Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Feb 11, 2012 3:15 pm We've been looking at carpets, and have different shops say different things about the underlay. One said foam is the way to go, no compaction issue, and suggest Dunlop Springthread 9mm. Yet another said, yes, I can do foam, but recommend Bridgestone Airstep SupaBlue as the way to go, as the paper backing means the carpet can be properly stretched unlike the fibreglass of the Springthread. FWIW, we are looking at wool carpets for our bedrooms, and will likely go for multi-level (ie textured) loop-pile. As an aside, the walls will be Dulux Grandpiano, the bed in our bedroom is dark brown; should we go with a lighter carpet, or darker (compared to the wall)? Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 2Feb 11, 2012 9:52 pm PHL We've been looking at carpets, and have different shops say different things about the underlay. One said foam is the way to go, no compaction issue, and suggest Dunlop Springthread 9mm. Yet another said, yes, I can do foam, but recommend Bridgestone Airstep SupaBlue as the way to go, as the paper backing means the carpet can be properly stretched unlike the fibreglass of the Springthread. FWIW, we are looking at wool carpets for our bedrooms, and will likely go for multi-level (ie textured) loop-pile. As an aside, the walls will be Dulux Grandpiano, the bed in our bedroom is dark brown; should we go with a lighter carpet, or darker (compared to the wall)? Hi PHL, That's a new one. The stretching due to paper etc. That person should take up a part time job as a fiction writer !!! Retailers are generally aligned to one or the other, so depending on who you see you will get various stories, some very colourful (such as the one above ). We will not comment on Airstep (Bridgestone has nothing to do with underlay anymore), but we can comment on Dunlop, as we are a proud partner with Dunlop Underlays. The reason we promote Dunlop Cloud 9 Underlay is that it is fully Reycled, it is Ultra Fresh treated (anti bacterial) and also a % of sales of the Cloud 9 range of underlay (there are 3 to choose from) are in support of the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Dunlop are an iconic Australian brand and a terrific company to deal with. If you visit your closest store and ask to walk on the Cloud 9 Cumulus underlay, you'll be amazed how good it feels, and it's warranted for the life of the carpet you cover it with ! In relation to colours, a distinctive trend at the moment is to go with stronger (darker) colours in carpet. Deep browns, charcoals etc. In terms of carpet, ask to see Naturally Smart. It's a range of premium quality wool carpets that have 15 year wear warranties AND 15 year stain resistance warranties Best wishes for your flooring project. CALL 1300GOHARVEY www.harveynormanflooring.com.au Carpet, Rugs, Timber, Bamboo, Laminate, Vinyl & Vinyl Tiles TIMBERMAX Real Australian Hardwood Flooring IN STORES NOW Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 3Feb 12, 2012 2:21 pm HN Flooring Team In terms of carpet, ask to see Naturally Smart. It's a range of premium quality wool carpets that have 15 year wear warranties AND 15 year stain. What does the 15 year stain resistance cover (what types are included, and what's excluded), and is it a pro data warranty or replacement? Also is it via Harvey Norman, or via the manufacturer (incidentally, who makes those carpets)? Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 4Feb 12, 2012 3:24 pm PHL HN Flooring Team In terms of carpet, ask to see Naturally Smart. It's a range of premium quality wool carpets that have 15 year wear warranties AND 15 year stain. What does the 15 year stain resistance cover (what types are included, and what's excluded), and is it a pro data warranty or replacement? Also is it via Harvey Norman, or via the manufacturer (incidentally, who makes those carpets)? Hi PHL, Thanks for those questions. Firstly, we should start by saying that the carpet is manufactured for Harvey Norman by The Victoria Carpet Company and extends to 10 ranges, each with 10-12 colours. Naturally Smart has two warranties that may be of interest, firstly the 15 year wear warranty, which in a nut shell says that if the carpet abrasively wears more than 40% within 15 years, the warranty kicks in. It is a depreciating warranty in terms of the % of liability (like most warranties these days), which is why they are usually referred to as limited warranties. Even still, any coverage after 7-10 years is a bonus when it comes to wool carpets, as that's the standard. In terms of the 15 year coverage on its Stain Resistance Warranty, it says "warrants that the surface pile of the carpet will resist most household stains from the date of delivery". It goes on to say that it excludes "exposure to substances or contaminants which degrade or destroy wool or the colour of the carpet" and gives examples such as bleaches, drain cleaners etc, very hot liquids, food and beverages containing strong dyes, acne medication, caustic chemicals, plant food, cosmetics etc. What The Victoria Carpet Company have done though is to remind customers who are buying carpet that wool is a fantastic fibre and one that WILL respond well to prompt carpet cleaning and removal of spills. The carpet hasn't had any magic treatments, it's more about the manufacturer, together with Harvey Norman saying " don't forget about wool", as it's lasted the ages and is still regarded very highly as a premier carpet fibre. Interestingly too, the warranty that they offer is basically inline with all manufacturers warranties, with the same or similar sets of exclusions. If stain protection is the biggest driver in your carpet selection though, we would suggest asking to see Smartstrand. It is a standout in the staining (or lack thereof) field......(it IS warranted for mustard, red wine, tea, coffee etc....but even Smartstrand has limits and is not warranted against vomit, acid, grease and oil.....but basically everything else likely to come in contact with the carpet in a well maintained home). Your local store will be happy to print out detailed warranty information on both Naturally Smart and also Smartstrand should you wish to read the warranties in depth. CALL 1300GOHARVEY www.harveynormanflooring.com.au Carpet, Rugs, Timber, Bamboo, Laminate, Vinyl & Vinyl Tiles TIMBERMAX Real Australian Hardwood Flooring IN STORES NOW Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 5Feb 16, 2012 8:24 pm You could do an instore test with your selected carpet & various underlays & see what feels the best to your bare feet. Airstep also have Foam underlay now. Lots of companies offer foam underlay for your carpet today. We deal with Dunlop, MJS, Regeneration, Bautex & Airstep. They all offer different underlays of different Colour, Advertising, Density & Thickness. Density & Thickness are what you will feel underfoot. The Laminate on the top with Advertising won't make your carpet perform any better, However from what I learnt about Foam underlay construction, Anything with a DSL or double sided laminate tends to perform better when comparing apples with apples. Have any of your neighbours or Friends had issues with Insect attack with Wool Carpets? In our area it seems to be common place & to be fair to Wool, it is more of a maintenance issue than a problem with Wool. If you are willing to vacuum several times per week moving every piece of furniture making sure that you don't miss anywhere including cupboards etc, then you will probably stop any chance of having issues. I personally think Wool is a great Fibre, it looks nice, It feels nice & it performs great when correctly looked after. Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 6Feb 16, 2012 9:41 pm No problems with current wool carpet, and I'm not aware of insect attack on wool carpets. As for cleaning, we'll have a robotic cleaner and a cleaner coming in every two weeks anyway. My concern is not so much the feel now, but what will it be like in 15 years. How do you find the Dunlop foam as compared to the Airstep foam? Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 7Mar 01, 2012 7:28 pm PHL No problems with current wool carpet, and I'm not aware of insect attack on wool carpets. As for cleaning, we'll have a robotic cleaner and a cleaner coming in every two weeks anyway. My concern is not so much the feel now, but what will it be like in 15 years. How do you find the Dunlop foam as compared to the Airstep foam? Carpet moth / carpet beetle are issues that can occur to wool. It's not too common nowadays though, but it was once upon a time. Manufacturers generally treat their carpet with a treatment to repel carpet moth / carpet beetle which is generally regarded as lasting 5 years from manufacture. When I used to come across it often, it was the early 90's so the carpet would have been early 80's or even in some cases 70's vintage. Tends to occur under curtains, behind wall units and results in ALL the fibre being eaten away and leaving you with a perfectly intact primary backing, up to around 2 to 3 inches from the wall. In relation to underlay. Dunlop Foam has been and continues to be the MARKET leader in Australia and it is totally due to the success of Dunlop that there are so many copied products on the market today. Be wary of these. We have various companies offering us underlay constantly but prefer the PROVEN track record of Dunlop and the backup and support you get from a public company like Dunlop. Your choice though. CALL 1300GOHARVEY www.harveynormanflooring.com.au Carpet, Rugs, Timber, Bamboo, Laminate, Vinyl & Vinyl Tiles TIMBERMAX Real Australian Hardwood Flooring IN STORES NOW Re: Carpet underlay: Foam (Dunlop) or rubber (Bridgestone) 8Mar 01, 2012 8:05 pm Wool will still suffer from Insect attack & if anything I have seen more in the last 5-7 years than any before that. My understanding is the carpet is sprayed with people friendly chemicals nowdays & a simple professional clean will start to detoriate the protection applied from the manufacturer. I still stand by my comment of feeling what your carpet will be like instore with your selected underlay or with different underlays. I too get offered different foam underlays from different manufacturers, however as long as the density is there you won't have any issues. We regularly use a 100kg/m3 10mm product from a small local Distribution company in Qld that in my opinion will perform very well whilst offering great value for money to our customers. Dunlop offers Ultimate a 10mm 120kg/m3 density foam underlay & I would doubt many stores would have ever sold any in their years of retail. I have sold everything from the bottom end around 65kg/m3 7mm to the top 160kg/m3 density 10mm -12mm foam, Rubber, Felt & the best which is a frothed foam construction. As long as the salesperson is using the right product for the right area then the client will not have any problems. As for the feel in 15years time, my suggestion is to replace the carpet. In my opinion only, Anything 10-15 years or more in age that sees regular useage will likely need replacement. I have seen Axminster that is 25years old that still looked impressive, however I could still tell it was old, faded & the colours certainly were not something that was considered in fashion. The other thing to think about is will you even be in the same house in 10 or 15 years time? Will the Minister of Finance still be happy with what they have selected or will they want a freshen up? I'm not saying don't buy really good carpet, the opposite actually, buy the best you can afford, the flooring you most like because of the feel, texture, colour or look & then live in your house the way you want too & enjoy your purchase. Flooring is an Investment, but you still have to like what you are spending your money on. Hi there, looking to have a gym in a new build. Planning to install some sort of rubber mat flooring (on concrete) i.e. Asking the builder to not do floorboards in the gym… 0 1339 Oh no! I would use a can of expandable foam ( there are some that will take render) then cut it back and render over the top 1 4148 There is nothing in the various codes and standards that puts this requirement on the builder to do. I think that is what you are asking. Don't waste time trying to get… 5 2427 |