People choosecarpets because of the wide variety of options they offer when it comes to colors, textures, and costs. But unfortunately, those same people often let their carpets diminish over time due to poor maintenance. With proper care, carpeting can last for many decades, keeping your house beautiful and warm year after year.

Carpet Life Quiz

1.Your son accidentally knocks over a cup of juice onto your brand new shag carpeting. What do you do?

A) Leave the spill, it?ll go away on its own.

B) Replace the carpet immediately.

C) Treat the stain as soon as it happens.

2.Your next door neighbor says he?s just getting into the carpet installation business and can cut you a pretty nice deal. You should:

A) Take him up on his offer.

B) Ignore your neighbor and never talk to him again.

3. To reduce costs, you want to use a cheap quality carpet pad underneath your new carpeting. Your spouse wants to go with a high-end option. Ultimately, you:

A) Use the faulty cheap one, hoping that it will all be fine.

B) Flip a coin, heads or tails.

C) Go with the quality carpet pad that will make your carpeting last for many years.

4. Your children are setting up a chore chart and want to know how often they need to vacuum. You tell them:

A) Once a month. The built-up dog hair will add extra comfort.

B) Once a year. If you can?t see the dirt, it isn?t there.

C) Regularly, at least once a week to keep dust and allergens out of the home.

5. You?ve just sold all of your furniture because you needa change of pace. When redecorating with the carpet in mind, you:

A) Put the new furniture in exactly the same place. You?ve already worked a nice rut into the carpet, why change now?

B) Get rid of all the furniture and don?t replace it, opting for the ultimate inminimalistliving.

C) Re-arrange the furniture in a new configuration to minimize wear and tear in the spots where the furniture sat before.

Whether you?re building a new house or just redoing your old one, choosing a carpet dealer is a huge decision. Before you buy, it?s important to consider this: All carpet isn?t made alike, and neither are carpet dealers. Here are a few major things to keep in mind as you make your decision:

These are just a few key considerations when choosing your carpet dealer. Interested in learning more? Head down to our showroom in Wilmington, NC to look at our products or speak with our expert flooring specialists.

Picture this: It?s the early ?80s. You have one of those beautiful, luxurious white carpets that you remember from TV shows like Dallas or Dynasty. You are the type of person who wears fur stoles and elbow-length gloves and gestures wildly while drinking red wine. Then, someone?s long-lost someone comes through the door! You?re shocked; you jump; the wine spills all over your irreplaceable white rug, ruining it. All is lost ? or is it? Thanks to syndicated television, this is a world we all remember ? the world into which Stainmaster carpets were born.

Stainmaster carpets: We?ve all heard of them. They came onto the carpeting scene in the ?80s, when they became the leader in stain-resistant carpeting. It was the biggest development to ever happen to the carpet industry.

Before Stainmaster technology, we were limited to immediate stain removal efforts, which meant applying soil treatments to the stain as soon as it happened ? and even then, in the best case scenarios, you could usually only remove most of the stain.

At the beginning, the chemical formula that Stainmaster carpets used was expensive and only available to their brand. But as time went on, stain-resistant formulas became available, and today, almost all carpets and flooring are stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, and spill-proof.

What types of stain-resistant flooring are there?

These days, pretty much anything can be stain-resistant! The way these carpets, rugs, and other kinds of flooring works is through a chemical treatment. The treatment makes the carpets able to resist stains, dirt, and mess. (This doesn?t mean they don?t get dirty; it just means it takes much longer!)

What should you look for in stain-resistant flooring?

If you have pets, kids, or lots of guests?

• And you want carpet: Go for nylon ? it?s the most durable and stain-resistant carpet fiber on the market.
• And you want hardwood: Consider choosing bamboo. It?s the most popular flooring for pets and children because it?s the most resistant wood to stains and scratches. This makes it more durable, which is good for a high-traffic home.
• And you want vinyl: This is often the most versatile choice for someone with small children or pets. They?re scratch- and stain-resistant, quiet, easy to clean, and provides excellent traction. Luxury vinyl comes in a wide variety of designs and styles?including natural-looking wood?so it isn?t a compromise when it comes to style.

If your home gets some traffic?

• And you want carpet: Polyester is a good stain-resistant option for homes with a regular amount of traffic. Some customers think it feels slightly more luxurious than nylon blends.
• And you want hardwood: Harder woods (like bamboo, oak, or maple) withstand traffic better than softer ones. Choice of color can depend entirely on taste?but sometimes, customers who are worried about possible stains find darker woods more appealing.
• And you want vinyl: In the industry, vinyl flooring is considered ?resilient flooring,? due to its durability and scratch- and stain-resistant qualities. Inlaid vinyl will be more durable than printed vinyl, but as for the look of the floor ? well, that?s up to you!

There are a lot of options out there when you?re in the market for a new carpet. You can go to a nationally-operated home improvement store, or one of the local dealers in your hometown. But how do you know when you?ve found a top-notch carpet store?

Expert Salespeople

The best carpet stores are staffed by experts. Many local stores have been operating for decades, and their salespeople are well-trained and knowledgeable about every detail of the industry.

It may not seem like it at first glance, but flooring is a very complex field. Do you know what ?weft? and ?warp? are? Can you discern how much a carpet will stretch over time? At the best carpet stores, the salespeople will not just be able to tell you that weft and warp refer to the horizontal and vertical strings that stretch on the weaver?s loom, but they?ll be able to tell you exactly how they affect the carpet?s perceived quality.

Sales reps at the best carpet stores also know how to order a patterned carpet to make sure it lines up properly during installation. Some retailers will measure carpet by square foot, and others by square meters. Salespeople need to know exactly how each carpet manufacturer measures so as not to risk an unmatched carpet, or worse, a major financial loss.

Personalized Service

Independent carpet stores have typically been active in their communities for many years, and the best of them will offer personalized service over time. Local flooring professionals view you as a person who has a unique home, lifestyle, and flooring needs, and we?re willing to discuss those with you at length to make sure you make the right decision the first time. In other words, the most important thing to us isn?t making the sale ? it?s making sure our neighbors get the best products for their homes.

Selection

Contrary to popular belief, most big box stores don?t have better selection than local carpet stores. If you think about it, it makes sense. Carpet stores just have the one goal: meeting your flooring needs. The big box stores need to appeal to a wide variety of customers, so they carry a small number of the cheapest and most popular carpet styles nationwide, and that?s it. If you have specific needs?say, a particular color, or a designer look ? you can?t get it.

At the best carpet stores, they have a wide variety of flooring options. You?re not just Average American John Doe?you?re unique, and your home is unique, and local retailers know that. We?re looking to help you find what you need?not force you to choose from a substandard list of basic carpets.

Regional Knowledge

Why does regional knowledge matter in the carpet industry? Well, if you live in a humid, low-lying city like Wilmington, NC, the potential for damp floors from humidity or floodwater damage can really affect the best flooring options for your home. The salespeople at a local carpet store will be able to steer you toward a carpet that will withstand your region?s particular climate challenges.

Marine carpeting is used in boats and marine facilities, such as boat docks. While some people use indoor carpeting for these applications, marine carpeting is more durable and much safer. Marine carpeting is only available at select carpet stores, and some stores will even do the carpet installation for you. Professional installation of marine carpeting is recommended to ensure that the carpet is installed safely and will last a long time. And, while glue-down boat carpeting can be installed by the owner, snap-in carpet mats must be done by a professional who has the necessary tools and skills.

Here are some benefits of using marine carpeting:

• Durability: Durability is key when you?re dealing with both fresh and salt water. Marine carpeting is resistant to UV radiation. This keeps the carpet from fading and prevents sun damage. It is also mold-resistant and mildew-resistant.
• Safety: For flooring that comes in constant contact with water, traction is key. Marine carpeting provides excellent traction in otherwise slippery areas.
• Maintenance: Regular cleaning of marine carpeting can be done with a water hose. For more difficult cleaning, you can use a scrub brush or sponges to get the surface completely clean. The great thing about this type of carpeting is that it is resilient to stains, and bleach can often be used in the cleaning process.
• Variety: There is a wide range of colors and patterns available in marine carpeting. This makes it easy to match carpeting with boat interiors, or to use the same color scheme with a dock and its surrounding facilities.