Horses That Heal, Horses For Heroes & Wounded Warriors – an organization worth supporting

At Commercial Carpets of America and Alexandria Carpet One, we routinely support organizations that do good. This one, however, is close to my heart as my oldest son benefits from the use of horses in specialized therapy.  With the rise in the number of children diagnosed with conditions in the autism spectrum, this type of therapy shows promise, but it benefits more than just that segment.
According to Maryland Therapeutic Riding, using horses for therapy is a growing and widely-accepted treatment for rehabilitating a range of physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Conditions served include: cerebral palsy, spina bifida, neuromuscular disorders, post-traumatic brain injury, autism, ADHD, and cognitive disorders. Riders experience increased self-confidence and improvement in strength, balance, coordination, attention span, language and social skills. I hope you enjoy the following videos and consider supporting these worthwhile causes:

NBC Nightly News Video on Maryland Therapeutic Riding.

Horses For Heroes
Horses That Heal – Maryland Therapeutic Riding
NARHA – North American Riding for the Handicapped Association

All the best,

Chris

LEED for Homes – the environmentally-friendly home certification system

by Chris Moline, LEED AP

I was talking with a manufacturer’s representative in my office a few weeks ago about “green” carpet cushion. The information I got was, to put it mildly, wrong. Had I been working on a project with LEED certification as the goal, reliance on this one bit of mis-information could have cost me endless hours and many thousands of dollars, not to mention failure to get certified. In my case, I could have relayed that incorrect information to a customer and caused them to lose faith in me and my company, or worse.
As retailers, both commercial and residential customers may approach us with LEED-specific questions. The LEED for Homes certification program impacts homeowners directly and in this economy, savvy builders can stand above the crowd by building a LEED-certified homes. Retailers can stand above their crowd by taking time to get certified or at least understand where the products and services they offer tie in to specific rating systems.
Our customers are growing in their eco-awareness and we stand out by knowing what we’re talking about. They can, and frequently do, verify what we say, most often online. Get it right, and we’re on the road to a deal. Get it wrong and we lose credibility, making it more difficult to work with a client on all fronts.
Since most knowledgeable end-users have been exposed to green-washing (unrealistically stretching the green attributes of a particular product or service), they understand and trust the information they’ll get from us. It can make our job easier in that they may approach us with one less guard up.

If you are interested in the LEED for Homes process, this video may be useful.

LEED for Homes Certification Process Video
GreenHomeGuide.org site

Please feel free to email or comment with any questions on this worthwhile certification system.
All the best,

Chris

Beautiful flooring options for your home

by Chris Moline, LEED AP

Some homes can make you stop in your tracks. And there is an entire industry based on giving you just that look for your home… just ask Martha Stewart. But how do you describe the look you want if you are dealing with someone who has no concept of style or even seems to be focused solely on performance?

The answer? Speak up and don’t waste your time. In our showroom, we have many different experience levels and senses of style reflected in our people. If at any time you don’t feel comfortable, be gracious and ask the manager to step in (unless you get the perfect sales person who realizes it first and offers to direct you towards someone with a vision more in-line with yours. It’s more than “ok,” it’s the best way.

The manager should know the people on the floor well enough to discern who will work best with whom. If you can answer a few questions, you can make sure you get just the right service. And it will only make your shopping experience more pleasant.

If you are not getting this kind of service, call or email me. It’s what we do here, it’s our pleasure.

Chris

Now, here are some pictures of beautiful homes we’ve had the pleasure of working in.

My own sunroom with cork flooring installed over radiant subfloor heat.

Stunning treads, white risers and railing.

What you need to know before making a carpet, hardwood, laminate or tile flooring purchase

by Chris Moline, LEED AP
University of Maryland College of Journalism Graduate

I’ve been in the flooring business for over 15 years. It never ceases to amaze me when I or my sales staff ask clients what type of pad they currently have under their carpet. That’s just one of the glaring errors of “professional omission” I’ve seen in competitors. There is a lot to know when making one of the top 5 most expensive purchases of your life (some flooring projects cost more than a new car).  Below is a brief list of things you need to know when shopping:

What type of pad is best for your carpet and application?
2-pound FHA base-grade foam or 22-pound slab rubber? And… what thickness is best?
If you don’t know what kind of pad you are getting, it’s time to stop and ask some questions.
Did you know that the wrong pad can void the best carpet warranty?

This answer is most definitely a “no”, but do they have field service supervisors who monitor installations in-progress?
We do.

Who is doing the installation?
Are the installers CRI-certified professionals?
What is CRI anyway?

Will the company be there to stand behind the sale?
How long have they been in business and are they going to last?

What are the different types of carpet fiber and what makes them different?
Nylon, Olefin, Triexta, PET, PTT, Wool, 6,6 Nylon, Solution-Dyed, Stapled, Continuous-Filament… etc.

What is radiant subfloor heat and can it save money on heating?
Did you know that radiant heat is the most efficient room-heating method? It’s too late once your job is done, but wouldn’t you love to have had the choice?      And, can they help you understand how much you can save and the value-added to your home?

What types of warranties are offered?
Abrasive wear
Stain (what types are NOT covered?)
Texture retention
Labor – is it guaranteed for the life of the floor?
Satisfaction guarantee

Will they put everything in writing or do they get nervous when you start asking questions?
If you get that “deer in the headlights” look from the sales person, please give me a call or send an email. I and my team have been doing the right things in the flooring business for years and we’re ready to work with you.

All the best,

Chris


Email Chris

Lomax carpet backing: An eco-friendly choice

Using natural methane gas to power the backing process.

With the help of Lomax Technology from the Dow Chemical Company, Mohawk is the first manufacturer in residential carpeting to use renewable energy in producing latex backings for all Mohawk SmartStrand and SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpet.

It all starts in a Dalton, Georgia, landfill, where a surprising solution is found in an unexpected place.

The decomposition of solid waste inside the landfill creates bacteria which in turn generates 50% methane, 50% carbon dioxide gas. A system of pipes and blowers will collect the gas and then direct it to a central location.

This landfill gas, which was an otherwise unusable pile of waste, has now become a renewable energy source. It will replace the natural gas, precious fossil fuels, that were previously powering the plant used to make the latex backing for Mohawk carpet.

Now in addition to the creation of an eco-friendly carpet with beauty and durability, Lomax Technology has developed an equally environmentally-sound creation process to match.