Blog
Pad for Area Rugs
D. A. Burns customers often call us with questions about pad for their area rug. Recently, Karen R. from Bothell asked, “My rug feels pretty comfortable as it is. Do I really need a pad?”
For most rugs and in most applications, a pad for your area rugs is a good idea. Even the heaviest rug will allow fine particulate to sift through to the floor, and the slight shift of the rug with normal foot traffic can then damage the floor and the rug. Thin rugs will travel easily and become either a nuisance or hazard. A large, heavy rug in a lightly used room may be fine without a pad.
There are many kinds of carpet pad (AKA: underlayment or cushion) for use under wall-to-wall carpeting and all have their own strengths. However, only a few types of pad make a good choice for use under an area rug. Since an area rug isn’t nailed to the floor under tension like installed carpeting, it will flex more and this movement can cause the wrong pad, or a poor quality rug pad, to rapidly fail. Also, pad made for wall-to-wall use is stapled or glued to the floor, so doesn’t have any non-slip properties. We’ve chosen to offer what we consider the best padding on the market and have four choices that are appropriate in these situations: Over a hard surface floor – Durahold and Wunder Grip. Over an installed carpet: Nomuv and Wunderlock.
Durahold is made from recycled new carpet fiber, and is billed as being non-allergenic. It has enough cushion to protect the rug from foot impacts and increase comfort, will contain fine grit that works through a rug to keep it from damaging the floor, and has a back-coating to resist movement. It is washable and comes with a ten-year warranty.
This is the best overall pad we’ve found for use with area rugs.
Wunder Grip is made from expanded vinyl foam mesh. It will not degrade or discolor flooring like some look-alike products. It is appropriate for smaller rugs or where keeping the overall rug height low is desirable. It is washable and is warranted to maintain non-slip properties for twenty years.
This is the best pad we’ve found of this type. Many others will dry out and crumble or get sticky and discolor hardwood floors.
Nomuv is a firm pad made from recycled new carpet fiber and has one “grippy” side and one “slippy” side. When placed over installed carpet, the slippy side allows the pile of wall-to-wall carpet to move without moving the rug and pad while the grippy side holds the rug in place. It is washable and comes with a ten-year warranty.
We’ve found that some wall-to-wall carpet will have such a deep nap or strong nap direction that an area rug can’t be used, no matter what kind of attempts are made to keep the rug in place. Still, Nomuv is the best product we’ve found for rug over carpet.
Wunder Lock is a unique product. A thin white felt is coated with a dry adhesive that won’t transfer to carpet. It works exceptionally well to hold small rugs in place and in some cases can be used under larger rugs. It can be placed and moved several times without losing tack.
Some customers have used Wunder Lock on hard-surface floors if they have a rug that seems particularly difficult to keep in place. Our testing has shown that after many years in one place the adhesive will transfer to a hard surface. It doesn’t damage the floor, but will require some effort to remove.
We can custom cut a new pad to fit your rug, and (within our service area) can deliver and place the new pad as well. Let us know if you have any questions or to place an order. 206.782.2268
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▪ Opening Day of Boating Season
▪ What’s Special About Outdoor Fabrics
▪ What Does UV Stabilized Mean?
Opening Day of Boating Season
The spring rain may keep some of us in hibernation, but it’s time to feel optimistic about better weather just around the corner. With the annual opening day of boating season on the first Saturday in May, we often have a rush of last-minute service requests from boaters who are spiffing up everything from ski boat tops to yacht interiors.
It might be time for you to put the “show” back in your floating showpiece. Here are three ways we can help:
1. Cleaning of Outdoor Marine Fabric.
We can clean boat tops and all manner of marine deck fabric … from sail covers and rain dodgers to your window and tender covers. All exterior fabric cleaning is protected with a stain-repellant treatment to keep your boat looking its best, longer.
2. Cleaning Marine Interiors.
We have extensive experience cleaning and protecting marine interiors – carpet, upholstery and headliners – and are mindful to protect adjacent finishes.
3. Edge Treatments for Weather-Resistant Carpet.
For carpet exposed to the elements, we can apply Sunbrella™ brand acrylic edge-binding with a variety of finished widths.
Beat the Opening Day rush and call or come in today!
Outdoor Furniture and Area Rugs
For those of you that enjoy the outdoors on land, we can also clean outdoor furniture cushions on-location or in our shop, and clean patio umbrellas and larger outdoor fabrics at our shop. We can add a weather-resistant edge binding to carpet that can put the finishing touches on your outdoor living space. Come in and see our unbeatable color and style selections at either our Seattle of Bellevue locations.
Call us — 206.782.2268 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
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What’s Special About Outdoor Fabrics?
Today, most outdoor fabric is made of a synthetic material designed to be resistant to sun fading. Closed-cell foams are used for cushion interiors so a little rain won’t hurt. They’re tough enough to stand up to both the weather and the more aggressive use that comes with being used outdoors.
Still, the effects of sun, contaminants in the air, “friendly droppings” and even moss and fungi can significantly shorten the life of these materials. As tough as they are, using inappropriate cleaning procedures can result in fabric shrinkage. (Unfortunately, a fact not known by many carpet and upholstery cleaners.) The use of the correct fabric protectant is also critical, as the wrong choice can do more harm than good and may void the fabric’s warranty.
At D. A. Burns, we work directly with leading carpet and fabric manufacturers, so our technicians are always up-to-date with the best practices and procedures needed to care for your furnishings.
FAQ: What Does UV Stabilized Mean?
Almost everything is affected by exposure to light, with the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum being the primary culprit of color fading, weakening of cotton and the oxidizing of synthetic fabric plasticizers. For outdoor use, synthetic fabrics have a component built-in to protect against the effects of UV exposure, making them superior to the cotton that was once used for boat tops and patio awnings. Nothing lasts forever, but synthetic fabrics that are “UV stabilized” will last longer when put to exterior use.
That’s why we use “UV stabilized” thread whenever we apply a Sunbrella™ binding to a carpet. Contrary to common industry practice, D. A. Burns stands behind our work – and materials. Longevity of your carpet investment is important to us … and, we want to clean the carpets we fabricate so they provide you enjoyment for many seasons.
Links:
D. A. Burns & Sons
Opening Day of Boating Season
Windermere Cup
Sunbrella stain removal chart
Good Citizens
At D. A. Burns we’re proud of our commitment to being good citizens of our community. As a company, we do more for our combination of communities than any other local firm in our industry. We go to a little extra effort and expense to provide the most favorable outcome from our services, as you can see from the list below…
For health
Carpet and soft furniture coverings are actually very beneficial. Soft furnishings don’t create dust; they keep it away from your lungs. Our number one concern is that our cleaning creates a more healthful indoor environment. We’re removing soil, to containment outside your living space, using a process that leaves the least residue possible. While we have the ability to use any cleaning method (and each has their place) most often we’d prefer to use hot water extraction. Although this requires the most expensive equipment and highest level of skill, it also removes the most soil while leaving the least residue behind. We use cleaning products chosen for the safety of our technicians and customers, and specify that no dyes, odors, bleaches or brighteners be added. We’re providing clean, with no cover-ups.
Cleaning green
D. A. Burns has been “cleaning green” long before the term came into popular use. We were the first company to work with a locally-made product called Safe Clean, and it is our primary choice of cleaning products. We dispose of the water we extract from cleaning properly, and have been a leader in working with State and local agencies to help get other businesses to do the same. It would be easier for us to buy a “green certification” from one of the many organizations now in business to sell those certificates, but we’d rather do the work and not be guilty of “greenwashing” our customers.
Commitment to ongoing training
We hold regular training sessions at our location and via the internet. We’ll also send our people to seminars anywhere in the country if needed to make certain we’re not working with outdated information. Our people were instrumental in the writing of many industry guides and training programs, so we give back to the industry as well.
Our technicians hold multiple industry certifications from recognized training organizations and we are one of the few companies designated “Wool Specialists” by Wools of New Zealand (the best wool for carpet).
We buy from local companies whenever possible
In addition to reducing shipping waste and keeping money moving in the local economy, we get the advantage of being able to partner with local people we come to know and trust. In some cases we get to try new products and give feedback to the manufacturers, and we’re able to have products made for us so we have the absolute best product for a given circumstance. Our truck mounted cleaning machines are built in Mukilteo. Our cleaning tools and carpet dryers are made in Bothell and Mt. Vernon. The largest percentage of our cleaning products are made in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and in Lynnwood. Our Spot-off carpet spot remover was developed by Dave Burns. (One of the sons of D. A. Burns and Sons)
We go to a little extra effort to reduce waste in other ways
Equipment is monitored to reduce running time. We’ve installed timers and other automatic controls on electrical equipment, and motor vehicles are not left idling. We route our vehicles to minimize driving time, which allows us to reduce fuel use. Our delivery routes are even planned to take right turns instead of left turns to reduce the amount of idling needed when waiting for traffic to clear before crossing thoroughfares. Besides being better for the environment, the fuel cost savings will allow us to continue to provide pick-up and delivery service without charging an extra fee.
All of this is just a part of providing service you can trust at a reasonable price.
Getting to Know DA Burns
Video – Serving our customers since 1935 has built our reputation and legacy in the greater Seattle area. Our dedicated employees enjoy continuous industry training and as you will hear in this short video, bring decades of experience to our customers at D. A. Burns. We are excited to have you get to know a few of our dedicated and talented employees.
