I've been meaning to rip out that old basement carpet for months now.  Nothing forces a project like doggie doo-doo!  Yep, I woke up early on Saturday morning not to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee but, to the stench of fresh-brewed doo-doo coming from the basement. So, I made myself that cup of coffee and tackled the carpet rip-out STAT.

Since carpet removal is a service Action Carpet & Floor Covering provides to homeowners at an additional charge, I decided to use my doo-doo dilemma as an opportunity to blog about 'How To Remove Old Carpet' in hopes of inspiring you to do it yourself and, in the process, save yourself a little bit of  money.  Removing carpet that is not glued down is not hard to do.  Depending on the volume you have to pull up, it can be time-consuming, but it's definitely a task most homeowners can handle.  So, here goes...

How To Remove Old Carpet

Materials:
Utility Knife or Carpet Knife
New Blades
Work Gloves
Duct Tape
Crowbar

1. Start at a corner
You may need to use a crowbar to loosen up the carpet starting from a corner. With the knife cut a line down the carpet approximately 3 feet wide.  Begin to pull the carpet up but be very careful not to brush your hands across the tack strips, they are very sharp and can penetrate a work glove.  The carpet should tear along the line you cut but you may need to re-cut along the way.  Replace the blades as needed.  The blades will dull very quickly so be sure to change them out often.

2.  Roll the carpet strips up
Starting from one end, roll the 3 foot carpet strip into a nice neat little roll and use duct tape to secure it.

3.  Repeat

4.  Carpet disposal
Before you bring the rolls of carpet to the roadside for trash pick up, be sure to call your garbage disposal company to find out if they provide that service.  If you bring them to a town dump, be prepared to be charged a fee for disposal.

If you are replacing your carpet with new carpet, leave the tack strips in place.  Unless they are water-damaged, they can be re-used to install your new carpet.  If you are not replacing the old carpet with new carpet, with a crowbar, hammer and elbow grease you can remove the tack strips.  Pry them off at the point where they are nailed into the floor and the task should go a little smoother.

It's really that simple!  

NOTE:
You do NOT have to remove carpet because of a pet accident.  My carpet was old and needed to be pulled up anyway.  When pet accidents happen, clean them up as best as you can and then call us at 860-298-0070 to set up a professional cleaning.  

Want to go au naturale?  Using natural materials in your home can be very aesthetically pleasing but, at the same time can offer health benefits as well.  

Natural materials and earthy textures often bring a sense of calm to your home.  Mother Nature is the best decorator so following her lead in your home is sure to do wonders for your psyche and overall well being.  Soothing, natural decor can also help promote relaxation and who doesn't need more of that in their life?

Swapping out plastics for natural materials as close to their original state such as glass, wood, natural fibers, ceramics, stone, live plants and the like, immediately reduce the off-gassing of toxic chemical compounds in your home.  It's impossible to keep our living spaces completely VOC free but, being mindful of the building,  decorating and cleaning materials you use in your home certainly can't hurt.

Decorating your home to create a connection with the outdoors, in my humble opinion, is a beautiful thing.  Take this grass rug for example.  The woven basket look of natural seagrass just can't be reproduced well with synthetic fibers.  Keep in mind that seagrass and sisal are not the softest under foot but, Mother Nature's surfaces aren't always cushy.  

And check out these river stones used not only for the floor where they are traditionally installed but, on the walls as well.  Hello outdoors!

Call me crazy but, I still love slate floor that was so popular in the 60's and 70's.  Get the image of the poorly grouted random-sized red, gray and blue slate split-level entryway out of your head!  This is NOT your grandmother's slate floor.

Wool is an amazing natural fiber.  You will spend a little more up front for a wool carpet or rug but, it's durability and longevity can't be beat.  Wool also has natural stain-resistant properties making most stains easy to get out.  Natural, un-dyed wool with jute backing is about as natural, soft and low VOC a floor covering as you can get.  This wool in style Notting Hill from Masland is one of my favorites.

Last but not least, hardwood floors are a great natural asset to your home.  On top of the fact that they are natural, they are easy to maintain and definitely bring a sense of the outdoors to the inside of your home.  Many of the hardwoods that we sell at Action Carpet & Floor Covering are grown, harvested and Made in the USA assuring you of their good quality and that they have met or exceeded industry standards.  Potential home buyers love to see hardwood floors in the homes they are considering.

Action Carpet & Floor Covering:  "Good Afternoon, Action Carpet & Floor Covering, this is Sandy, how may I help you?"
Caller:  "I JUST SNAGGED MY BRAND NEW BERBER CARPET, IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

Action Carpet & Floor Covering:  "Okay, take a deep breath, I will walk you through this..."

Some berber, or loop, carpet pulls are actually quite easy to fix.  Unlike the one shown above, when a pull is just one loop that got raised or yanked out of place, all you need to do is take a pair of scissors and cut the snag down low -- almost to the base of the carpet.  If you have a hot glue gun, (regular glue will do) with a very small dab of glue, secure that loose end down to the base of the carpet.  Fluff the other fibers around it and, "VOILA!" a successful "surgery." 

If the pull is more like a run where several loops get yanked out of place, the "surgery" is a little more involved.   

See where the old adhesive appears on the fiber?  Use that as your loop guide.  

Apply a dab of the glue ONLY to the base of the carpet and not on the fiber.  (A dab of hot glue will form an adhesion quicker than a wet glue.) When a fiber gets pulled out of place, the strand untwists a bit. Using your fingers, slightly twist the fiber.  In the other hand, using a firm somewhat pointed object like a crochet needle or narrow screwdriver like a jeweler's screwdriver, push the loop at the old adhesive mark down into the glue and hold.  Continue to slightly twist and replace these loops one at a time until they are all back in place.  If there is a "tail' of extra fiber sticking up, clip it down as low as you can and apply a small dab of glue on it.  Do NOT use too much glue throughout this entire process or you'll just end up with a mess.  If need be, put a weight (a heavy book) on top of the area you worked on to keep the fibers in place until they completely set.  

Hopefully you are pleased with the results of the operation.  It may not look completely perfect but, it should look MUCH better than a gaping hole in your carpet.   

NOTE:  Hand-woven berber carpets and area rugs are not glued; they must be re-woven by a professional.  Call Action Carpet & Floor Covering for a referral.

It's hard to imagine that such a sweet, adorable face could do any wrong.  He is cute but MAN, does he wreak havoc on my floors and furniture!  With him around, I would never even entertain the thought of having carpet in my home... until now.  Stainmaster introduced a new PetProtect carpet system designed for cat and dog owners.  How thoughtful of them!

Stainmaster PetProtect has built stain-resistance right into the fibers.  Made from solution-dyed nylon, PetProtect carpets can be scrubbed and even cleaned with hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners, according to Stainmaster, and they won't fade or lose their inherent ability to resist future stains.

If you have a dog or cat, you know that odors can happen.  When you purchase Stainmaster's PetProtect carpet and cushion system, you can rest assured that those foul odors can be removed from the carpet without penetrating into the cushion.  Stainmaster cushion has a moisture barrier which prevents liquid from being absorbed and thereby reduces lingering odors.  (You must purchase the Stainmaster cushion to realize this benefit.)

PetProtect carpeting is also designed to make pet hair removal easier.  Proprietary technologies are applied to the carpet making pet hair release itself from the fibers with normal vacuuming.

The REALLY BIG NEWS is that Action Carpet & Floor Covering has 12 Tuftex styles of PetProtect carpet ON SALE thru May 31, 2015!  Mention this blog post and get the Stainmaster cushion with your Tuftex PetProtect carpet purchase for 50% OFF during this Tuftex PetProtect promotion!

We care about your relationship with your pets and your home!

Some people LOVE to pick out new flooring for their home.  You can see their genuine excitement the minute they walk through our doors.  They pretty much know just what they want and they will spend hours happily perusing our samples until they find just the right ones.  Others dread it with passion.  I can read it loud and clear in their body language that picking out floor covering is right up there with getting a root canal.  But, it doesn't have to hurt!

At Action Carpet & Floor Covering we try to make the entire floor shopping experience a pleasant one.  Our showrooms are designed for ease of use, our sales people are fun, welcoming and helpful, and the products we carry have something for everyone.  We have knowledgeable and friendly professional estimators who will come to your home, measure your spaces and offer you product suggestions, installation recommendations and technical support.  Often, the owner himself will come to your home!  And last but not least, you need not worry about the installation of your flooring -- our installers' craftsmanship can't be beat. They are truly artists and treat every job they do as a masterpiece that they are proud to put their name on.

To make the selection process pain-free for you, our sales team encourages you to bring into the stores anything that might help us see the vision you have for your room.  Don't be afraid to drag in a cabinet door, a sample of your counter top, a throw pillow, fabric swatches, an object to match colors to, a bed cover... anything that will give us an idea of the look and/or colors you're trying to coordinate.  Would you believe we once had a person bring in fur from their dog because they wanted their carpet to match it?  True story!

Additionally, there are tons of internet resources to refer to for inspiration like Houzz, HGTV, Apartment Therapy, and our very own Pinterest boards.  Save the room views that particularly interest you onto your phone or tablet and show them to us so we can get a better sense of the look you want to achieve.

vignette [vin-yet]  noun
1.  a brief evocative description, account, or episode.
2.  a small illustration or portrait photograph that fades into its background without a definite border.
3.  any small, pleasing picture or view.

I am a complete sucker for vignettes -- tiny little photographic glimpses of people's beautifully decorated interior and exterior personal spaces. I can get lost on Pinterest for hours pouring through "small, pleasing views" of what professional decorators and average folks are doing to make their spaces a reflection of their individual style.

Vignettes in retail shops, if done well, have gravitational pull as they draw customers to feast their eyes on all the shiny, colorful things that they must purchase. Ava Grace Gifts in Holloways Plaza, Simsbury has the art of the vignette down to a science!  (A must see & shop gift store for vignette addicts like me!)

This morning while sitting in my living room drinking my coffee and watching the news, I glanced around and thought, HEY!  I have little vignettes, too!  At least I can capture them on my camera so it looks as if I do!  So, I grabbed my Pentax, pushed the clutter out of the way, and snapped some photos of the more aesthetically pleasing little vignettes I had created in my decor.

Now, the cool thing about vignettes is that they are little, tiny glimpses into people's living spaces.  You can't see what lies outside the frame of the shots. Judging from the photos of my little spaces, you might think I'm a neat and tidy girl.  I'm not gonna lie... I am FAR from a neat and tidy girl.  I'm a girl who likes nice things, but hates dusting them, vacuuming them, Windexing them, washing them, organizing them...  you get my drift?  I wish I was more disciplined to have a clean and tidy house but the reality is, I choose fun time over cleaning time every chance I get.  My sister's boyfriend says, "Sandy, your house is lived in."  He's right, it IS lived in.  It's lived in and loved in and at age 50, it's highly unlikely I will become a slave to cleaning it now.  So, I clean when the mood strikes and, in the meantime, I enjoy the vignettes.

Here's what it looked like beyond the frame:

applying a disinfectant and deodorizer, shampoo and finishing with the removal of dirt/stains and excess water to allow the drying time to be minimal.  We also offer special treatment for pet odors and stains. 

VINYL CLEANING
Action Carpet & Floor Covering can strip and wax vinyl floors.  We remove old wax, thoroughly scrub your floors and then reapply 2 coats of a commercial grade wax which will prolong the life of the shine and make your floor easier to maintain. 

TILE & GROUT
For tile floors with glazed finishes, we can professionally steam clean them.  For stubborn grout stains, Action will acid wash the grout and then seal it leaving a stain-free grout surface for up to 20 years!

HARDWOOD
Restoring the beautiful look of hardwood floors sometimes just requires a good scrub and buff to look like new again.  You’ll be amazed at what your hardwood floors will look like after a buff and coat of polyurethane.

WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION and MOLD/MILDEW REMEDIATION
In addition to our basic professional floor cleaning services, Action Carpet & Floor Covering is also your Emergency Water Damage Restoration Company!  When misfortune strikes and you are stuck with a mess from flooding, we will extract the water, and in many cases we can salvage your floor with high power fans and dehumidifiers.  We will treat the affected areas to prevent mold/mildew.  In cases where carpet just isn't salvageable, we will remove and dispose of your old carpet, treat for mold and mildew and we will work with you and your insurance company to get you a replacement.

Last, but not least, Action Carpet & Floor Covering has your UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE CLEANING covered, too!  

For more information and to schedule your professional cleaning, mold & mildew remediation or Emergency Water Damage Restoration call 860-298-0070.

Want cleaner floors?  Want to prolong the life of your carpets and hardwoods?  Want less bacteria and cooties in your home?  Check your shoes at the door!  Simple as that, right?  I know, I know, it's really not that simple.  It's a hassle!

In my house we are not consistent about taking our shoes off at the door and, consequently, the finish on my hardwood floors is barely there and all my area rugs show traffic patterns.  My bad.  I should take my shoes off at the door and I should make my family and guests take theirs off, too.  But, I can't be bothered and I don't want to appear rude.  Do you think it's rude to ask guests to remove their shoes?  If you said yes, after reading on you might think differently.  

The practice of kicking shoes off at the door is widely popular in Asia and many other countries.  In places like Korea and Japan people still sit on the floor at low tables to eat meals and some also use bed rolls to sleep on the floor.  More than just a polite thing to do, removing your shoes makes good, healthy sense for everyone.  Think about where your feet have been:  stomping around country roads or city streets where people and animals drop unsanitary things, buses, restrooms, shopping malls, Doctor's offices, parking lots and other countless public places each day.  The bottom of your shoes collect all sorts of yucky stuff that you track into your home leaving behind dirt, germs, chemicals and even pesticides all over your floors.  When you're eating and drop something on the floor, this makes you think twice about that 5 second rule, doesn't it?

Anyway, banning shoes inside the house is a bit of a hassle but it really will reduce the yuck factor on the floors and it will make cleaning and preserving them so much easier.  

To keep carpets and floors looking new, be sure to vacuum and/or sweep often.  Use doormats at the entrances to help trap dirt and provide a place for the parade of shoes.  Please remember that Action Carpet & Floor Covering has a professional cleaning service.  You should have your carpets cleaned two times per year, many warranties require this.  Call us to schedule yours today at 860-298-0070 and ask for Karen!

Red drapes, red lamp shades, red decorations, red bed cover & pillows.  On the North side
of the house, my bedroom felt like a dark cave.

Goodbye heavy colors!  Hello bright, airy and more gender neutral!

It's still a work-in-progress but, so far I'm very pleased with the feel of my newly de-cluttered and redecorated room.  Obviously, I need to bring in accessories and artwork for the walls, but first I need to decide on accent colors -- I'm thinking green and/or navy blue and/or a very specific shade of orange/salmon.  Any thoughts?  (My boyfriend isn't on-board with the orange idea at all but I'm sure I can bring him over to the other side.)  

Honestly, the thing I love most about the room is the zen-like minimalist feel.  Less really is more -- don't let anyone tell you different.  The room doesn't feel like it's closing in on me like it did before when all my stuff was overflowing out of the closet onto the floor, and when mounds of clothing occupied space on top of my dresser because that too was overflowing.  When my boyfriend gently asked me when I was going to take care of the pile on my dresser I said, "Back off!  That right there is art."  Which he in turn responded with, "Okay, well then when is the artist removing her installation?"  PURGE!  Make room for the things you really love and use and get rid of the rest.  I just hope I don't fall back into my old ways... which have been my ways since FOREVER!

When I gather more funds, I'll finish up the project and share photos the end result.  I can't wait to see how it comes out!  Until then I'll enjoy the minimalist look.