Where can i find an easy to use Timber and Laminate Cleaning Kit ?

Do you remember your grandmother’s fastidiousness in cleaning her floors every day? Those floors lasted for years. Carpet Call has accepted that everyone is looking for a fast easy to use way to clean timber, laminate or vinyl floors so our Carpet Call timber team went on the search for the best cleaning product they could find. After many hours of product testing, cleaning product inhalation and cleaning faux pas the German made product from Lobo caught the Carpet Call panel’s attention

Introducing the Lobocare ® Cleaning Kit

Our Carpet Call timber manager fell in love with the Lobocare ® Spray, Wipe, Finish system as it resulted in minimum moisture used when cleaning the floors. Moisture is the enemy of any timber floor. Carpet Call office team feel we need to have a cleaning intervention with any one still using a bucket and mop on their timber or laminate floors.   Hands up anyone who still use a red bucket filled with water and supermarket cleaner? Your timber floors shouldn’t have to suffer in this way

Carpet Call cleaning gurus recommend you do the following

•  Vacuum your timber or laminate floor every week

• Minimise Moisture on your timber floor by using the Lobocare® cleaning kit

• Place a walk off mat at the door to minimise grit carried onto your beautiful floors
• Use rugs to protect high traffic areas

  
  

  
  

The expanding story of timber flooring

Our Carpet Call service team often receive calls from worried customers who notice that their timber flooring has changed colour since they had it installed and are worried what else may happen. Do not be alarmed.

Our Carpet Call timber expert explained to me that of course your timber flooring will change and there are two things you need to know about timber floors

1.     Timber is natural

2.     Timber is hygroscopic

Carpet Call timber teams run educational sessions for our store sales teams on the characteristics of timber flooring.

All Carpet Call Timber will adjust to its environment and must adapt to reach its EMC Equilibrium Moisture Content. Timber will expand or shrink depending on the temperature and humidity of its environment.

Carpet Call installers regularly remind our teams that there are a number of factors that can affect the EMC and changes in your timber flooring which may result in shrinkage or expansion of your timber

·         Heating which has the effect of lowering the EMC in the house. In cool temperate climates this can create quite a dry internal environment. The environment in the upper level of a heated two storey house is often drier than the lower storey

·         Continuous use of refrigerated air-conditioning can severely reduce the moisture content in your  house resulting in both shrinkage and expansion of timber floors

·         Full length windows, skylights or large glass areas allow direct sunlight to flood a room increasing room temperatures and lowering moisture causing flooring to shrink.

·         Homes close to a dam, ocean or river can be affected by increased moisture resulting in expansion of timber floors

·         Dry northerly winds can lower the humidity of a home increasing chances of timber flooring shrinkage

·         Climatic variations throughout the year can result in both shrinkage and expansion of timber flooring

 

What can you do stop this?

 

Carpet Call timber team tell us there is nothing you can do stop this but you can minimise it by acclimatising your timber flooring before installation

Timber Floor or just plain Grass – Bamboo Flooring- what’s all the hype about?

Carpet Call has noticed a great deal of hype building around Bamboo flooring but we are not buying into it. Carpet Calls timber team was staggered with number of complaints from homeowners who installed Bamboo flooring they found whilst researching on the internet. Our timber expert at Carpet Call HQ consistently reminds us that Bamboo is a grass not a timber.

Simply put, Bamboo flooring is manufactured by harvesting Bamboo grass and using glues to bind it together. Carpet Call found whilst researching that glues can make up to 20% of any Bamboo flooring plank. Further research revealed that despite Bamboo rapid growth, it requires up to seven years to reach full maturity yet most manufacturers harvest after only 6 months growth resulting in a less durable product requiring higher levels of glue. At this stage our team were concerned with the lack of governing regulations such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensuring safe product quality and sound environmental standards.

Even if we were to over- look the manufacturing process, our team at Carpet Call are not comfortable with information regarding the performance of Bamboo flooring once installed. Carpet Call’s solid timber range and engineered timber range can be refinished a number of times. Unfortunately, bamboo flooring if damaged must be replaced at a cost to you.

One of the most disturbing complaints about Bamboo flooring that Carpet Call found whilst researching on the internet was linked to the use of glues. The website bambooflooringtruth.com/  reported that heavy use of glues to bind the bamboo grass together resulted in many health concerns from installers. Claims were made that high levels of formaldehyde in the glues were released during installation or repair stages of bamboo flooring.

One of our Carpet Call team pulled out the Janka Test ratings for timber as she had read on a website that Bamboo was a hard durable timber. Carpet Call relies on the Janka Test as an accredited method of measuring the hardness of timbers. Our Carpet Call timber expert was keen to find out the truth about Bamboo Flooring. He noted that Bamboo returned three very different ratings. Horizontal Bamboo was a low 5.87, Vertical Bamboo was 6.58 and Strand Bamboo was 16.10. Our team found it very difficult to confirm which style is used by most manufacturers.

Carpet Call always investigates the performance of products before introducing into our product range. Once the advancements in Bamboo match the advancements made in laminate flooring we will then reconsider.

Timber – Hard, Harder, Hardest

Our Carpet Call teams are often asked “which is the hardest timber flooring?”  We can easily answer that question as Carpet Call uses the Janka test to assess the harness of timber used in our hardwood flooring

The Janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in timber and the ability of different wood species to withstand denting. Naturally it will assesses how hard or easy a hardwood timber species is to saw or nail

Here a couple of common Carpet Call Hardwood Janka test results

·         Brazilian Walnut 3680

·         Brazilian Cherry 2820

·         Hickory 1820

·         Maple 1450

·         Ash 1320

·         Beech 1300

·         Birch 1260

·         White Oak 1210

Now for some controversy. Carpet Call believes that buying the hardest timber will not always guarantee a long lasting timber floor. A properly finished White Oak professionally installed by Carpet Call will perform better than a DIY installed, poorly finished Brazilian Cherry.

In short, our Carpet Call timber specialists always insist that the performance of your timber flooring rides on a couple of factors

·         Did a Carpet Call professional install it?

·         Was your sub-floor prepared to provide a completely flat surface?

·         Did you use a Carpet Call approved underlay for acoustics?

·         Did you use a Carpet Call approved moisture barrier?

·         Have you maintained a room climate of between 30-60% humidity

·         Are you operating heating and evaporative coolers correctly?

In short, don’t make timber species hardness the only single factor when buying timber floors at Carpet Call. Pick a species and colour that you like first and then have it professionally installed by Carpet Call.

Timber – I’m confused by all the different types of timber

You’ve taken time to research timber flooring before you head into your closest Carpet Call store. After Google search result number two you are feeling confused. What is the difference between Engineered Timber Floor versus Hardwood Timber Floor versus Solid Timber Floor versus Floating Timber floor? Carpet Call can answer that question quickly. All timber floors at Carpet Call are hardwood timber floors.

The next thing we will show you at a Carpet Call store is the difference between an engineered timber floor and a solid timber floor.  A solid timber floor has the same hardwood the entire way through. An engineered timber floor at Carpet Call has three layers in cross ply construction with the natural species on the top layer.

A Carpet Call floating timber floor floats on top of the sub floor whilst a solid timber floor is installed directly to the sub floor.

You will obviously need to know more than this. Head into a Carpet Call store and we can show you the different types of timber and the benefits of each type. No single timber floor is better than the other but only a select number of timber floors will meet your needs and budget.

Timber Flooring – My beautiful timber floor keeps changing colour

 

We received a call at Carpet Call HQ this week from a lovely lady who was concerned her timber floors were changing colours. She bought her Jatoba hardwood timber flooring 10 years ago from a Melbourne Carpet Call store. When looking through photos she noticed the timber floor had changed colour and was worried that she wasn’t looking after it correctly

The Carpet Call timber specialist was quickly able to put her mind at ease. All Carpet Call timbers are dynamic hardwoods and will change over time as part of the natural ageing process. Just like any human, timber when exposed to sunlight will change colour. Our Carpet Call expert explained that colour changes are most noticeable in darker colour timber species such as Jatoba which develop into a darker timber colour. Homes with lighter colour timber species such as Oak and Ash will notice the floor changing to a darker golden amber hue over time.

Carpet Call installers advise that UV lacquered planks react slower to the effects of sunlight but always recommend moving rugs around to ensure an even and controlled colouration of your floors. Closing blinds when you are at work will help limit the effect of the harsh Australian sun

One of the joys of timber floors is that they are natural and their appearance will change over time. All our Carpet Call timber floor customers can rest assured that their floor is unique and unlike anyone else even if they have the same timber floor species

Our timber team at Carpet Call are happy to answer any questions you might have on timber flooring

Timber Flooring – Engineered timber flooring lives on!

Our Carpet Call service team recently took a call from a customer who said is new engineered timber floor installed by Carpet Call was alive and moving! As you can imagine our service team member remained non-judgemental and listened to her most interesting call of the day at Carpet Call head office.

He was correct. All timber flooring sold at Carpet Call is dynamic. It is continuously reacting to the Australian climate. One of the charms of any engineered timber from Carpet Call is that as a natural product it will retain its natural beauty and characteristics

Carpet Call installers will tell every customer that the timber flooring they have installed will adjust and respond to its environment not only for the next 12 months but for the life of the floor. Timber flooring is always at battle with adjustments in humidity and temperature that occur naturally and forced with the use of air-conditioners and heaters.

Don’t panic! Knowing that your timber is alive will help you understand that there is nothing wrong with the timber flooring you bought from Carpet Call

Carpet Call came up with a list of instances that encourages visible changes to the appearance of the flooring.

·         Carpet Call found that evaporative air conditioners operated in summer without sufficient ventilation cause a spike in humidity forcing your timber floor to take on moisture and expand. 

·         Refrigeration air conditioners used during hot summers reduce the humidity level and dry the air causing the timber floor to lose moisture. Carpet Call has experienced species reacting differently resulting in a variety of changes and movement in the timber floor. Certainly it expands and contracts a little but this is normal.

What can be done to minimise the movement? Carpet Call installers revealed that you must firstly accept that timber is a natural product and will react to changes in climatic conditions. Embrace the natural beauty and characteristics of timber. Carpet Call installers shared that slab preparation, use of adhesives where necessary and correct operation of air conditioners will minimise movement

Carpet Call believes the more you live on your timber floor, the more interesting qualities you will notice and fall in love with it again and again