Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering Re: Carpet for a rental property 3Jun 09, 2010 10:32 am View our blog at: http://room4acubby.blogspot.com/ Re: Carpet for a rental property 5Jun 09, 2010 11:18 am View our blog at: http://room4acubby.blogspot.com/ Re: Carpet for a rental property 12Jun 10, 2010 6:50 pm scott_b ...but in a rental I certainly wouldn't be recommending a wool carpet. Hi Scott! Would you be another carpet retailer? Good to have more input around here! I'm curious.... would you care to say why you would not put wool carpets into rentals? The only thing you stated was that you thought it may be overcapitalising. Whilst that may be considered a valid reason, I'd be interested if you were to elaborate on what you feel is not so great about wool? I've been cleaning carpets for around 28 years, and am doing rental properties very regularly. So I would argue that I have been in the 'front line' seeing all the issues with carpets in rentals and other places on a daily basis. I have first hand knowledge and experience in how carpets perform and how they respond to cleaning and restoration. When there are problems with carpets, its my business to provide solutions. And particularly to advise whether problems can be cost efficiently restored, or whether the carpets are past their useful life. Whilst carpet retailers and sales staff often do have a good appreciation of various carpets' characteristics and qualities, I would suggest that very few have anywhere near the knowledge and experience that someone like myself does. So in real terms, the advice given by most carpet retailers is not as reliable as what I have to share. They may have their criteria to match carpet types with various customers, but people like me are the ones who deal with the results of the customers' decisions. I'd be a millionaire if I had a dollar for every person I spoke with who was disappointed with their carpets' performance. There are all sorts of reasons for this, not the least being that the carpet was not well chosen for the place its in. So, what's wrong with wool? Ash. Re: Carpet for a rental property 13Jun 10, 2010 11:01 pm Ash, Good guess, I am currently a flooring retailer (but I'll choose not to advertise myself here). To answer your main question, I have absolutely nothing against a wool carpet, having had wool twist (by Quest) in my previous home, and it's also on my shop floor currently. My only concern is that the cost of wool can be overcapitalising in a rental, and the tennants don't always follow the appropriate cleaning guidelines for cleaning a wool carpet. They are quite specific depending on the stain being treated (you'll know that for sure) and getting it wrong can have a detrimental effect on the carpet. I have seen the effect of scrubbing the carpet by tennants, causing some very nasty pilling for the landlord. Fixable for sure, but also at a cost. I have seen plenty of horror stories (in fact going to another one tomorrow) where the tennant has absolutely trashed the entire house, not just the carpet. A decent SDN would be sufficient to get a good looking carpet, easy enough to clean, harder to damage through bleach spills etc (but not impervious), that's all. For a person's home, put wool in everytime if you ask me. As for me, 25th year of retail, 10 years manufacturing, countless production and design meetings. I heard about this site from a customer and, as a career flooring person, thought I could help the public get the correct information without selling anything. I see and hear too much mis-information from opposition retailers downselling and it drives me nuts. I had a customer on the weekend tell me that xyz retailer told them that polypropylene is the best wearing fibre. How's that grab you, given your obvious dislike for this fibre type? (rightfully so, but it suits those that want cheap). No disrespect to your fine city Ash, but try the rental properties around the Sydney area on for size sometime, they can be VERY special. Maybe you Perth people are just too nice. Re: Carpet for a rental property 14Jun 11, 2010 2:21 am Scott, thanks for that. I generally agree that it can be a mistake putting quality wool carpets into rentals. But a well chosen wool rich carpet in the right place can be perfect! That's my point.... there's a lot of generalising here. "Rentals" may be the basic units which are abused, or may be homes inhabited by the most careful long term tenants. I just think its a great shame that so many retailers totally dismiss the potential of these carpets, just because they hear the word "rental". The outcome often is that people renting only live with cheaper carpets that have poor appearance retention, and it turns them off carpets altogether! I've known lots of rentals with old berbers, axminsters and other wool carpets which continue to provide excellent service year after year, including many I've resurrected from abuse. The saving grace of these carpets is their resilience and appearance retention, which surpass any synthetic carpets. After all, these carpets are chosen for many hotels and cinemas, which are horribly abused. They can and do give excellent service also in rentals. Ash. DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Follow up question - any ideas on how to set up a portable air conditioner through this kind of window? 1 6440 You might be able to apply to divert the sewer at your expense. In NSW you would contact a Water services co-ordinator and they would give you advice as to whether or not… 1 16216 |