Like vinyl has had to adopt to a new format and like laminate has changed to be 100% click from it’s glued days and like hardwood is now mostly pre-finished rather than finished on site carpet too will now have to adapt or lose market share.

People like the idea of having carpet in certain areas of the home, but they don’t like the hassle of the installation or the tear out etc…

If you could simply buy 10 boxes, go home and put them on your subfloor, cut the edges and then take a break that could seriously change the game for carpeting.

Carpet tile is more expensive than roll carpet due to the backing and how it is made, but it is much easier to install as well.

Carpet tile can be easily adapted for most uses, although stairs will not work.

Watch out roll carpet – your days may be numbered.

Carpet Tile can often look like regular roll carpet!

From 1960-present day Hardwood flooring has been viewed as a upgrade flooring for decades when compared to carpeting.

But alot of people don’t know that hardwood floors were commonly installed in the 40′s and 50′s to meet minimum FHA requirements for home interiors in order to allow homeowners to qualify for most mortgages. Back during that time carpeting was not widely available and therefore red oak was the most common hardwood flooring used all over the United States.

During the 60′s the carpet industry became more more highly automated with automatic tufting machines which allowed higher quality and lower priced carpets to be produced. This flooring option ultimately replaced hardwood as the minimum requirement for mortgages and it was less expensive.

But for those lucky homeowners who pull back carpeting and realize they can refinish these beautiful hardwood floors that are quietly waiting under the carpeting to become free!

However, carpet wasn’t just a victim of more selection some of the problems with carpet market share are linked to carpet manufacturing itself. There became so many choices. Choices that flooring dudes call “me too” items that consumers were more or less not impressed with carpet options in general.

Additionally brands like stainmaster and others promised incredible things about durability which started out to be mostly true, but they allowed their brand to be put on cheaper and cheaper products overtime which didn’t really deliver what the customers expected from those brand names over time. In many ways this failure to deliver on consumer expectations caused the consumer to stop caring about these benefits because they were less and less believable.

Today carpeting has had a bit of a renaissance due in part to the global economy. Carpet in terms of total cost is still one of the most affordable options as compared to hard surface flooring choices like hardwood floors or laminate flooring. So by default carpet has jumped a bit because people can’t afford what they really want: Hardwood, Laminate, Cork or Bamboo Flooring.

But we have to give credit where credit is due – there have been some innovations in carpet that are more exciting. Some of the new softer fibers, which are STILL durable are themselves a paradox. You get a soft touch on your carpeting, but long lasting as well. This is a REAL tangible value to consumers. How long will it be before the brands start over promising and allowing the technology on cheap products which can’t deliver on the promise?

Back on the upside patterned tufting techniques combined with advancements in fiber technology have created new and unique looks that may lead consumers, designers, architects and builders back to the category after all.

Overall it is hard to imagine carpet becoming aspirational, but there are niches like wool carpet, patterned carpet, carpet tiles and others that could become something that is really important going forward.

This could be a ray of optimism for the carpet business, but there is reason now for optimism.  Carpet guys can start to think about the possibility reclaim their past glory and more importantly the past market share.

Check out the carpet tiles if you have that area that needs a little love, but you want it to be a soft flooring and easy install!

We’ll start with this: We have an enormous selection. It even blows my mind, which is not easy to do at least in a flooring context. Others will try to limit your selection as not to overwhelm you or equally like to try and corral you in the direction they want you to go. Our philosophy is the opposite. We think you’re smart enough to make your own decisions and feel that you deserve to see every option that’s available to you. To us, it doesn’t matter what you buy as long as it’s what you want (and that you buy it from us!) And that brings me to price. We scour the Internet to make sure our prices are the lowest every day, and we guarantee that they are. If you think you’ve found a better price, don’t buy until you talk to us. Most often there is something hidden that the other guys tack on, but our Low Price Guarantee always gives you the assurance of best value.

Lastly, iFLOOR service is second to none. Our flooring experts are exactly that. We work exceptionally hard to make sure our representatives are trained to handle your needs. The iFLOOR team is totally committed to helping you in your process.

That covers the big 3 reasons to buy from us, but there’s one more piece of the puzzle that’s directly linked to your overall customer experience; and that’s shipping. We’re not selling DVD’s here, so logistically it’s a little more complex (ok, a lot more complex.) That being said, we’ve become excellent at it and over the years have perfected the process down to the last detail.

That’s why from time to time we can offer great shipping offers like the one going on this week. Through this Friday, you can save 60% on shipping on a ton of different products. Saving on Shipping while gas prices are through the roof is part of our effort to earn your business.

Depending on the amount of flooring you need, the savings could be huge. Even at full price you’ll still save money, but now you can save a lot more. And the great part is you sacrifice nothing and still get the expedient service you expect. That’s purchasing the iFLOOR way. Pass the word.

Nice work to the team on getting this refreshed!

Georgia

How big is the area you plan on covering? (by the way this leads to other good questions like, how many doorways, what is the layout like, how many linear feet of molding do you need, etc… etc…)

So iFLOOR teamed up with a company calling Floor Covering Soft to work on an online tool that allows you to draw your areas and the computer will help you calculate what you need. Due to the online application limitations I will admit that the interface for the tool is basic, but it is remarkably powerful!

I have been led to believe that the application works best in Internet Explorer, but I tested it in Firefox too and it seemed to work fine for me. To use this diagramming tool just be sure you are a registered user at www.ifloor.com and then goto FLOORLINK to make a diagram.

Best of all when you call or come into an iFLOOR location our staff can view your diagram(s) and edit it as needed in the event new information comes to pass. You can also save a JPG version of the diagram to print or say and you can print out a nice summary of your report for your shopping process. (Although I can’t imagine why you would shop anywhere for flooring besides iFLOOR!)

Another great feature is that you can have multiple drawings which can be helpful for multiple projects. This can be a great resource for flooring contractors, architects, designers and general contractors too.

The tool will tell you how many square feet you have and if you “switch” materials you can even lay out carpeting and vinyl including cut lists with ease. I talked to a major builder who used this to compare the carpet quantities to what they were paying their current supplier and they found that they were being overcharged by about 9% for carpet, pad and installation. In the past when they complained about why a 2000 foot house had 230 yards of carpet, they were given a story about waste and cuts and how gravity and the rotation of the earth really justified the excess materials. When the builder took the cut sheet to them using this tool that was that. No room to argue when you have the facts. And yes the tool will calculate a waste ratio even on roll materials. It automatically calculated 10% waste on carton materials.

Anyway – check it out. I think it is a great tool and another online first from iFLOOR and our drawing technology partner Floor Covering Soft!

Here is a quick diagram that combines both carpet and hardwood in 1 drawing:

TWO FINAL TIPS:

1) You must be registered at iFLOOR to use the tool which enables you to save your projects.
2) Click around using both left clicks and right clicks in the diagram itself to see more options and some of the power of this application. It is really awesome!

The residential styles that are now emerging are really cool too.

I think the seams are almost invisible on the Milliken carpet tile line called Tesserae. It is a very good looking carpet and it has a padding attached with a very subtle self adhesive on the bottom.

For a DIY installation this is a great application. The only downside no way to do stairs with this. I suspect Milliken offers carpet in the same colorways that a professional could install for you, but if you are just doing some rooms, basements or whatever, this can be a great application!

Check it out: MILLIKEN CARPET TILE

In my past article “Steve’s Stages of Floor Shopping” I pointed out that a process that begins with excitement soon turns to frustration because the flooring market itself can be tough to navigate.

One guy says his 49 cent laminate is just as good as the $4.00 product, can you trust him? He buys direct so that means…

Another guy says his $8.00 hardwood is better than the $4.00 hardwood you saw on the Internet, is he right? He says you get what you pay for so that means…

Another store says they have been in business for 50 years so that means….

Then a guy says he has a flooring warranty that will last for 1000 years and will withstand nuclear winter so that means….

Then you realize you have no way to narrow down this search and of course at iFLOOR we decide to throw 50,000 different pages at you, which I have to admit may add to your frustration.

The good news is that the iFLOOR experts can help you through the process and relieve some of your frustration, but I wanted to let you know that we are actively working on a super secret project to help you narrow your search based on your personally relevant criteria in a fast friendly way.

In the mean time here are some quick links to the brands in each category to help you get familiar with some of the finest players in the flooring space:

HARDWOOD FLOORING
LAMINATE FLOORING
BAMBOO FLOORING
CORK FLOORING
AREA RUGS
CARPET
TILE FLOORING
VINYL FLOORING
BLOWOUT FLOORING
DIY FLOORING
Flooring Accessories & More

I have seen this problem a number of times and I think the guidance provided by the crack staff over there was on the money. Bentley, Tad and Gene make a terrific combination.

The obvious part of the story about feeling let down because the flooring is not unsatisfactory is the main topic, but I think the situation is absolutely exacerbated by one of the things the customer said: $14.00 per foot to upgrade to this from carpet!!!!!

An average consumer 2.5 years ago could have purchased the exact same mannington laminate flooring including installation and all accessories for a price closer $7.00 per foot.

So why is the cost double that? Simple:

Builders in general hate to handle upgrades. They slow things down, they complicate the situation and they increase the likelihood of an error because it is outside the norm.

“Stick with the Spec” is the traditional mentality at most large builders and even commercial builders.

The part I don’t like is the solution to the problem. Customers demand the upgrades so builders are forced to work through the problem; but they solved it by making sure they get paid for it. By the way I totally get that and I understand the added complications and the need to be properly compensated, I just think it is excessive.

It has been very normal for a tract builder to basically double the price from the supplier they are using on the tract. That is a high price to pay for custom upgrades.

On top of the high price for the new flooring the credit allowance for the carpet, which was likely the original spec, is typically less than 50% of the original cost. Therefore they are making money on both sides. I am not positive that is a good deal for the homeowner. The flooring supplier doesn’t get a dime of the original allowance typically.

The other part of the equation is that the flooring supplier is almost always doing the spec part of the project at a low margin and they WANT the upgrades because that is the only place they make a margin. So the price they are charging the builder for that upgrade is already a “full retail” price which means when the builder doubles it the punitive nature of the process is really running at full steam.

And of course the homeowner can not shop it around – the only person that can do the work as part of the construction process is the builders supplier for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is the builder is reasonsible for the jobsite and can’t have just anyone show up there to work. Furthermore the builder is typically in a position to “roll in” the upgrade fees to the mortgage so the $14.00 per foot only feets like $30.00 per month x 30 years. (In other words in addition to getting a bad deal on the floors to begin with and getting virtually no credit for the original spec, you get to pay interest for 30 years on it too.)

btw – the price from iFLOOR on the same stuff that was a $14.00 upgrade with installation would have been closer to $5-$6 about 2 years ago. (so on a 1000 foot job the homeowner paid more than $14,000 – rather than $5000-$6000.)

One of these days I will make a worksheet that illustrates the total economics here, but let me say that it is not alot of value add for alot of extra money.

I would point out that remodeling contractors and custom builders have much more of a normal profit add-on because their building process is custom to begin with.

In closing it is important to understand that some homeowners actually go through the entire building process having the carpet or original flooring put in and take possession of the home AND THEN put in new floors. There is alot of material that goes to waste in that situation, but it is significantly less expensive if the builder won’t be flexible.

I have seen in the past 12 months that builders like Pulte, Centex, Shea, Orleans and others have started allowing customers to use companies like iFLOOR for materials and sometimes installation too. Given the state of the housing market I think it is good for everyone to think about delivering the highest value to the consumer.

The compounding effect of dissatisfaction in the performance of the floor due to the incredibly high upgrade cost is something that is tough to reconcile. Ok enough of my rant.