The Power of Carpet One
When Barbara and I purchased the Columbus Carpet Mill Store in 2008, we didn’t know a lot about Carpet One. What we did know was that the Store had grown well beyond its carpet mill outlet store roots which dated back to its beginning in 1964. After a few months of debate, we decided to change the name of the store to Flooring & More Carpet One.
We did this for several reasons:
- the Store offers much more than carpet including wood, tile, vinyl, laminate, rugs…not to mention our Steamatic cleaning and restoration division (www.SteamaticOfColumbus.com)
- the old name carried the connotation of a mill outlet store…while we still have great bargains in our 18,000 square foot warehouse, everything we carry is a first quality, running line item
- we began to understand the power and value of being part of Carpet One
So our new logo became this:
So why are we so proud to be a part of Carpet One? A little learning and experience with Carpet One quickly provided the answer. In one way or another, Barbara and I have had the privilege to have been a part of several fine organizations, and we can easily say that Carpet One stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of the businesses with which we have been associated. The attitude is simple: outstanding service with the best products and prices for every Carpet One customer. In fact, something that we discussed recently at a Carpet One trade show is what we call our Carpet One brand box:
- Over 100 million floors sold…Carpet One has installed over 100 million new floors of all types in homes and rooms of all styles
- #1 buyer in the world…as a member of the world’s largest floor covering buying group, we buy the best brands for less to sell for less
- Over 1,000 locations…Carpet One’s locally owned and family operated stores have provided generations of personalized service and community support
- Over 20,000 years combined experience…beyond expert training, we have the experience required to ensure that your floors are installed perfectly
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed…if you don’t love the Carpet One floor you choose, we’ll replace it for free. That’s our unique Beautiful Guarantee.
As Barbara and I have learned, Carpet One truly is “nationally known, but locally owned.” Come see us and put the power of Carpet One in your home. Beautiful. Made Affordable.
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
Steamatic now offers wood floor cleaning.
We are always looking for new and better ways to clean and maintain the floors that we sell. Our newest tool in the cleaning toolbox is the Dirt Dragon designed for professional hardwood maintenance. This machine gives our Steamatic division a superior cleaning machine complete with proprietary chemistry to clean wood. The process is dustless and can be used for 1) intensive cleaning, 2) cleaning and refinishing or 3) cleaning and recoating.
The intensive cleaning step aggressively scrubs the floor to remove built up dirt and contaminants. This can be performed as a simple routine maintenance procedure.
A dirty floor prior to Dirt Dragon intensive cleaning.The same floor after one cleaning pass.
One word of caution, looking at the extracted cleaning solution comes with a certain “yuck” factor. We were amazed the first time we saw the amount of dirt extracted in one cleaning pass. Of course, some floors are dirtier than others, but it was a definite “WOW!”
Filthy recovery water (it started out a very light blue).
After the cleaning step, you have three options: 1) call it a day, my floor is clean, 2) apply the Hardwood Floor Refinisher to restore a uniform sheen of gloss or satin, or 3) apply the TyKote Dust Free Recoating system for a uniform sheen PLUS a protective coating for more durability.
In our first use of the Tykote system, we found the results to be quite impressive. Not only did the floor look great, there was no sanding involved (with the attendant mess) and the finish dries quickly…3 hours to walk on it with socked feet and 24 hours to replace furniture. We found it to be a great alternative to re-sanding. Call us for more information.
Refinished floor with restored gloss and luster (note the reflection!).
Tykote recoating finish being applied to a Dirt Dragon cleaned floor.
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
Doing It Yourself?
We pride ourselves on offering our customers solutions for their flooring needs. And certainly we have the largest selection of flooring materials in the Chattahoochee Valley. Not only can we help you make a selection best suited for you and your lifestyle, but we can install your new floor for a one stop shopping experience. Of course some of our customers are much more handy than yours truly and prefer to simply “do it yourself!” We want you to have it your way…turnkey installed by our experienced craftsmen, your own installer or do it yourself and we’ll provide the materials.
In fact, flooring installation can be fun for the whole family. I just reviewed a wonderful home project and had to share it with our readers. Thanks to the Crawfords for not only being a customer, but for sharing their installation experience with us. By the way, the floors look great guys…super job. And special thanks to Emily for the production!
If you watch the attached video, you’ll see the Crawfords hard at work AND having fun (ask Dad last!). Thanks again guys for sharing!
Crawford DIY Laminate Installation (Made Easy!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXuIs3ZFKu8
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
Learning is a Constant at CFM and Steamatic
Learning is (or should be) a life long experience. We try to practice what we preach. At Flooring & More, we have regular PK’s (product knowledge meetings). The subjects can cover products, installation techniques, promotions, applications, trends, and a whole lot more. We are committed to providing expert advice and guidance through our store where there are literally 1,000′s of products. Some products are better suited for certain applications than others. For instance, you may have seen an earlier post on our dogs (family members and the live with us inside as well as out). We are also looking and replacing existing carpet with wood flooring. The choice quickly moved to a handscrapped, distressed wood look to better “tolerate and disguise” the inevitable knicks and scratches that will occur over time.
Joey, Chris, Sondra and Yong listen to a Bonsol technical rep.
Bonsol "hands on" demonstration.
Not all of our training is at the store or even local. We travel to get the best information and to attend regular trade shows and seminars. Below is a picture of Glen (www.SteamaticOfColumbus.com division). He is playing co-pilot on our way to Ft. Worth, Tx for training and to bring back some new equipment.
Glen hitching a ride to a trade convention (we train constantly)
View above the clouds at 10,000 feet
In the words of Neil Young, “Rust never sleeps” and neither do we!
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
Sand Belongs in the Yard, Not on Your Floors!
Cooper and Cason taking a break from their version of "King of the Hill!"
I recently bought a load of sand to spread around our yard (and three weekends later, I’m still spreading it!). We have three dogs at our house who immediately discovered the sand pile in the driveway. What started out as a five foot high pile on Wednesday when it was delivered was down to three feet tall by Saturday when I started moving it to the yard. You can see why the pile flattened out so quickly:
Cooper and Chloe on the sand pile. Guess which one likes posing for the camera?
As the dogs played in the sand (and yes, they’re inside dogs, too), it became obvious that we were in for some additional cleaning of our floors. Sand and dirt come in your house every time you (or your dog) come in from outside. What a lot of folks don’t realize is that sand (just a smaller piece of gravel) is a very hard substance with numerous cutting edges. When you walk on sand on your floor, it is like walking with sandpaper on the floor, simply minus the paper. With wood floors, this leads to scratches. In carpet, the appearance doesn’t change so quickly but the sand gets down into the fiber and the back and forth motion of walking across your carpet causes the sand grains to cut at the base of the carpet fiber, thereby shortening its life.
What can you do? Simple: clean the floor! Our philosophy has always been to enjoy your home and your floors. Don’t be afraid to use and enjoy them, but do be prepared to clean as you go. My wife, Barbara, and I debate between sweeping and vacuuming on hard surfaces such as wood and tile. I like to vacuum because I believe it gets up more of the grit like sand. If you vacuum like I do, be sure to turn the beater bar OFF to avoid scratches on hard surfaces. Of course, on carpet, turn the beater bar ON to get the proper agitation of the carpet so that the vacuum can lift out the dirt. And once a year or so, be sure to engage the services of a professional carpet cleaner like Steamatic (706-324-2224 or www.SteamaticOfColumbus.com) to thoroughly clean your carpet and preserve your manufacturer’s warranty.
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
