Month: October 2009

 Volume: 7 |  Issue: 1 |  Download

Every business develops words, definitions and terminology that become part of the language of the trade. If you're a designer, specifier, facility manager or building manager, learning and using interiors language and lingo helps you communicate better with and to each other. You not only sound smarter, you are equipped to make more intelligent decisions. Understanding trade words can be essential to the integrity of the job itself. At the very least, it eliminates misunderstanding and confusion.

 Volume: 6 |  Issue: 2 |  Download

Patterned carpet is not new but its design sophistication is breaking new ground. With multiple colors and intricate patterns, these carpets were originally introduced to hide foot traffic wear and stains in large spaces. Today's patterned carpet visuals have evolved into an art form. Carpet mills have engaged the services of big-name designers to develop exquisite patterns. The variety of standard and custom yarn colors is virtually endless.

 Volume: 6 |  Issue: 1 |  Download

The environmentally responsible commercial construction market will reach $10 to $20 billion over the next five years. This "green" growth will offer greater opportunities for everyone from product manufacturers to specifiers to be involved with environmentally responsible building projects. Along with this growth you can expect more information, and unfortunately, more misinformation, about green construction materials and methods. To help you separate fact from fiction, this issue of StarLog focuses on the most often asked questions that designers, specifiers and facility managers have about how flooring can contribute to earning LEED points and play a role in environmentally responsible projects.

 Volume: 5 |  Issue: 3 |  Download

An Initial Low Cost Strategy Can Be A Costly Decision

Time and again, businesses decide to purchase carpet directly from a manufacturer. Their reasoning is simple. Buying a commodity product direct will save middleman expenses. More often than not, these companies find out the hard way, that carpet is not a commodity, and that buying direct does not save money in the long run. In many cases, it doesn't even save money in the short run! Buying direct paves the way for "nobody wins" scenarios that drive installation complaints and claims up. Good flooring contractors, such as StarNet Members, provide more than just quality installation services. They are valuable resources whose expertise in product selection, site issues and project management assure a successful project.

 Volume: 5 |  Issue: 2 |  Download

Ask retailers what they hate most about floorcovering renovations, and they'll tell you it's the hassle of removing merchandise off of, and then back on to, display racks and fixtures. Librarians have a similar lament about packing and unpacking volumes of books off of, and back on to, shelves and bookcases. Conventional renovations are highly disruptive and costly when you factor in the time, the labor, the damaged and misplaced items, downtime to normal operations and patron annoyance. The process can also pose safety risks to workers. The good news is that there is a better way to manage retail and library renovations, and it's available only through your StarNet Member professional flooring contractor.

 Volume: 5 |  Issue: 1 |  Download

On the surface, flooring projects may seem fairly straightforward. Specify a nice floorcovering. Negotiate a fair price with the installer. Down goes the floor and in comes the furniture and building occupants. But, scratch that surface and the potential pitfalls that can undermine your flooring project reveal themselves. What if the subfloor has hidden moisture? How about the floorcovering that's missing in action even though the furniture has arrived? What if the installation looks awful due to sub-par equipment or workmanship? Then there's the problems that sneak up after-the-fact, like the floorcovering that looks great the day it is installed, but starts to ugly-out a few months later. And, every specifier's and facility manager's worst nightmare: the floor that becomes unsafe due to trip and fall hazards. Now that straightforward flooring project is a huge issue, if not a serious liability. How do you anticipate problems, and better yet, prevent them from compromising your flooring project? The solution is to work with contractors who are committed to bringing your job in on time and on budget, despite all the potential pitfalls.

 Volume: 4 |  Issue: 6 |  Download

We've created our own maintenance monster, in a sense, because today's carpets are masters of disguise. The intricate patterns mask soiling and stains. The advanced fibers and backings are engineered to resist crushing and fluid absorption. New dying techniques ensure that carpet colors stay bright, vibrant and colorfast. Yarn treatments applied during manufacturing and even some after-market treatments, effectively repel stains. All this can create a false sense of security.

 Volume: 4 |  Issue: 5 |  Download

Patterned carpet now accounts for over 90% of commercial carpet installations, especially in high profile locations. The broad array of available styles and customized treatments defies description. Designers and facility managers know that patterned carpet has practical and aesthetic benefits.

 Volume: 4 |  Issue: 4 |  Download

Imagine being one of the unlucky millions of people caught in the great blackout of 2003 in New York City. While many of you watched the evening news with interest, those experiencing the power outage faced emotional panic, plus the risk of personal injury in pitch-black hallways and elevators.

Considering that slip and fall injuries in the workplace alone are responsible for almost $5 billion dollars in wage replacement and medical payments, the additional costs for injuries in mercantile centers, hotels, and entertainment complexes caused by natural and unatural disasters makes one pause to think.

 Volume: 4 |  Issue: 3 |  Download

Wood has been a favored interior finish for generations. In commercial environments, this has been a love/hate relationship. Love the look — hate the maintenance and moisture issues. Those concerns can be put to rest, thanks to innovations in hardwood construction plus the introduction of laminate flooring. These products feature great aesthetics with superior physical performance and easy maintenance.

 Volume: 2 |  Issue: 4 |  Download

A Floor For The Ages

Visit ancient Rome and you'll see ceramic tile in ruins ranging from servant homes to noble estates. Natural ceramic tile was the flooring medium used for the ordinary to the extraordinary. For centuries, ceramic tile floors played the dual roles of design and durability. Amazingly, many of these floors still retain their color and designs, even though the rest of the building has deteriorated. Today, aesthetics and functional benefits are still the key reasons behind ceramic's popularity. Ceramic tile is the floor for you if you're looking for style that never goes out of fashion, versatile colors and designs, installation pattern options, unsurpassed durability and easy maintenance.

 Volume: 4 |  Issue: 2 |  Download

Without a doubt, it is simpler, faster and more cost effective to install new flooring under office systems using a professional lift system than to do the same job by dismantling and reassembling furniture, using jerry rigged tools not designed for the job and employing extra labor. And yet, a surprising number of facility managers either don't know about, or don't take advantage of flooring companies that use today's professional lift systems.