The following points give a glimpse as to why this may be the fiber to watch in the near future. Click here to learn more about the LEED rating system.
- The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon.
- Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona® are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.
- Every seven yards of SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona saves enough energy and resources to equal one gallon of gasoline—that’s ten million gallons of gasoline a year!
At Alexandria Carpet One Floor & Home we have had great success with this newest of fibers. In fact, it is installed in our showroom and gets more use than your average residential application… and it is holding up beautifully. The softness itself is reason alone to spark interest. But it is the cleanability that customers have shown to be the biggest draw.
Following is a testimonial from a rarely-heard segment of our industry, the independent testing agency:
Independent Textile Testing Service, Inc.
“Over the past 10 years we have been involved in extensive testing of the PTT fiber pertaining to carpet usage. Testing has included everything from pedestrian traffic, soiling, staining, static, colorfastness to atmospheric contaminants, flammability and many others. Based on our experience with the PTT fiber, it would seem that the test results consistently show a marked difference when compared to PET in regards to performance…It is of our opinion that the differences shown do indeed indicate that a need for a separate classification is a good idea. It would be very difficult to continue to try and let the marketplace separate these on its own. PTT indeed performs much better in general than PET in traffic ratings and it would benefit the consumer to know that there were distinct differences, thereby eliminating PET from being confused with PTT. We think a separate class of fiber generic name would be in good order and an overall benefit to end users.”
We look forward to seeing this fiber gain in popularity as it has over the past 4 years. I believe that if it were going to fail, it would have fallen by the wayside quickly. It looks like that just isn’t the case and as a LEED Accredited Professional dedicated to sustainability in the flooring industry I couldn’t be more satisfied.
Here is more information straight from Mohawk’s website regarding specific results:
Wear (Walk test)
SmartStrand fibers bend easily, rebound quickly and are amazingly durable. A test with over 20,000 foot traffics proved SmartStrand’s superior resiliency and crush resistance. In durability comparisons, nylon performed well, but SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona Polymer performed better.
Wear (Hexapod Test)
SmartStrand also underwent rigorous mechanical testing designed to simulate actual walk tests, but in a much shorter time period. Results confirmed…SmartStrand is the best.
Stain Protection
This is where Mohawk SmartStrand really excels. The SmartStrand fiber has engineered-in stain protection. Most stains (even the really stubborn ones such as hot coffee, mustard, red wine, tea, juice, shoe polish and more) are easily lifted with water and mild detergent or Floor Care Essentials. Even more impressive, SmartStrand fiber is resistant to discoloration from bleach. The leading nylon brands contain topically applied protection on the surface of the fiber that can wash and wear off. SmartStrand stain protection does not contain any topically applied protection (it’s built-in) and it will never wash or wear off. NEVER!
Soiling
SmartStrand’s unbeatable built-in stain protection also works against soiling, providing significantly better resistance and removal compared to nylon.
Static
For eliminating uncomfortable static, SmartStrand gets another “excellent” rating versus nylon’s “poor” rating. SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona Polymer is the clear choice in static protection.
Colorfastness
Customers that choose beautiful SmartStrand carpets in any style or color will be pleased by the long-term protection from fading, UV light and ozone discolorations. Color fastness is just one more “excellent” rating for SmartStrand.
Exceptional Comfort & Confidence
Every day, SmartStrand carpet pass another important test for consumers; the softness test. SmartStrand carpets are installed in thousands of homes and Mohawk customers have praised the elegant looks, gentle feel and supreme comfort. Free of harsh topically applied chemicals, SmartStrand’s fresh, pure and soft fibers provide a cleaner, healthier interior environment for consumers.
The demise of Expo Design Center (or – Home Depot never shoulda gone there!)
7,000 jobs gone and all Expo Design Centers closed. Someone should’ve told their webmaster… and this guy -
because it took weeks before the website went down.
Awhile ago, Home Depot announced that it is closing its smaller Expo Design Center chain. All 34 remaining Expo stores nationally are now closed (they started with nearly 250). No closures were announced for Home Depot stores.
But what does it mean to the consumer? Well, for one thing, Home Depot never should have tried to bring haute retail under their wing. It just wasn’t a good fit. And, as you know, the bad choices fall first under the knife of reality.
So, if you go to Expo.com and look for that Karastan Shapura Tiana Ivory rug (8′8 x 12), you’ll have to redirect your search and look for a local retailer instead.
And that’s where we come in.
After 37 years, we’ve seen ‘em come and go… even Sears’ carpet department.
And when we say we’ll give a lifetime guarantee on your installation, we mean business.
We focus on one thing – floors. In fact, I often joke when folks ask if we do siding, cabinets, etc… and I say I get dizzy if I’m higher than 4″ off the floor.
All joking aside, focus has been one of the keys to our business success.
So, send an email, comment on this post, tweet in Twitter, but let me know your thoughts on this. And if you are looking for a beautiful Nourison wool/silk rug, Karastan broadloom or Couristan runner, email me directly through the link under the picture below. I’ve got a list of Expo’s styles and can match them exactly with our Karastan line. Just one more way we’ve got you covered at Alexandria Carpet One Floor & Home and Commercial Carpets of America.
If you are looking for a specific Expo Design style, click here or email me and I’ll work with you to get the product you need.
Christopher Moline
Residential Group Manager
Commercial Carpets of America
703-370-0000
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Sorona Smartstrand Fiber For Carpet – The Next Best Thing…
Below you’ll find information about this fascinating, soft and extremely-durable carpet fiber we’ve installed in our showroom for you to try out. Whatever your flooring needs, give us a call at 703-370-0000 or send an email. You’ll be glad you did!
Contact Chris Moline, LEED AP, our Residential Group Manager, for any flooring-related questions. Email
From the Mohawk site -
“Mohawk leads innovation in sustainable flooring with SmartStrand® carpet with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer. In a partnership withDuPont, this carpet exclusively offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™ (the key Sorona® ingredient), which is produced from corn sugar.
By utilizing this new ingredient, 37 percent of Sorona® is being made from renewable resources. This marks the first time that a luxuriously soft carpet offers durability and stain protection, while also making less of an environmental impact.
Why is this carpet environmentally smart?
DuPont™ Sorona® plays a major role in the worldwide objective of a renewable economy and represents a new frontier in sustainability. This carpet is environmentally smart because:
The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona® are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.
This energy reduction results in approximately one gallon of gasoline saved per every seven square yards of carpet.
The superior stain resistance of SmartStrand® carpet is engineered into the fiber and will never wear or wash off, meaning consumers will never need to retreat the carpet with stain protectors after steam cleaning. And this engineered-in stain resistance reaches new levels of protection, allowing tough stains such as mustard, red wine, and cherry Kool-Aid® to be removed simply with warm water and a mild detergent, or with Mohawk FloorCare™ Essentials. The fiber even resists discoloration from bleach.”
At Alexandria Carpet One, we provide our customers with thousands of square feet of this wonderfully-soft, durable carpet each month. In fact, it’s on our showroom floor with 5 different types of cushion underneath to give you a real-world idea of what it will feel like with different cushions… and how it will hold up. That’s because our showroom is extremely busy and we chose to put it to the test.
It’s performing flawlessly!
Contact Chris Moline, LEED AP,
Not ashamed to be a tree-hugger!
our Residential Group Manager,
for any questions about
Sorona Smartstrand fiber
in your home or office! Email
Old World methods and twenty-first century manufacturing technology come together to create the Navarre Collection, a European Oak floor of timeless elegance. Distinct looks on the long and wide boards are achieved using a variety of antiquing techniques combined with a natural oil finish to preserve the original beauty of the wood.
Each individual plank of wood is oiled and crafted by artisans to reveal its inherent quality and render the impression of age. From the exceptional surface preparation to the carefully executed edges, each Navarre floor is antiqued entirely by hand. Truly a timeless treasure of hardwood flooring that will only look better as times evolve.
Navarre Floors defy any expectation of a wooden floor.
They add warmth to any space, and give a timeless flair to any room. Navarre floors are refined, elegant, rich, and evocative, and while the look is traditional, they have the performance of modern floors manufactured with today’s technology.
Navarre Floors provide the look that suits your interior.
A number of options will provide you with the best surface look that fits your taste, such as distressed, smoked, hand-scraped treated with natural or colored oils.
Navarre Floors are constructed to last for generations.
A multi-layer construction with a solid wood top layer, Navarre floors provide exceptional stability and strength to withstand the abuse of time.
At Alexandria Carpet One Floor & Home, we are proud to carry the complete line of Navarre Hardwood flooring.
Call us today at 703-370-0000 or send an email to Chris for more information.
CCA’s team worked with Stanton Carpet to showcase a new outdoor carpet called ‘The Anywhere Carpet’ on HGTV’s new show, “I Want That.” The first episode featured new and exciting products with an indoor feeling in an outdoor environment.
Courtney Ward, design consultant at CCA’s Carpet One of Alexandria location, and her designer client, Craig Henson, were both seen in this segment, which was filmed in Washington, D.C.
Courtney Ward is also a past member of CARPET ONE’s Retail Sales Professional Council (RSPC). There were only ten candidates selected from over 1400 CARPET ONE locations in the United States.
Ward studied interior design at Marymount University, and was a six-year veteran of the Washington Design Center before joining CCA in 2000. She specializes in working with interior designers. Don Luciano, Residential Group Manager for CCA said, “Courtney is a great selection [for RSPC] and has the right experience to provide valuable information. She is a star performer for us and unusually effective with our clients.”
Courtney is our Designer Sales Consultant. Put her experience to work for you by contacting her today! Email Courtney
Chris
Christopher Moline
Residential Group Manager
Alexandria Carpet One Floor & Home
703-370-0000 Email
Click HERE for a Free Estimate
on Resista Carpet from
Alexandria Carpet One!
WE CARRY RESISTA CARPET & RESISTA LAMINATE. PLUS – KEEP READING FOR EARTHSCAPES RESILIENT FLOORING INFORMATION.
RESISTA Carpet – Featuring a no-exclusion stain 10-year warranty against all food and beverages, the advanced fiber technology of Resista™ actually repels liquids safeguarding your investment for years to come.
Accidents happen…but with Resista™ Carpet, there’s no need to worry! Resista™ is the perfect carpet for today’s most active households. The advanced fiber technology of Resista™ actually repels liquids, making cleanup a snap! Simply blot away red wine, grape juice, and more. Plus Resista™ offers unparalleled performance in a fashionable array of styles and textures in brighter, richer colors that feature supreme softness for extraordinary luxury.
Revolutionary Stain Resistance Household spills are easier to remove because the enhanced fiber actually repels liquid.
Unparalleled Performance Resista™ products are specifically engineered to retain texture and color longer for years of enjoyment.
Supreme Softness Resista™ combines comfort and lasting durability yet is soft to the touch.
A 10-Year No Exclusion Stain Warranty Against All Food and Beverages* This revolutionary warranty covers Resista™ Carpet against most accidental household stains that many other warranties exclude such as:
Coffee
Fruit Punch
Grape Juice
Cola
Red Wine
Mustard
Apple Juice and more!
No Questions Asked 60-Day Replacement Warranty *
If you’re not satisfied with the style or color of your carpet purchase during the first 60 days, your retailer will replace it.
Lifetime Installation Warranty*
Up to 20-Year Limited Wear Warranty*
Exceptional construction protects from fiber loss caused by abrasive wear so your carpet stays looking new longer.
Up to 7 ½ -Year Limited Texture Retention Warranty*
Superior construction provides lasting beauty and performance.
Call us to find out more about this amazing fiber technology!
Up-close seaming process with Earthscapes
Titanium in our Alexandria showroom.
Earthscapes – Carpet One’s exclusive line of resilient flooring!
Loose-lay resilient flooring that comes with amazing warranties at a price you’d never expect!
Earthscapes is an amazing cushioned vinyl floor covering that is relatively new to the North American market. It’s been used for years in Europe and provides richly-textured, realistic patterns combined with excellent performance.
Technologically-advanced Earthscapes features:
- a layer of fiberglass fully encapsulated with PVC vinyl for complete dimensional stability,
- a comfort foam cushion,
- beautiful printed patterns and textures,
- a urethane wear layer that’s highly-resistant to stains and traffic.
WHY CHOOSE EARTHSCAPES?
Final installation in our showroom.
The unique construction of Earthscapes premium cushioned vinyl provides a comfortable and long-lasting choice for carefree, everyday living.
With beautiful designs and textures that mimic hardwood and ceramic, very little required maintenance, and outstanding durability, Earthscapes can be used in any room in your home. If you have an area where moisture may be a problem, Earthscapes provides the perfect solution.
Had a flood? Just dry it off!
Earthscapes also offers exceptional acoustical advantages (very quiet underfoot), ease of installation, and resistance to the contraction, expansino, curling and cracking that are problems with “old-fashioned” vinyl flooring.
The Titanium and Platinum collections are exclusive to Carpet One. No one else has them!
Earthscapes is also extra-wide, 13′2″.
In most cases, subfloor preparation is easier than with other flooring products.
Here in Alexandria, we’ve had explosive growth in clients requesting Earthscapes Platinum and the new Titanium, and we’re days away from installing almost 300 square feet of the Titanium series in the most abused area of our showroom – the entrance to the warehouse!
I’ve chosen to put it there because all of our displays and samples come and go through that section and it’s more “abused” than even our front entrance. That’s how much confidence I have in this fantastic floorcovering!
Click HERE for a Free Estimate!
703-370-0000 Email
Mixed-sourcing;
Presence or absence of added urea-formaldehyde; Recycled post-industrial content - Recycled Wood – wood that is a by-product of other manufacturing processes, such as sawdust, veneer backer boards, and peeler cores, etc… Reclaimed Wood – All manufactured wood products that are reused or remanufactured into new products. For example, Relaimed wood can be reused flooring or reclaimed from old construction – barns, textile mills, factories, beer casks, etc…
Final finish – low- or no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds); unfinished floors can also be site-finished with water-based top-coat urethane, or waxed/oiled, depending on final use. Salvaged Industrial Forestry – percentages matter; Rapidly-Renewable – Bamboo – It’s hard to beat a 5-year re-growth curve. Cork, as well, is rapidly renewable and does not kill the tree when harvested. Cork comes from the bark of the Cork Oak tree which grows on the Portuguese and Spanish coastlines. It’s harvested about every 7 – 9 years and one tree can be harvested over 20 times. Non-wood – Bamboo, cork. Salvaged Post-Agricultural – again, percentages of content apply; Salvaged Logs – Waterway, Forest Deadwood, Urban Forest, Industrial Forest, Post-Agricultural. Sustainable Forestry – Wood harvested from well-managed natural forests or plantations. FSC-Certified – either mixed sources or 100%. Low-Energy – certain manufacturing facilities save energy various ways. The goal is to reduce their overall carbon footprint.
Consider, for example, LEED MR6. MR stands for Materials and Resources. This classification considers the following:
Use rapidly renewable materials and products for 2.5% of total value of all building materials and products used (based on cost)
Harvesting is to be within a 10-year cycle or shorter. For flooring, look into these:
bamboo flooring
wool
cork flooring
linoleum flooring
MR7
Use minimum of 50% of wood materials and products certified in accordance with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Principles and Criteria for wood building components:
framing
flooring and sub-flooring
wood doors
etc.
Based on Cost of FSC wood products compared to total wood material cost.
Contractor doesn’t need the FSC number, but the supplier does.
As you can see, there is a wealth of information regarding LEED specs. We can help guide you to the proper flooring choice to maximize your LEED compliance, and minimize your carbon footprint!
Not ashamed to be a tree-hugger!
Chris
Chris Moline
Residential Group Manager
Commercial Carpets of America
Alexandria Carpet One
703-370-0000 Email
COMMERCIAL – Are you a facility manager looking to replace carpet, carpet tile, vct, porcelain, rubber, or linoleum flooring? We provide material and installation services nationwide to many commercial end-users. You won’t have to worry about whether or not we can do quality work… after 35 years, we’ve proven it and you’ll look good when you choose the CCA team.
GSA - Are you a government contract specialist looking to touch base with a GSA, TXMAS or AFNAF professional? You’ve found us!
Whatever your flooring needs, give us a call at 703-370-0000 or send an email. You’ll be glad you did!
Contact Chris Moline, LEED AP, our Residential Group Manager, for any flooring-related questions. Email
703-856-4929
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