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Old 03-13-2011, 10:59 AM
 
Location: KC Missouri
93 posts, read 683,591 times
Reputation: 53

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Quote:
Originally Posted by homeinatx View Post
Learn your ABC's - anything but carpet. Austin is allergy central. Carpet is cheap and nasty: dust trap, allergen trap, filthy fast and ugly - hardwoods, stone, concrete, bamboo, even linoleum look better , plus they are easier to keep clean and look better! The advice about flooring allowance is good, but why anyone would want carpet in a house in Austin is beyond me. An invitation to mold. Revolting!!
Do some research. Studies have shown that there are fewer airborne particles with carpet than any other floor covering. I am retired from 40 years in the flooring business.
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Old 03-13-2011, 11:00 AM
 
Location: earth?
7,284 posts, read 12,874,801 times
Reputation: 8956
None. It is just a trap for filth.
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Old 03-13-2011, 04:55 PM
 
Location: KC Missouri
93 posts, read 683,591 times
Reputation: 53
A closed mind is a dangerous thing.
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Old 03-13-2011, 05:03 PM
 
Location: KC Missouri
93 posts, read 683,591 times
Reputation: 53
Carpet, Bacteria, Fungi, and Allergen

Synthetic floorcoverings such as carpet, ceramic tile, and sheet vinyl do not provide a food source for biological growth, although airborne biologicals do collect on these surfaces. Studies comparing the amount of surface biologicals on each flooring surface indicate no difference in biological levels among these surfaces. However, results revealed, due to contaminated cotton mops and ineffective maintenance procedures, hard surfaces could have higher biological loads, if mops are not carefully dried and disinfected after each use and cleaning solutions are not replenished frequently to limit the spread of infectious organisms. Recent studies also suggest that airborne particulates and other allergens may be higher above hard surface floorcovering due to its inability to collect and hold these airborne contaminants.
It has been suggested that carpet may be a source for airborne biologicals and allergen based on the assumption that these contaminants can be found in carpet dust. No direct relationship has been established to confirm this suspicion. In fact, the body of good science available suggests that carpet is a very effective trap, which removes these pollutants from the breathing zone. Environmental chamber studies have revealed that these contaminants are not released during normal activities. Carpet cleaning studies reveal that more than 99% of biologicals and allergen collected by carpet can be removed with one carpet cleaning. The key to limiting the biological load on any flooring surface is a regular, carefully planned carpet care regimen.
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Old 03-13-2011, 09:22 PM
 
2,185 posts, read 6,409,050 times
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Hardwood floors! With all the allergens in Austin, I hate carpet!
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Old 03-14-2011, 11:51 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,818,121 times
Reputation: 9477
Quote:
Originally Posted by samfloor View Post
Carpet, Bacteria, Fungi, and Allergen

Synthetic floorcoverings such as carpet, ceramic tile, and sheet vinyl do not provide a food source for biological growth, although airborne biologicals do collect on these surfaces. Studies comparing the amount of surface biologicals on each flooring surface indicate no difference in biological levels among these surfaces. However, results revealed, due to contaminated cotton mops and ineffective maintenance procedures, hard surfaces could have higher biological loads, if mops are not carefully dried and disinfected after each use and cleaning solutions are not replenished frequently to limit the spread of infectious organisms. Recent studies also suggest that airborne particulates and other allergens may be higher above hard surface floorcovering due to its inability to collect and hold these airborne contaminants.
It has been suggested that carpet may be a source for airborne biologicals and allergen based on the assumption that these contaminants can be found in carpet dust. No direct relationship has been established to confirm this suspicion. In fact, the body of good science available suggests that carpet is a very effective trap, which removes these pollutants from the breathing zone. Environmental chamber studies have revealed that these contaminants are not released during normal activities. Carpet cleaning studies reveal that more than 99% of biologicals and allergen collected by carpet can be removed with one carpet cleaning. The key to limiting the biological load on any flooring surface is a regular, carefully planned carpet care regimen.
Interesting, thanks for sharing that.

Just from a personally subjective perspective. I have allergies to cedar and dust mites, and don't find myself bothered any less now that we live in a house with all tile floors, then we did when we lived in a house with mostly shag carpeting. The floors in both houses got vacuumed and mopped every week, and the carpets cleaned every year.

My feed to hurt a lot more if I go bare foot much on these hard tire floors. My Dr. said that is common, you need to wear something that gives you some arch support to prevent this.
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Old 03-14-2011, 06:34 PM
yam yam started this thread
 
228 posts, read 884,538 times
Reputation: 143
Geez guys. OP here. For reasons beyond the scope of this thread, I will be replacing old carpet with new carpet in three rooms of my house. The many advantages of various hard floorings are duly noted but they're not what I'm looking for right now.

A week after posting this question, I've got a couple of good responses and three pages of chatter from peanut gallery. Anyone else have something relevant to add?
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Old 03-14-2011, 07:42 PM
 
Location: The Republic of Texas
78,866 posts, read 46,323,098 times
Reputation: 18520
Quote:
Originally Posted by yam View Post
Geez guys. OP here. For reasons beyond the scope of this thread, I will be replacing old carpet with new carpet in three rooms of my house. The many advantages of various hard floorings are duly noted but they're not what I'm looking for right now.

A week after posting this question, I've got a couple of good responses and three pages of chatter from peanut gallery. Anyone else have something relevant to add?

It is all going to depend on your lifestyle and what you like.

Frieze, has been hot for over 10 years.

Loop piles are not as popular but serve a purpose

Cut and loop are patterns using the different texture and light reflection off the different style of face yarn.


No matter what carpet you pick, make sure the person installing it is a CFI Certified Installer! The most important day in the life of your carpet, is the day it is installed.

Certified Floorcovering Installers :: Home
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Old 03-26-2011, 11:01 PM
 
Location: Coffee Bean
659 posts, read 1,751,848 times
Reputation: 819
Don't mean to hijack the thread for my own selfish purposes, but what about stained concrete?? Anyone have any thoughts about that? I've got 4 animals and 2 people + cream-colored carpet = eeewww. With the animals, I'm thinking wood/laminate might get stained (cat vomits in the morning, we don't discover it until 12 hours later...), and tile grout gets gross-looking, so I'm left with the stained concrete idea.
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Old 03-27-2011, 12:15 AM
 
4,710 posts, read 7,059,926 times
Reputation: 5612
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austinitegirl View Post
Don't mean to hijack the thread for my own selfish purposes, but what about stained concrete?? Anyone have any thoughts about that? I've got 4 animals and 2 people + cream-colored carpet = eeewww. With the animals, I'm thinking wood/laminate might get stained (cat vomits in the morning, we don't discover it until 12 hours later...), and tile grout gets gross-looking, so I'm left with the stained concrete idea.
In our last home, we had solid oak floors. The cat vomited a lot, and, while I always worried that it would harm the finish, it never did. Not a stain, no change in luster, nothing. Vomit proof flooring. By the time we left, there were a few minor scratches, but basically, nothing. And one of our cats loved to slide across it all the time. I think this depends on the finish you put on the wood. Some are harder than others. Wood is easier on your feet and other joints than concrete (wood has some "give"). It also gives your house, in my opinion, a much warmer, homier feeling than concrete, which seems "cold" to me. But that, of course, is a matter of taste.
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