Month: August 2011
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Gaps in Wood Flooring- Are they Normal or Abnormal?
Gaps between strips in wood flooring is a common complaint. Often these gaps occur because of normal, seasonal conditions. However, occasionally gaps appear because of improperly manufactured or installed flooring. Normal Gaps “Normal gaps” (sometimes called “cracks”) may occur seasonally-these gaps close during the higher humidity seasons or the non-heating season Normal gaps may vary…
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Thermal Imaging- Viewing the invisible:
For those cases where the moisture damage may not be readily visible, we use thermography as a tool to aid in locating thermal anomalies which could indicate water intrusion or leakage. We can often pinpoint the source of the leakage using state of the art electronic equipment which saves time and money on repair costs.…
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Carpet-Shading, Pooling, Watermarking, and Pile Reversal
Shading, pooling, watermarking, and pile reversal are commonly used terms which are basically one in the same. This condition is an unexplained phenomenon that can occur in all pile fabrics, including upholstery materials. It may occur in traffic lanes, or in areas where no foot traffic occurs. The actual cause of shading is a difference…
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Buying a Home Re-Sale?
Carpet & Flooring Inspectors Help in the Purchase of a resale home: Candles, carpet deodorizers, cleaning products, air fresheners, cinnamon sticks, and a host of other air freshening products temporarily mask odors fooling prospective home buyers, but, once the sellers belongings are moved out, the deodorizers are removed, and the new homeowner moves in, the…
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Carpet Wear
Since nylon is highly abrasion resistant, foot traffic has very little effect on this fiber. To capitalize on this, wear warranties were issued on all nylon constructions to publicize the fact that nylon would not wear away. Unfortunately, in the consumer’s mind, the definition of wear has been lost and the consumer has the impression…
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Carpet Texture Retention Warranty
Most carpets possess a limited texture warranty. This means that for a specified amount of time from original purchase the carpet should keep its “texture” in the areas of ordinary foot traffic. An important point here is that “texture retention” is defined (per warranty) as “the ability of the carpet tufts to retain their visible…
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Carpet Spot Cleaning Tips & Tricks
More often than not, spots on carpet are not permanent stains and may be removed with proper cleaning. The following instructions works on common spots caused by dripped or spilled beverages. Spots that reappear a few days or a week after cleaning do so because the contaminant was not thoroughly removed from the carpet and…
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Carpet- Filtration Soil
Soil filtration lines in carpet are distinct lines of discoloration caused by fine particle soils, referred to as micro occlusion soils in the air and oily vapors being drawn through the nap of carpet and other fabrics. The source of filtration soil in a house is typically coal or wood burning stoves, candles, cigarette smoke,…