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Carpet News
The Battle of the "Jolly Green Giants"
The battle is on, Mohawk vs Shaw. Who can be the "greenest"? All the ad men know that consumers are becoming more aware of global warming, air quality, etc, and they want consumers to feel they have a hand in making the planet safer. Enter the giants of the carpet industry, Mohawk and Shaw, each with their own solution to the environmental problem. On the Mohawk side we will see the introduction of carpet made from corn, and on the Shaw side, we are going to see recyclable carpet and carpet fiber. Each of our giants is going to spend millions to convince you that their contribution to saving our planet is significantly better than the other.
I am most happy to see our industry headed in the direction that puts less carpet in our landfills, and that is able to begin to break the connection to petroleum. At this early point in the battle, I'd have to say the Shaw has a lead in the rush to be "green". Right now in major cities there centers where dealers can take used carpet to for recycling. The first one that was opened up in the Portland Oregon area was overwhelmed at the response of local dealers, and was not able to keep up with processing the mass quantities of carpet. The problem is being addressed, and with some guidelines, will reopen in the near future.
Each of these efforts is to be applauded, but the consumer should understand that performance of these new products has not yet stood the ultimate test; which is years of wear and abuse by you in your home. Mohawk's new "Smartstrand" brand of Sonora PTT fiber by DuPont uses corn sugar to make Bio-PDO (chemically known as propanediol), and is one of the ingredients used in the fiber making process that ordinarily would use a petroleum base. Mohawk has tested the new Sonora product and says it is as good as the old petroleum based product. PTT is still part of the polyester family.
Shaw's N6 nylon is recyclable, and is currently used in a great deal of their nylon products. The percentage of recycled fiber in these carpets is not publicized, but I am guessing somewhere between 2 and 5% at this time. We are talking nylon here, still the strongest fiber used in making carpet. In the next ten years if Shaw keeps moving that minimum figure up and up, they will indeed be making a huge contribution to making our planet greener.
Carpet Prices to Rise Again This June
Yes, carpet prices went up again in February of 2008, and yes they are going UP! again in June of 2008. Yes they went up in April 2005, but costs keep increasing. Times may be tough, but that is not stopping the mills from raising their prices a dozen times in 24 months. This June's price increases will not be the last. This is not unexpected due to rising health care costs, fuel cost, ($118/barrel) , the lingering effects of Katrina etc., the falling dollar, and the fact that there is less and less competition in the making of carpet. Also, many mills have begun making their own fiber, thereby squeezing profits for the few fiber producers that are left. Because the larger fiber producers saw their profits shrinking, some have sold off their fiber business. For example, Dupont sold its fiber business to Invista which was later purchased by Koch Industires, and Soluatia (producers of Wear Dated Brand ) filed for bankruptcy almost a year ago, and Allied Signal acquired BASF's fiber business in a swap for Allied's engineered plastic business. Thus, as I predicted a few years ago, when competition was reduced and the mills gained more control of the total business, they would begin to increase prices. Wait until ALL the smaller mills are gone. Then prices will really take a hike upwards. For now, however, carpet is still a bargin as a floocovering. After all, cheap laminate flooring with a pad is $2.39/sq ft. NOT installed, but for that price you can get an inexpensive carpet INSTALLED, in your home including pad.
Shaw Celebrates Ten Years of SoftBac
Carpet backings have not changed much for the last fifteen years, but ordinary synthetic backing may not cut it any more. Shaw Industries introduced regular "SoftBac" in 1998 and the product has been a huge success. SoftBac virtually eliminates damage done to woodwork in the home by preventing scratches and scuffing. SoftBac provides up to three times the delamination strength of ordinary plastic backings. SoftBac makes carpet feel better, even over lighter pads. Seams look better, as seam peaking is rare with SoftBac. Carpets made with SoftBac "feel" better to the touch. SoftBac provides more noise reduction and insulation.
Installers who have worked with this product already called it a better than jute. The back is flexible enough to make pattern matching doable again. SoftBac installations require special installation techniques, but a professional installer will know them.
I feel fortunate to be able to provide this product to my customers and to my installers. As of January 2008, over 10 million sq yds. of this backing have been installed. Shaw Industries offers a ten year "no wrinkle" warranty on SoftBac 5 Star Carpets
Is the Teflon on your Stainmaster Carpet Harmful?
It must have been ratings week at ABC because the entertainment program 20/20 is trying to scare everyone who may own a Stainmaster Carpet. The ABC Nov 14th , 2004 broadcast showed how the fumes from heating your Teflon coated frying pad up to about 660 F. will potentially kill your pet parakeet. This is supposed to lead us to believe that anything that contains Teflon (like Stainmaster Carpet) will harm you and your family. Rest easy all you carpet owners, as the chemical used to make that cookware coating (C-8 or PFOA) is not used to make Stainmaster Carpet. The fluorinated polymers used in all stain resistant carpet are applied at low concentrations and are not easily absorbed through the skin. The U.S. EPA believes, as part of its PFOA investigation, that there is no reason for consumers to stop using carpet or any other textile treated with Teflon or similar products. So unless you want to set your carpet on fire and take deep breaths of the fumes, I would not worry about the health effects from your stain-resistant carpet.There is an Increase in Do-It-Yourself Carpet as Carpet Tile Makes a Comeback
Good professional installation is available if you are willing to pay for it. This industry is in need of qualified carpet installers, but nobody wants to pay for it. Thus, why not install the carpet yourself. Well, you can. The two largest makers of modular carpets, Miliken and Interface, are marketing their new carpet systems in the big box home centers. Unlike the old modular carpet (carpet tile is a "dirty word") of the 80's, these products are made much better, and look almost seamless when installed. Recently some of Miliken's modular carpet was featured on an episode of "Trading Spaces". That job was installed by a women and a 12 year old child. Look out carpet installers who only do marginal work; you are going to be replaced by the new do it yourself installer.
Soft Nylon is the New Trend
Three years ago Du Pont first introduced Tactesse (pronounced TACK-tess) a new BCF fiber, and there were four styles in the first introduction. This year at Surfaces 2004 there were over 550. This new fiber, while softer feeling, will stand up better against traffic and wear. This is because the individual fiber cross-section has been altered to obtain a tighter, more densely packed fiber bundle with fewer air pockets, which increases the fibers resistance to matting and crushing. Also, cut pile carpets made from this fiber have sharp pin-point tufts, and a crisp, clean-looking pile surface. Of course the other fiber makers have introduced their own soft nylons. Honeywell has Anso Caress, while Solutia has Dura Soft. By the way, DuPont is no longer in the fiber business, and the brand names of Stainmaster, Tactesse etc. were sold to Invista Inc.
Is Shag Back?
This year in some parts of the country Shag carpets are the hottest selling item in dealers showrooms. After all, there is a generation that has never seen a shag. Smart dealers are not using the word "Shag" however, due to the bad rep shag received in the 70's. The shags of old were often poorly made; ie. too much air in the carpet, or puffed up polyester, or way way too long of a pile. The "new" shags are more of an outgrowth of some super friezes. These newer shags are much tighter twisted, and made from advance nylons that were not available in the 1970s. I like to call these new shags "super textures" or long friezes because I do remember shags, as do many of my customers. Thus, I will continue to sell friezes, but in the months to come the pile height of these carpets may continue to get longer and longer.
Carpet One Purchases LEE'S Brand Name
Lee's Carpets used to be made by Burlington Industries. In July of 1997, they quit making residential carpeting. Carpet One has purchased the Lees brand name, and they will now be able to use the Lee's brand name to market their own line of carpet. This carpet will be made by several manufacturers to Carpet One's specs. This means that Carpet One will, along with their Bigelow private label, will have another once coveted brand name to place on the carpet of their choice. Unlike the Bigelow line, however, the new Lee's line, called Lees for Living, (a play no doubt on the Burlington Industries "Lees for Life" campaign) will be made to certain high standards befitting the Lee's name. Those in the industry who are not Carpet One dealers should take note of power this gives Carpet One dealers to capture those older consumers who may be familiar with the old Lees Carpet brand.
Fewer and Fewer Mills
No longer are there 200 plus mills making carpet like there was in the 1970s. Nowdays Mokawk owns Horizon, Galaxy, Aladdin, World and Image carpet mills and more , plus Congoleum. Beaulieu owns Coronet, Columbus and Caladium, and Hollytex. Shaw bought out Queen, Philadelphia, Cabin Crafts, Evan & Black, Tuftex, Sutton, Salem, and just recently purchased part of the Dixie Group and the plant that made Formica Brand Laminate flooring. . Even the small mills got in the act, with the most recent being the transaction between Royalty Carpet Mills, and Camelot Carpet Mills.
All I know is that ten years ago I carried, Queen, Cabin Craft, E&B, Salem, Mohawk, Galaxy, Horizon, Cumberland, Alladin, Patcraft, and Philly. Also I was serviced by a mill rep from each. Now I am lucky to see one or two reps, and I make my checks payable to Shaw or Mohawk. Someday I may just skip all that, and make my checks directly payable to Bob Shaw.
What is sad is that all this is not good for the consumer. Someday you will not have that small independent dealer to guide you through making one of your most important home improvement decisions. The fact that four mills will control 95% of the carpet manufactured is a sign that the carpet business is likely to go the way of the car business. In the early 1900's there were several makers of automobiles. Today we have Ford, GM, and Mercedes (Chrysler). Presently we have many small and medium sized floorcovering dealers. Tomorrow we most likely will have just the Big Box retailers, and a few buying groups like CarpetMax and Carpet One.
I am thankful that the floorcovering business is still a people business; especially when it comes to retail sales. Bob Shaw's people discovered that being in the retail floorcovering business involved more than acquisition of physical properties. In the end, if Mrs. Consumer does not trust the salesperson who is trying to solve her floorcovering needs, all the mill name recognition, all the fiber brand name recognition, and all the advertising will not sway her to part with her money. The retail floorcovering business needs qualified sales people, not clerks. This is essential; especially for the smaller floorcovering retailer. There are many mistakes the consumer can make when buying floorcovering, and unlike a car, you can't take it back.
What's Going on in the Laminate Flooring Business?
Just as I predicted in 1998, the Laminate Flooring Business as deteriorated into who can make it the cheapest. We are seeing retailers offer "glueless" laminate flooring for close to a buck a sq. ft. This is sad, as there are many quality laminate floors being made, however, many retailers are convinced the consumer just wants the cheapest price. This is so wrong, as what consumers want is FASHION; especially in their selection of hardwood, and laminate flooring. My advice to consumers is to not just visit your local home center, but instead take a look at some floor specialty stores that offer selection, expertise, and quality installation. With Mohawk just announcing the aquisistion of Quick-Step (2nd largest seller of laminate), laminate flooring is here to stay. Just remembeer you get what you pay for.
Square Foot Price vs Square Yard Price
The debate is heated and diverse. I've heard of retail salespeople using this debate to try and convince their customer that their competition was crooked for using misleading methods of figuring how much a job will cost. If one is selling by the sq. yd. , they would say that the business selling by the sq. ft. was trying to "pull a fast one". This is an easy out for small dealers who wish to fight the cheapo depots and the large dealers who have made the change to sq. ft. pricing. However, if the salesperson works in the state of Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Caroliina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont or Virginia, is making these statements he had better wise up and realize that the commitment has been made, and square foot pricing is the standard. In other States, for a time, a business may avoid confusion, and post or quote both methods of pricing. This change over is , according to industry experts, being made in order to align carpet with other floorcoverings that are sold by the square foot, i.e. ceramic tile, hardwood, etc. This is supposed to make carpet appear like a bargain compared to these other floorcoverings. Carpet has always been a good value, but most salespeople have trouble convincing their customers of this fact. Now that most mills think that the average consumer can't do the 4th grade math, and have given us the miracle of sq.ft. pricing, it may be easier. Just remember that every inch in length off that twelve foot wide roll of carpet is a square foot. If your installer runs the carpet up the wall an extra three inches, that's three square feet.
By the way, back in Jan. 1, 2000, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 130, Uniform Laws and Regulations, stated carpet must be sold by the square foot instead of the square yard. The regulations are enforceable by state Attorneys General with consumer fraud divisions or other agencies that have enforcement authority. Some States require individual ratification before it becomes law. This could take some time. I know that Oregon is one of those States that require ratification by the State Congress before this becomes law. I don't look for that to happen anytime soon.
Shaw Industries to Deny Claims for Yellowing Caused by Rebond Pads
According to Randy Merritt, VP marketing, Shaw Industries will no longer consider claims for yellowing of their carpet when their carpet has been installed over rebonds containing BHT(butylated hydroxytoluene - a preservative) The amount of BHT can vary widely from run to run and from each manufacturer. The yellowing can be seen in lighter colors, and my not be noticeable right away. This problem was first noted in some olefin berbers, but it is also happening with nylon and polyester. Shaw says it will not honor claims for such yellowing if BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) or its derivatives are present. However, upon investigation, yellowing of carpet can be caused by other factors, and one's chance of BHT yellowing are very rare as about one claim in a thousand deal with yellowing of ANY KIND.
Does Your Carpet Smell?
According to a recent flyer published by Shaw Industries Technical Services Dept. the carpet from the same run that was installed in the 1988 EPA building incident in Washington DC, and was featured on a famous TV news magazine, was later installed in another government facility. No complaints were filed during the following five years. To me this means the carpet odor was NOT making the people ill. The report, written by Carey Mitchell, director of technical services for Shaw Industries , also states that the VOC's given off by carpet where over a thousand times LESS that those given off by painting the walls. It would be my guess that most carpet pads give off more fumes that 90% of the carpet made in the USA.
Better Padding a Good Idea
Many dealers are looking to stop installation problems by using better padding. The industry could be headed towards 8 lb. 7/16 inch rebond padding as a standard. This would eliminate many restretch complaints currently being fielded by dealers all over the country. I suggest a frothed densified foam under most quality carpets, especially the ones with woven backing.
Qualified Installers Needed
Jim Walker, president of the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association, has certified near 30,000 installers to date according to my interview with him at Surfaces. Way to go Jim! Jim says the mills need to make carpet that is "installable". This means a carpet has to have the right mix of latex, and backing, and so on to make the carpet workalbe and stable. Short cuts that reduce the quality of the product in order to save time end up being the reason a carpet fails. Often this failure results in a symptom that is blamed on the installer. This business needs qualified installers much more than another buying group. Keep up the good work. Check out the CFI website
Back to TOP This column updated April 25, 2008 and is copyrighted.