Protecting Your Hardwood Floors

Richard Marshall Walnut Floor

I am frequently getting questions about how to prevent scratching in hardwood floors and thought I would share some ideas with you. Let’s first look into preventative care for scratches and denting. When it comes to pets, there are a few important things to do to help extend the time your floor remains beautiful, the most important being to regularly trim your dog’s nails. When the nails are kept trimmed, they also remain duller and are less likely to dig as strongly into your floor. Also, if your dog has longer fur, make sure that any fur covering the pads of the paws is trimmed away. Dogs will begin to rely on their nails for grip when moving when their paws are no longer providing as much aid, typically this happens when longer fur covers the pads of their paws.

Also, make sure you regularly sweep and clean the floor to prevent dirt and grit from getting on the floor. Most scratching is cause by larger grit which is dragged around the house by pets and normal walking.

Now as far as repairs goes, you can repair the dents by getting a color-matching floor putty, which is typically used to fill in holes from face nailing, then just rub a bit of the putty into each dent and it should fill well. Scratches on the other hand are typically only at the finish layer, and not damage to the wood itself. Most scratches will just fade a bit over time and the brighter white appearance will darker and become harder to see over time. It helps to have a regular cleaning schedule to speed this process along and prevent further scratches.

If you are really concerned about the appearance of scratches you can screen the floor. Screen is a process where the top-most layer of finish is roughed up or buffed with high-grit sand paper, typically 220 grit, then new layers of finish are applied over the top of the buffed finish surface.

The most extreme option for repairing your floor, rather than replacing it, would be to have the floor refinished, but I would not suggest this unless you are massively displeased with the appearance of the floor as it can be somewhat expensive. This would involve getting a finisher to come out, sand down the floor to lessen the dents, then apply entirely new finish layers to the newly sanded wood surface. Honestly I would leave this option as a final resort because of the time needed and cost for the work.

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets recommends and sells Bona floor cleaner for polyurethane floors. For Richard Marshall oil based floors, we offer a branded cleaner specific for those custom oil finished floors.

Richard Marshall Olde Boards

View and learn about Richard Marshall Olde Boards. Available at Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets in Costa Mesa, CA. This is an affordable custom wood floor that will last a lifetime.

Why Wool?

Wools of New Zealand Carpet

I spent several years on the Wools of New Zealand Retailer Advisory Council. Our select group of retail floor covering business owners assisted the Wools of New Zealand and their mill partners on how to best market wool carpet to the consumer. Today, given the soaring price of oil and the trend to go green and protect our planet, wool carpet makes a lot of sense. Here is why:

Health Benefits of Wool Rugs & Carpet
Choosing the right carpet for your home or business is a critical decision
because you want a carpet that will both look good and last a long time.
Wool is the superior fiber choice for woven and tufted carpets because it
meets the rigorous demands of the consumer with ease. Luxuriously
comfortable and warm, wool is, paradoxically, one of the coolest fibers
available. Soft, yet resilient, it can withstand the toughest treatment and
still bounce back.

Here are just a few of wool’s many promises:

Naturally Resilient
Wool carpet is able to retain its original appearance much longer than other carpets because it has bulk and bounce which withstand heavy pressure and repeated footfall. Scientists have attributed this to the fact that each wool hair, or fiber, contains a three-dimensional spiraling crimp that acts like a miniature spring. These springs give each fiber elasticity, to compress under furniture or shoes and then bounce back to its original shape when the pressure is lifted. This unique fiber structure is what makes wool carpet outperform carpets made from synthetic fibers.

Naturally Stain-Resistant
Wool has a natural resistance to staining because each fiber is covered by a thin membrane that acts as a repellant and prevents water from penetrating the surface of the wool fiber. Another reason why wool carpets are able to retain their original appearance.

Naturally Resistant to Soil and Dirt
If you were to look at a wool fiber under a microscope, you would see that its surface is made up of overlapping scales, much like a roof. These scales trap soil and dirt at the top of the fiber, near the surface of the carpet. It is then easily and quickly released when vacuumed.

Naturally Flame-Retardant
The high moisture and protein content of wool fibers gives wool carpet
excellent natural flame resistance. Wool fibers will not support combustion and are difficult to ignite. In addition, they are self-extinguishable when the flame source is removed.

Health Benefits & More
• Wool carpet is non-toxic, non-allergenic and will not support bacterial
growth.
• The high moisture content of wool reduces static electricity and the risk
of shocks.
• Wool carpet purifies indoor air of common contaminants like formaldehyde,
nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by locking the contaminants deep in the core of the fiber. Wool carpets continually purify indoor air for up to 30 years.
• Another benefit of wool’s naturally crimped shape is the formation of
millions of air pockets that act as insulation to help regulate room
temperature and reduce energy bills.

More Benefits:
1) Wools’ high moisture content and protein constituents make it naturally flame retardent. Most traces of fire place or cigarette embers can be brushed away.
2) Wool has the ability to absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water
vapor without feeling wet and therefore, helps to control humidity.
Similarly because of this, it naturally resists static electricity.
3) Wool is a natural insulator for both heat and sound. As wool is
hydroscopic, it can either absorb moisture or release moisture, creating
heat. It will therefore, keep you cool in Summer and warm in Winter.
4) Wool also has the ability to absorb other things from the atmosphere. For example, it is capable of absorbing large amounts of Formaldehyde, which is commonly found in alot of buildings. Obviously, wool carpets also have other natural properties in terms of their resilience, resistant to 80% of all stains and similarly, naturally resistant to dirt. The scale structure keeps dirt particles to the surface.

Care and Cleaning Information
We understand that you don’t have the time to spend on time-consuming
cleaning, which can also be expensive. With a minimum amount of routine care and maintenance, your wool carpet will steadfastly retain its original texture, color and overall appearance. These simple tips will help you maintain its top condition:
• Expect new wool carpet to shed its loose fibers in the beginning. This
will gradually decrease in the first couple of months until it becomes
unnoticeable.
• Regular vacuuming is wool carpet’s best friend as it will pick up these
loose fibers as well as the soil and dirt that is held by the wool fibers at
the carpet’s surface and keep it looking fresh and clean.
• Slow and careful vacuum strokes over the carpet is more effective than a quick run over. This will do more to groom the carpet and help it to
maintain its appearance.
• To clean up a liquid spill, first blot it up with a clean, dry absorbent
cloth as quickly as possible. Then blot the area with a clean towel dampened with hot water to pull the substance up from the surface of the carpet. Continue to blot with clean, dry towels until the area does not leave wet spots on the towel.
• Avoid using soap to clean spills as it is difficult to thoroughly get out
of carpet and will attract dirt and make dark spots on the carpet in the
future.
• Avoid rubbing strokes with the cloth as you clean, as this would disrupt
the appearance of the fibers.

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets offers the Wools of New Zealand WoolClean Kit. Stop by our showroom and pick one up.

Wools of New Zealand WoolClean Kit

Eco & Green = Wool Carpet

Hibernia Woolen Carpets

In this day and age, finding products that are environmentally-friendly is becoming easier than it was, say, a decade ago; however, we still have more room for improvement. Among a number of new designs and fabrication methods, Hibernia Woolen Mills is taking giant steps to leave a smaller carbon footprint in the production of their carpets.

Solely powered by nothing but sun, air, water, and earth, the factory construction of Hibernia’s wool carpet is about as naturally green as it comes. The sheep live off the land, and are sheered twice a year for the wool fibers as well as textiles. A few benefits of wool carpet:

-the sheep provide a naturally-renewable source of the wool
-no chemicals or dyes are used to produce natural-colored carpets
-improvement of indoor air quality because of the natural properties of wool
-wool is biodegradable, and great for the soil at the end of the lifetime of the carpet
-the backing on the carpet is made of a naturally-harvested plant called jute

Even though the eco-buzz words are teetering on the brink of trite, and have been infused into virtually everything including pop-culture, the concern for the environmnet is still a legimate one. Deciding to do your part in making our earth a better place is a choice that will affect this generation, and generations to come. Oh, and the neighbors will be jealous of your chic, healthy, soft wool carpet.

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets offers Hibernia Woolen carpet plus wool broadloom carpet from over a dozen other name brand and boutique carpet mills. Visit our showroom and learn more. As a side note, Brett Hemphill served on the Wools of New Zealand Retailer Advisory Council. We know wool!

New Year With Lots of Changes

Coast Magazine - Feb 2010

We are one week into the new year and there are changes left and right in the floor covering industry. Two high end custom wool carpet mills have closed their doors – Bennytex in Gardena, CA and Rodeo Carpet Mills in Los Angeles. Reehma, a custom wood floor manufacture in Orange County, CA has shut their doors. Another terrific custom carpet mill, Carousel, has been purchased by Robertex. Carousel has been in Ukiah, CA for 40 years. All of the equipment and inventory at the Carousel facility is being moved to Tucker, GA.

Steve Roan has been named vice president of Karastan Rugs, according to Jim Quist,. vice president of sales for Mohawk Home, a division of Mohawk Industries. Roan will report directly to Quist. Roan’s appointment is part of a major new sales and marketing shift for the venerable Karastan brand, according to Quist. Karastan Rugs will now become a part of the Mohawk Home division. Although Karastan Rugs now operates within the Mohawk Home division, there will be no cross-over between the division’s three rug sales organizations.

Rugs under the Mohawk Home brand are sold through mass market stores. Mohawk Select rugs are sold through national and regional furniture and specialty store chains. Karastan is sold through department stores, furniture stores and rug and floor covering specialty stores.

All of this being said, Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets is enjoying better traffic and sales than at this time last year. Consolidation in our industry is nothing new. At one point, there used to be over 400 different carpet brands. We are fortunate that we have teamed up with some excellent suppliers and have a wide range of selection. We strive to offer great value, interesting products not found elsewhere and terrific customer service.

Home Accents Today Features Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets

Home Accents Today has a nice feature about our business HERE. Home Accents Today is a B2B home furnishings magazine focusing on furniture, flooring and accessory retailers.

Special Purchase: Abaca Area Rugs

Special Pricing on Abaca Rugs

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets has a received a shipment of Abaca rugs made in the Philippines. These rugs are priced to sell. Three colors are available: Bark, Golden and Combo. Sizes range from 2′6″ x 4′2″ to 7′6″ x 9′6″. NO special orders at these incredible prices. Contact us for pricing and availability. Better yet, see them for yourself in our showroom. They won’t last long.

Traditional Patterns Take On New Life

Cambria Color Aqua

Some things never go out of style. Clean lines and definitive trellises have been around forever; adding classic beauty to every setting. Looking for a fresh way to stay traditional? Try DANA POINT, a diamond trellis and CAMBRIA, a sharp pin stripe in today’s most popular colors. The two products are blended with 80% wool and 20% viscose nylon which gives the appearance of silk.

Dana Point Smoke

New Bamboo Products Have Arrived

Madagascar fusion bamboo

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets has a new collection of bamboo flooring products. Below is a brief description of what makes our bamboo products different besides just the look and finish.

The harvested bamboo stalk is hollow with a hard outer wall and a softer inner wall. At the primary processing plant, long rectangular strips are cut from the stalk then milled to remove the inner and outer skin and nodes. This milling process also shapes the strip into the rough rectangular shape and dimensions required by the finishing plant. The strips that pass a final visual quality control inspection will be used to construct bamboo flooring, paneling or related items. Quality bamboo strips are the major factor in assembling a premium bamboo product.

The quality of strips is of the utmost importance since bamboo flooring is an assembled product consisting of approximately 15 strips for the horizontal construction and about 19 strips for the vertical construction. This manufacturing process is one of the major differences when compared to solid wood flooring.

Hemphill’s bamboo strips are obtained from plants located in the bamboo forests of the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in China. There, the bamboo log is split into the rough strips and then processed into semi-finished strips and dried to reduce the moisture content to 12%. In our production process, many of the strips required for production into carbonized products are immediately steamed under high pressure. This process, known as carbonization, changes the color throughout the strip from a blonde, yellow color to a brown, coffee color. Carbonization reduces the strip hardness approximately 20%. Strips not carbonized at this point must be boiled to kill pests and remove sugar. If the boiling process is not done in a timely manner, the strips will begin to rot. The boiling process reduces the strip’s hardness by 8%. Most mills will first boil the strip and then carbonize the strip, thereby reducing the hardness of the carbonized strip by over 26%. Our manufacturer’s process removes the boiling requirement and preserves the hardness that is lost by the other method.

At the finishing plant, strips are again inspected for quality and separated into class “A” or class “B” strips. Only class “A” strips are used for Hemphill’s flooring. “B” quality strips are sold at a discount to less demanding manufacturers. A major reason for the lower prices offered by some manufacturers and/or importers is their use of “B” quality strips.

After boiling or carbonizing, the strips are milled to a uniform size then kiln dried for three days, reducing the moisture content of the strips to 8-10%. The strips are now milled to a final width and thickness in preparation for finished plank assembly.

The final phase of bamboo flooring production begins with the gluing process. Most Chinese glue is high in formaldehyde and low in strength retention. Hemphill’s requires our manufacturers to use a high quality, European (E-1) glue that exceeds most indoor air quality requirements for formaldehyde emission. Our bamboo, when tested in a climate chamber according to ENV 717-1, 1998, Part 1, Annex A3, emits only 0.0127 parts per million of formaldehyde.

During the production process, glued strips are assembled face up for horizontal flooring and side by side for the vertical construction. Hot pressing, where heat and pressure of up to 1,200 tons PSI binds the strips together and allows for complete dispersion of the glue, is the next process.

A major quality consideration is the molding operation where the side and end tongue and grooves are milled to exacting tolerances that provides a uniform straight edge. The multi-step, German molding machine performs all milling functions in one pass. The diamond-tipped cutting tools assure close tolerance over long production runs. The manufacturer guarantees tolerances as follows:
Length: +/- 1mm, Width: +/- 0.1 mm, Thickness: +/- 0.1 mm

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets offers both square edged unfinished flooring and Micro Beveled pre-finished flooring. Our manufacturer has two fully equipped finishing lines that apply 6 coats of Treffert’s High Performance Coating (HPC). This finish consists of micro or nano particle modified acrylate urethane resins that combine extreme hardness with high mechanical resistance to scratch, impact and abrasion.

The boards are finely sanded during the finishing process with a high precision sanding machine. The sanding eliminates air pockets and pinholes from the final product and also guarantees the high adhesiveness of the urethane. Treffert, an internationally known European finish manufacturer, guarantees the finish for 15 years in a residential setting and 5 years for commercial use. These planks can be easily re-finished as the anti-abrasion particles are only added in the 2nd step of the finishing process.

The Benefits of New Zealand Wool

Karastan Cabo Del Sol Made of New Zealand Wool

New Zealand wool is a sustainable natural fiber with outstanding beauty, performance, maintenance and health benefits.

Today’s discerning consumers are looking for more than superior quality. Increasingly, they are seeking authentic, natural products imbued with integrity and sustainability.

Hemphill’s Rugs & Carpets offers several collections created using New Zealand wool, which is universally considered one of the finest in the world. Brands that we offer that use New Zealand wool for their products include: Karastan, Masland, Fabrica, Obeetee, Safavieh, Stanton, Rugs International, Nourison, Bellbridge, Carousel and more.

Integrity: New Zealand wool is grown in open pastureland following sustainable land use and animal friendly practices, resulting in fiber that is natural, renewable and biodegradable.

Health: New Zealand wool is non-allergenic and its natural properties provide inherent fire resistance, air purification and moisture control, creating an exceptionally safe and healthy indoor environment.

Comfort: New Zealand wool’s natural insulating properties result from wool’s unique biological structure, thereby reducing heat loss, condensation and noise levels to create a welcoming and comfortable ambiance.

Beauty: New Zealand wool’s superior quality enables extensive design, color and pattern flexibility, while wool’s natural ability to shrug off dirt and spring back into shape after crushing ensures long lasting good looks to complement and enhance any room setting.