Remodeling Caution
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November 19, 2009 under Carpet
Today’s blog concerns remodeling and some of the things you should pay attention to. A local municipality had a pipe break and damaged some of their carpet. The existing carpet was installed tack and pad over level loop nylon carpet throughout the facility. There was a 4” vinyl base throughout. Client wanted to replace the tack and pad with a glue down carpet tile. What are the implications?
1)Â Â Â Â Â Remove carpet pad and tackless from the wood sub floor.
2)Â Â Â Â Â Wood subfloor joints must be patched to prevent telegraphing through new carpet.
3)Â Â Â Â Â New carpet is thinner than existing carpet and pad so taller base must be used.
4)Â Â Â Â Â Different height transitions must be used.
Special power needs for Flooring Equipment
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November 19, 2009 under Uncategorized
Certain types of flooring machines have special electrical requirements. We utilized a shot blast machine that requires 3 Phase Power. In order to get the correct requirements we had to have an electrician tie into the electrical panel at the facility.
Another type of machine used commercially are wood sanding machines to sand down hardwood floors. The building we were in didn’t have adequate power requirements. We had to rent a large portable generator to handle that requirement.
Resilient Tile flooring installation
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November 19, 2009 under Uncategorized
One of our recent remodel scenarios involves our local bagel shop. The existing VCT floor was cracking. It had been down for a few years and was installed over plywood. We had intended on removing the existing VCT and installing an additional layer of luan to give the substrate more support and a smoother finish for installation. However, when all the various factors came into consideration we realized several things.
1)Â Â Â Â Â If we raised the heights of the floor, we would not have enough clearance for a large heavy walk in refrigerator door.
2)Â Â Â Â Â Raising it would also cause the bagel racks to have to go over a ramp or bump. Not ideal.
3)Â Â Â Â Â Under counter fridge would not be able to be removed if we raised the level of the floor.
The existing flooring was removed, the sub floor was prepared using a
Methods of Cleaning your office Carpet
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March 23, 2009 under Carpet
There are several methods and machines to clean carpet. I cannot recommend just one method of cleaning because different areas and certain types of dirt or stains will require a different cleaning method rather that a “one size fits all” method of carpet maintenance.
If you have allowed your carpet to get filthy (ie. Have not followed a proper cleaning method or schedule) you will generally have the most success with hot water extraction methods of carpet cleaning. Hot water extraction is also effective on individual stains such as when a cup of coffee gets spilled. It is imperative that the correct temperatures of water and correct amounts of cleaning solutions be utilized. When you use too much cleaning solution, you have a much harder time removing the cleaning solution and it can end up attracting more dirt in the next few days after you have cleaned the carpet. I have seen this happen too often….. The most effective equipment for hot water extraction is truck mounted equipment which will allow the water to be kept consistently hot and the exhaust fumes and humidity are kept outside rather than still in the building. This method is also know as steam cleaning is one of the better methods of cleaning carpet.
Another method of cleaning carpet is the shampoo method of using foam to attract the dirt and vacuum the soil. The chemicals typically used have foam that is not sticky when it dries. It also allows for the brushes of the cleaning equipment to work into the fiber without damaging the carpet. Often rotary brushes (or bonnet cleaning) are used to spread the shampoo. Many times the carpet shampoo will have additional additives in the shampoo which will help to make the carpet look cleaner than it really is. This method requires that the carpet be thoroughly vacuumed both before and after the bonnet application of the carpet shampoo. This method is not the best method of cleaning carpet.
The final method in my carpet cleaning blog is the dry power method or crystal method where a dry power of detergent and a little bit of water is agitated into the carpet using a brush. This solution absorbs the soil and is then vacuumed up. This method is useful when the carpet needs to be cleaned frequently. This method is a bit more gentle on the carpet than the bonnet method and because very little water is used in the cleaning powder, the area can be walked on quicker. This is ideal for certain high traffic areas and areas that get traffic 24/7.
The choice of the proper cleaning method is critical so that your carpet doesn’t get damaged from the machine. Be careful not to leave residue in the carpet. Be careful not to damage the carpet fiber. It is wise to check with the carpet manufacturer for their recommendations and it is wise to hire a professional who understands the soiling, staining and fibers to provide the best possible method for cleaning your carpet.
When to Clean your office Carpet
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February 23, 2009 under Carpet
During the 1980’s there was a general consensus in the market place that you shouldn’t clean your carpeting too often, it would take out the stain protection from the carpeting. Many people still believe that this is true. I will argue that this is the wrong approach to carpet maintenance. Once you start seeing that the carpet is getting dirty, you have already started harming your carpeting.
Carpeting is mostly made out of nylon fibers. These fibers will get damaged when the carpet gets dirty. If you were to look at the fibers under a microscope, you would see this damage occurring. It is similar to what happens when you run sand paper over Plexiglas. You are sure to see scratches in the Plexiglas and will not be able to remove them.
How often is often enough when it comes to carpet cleaning. Well that depends on the amount of people walking on the carpet and what type of conditions that the carpeting is subjected to.
Areas such as lobbies and entrances which get subjected to a consistent amount of traffic and dirt need to be cleaned more often than a conference room towards the back of the office. A private office will usually need to be cleaned less often than the conference room.
Areas such as the entrances to commercial kitchens and pantries are areas where grease and grim build up will need to be cleaned more often as well.
As a rule of thumb, I recommend that the entrances get cleaned once a month, the common corridors once a quarter, the conference rooms and cubicle areas twice a year and private offices either twice a year or once a year.
Tom Mikulski speaking to AFE on Sustainable Flooring Solutions
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November 3, 2008 under Green Buildings
AFE (Association of Facilities Enginers)
Imagine companies where everything from product to packaging came from recycled goods? These companies exist and are growing at a rapid pace. The trend of being green is now revolutionizing how companies produce such fabulous products while being environmentally sound. The carpet industry has followed this trend effectively and has established true sustainability goals. From implementing policies for reducing waste, re-using product, and utilizing renewable energy each company has individualized a plan to achieve great savings both economically as well environmentally.
Although most companies have made great strides with being green, here are three that have some interesting stories to share….
- Tandus
- Interface
- Shaw
Tandus is one of many companies whom has had impressive results from their continuous efforts. Tandus applies what is called “closed loop recycling” which focuses on 2 critical environmental issues- the reduction in amount of materials to be disposed and the reduction of the amount of virgin materials required to make the same products. This process ensures nothing is wasted, continues over and over again, and shows that the original manufacturer is taking complete life cycle responsibility for the items they produce.
The sustainability goal for Tandus holds a primary focus to use the least amount necessary. They feel “if products are made so well they last longer and so beautiful that you want them around longer, then they’ll need to make less of them.”
Some interesting facts about Tandus:
- Global Warming Concern- 8 million pounds of carbon dioxide NOT put into the atmosphere because Tandus uses reusable energy – which is equivalent to not driving 9 million miles!
- 120,000,000 pounds of carpet Tandus kept out of landfills and recycled into new carpet backing since 1994!
- 8,000,000 gallons of adhesive avoided over the last 16yrs by using RS pre-applied adhesive. (“peel and stick”)
- Engineered a process that uses 25% less yarn than the industry average which translates into 5 million pounds of virgin yarn not needed each year.
- Tandus is the 1st and ONLY carpet manufacturer that uses 100% bio-diesel recycled waste vegetable oil and grease from local restaurants to replace traditional fuel in all their commercial boilers. This is non toxic, biodegradable, safe to handle, and allows to reduce air toxins by 60-90%, air particulates by 48%, and CO2 emissions by 78%!!
Another carpet manufacturer who began their journey to sustainability is Interface. Their primary focus is on the elimination of waste. According to Interface, their definition of what waste is – is anything that does not provide value to the costumer. This could be traditional forms of waste such as off-quality scrap, as well as non traditional waste which is an overuse of materials, inventory losses, etc. The cumulative avoided costs from waste elimination activities since 1995 are calculated to be over $372 million.
Interface has a few brands, one is Bentley Prince Street. This brand has taken another step into its sustainability commitment by creating a partnership with Asset Network for Education Worldwide (ANEW) Foundation, a charitable 501© (3) organization that collects and repurposes surplus furniture, fixtures, and equipment for the underserved in our community and other groups in need. The purpose it to create an overall successful attempt at keeping carpets out of landfills as well allowing companies to receive tax benefits if they donate the carpet they will be taking off to replace by helping to protect the environment.
President of Bentley Prince Street, Inc. states “Our ultimate goal is to divert all carpet products from our landfills, and this partnership touches virtually every aspect of our holistic sustainability philosophy: environmental, social and economic. Working with ANEW, we now have another alternative to dumping surplus carpet in our landfills- either through re-use or recycling. At the same time, we’re helping learning programs that are so vital to our communities. We hope others in our industry will try new ideas like this partnership to help drive the marketplace toward more environmentally and socially conscious practices.” (Article found in Interface website March 28, 2007).
A familiar carpet manufacturer Shaw also has a process for sustainability which they call “cradle to cradle”. They relate their name and process to the idea of how natural products can decompose and return to the earth in an endless cycle of renewal. Cradle to cradle production is this same cycle with synthetic products, recycling Nylon 6 carpets back into raw material and then creating new carpets with that same nylon. Shaw has not only adjusted their waste with their carpet product but also with the packaging, carpet cushion (they use 100% recycled materials), their transportation at their facilities (trucks).
Interesting Shaw Accomplishments:
1) Cradle to cradle also known as Evergreen nylon recycling helps save enough energy to run thousands of homes each year.
2) Shaw has committed to collecting and recycling carpet on a large scale, approximately 300 million pounds of carpet waste annually which equals approximately a 12” roll of carpet for more than 10,000miles long!!
3) Since 1995 Shaw manufactures twice the carpet per gallon of water used.
4) Their waste to energy facility diverts 21,000 tons of carpet and wood flour waste from the landfill each year by converting the waste into steam which is used to power the operations of the plant. The process is environmentally friendly in the cleaner emissions that will result and it saves more than 2.5 million gallons of fuel oil per year.
6) Since Shaw began measuring in 2003, they are now meeting a world-class overall energy reduction rate of 3% per year.
CFCflooring at “Green Building at the Jersey Shore”
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October 31, 2008 under Green Buildings
Tom Mikulski of Commercial Flooring & Interior Concepts was interviewed by APP.com on October 28, 2008 at the “Green Building at the Jersey Shore” conference and technology fair. The theme of the conference was “Advocates: It’s actually not so bad ‘going green’”. The conference topics included; building environmentally friendly businesses, towns and schools.
From the APP.com:
“Tom Mikulski, owner of Commercial Flooring Concepts in Eatontown, was a vendor at the technology fair, and was explaining to customers how his company recycles carpets and focuses on products that are PVC-free and and formaldehyde-free.
“We’re hoping to increase our brand awareness and put more eco-friendly products on the floor,” Mikulski said.”
For the complete article at APP.com.
Stop Global warming with the Cool Carpet (TM) option
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April 25, 2008 under Green Buildings
The Cool Carpet ™ option is one step you can make to stop global warming with your commercial carpet. Create a “greener” building with “green” product choices.
- Chill global warming by offsetting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- All the carbon offset credits for Bentley Prince Street’s Cool Carpet products are validated by the Climate Neutral Network.
- The Cool Carpet ™ option will neutralize the impact of CO2 emissions over the lifecycle of your carpet
- Bentley Prince Street has a mission to achieve a zero environmental footprint by the year 2020. Sustainability is a priority in the use of raw materials, recycled materials and renewable materials. Bentley Prince Street provides customers with recognition of their environmental stewardship.
- The Cool Carpet ™ option is available on all Bentley Prince Street products for an additional charge of 20 cents per square yard on broadloom or modular product purchases.
The Natural Step
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April 18, 2008 under Green Buildings
The Natural Step is a non-profit advisory and research organization focused on accelerating global sustainability. Is an international organization (NaturalStep.org) that can guide a company towards an ecologically, socially, economically sustainable path. The sustainability experts, scientists, and businesses create solutions that will lead towards a sustainable future.
Commercial flooring is manufactured by companies with a mission towards global sustainability.
U.S. Green Building Council
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April 11, 2008 under Green Buildings
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization to educate businesses on green buildings. Check out the usgbc.org to learn about green building, join as an organization or sign up for courses and workshops.
The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is a separate organization that supports USGBC by administering credential programs related to green building practices.
A rating systems was developed called the LEED ®, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This LEED Rating System offers LEED-based education programs. Check out gbci.org to find out how to volunteer, to have rating resources or to register for an exam.