Many people just want to put carpet into their home for resale purposes and wish to spend the least amount of money as possible. Other people wish to replace just their family room for a few years and then replace the whole house once the upstairs or less used carpets are also ready for replacement. If you want just a few years of use, Olefin carpet may be the best carpet for you. It is simply less expensive. It is also colorfast and will not discolor or fade easily. The down side to Olefin carpet is that it will mat easily and not perk up as much once it is cleaned. It will also absorb oils and not release them easily or some times not at all. As a carpet cleaner, we like Olefin the least since it does not respond to cleaning as well as most other carpets. Now that you decided that Olefin is best for you, How should you pick out your olefin carpet?

One of the biggest mistakes people make with Olefin carpet is getting a carpet yarn that is tall. Olefin is very heavy and if you take a tall heavy fiber and support it with lots and lots of other tall heavy fibers they will mat and tangle and not look very good. Your best bet is to get a very short olefin fiber that will not mat. When you compare the Olefin carpet between stores you want to make sure that you are comparing carpets of equal density. The store should be able to tell you how dense this particular carpet is. Make sure that you are getting the price for a square yard of carpet and not a square foot. Also, make sure that you compare the same thickness of carpet pad and if the carpet installation and carpet stretching is going to be knee kicked or power stretched. You might also want to ask if the installer working for the store is an employee or if they are a sub contractor? Do they guarantee the carpet installation? You might want to check the store and installer on the BBB web site. I would compare three stores for price. Remember to compare the store for the same:

1. Fiber content (are they made of the same stuff? Olefin)

2. The carpets thickness.

3. Are they all using square yards?

4. Cost of the same thickness carpet pad.

5. Cost of installation.

6. Is the installation under guarantee?

7. Are the installers power stretching or Knee kicking?

8. How much do they charge for old carpet tear out?

9. How much do they charge for old carpet removal?

Author Keith Wroblewski runs Colorado-Carpet-Masters.com

Using a polish or a wax may provide a certain amount of protection against scratches and scrapes to your furniture, however they really don’t give you any lasting protection like a quality wood finish would. They really don’t improve the durability of an old finish or revive it, either. In fact, the only real difference between a polish and a wax is that polish will leave a thin liquid film on the surface when you wipe down your wood, and wax will leave a thin film of solid wax on the surface. The liquid will eventually evaporate, while the wax will not.

Wax has been used since the very beginning of written history on wood items that needed to be protected, both as a finish on bare wood and to protect a finish that has been applied to wood. Wax is solid at room temperature, but a solvent can be mixed in to help the wax dissolve and create a softer product that is easier to apply to your wood. The solvent will evaporate out eventually, leaving a nice solid layer of wax on the surface. Some people prefer to use mineral spirits as a solvent with their wax, but be sure you read the instructions on the wax you’ve chosen first. Some say you need to use turpentine or toluene instead. Turpentine will add a smell to the wax that you may find irritating, and using toluene can be tricky because it evaporates very quickly. Solvents will affect your drying time, so if you need a longer drying time, mineral spirits may be the solvent you should choose. If you want it to dry quickly, opt for the toluene.

Polishes, on the other hand, are very different from waxes. They are a liquid that may include a very small quantity of oil or wax. Polishes usually completely evaporate over a period of time, so in the long run it is less protective than wax. You can divide polish into two different categories depending on which solvents they use in their formula. First, you will find petroleum-based solvents. Petroleum or oil-based solvents evaporate much more slowly and are similar to mineral spirits. The other type of solvent used in polish is an emulsion of water and oil-based solvents. This type is excellent for cleaning, since the water will remove water-soluble dirt, while the oil removes oil-soluble dirt. In the end, you’ll need to choose the kind of polish that suits the job you want it to do.

Author Megan Cherry runs PegandRail.com.

Conventional spray guns operate at a basic, high pressure. They connect to an air compressor and the finish is “blasted” onto your project using this high pressure. Because this high-pressure finely atomizes the spray, in that it produces very fine particles, this gives a very nice smooth application, whether it be a clear shellac, varnish or paint. Despite this excellent end result, conventional spray guns are only about 30% effective. 30% of the finish actually ends up where it’s supposed to go, on the wood. The other 70% is released to the atmosphere. This both wastes material and is detrimental to the environment as well.

The high-volume low-pressure spray guns are new to those who like to tackle “do-it-yourself” projects. These guns increase transfer efficiency, which means that much more of the finish medium is actually transferred to the wood instead of wasted. Unfortunately, many of the solvents used today in wood finishing products are detrimental to air quality. Therefore, not only is it industry standard to use the high-volume low-pressure guns, but it is actually mandatory to use a high-pressure low-volume gun, as ordered many local governments and state. With the HVLP system, air is delivered at much higher volume, but with a much lower pressure, so that more finish ends up on the wood instead of in the air.

There are two different types of high-volume low-pressure spray gun systems on the market. The first utilizes pre-existing equipment, because it converts the traditional spray gun system into a high-volume low-pressure system. This is known as a “conversion high-volume low-pressure spray gun.” With this system, the spray gun still runs off an air compressor just as a conventional spray gun does, but it uses much lower pressure, about 25 pounds per square inch. It’s not as efficient as the newer turbine air system, but it is still much better than a conventional spray gun and is a cost-effective alternative for someone who already owns an air compressor.

The second type of high-volume low-pressure spray gun is the most efficient, and this is suitable for someone who doesn’t already own an air compressor. This spray gun operates off of an air turbine instead of air compressor. This delivers an extremely high volume of air at very low pressure, about four to six pounds per square inch. This is more costly than an air compressor, but because it is so much more efficient, it may be worth the investment if you don’t already own an air compressor.

Regardless of whether you are using a high-volume low-pressure spray gun or a conventional spray gun, you still must protect yourself by spraying in a well-ventilated area and use proper safety equipment, including a respirator. In addition, many manufacturers now produce several water-based finishes that are not flammable. In addition, because they use water as a base instead of something like lacquer, they are much easier to use and also cause less harm to the environment than do traditional finishes.

Many harmful additives have been replaced by water in these types of finishes. The resins are not easily mixed with water, though, so they have to be chemically modified in order to be emulsified with the water. These require chemicals called surfaces and solvents to be added; among these are glycol ethers, which force resins to mix with water.

Yet another problem with water-based finishes is that the water will often raise the grain in the wood. Try this sometime. Sand a piece of wood and then rub some plain water on it. You’ll notice that the wood fibers will absorb the water and swell, which makes them “stand up” and roughen. To get around this problem, you can use a seal or coat of shellac. This will add a barrier between the wood and the next coat of finish. It will also give your wood a little bit of an amber color. Alternatively, you can use a couple of light coats of standing sealer. Once the standing sealer has dried, you can lightly sand the wood, which will smooth it out.

Fortunately, though, water finishes are of a neutral color, which means that they don’t add any color to the wood as other finishes might. Other lacquers might cause a slight amber color to the wood. Therefore, if you want to keep your wood’s natural color without any distortion whatsoever, a water-based finish is a great choice. However, there are certain woods that do not do best with a water-based finish. These are the darker woods such as cherry or walnut. If a water-based finish is applied, this tends to “tone down” the color of the wood so that the deep rich wood color is somewhat negated with a water-based finish.

Therefore, water-based finishes have both pros and cons. Pros are that they are not flammable and are less polluting than traditional finishes are, they don’t yellow, dry fast and can be either sprayed on or applied with a brush. In addition, water-based finishes have much less of an odor and clean up is much easier than it is with other types of finishes. However, they have drawbacks too. Most cannot give wood a deep, rich color as we are used to with a solvent-based finish. In addition, the water raises the wood’s grain and can be very difficult to apply, since humidity and temperature play a role in both application and drying times.

In addition, with water-based finishes, the tools you’ll need will be slightly different than those with solvent-based finishes. For example, steel wool will rust quickly with water-based finishes, and natural bristle brushes will absorb too much water and become limp. In addition, if you’re using either a conventional or high-volume low-pressure spray gun, you’ll need to have stainless steel needles and nozzles so that corrosion does not happen.

Author Megan Cherry runs PegandRail.com.