Underlay is designed to be firm enough to support the carpet, yet be soft enough to deliver that luxurious underfoot feeling that you desire. The higher the quality of underlay used, the more luxurious it will feel under your feet.
Raines Carpets only recommend Bridgestone Airstep rubber for its entire product range. The product is natural and the rubber that is used during the manufacture is sourced from rubber trees which are a sustainable resource.
Bridgestone Airstep rubber underlay is clean, dust free, lint free and fibre free which is very important to the allergy-prone. Bridgestone Airstep natural rubber underlays are naturally antimicrobial, which means that they resist the growth of bacteria, mould and mildew, vital in keeping your home healthy.
The unique waffle design of Bridgestone Airstep rubber underlay allows vital circulation between the underlay and the sub floor, and this helps remove any dampness that may occur in this area. In addition to these vital requirements, rubber underlays are perfect for any floor heating systems and can operate in temperatures less than 40 degrees Celsius.
Raines Carpets recommends that underlay be replaced every time carpet is replaced as like carpet, underlay will also incur wear over time.
All carpet manufacturers endorse the use of Bridgestone Airstep rubber underlay and this is why Raines Carpets only recommends this type of underlay.
What is the warranty Period?
12 months on all workmanship floor coverings as per the manufacturers warranty.
What is Shading?
Shading is also known as Watermarking, Tracking or Permanent Pile Reversal. It can occur in cut pile carpets due to unknown factors beyond floor traffic and is not regarded as a manufacturing or installation fault.
Carpet Styles
Carpet is available in several styles that can form the basis of your decorating plan.
Whether it is the streamlined finish of a contemporary design. The coarse, rugged nature of country styling; or the clean, smooth formal elegance of a romantic design; carpet offers an extensive array of textures to design your home in your own style.
Carpets can be categorised into the following distinct styles and the amount of floor traffic needs to be considered when deciding on the most suitable style for your home or commercial installation.
Cut Pile
Cut piles are soft and comfortable; creating a velvet luxurious look and feel to a room.
The tops of the loops of wool are cut and the yarn slightly twisted to produce tufts of yarn that stand upright and produce a smooth, even surface.
Level Loop Pile
Level loop piles offer unbeatable performance and a sleek simplicity to a home.
They are a hard wearing surface formed on continuous loops of yarn of uniform length.
Textured Loop Pile
Textured loop piles provide a sculptured look and come in a multitude of designs.
They are a hard wearing texture.
Cut & Loop Pile
Cut & loop pile carpets combine the two textures, allowing intricate patterns that can be the main feature of a room.
They are a hardwearing texture making it a popular and practical carpet.
Axminster
Axminster carpets have both the yarn and backing fabric woven together at the same time.
Ideal for heavy traffic areas e.g. commercial applications including hotels.
The weaving process demonstrates its durability, strength and firmness.
Sisal
Sisal carpets are very popular.
Raines Carpets was one of the first retailers in Sydney to endorse this style of carpet.
Its fashionable coir style, resilience and longwearing capabilities allows it to continue to be a popular design today.
Shag
Shag pile tufts of yarn are longer, giving a sensual and luxurious feel to any room.
They are popular as a centre piece rug for any room.
Fibre
Knowledge of the different fibres available is an important step in choosing the right carpet for your home. Fibre defines how a carpet looks, feels and performs. Carpets can be categorised into the following distinct fibres and the amount of floor traffic needs to be considered when deciding on the most suitable fibre for your home or commercial installation.
The fibre you choose affects the characteristics of your carpet's performance, durability, resistance to staining, feel & also cost. The amount of fibre used in carpet (density and weight) also affect its performance and cost.
Wool
Wool is the traditional carpet fibre and remains the benchmark against which all other fibres are measured.
Wool's outstanding characteristics provide an elegant rich look and a wonderfully soft feel.
Wool is said to age gracefully and continues to offer a warm and inviting environment for many years.
The completely natural fibre is the environmentally friendly choice and improves air quality in your home.
Wool has excellent recovery from stress under the influence of moisture so that wet cleaning revives the pile as well as removing soil.
They are easy to clean, resist staining, soiling and crushing.
The luxurious feel and resilience of wool makes them popular for both consumers and interior designers.
Absorbs common contaminants and prevents re-emission.
Reduces the chance of slippage under foot
Ideal for allergy sufferers due to its ability to suppress pollutants and allergens found in the environment.
Is a natural insulator of both heat and sound.
Ideal stain, soil and heat resistor.
Resists static electricity.
Wool is natural, eco-friendly that is in the environments best interests.
Synthetics
Synthetic fibres vary significantly in quality and require careful selection. Premium synthetic fibres offer excellent abrasion resistance, colourfastness, anti-staining and anti-soiling properties.
Synthetic carpets can be categorised as follows.
Nylon
Nylon carpets are outstanding in their ability to resist abrasive wear, loss of pile fibre due to foot traffic and resilience in recovering from pile crushing.
Many years of research into nylon fibre construction has enabled fibres to be specifically engineered and treated to minimise soiling, varying the degree of lustre, maximise colour, clarity and the application of stain blocking technology which significantly increases the fibres resistance to staining and improves the cleanability of the carpet.
Nylon fibre is produced in white form and the colour is then added.
The finished yarn will deliver an excellent on floor performance, with easy maintenance.
They are easy to clean, resist staining, soiling and crushing.
Solution Dyed Nylon
Colour is added to the fibre at the time it is produced. This means that the colour runs right through the fibre - not just coated on the outside, offering excellent colour retention.
Solution Dyed Nylon is very resistant to fading, performing well in areas with direct sunlight. This fibre also boasts excellent cleaning properties, as stronger cleaning chemicals can be used in most cases without stripping the colour from the outside of the fibre.
They are easy to clean, resist staining, soiling and crushing.
Polypropylene
Polypropylene fibre is coloured using the solution dyed process described earlier.
Polypropylene has excellent soil and stain resistant properties and also boasts excellent colour fastness.
The fibre does not quite have the same resilience and recovery from general pile crushing from day to day wear as nylon. When constructed in tight dense loop pile carpets it delivers exceptional service, wear and tear and excellent value for money.
They are easy to clean, resist staining and soling.
Blends
Blends are created by combining wool and synthetic fibres in various percentages.
There are a number of blended fibres used in carpet production.
50/50 wool/nylon or polypropylene to 80% wool/20% nylon and variations in between.
Combining fibres can mean you get a blend of the positive properties associated with two types. For example, you can get a carpet which delivers the soft velvet feel of wool with the added abrasive quality and strength of nylon.
Vinyl
Vinyl is available in several styles and specifications that are suitable for both commercial and domestic applications.
Raines Carpets chose to partner with Forbo due to its innovative technologies and commitment to the environment. A number of Forbo features are the following.
Aquagrip Aquagrip is a safety feature, unique to Forbo. The level of grip on the floor is not significantly reduced by spills or splashes of liquid. This means a floor for your home, which is beautiful, practical and safer to walk on. It is a comforting thought that the beauty of a laminate product comes with this benefit.
Diamond Seal This is the unique protective layer of all Forbo products. Like a real diamond it stands for hardness, scratch-resistance and durability. The unique Diamond Seal gives a superior protection against chemicals, prevention against scuffmarks and adhesion of dirt. The other element of a diamond is its natural beauty. Also here Diamond Seal is unique offering a natural low gloss and highly realistic dimension to the designs that are part of the Forbo collections.
Noviclean Top layer treatment for easy cleaning, also preventing dirt and scuffmarks. The best natural surface finish.
Underlay is designed to be firm enough to support the carpet, yet be soft enough to deliver that luxurious underfoot feeling that you desire. The higher the quality of underlay used, the more luxurious it will feel under your feet.
Shag