather than narrow rigid plastic ones.

Protect your floor when moving heavy furniture. Place on a reversed mat, a smaller piece of
plywood. Place furniture on this and slide smoothly over floor.

Be careful with pointed objects such as spiked-heeled and sport shoes that may damage the
finish of your floor, especially if they are worn or damaged. (Note: After water and sand, spiked-
heeled shoes are the worst enemies of hardwood floors. This applies to all floor surfaces, even a
concrete floor.) A 125 pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per
square inch. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.

Maintain relative humidity level around 45% [between 40% and 50%] for your good health, your
wood floor and furnishings. Wood is a natural material that reacts to relative humidity variations
when moisture is absorbed or released. During humid periods, wood absorbs excess humidity
and expands, which can cause cupping or buckling. Control humidity level with a dehumidifier or
heating system and good ventilation. During dry periods, wood releases humidity, contracts and
shrinks, which cause gapping between strips with some floors. Use a humidifier to minimize
excessive shrinking of wood strips.

Keep pet claws trimmed to avoid scratching floors. Scratches are less visible on low-gloss
finished floors.

Even though some flooring is available with UV protection, care should be taken
to avoid discoloration that can occur over time from exposure to the sun.
Occasionally move furniture and carpets around and reduce intense light
sources to minimize color contrasts.

Hardwood Floor No’s

• Never pour cleaner or any other liquid directly onto floor surface.
• Do not use a wet mop that leaves excess water.
• Do not use wax, oil-based detergents or other household cleaning agents on your floors, since
  these products may dull or damage finish, leave a greasy film that makes floors slippery, make
  maintenance more difficult and refinishing impossible without in-depth sanding and complete
  recoating. Do not raise or lower temperature of subfloor radiant heat system by more than 5 °F
  [2.8 °C] per day when turning system on and off.

Note: Changes in wood color are due to the natural process of wood aging and not to yellowing of the
finish.

Laminate Flooring Care and Maintenance

Laminate floors, like other furnishings in your home, require proper care to keep them looking their
best. When you follow some easy cleaning and maintenance instructions, you’ll find taking care of your
laminate floor a snap!

Regular Maintenance
The surface layer of laminate flooring is hard and compact, so dirt and dust do not stick to it easily. The
following simple steps are usually all it takes to keep your floor clean.

For general cleaning, use a dust mop, vacuum with the hard-floor attachment of your vacuum
cleaner or wipe occasionally with a damp cotton or cloth mop.

For heavier cleaning, use a laminate floor cleaner (available a hardware and household supply
stores) or a mixture of household vinegar and water (1-cup vinegar to 1-gallon warm water) or
household ammonia and water (1/2 cup ammonia to 1-gallon warm water). If an accident occurs
and a stain remains, you can remove the worst stains with acetone or denatured alcohol on a soft
cloth without bleaching or damaging the floor. In a pinch, nail polish remover containing acetone
is a handy substitute. Do not use soap or detergent-based cleaners, wax-based products or any
type of polish on laminate floors, as they leave a dull, filmy residue.

There is never a need to wax or refinish your laminate floor.

Protect the Floor
While laminate is remarkably durable, there is no such thing as an indestructible flooring material.
There are a few simple protective measures that are important to keep your floor looking new.
To protect your laminate floor from surface scratches, place walk-off area rugs or mats inside
any exterior doorway to collect small bits of gravel they may track in on shoes.

Use felt floor protectors on the legs of chairs, sofas, TV stands, tables and other easily movable
furniture.

Replace plastic casters on chairs with rubber wheels and lift rather than slide heavy objects
across the floor.

Minor damage to a laminate plank or tile can be easily repaired with laminate finishing putty. If
the damaged area is larger than 1/4 of an inch, replacing the plank may be recommended.

Spot Removal
Laminate stain resistance means peace of mind for you and easy clean up. So, when the inevitable
happens, use the following guide for stain and spot removal:
For chocolate, grease, juice, cordials and wine – use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive cleaner (such as, ammonia and water)
or a laminate cleaning product. For tar, markers, crayon, lipstick, oil, shoe polish, ink, nail polish
and cigarette burns – use acetone/nail polish remover or denatured
alcohol.

Note : Do not use acetone on laminate wall base or quarter round.
For candle wax and chewing gum – let harden and scrape carefully with a blunt plastic scraper.

It is easiest to remove glue haze as soon as possible using a warm damp cloth. After the floor sets for
at least 12 hours, any residual haze or traces of glue missed by the initial cleaning can be removed by
using a laminate cleaner or an ammonia and water mixture with a damp cloth or mop (1/2 cup ammonia
to 1 gallon of water).

Laminate Floor No’s

• Never wet mop your laminate floor, it will cause damage.
• Never slide heavy objects across your laminate flooring.
• Never use scouring substances, abrasive cleaners, mop and shine products, paste waxes or any
  floor polishes on your laminate flooring.

How To Clean Ceramic Tile Flooring

Here’s some advice on cleaning and caring for your new ceramic tile flooring:

Sweeping

Dirt adheres easily to the surface of ceramic tile, especially styles with textured surfaces. Regular sweeping loosens and removes most dirt. A vacuum cleaner can also be used to sweep, but make sure you use one without a beater bar to avoid dulling and scratching the tiles. Vacuum cleaner attachments are great to suck up dirt along edges or in between tiles.

Mats

Use doormats to keep dirt being from coming into your home. And shake them out often. This will reduce the amount of dirt being tracked across your ceramic tile floor, and will reduces the wear to the finished surface.

Mopping

Ceramic tile floors should be damp-mopped using manufacturer-recommended grout and tile cleaners. For heavier soil, spot clean the floor with a sponge or clean cloth using the same recommended cleaners.

Heavy Cleaning

Mild scrubbing with a soft brush or electric polisher/scrubber may be required for textured tiles. After cleaning with a mild detergent, rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water to remove leftover residue. If necessary, wipe the tile dry with a clean towel to remove any film.

For soft water situations, an all-purpose cleaner may be necessary. Apply it to your floor and let it stand for 3-5 minutes. Then lightly scrub with a sponge, rinse well and you’re good to go.

Cleaning products available from your local grocery or hardware store can be used to remove soap scum, hard water deposits and mildew stains from ceramic tile. Be sure to consult the cleaning product’s instructions to ensure the product is recommended for your type of tile. After cleaning, rinse well and wipe dry for a sparkling shine.

Dos and Don’ts

• Do clean up spills as quickly as possible so your grout won’t become stained.
• Don’t use steel wool, scouring powders, or other abrasives that can scratch the finish of your ceramic tile.
• Do remember that while ceramic tile is very durable, it’s not indestructible and may crack or chip under extreme force.
• Don’t use bleach or ammonia-based cleaners — these products can discolor your grout if used too often.
• Do take the proper precautions when moving heavy objects across a ceramic tile floor.
• Do cover furniture and table legs with protectors to guard your floor against scratching.
• Do remember that if a repair is necessary, the replacement product may be a slightly different dye lot and/or texture than the original tile, however, with time and usage, the replacement tile will blend in with its neighbors.

Caulking and Sealing

Once your tile has been laid and grouted, it’s your responsibility to caulk areas that may be exposed to water. Caulking will prevent expensive subsurface damage and keep the tiled areas looking as good as new.

Depending on your lifestyle, sealing your tile and grout may also be an option. After installation, sealing the grout and tile can provide protection from dirt and spills by slowing down the staining process.

Grout colorants can transform the original color of your grout and, in some cases, can act as a form of sealant. Be aware that non-epoxy grout joints should be treated with a silicone sealer.

Regular care and maintenance will keep your ceramic tile floors looking their very best for years to come.

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We wanted to provide you with a overview of the products we offer at super low prices, but also become a resource for you before, during and after the sale, something we believe is important.

If you know how to take care of your new flooring from the start, it will last longer, allowing you to get your money’s worth!