 | Aaron McPeak has over 11 years of experience in the floor covering industry, holding various positions including sales, operations, marketing and advertising, installation, and leadership. Other significant experience was with the U-haul Company where he spent 10 years ending as the district manager for Kansas. He is degreed from Friends University in business management and is currently attending Wichita State’s EMBA program. He can be reached at amcpeak@starlumber.com or at 316-941-1753. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2007-01-01 10:14:00
Three dogs and new carpet
: Is it your experience that an animal (if an accident is eminent) will still go on carpeting, or will it go on something other than carpeting?
ANSWER: The animal will go wherever it has (or another animal has) in the past regardless of the type of floor covering. The residual odor is what brings them back to the same general area so the key, regardless of what flooring is installed, is to treat the affected area with an odor neutralizer like KILZ. It will take multiple coats on the floor of the neutralizer, and I would clean the area in question before applying the KILZ with a 1-5 part bleach/water solution. Once this is dry, apply multiple coats of Kilz until the odor is removed.
QUESTION: What is the average difference between the cost of carpeting and the cost of hardwood flooring?
ANSWER: On average, a quality carpeting with cushion is going to cost around $3.75/ft. installed. This would be for a quality brand product, and if maintained properly should last 10-15 years. The average price for an installed wood floor is roughly $9.00/ft. The primary reason for the large difference in price is that wood is much more permanent. It is designed to (under normal circumstances) last for the life of the home with little maintenance. It may require a re-finish or two, but can effectively last 40-50 years.
QUESTION: What is the average difference between the cost of hardwood flooring and the cost of laminate?
ANSWER: Laminate and wood floors are getting very close in price these days, although there are some very inexpensive products out there today but in these cases, you get what you pay for. If you were shopping for a laminate floor that looked very authentic, you would likely spend as much as you would for a middle of the road wood product.
QUESTION: Can laminate be as aesthetic as hardwood flooring?
ANSWER: Yes, it can. As I said earlier, some products available today look so much like wood flooring that even industry professionals have trouble telling the difference from a few feet away. The aesthetics are no longer the issue with laminate flooring. The question becomes "why would I spend as much on a product that looks like wood, but isn't as if I bought the real thing?" The reason the laminate floors are popular is that they are much less susceptible to scratching and denting than a wood floor would be. It also tends to clean up easier. These things I know from personal experience.
QUESTION: Can the same installer take care of all of our needs throughout the entire house at the same time, or do we need different installers depending upon what we choose?
ANSWER: You will need one installer for the carpet, but could likely use the same installer for either wood or laminate.
