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SPOTTING TECHNIQUES.ZIP

How can I slow down soiling and carpet wear?   (created at May 19, 2009)   81  

Carpeting usually represents the single most expensive item in your house, often thousands of dollars. To prevent premature soiling and wear, carpet manufacturers and professional carpet cleaners suggest five things: Vacuum regularly heavy traffic areas tw...
How can I slow down soiling and carpet wear?

Do I really need to know about carpet fiber?   (created at May 19, 2009)   65  

The performance and quality of a carpet is directly related to the amount and quality of the fiber that goes into the pile. The better the fiber and the more densely it is packed, the better the carpet will perform. Thin, less dense carpet will lose its su...
Do I really need to know about carpet fiber?

What should I use to clean my floor?   (created at May 19, 2009)   60  

Total Floor Covering has a full line of cleaners for all surfaces. It is important to use the manufacturer's cleaner in order to keep your warranty valid and also because these cleaners are made specifically for your floor. For vinyl floors, sweeping often...

How can I protect my new floor?   (created at May 19, 2009)   65  

For hard surface products like wood, laminate, or vinyl we strongly recommend using walk-off mats in doorways and protective pads on the bottom of your table and chairs. Total Floor Covering carries many sizes and styles of floor protectors as well as disc...
How can I protect my new floor?

Curtain quality   (created at May 16, 2009)   54  

If your curtain has to stand up to daily use be sure to choose a quality product. How do you tell with a shower curtain? Look for high quality (sometimes double) stitching so that the curtain won’t fray at the seams good quality grommets (used to reinforce...
Curtain quality

How do I Avoid the Shower Curtain sticking to me?   (created at May 16, 2009)   57  

No one really knows exactly why this happens when you run a shower. Though there are a few theories knocking around no one has the exact answer (yet). Anyway to stop this you can buy shower curtains with magnets sewn into the hem of the curtain (or add you...
How do I Avoid the Shower Curtain sticking to me?

Do new shower curtains give off toxins?   (created at May 16, 2009)   79  

No, new shower curtains are not toxic, no matter what material the are made of. There is quite a trend in buying natural cotton and hemp shower curtains lately - and they look great - but there’s no need to buy them for safety reasons. Not sure where this ...
Do new shower curtains give off toxins?

What is the best material for shower curtains?   (created at May 16, 2009)   73  

It depends what you have in mind for your bathroom and what price you want to pay. Normal shower curtains  are made from waterproof synthetic material like polyester and vinyl. They are generally cheap and cheerful and not such a big expense that you won’t...
What is the best material for shower curtains?

How often should I change my shower curtains?   (created at May 16, 2009)   56  

Change your shower curtains whenever they start to detract from the look of your bathroom and you have not managed to revive them with a bit of loving care. If a good wash and clean up has not made them look better, nothing is going to work and it’s time t...
How often should I change my shower curtains?

How Should I Care for Shower Curtains?   (created at May 16, 2009)   49  

Avoid mildew by airing off your shower curtain every time you take a shower. This involves nothing more than opening out the shower curtain fully to let it dry rather than leaving it all gathered together at one side of the bath. If shower curtains start t...
How Should I Care for Shower Curtains?

How can wallpaper stimulate your baby?   (created at May 15, 2009)   48  

If you want to encourage your baby's ability to recognize objects -I think that wallpaper in a larger scale pattern is the best choice. Obviously primary colors are best for young children - the pastels are best used for "sleeping" only. If you want to giv...

How do you choose a color scheme?   (created at May 15, 2009)   56  

Think first about practical aspects of the room such as: Function: How is the room used? Warm colors work well for active rooms, cool colors for relaxation areas. People: Who will use the room? Consider their color preferences when selecting your color sch...

Is it true that some patterns and colors can actually make us feel better?   (created at May 15, 2009)   51  

Yes, the key is to recognize your personality traits and complement them with the right color and pattern. If you find yourself feeling stressed out at the end of the day - then decorate your resting space, i.e. your reading room, bedroom, or den, in paler...

When and where can textured wallpaper be used?   (created at May 15, 2009)   46  

Textured patterns can be used almost anywhere in the home. A textured pattern is a wonderful color carrier to bring together a study or den.

How can wallpaper make a small room look bigger? What are the best patterns?   (created at May 15, 2009)   48  

In general, light colors add a feeling of spaciousness. In particular, striped wallcoverings are a sure bet for adding height to a room. Stripes visually raise the height of the ceiling by drawing the eye upward. At the same time, pastel colors broaden the...

Types of Wallpaper   (created at May 15, 2009)   40  

The most popular types of wallpaper you will find at your local wallpaper retailer or home improvement store are: Vinyl Coated Paper - this wallpaper has a paper substrate on which the decorative surface has been sprayed or coated with an acrylic type viny...

International Wallcovering Symbols   (created at May 15, 2009)   48  

Here’s the international wallcovering symbols used as standard.
International Wallcovering Symbols

Wallpaper Pattern Matching   (created at May 15, 2009)   64  

All wallpapers, except some textures and murals, have a pattern repeat. The repeat is the vertical distance between one point on the pattern to the identical point vertically. This pattern repeat is an integral part of the design. The repeat can range anyw...

Wallpaper packing and sizes   (created at May 15, 2009)   42  

Wallpaper comes in different lengths and widths and, although usually priced by the single roll, it is packaged either as double or triple rolls. People may find this packaging versus pricing situation hard to understand. However, wallpaper is packaged thi...

Common Wallpaper Characteristics   (created at May 15, 2009)   44  

Below is a listing of the most important or common characteristics and definitions for wallpaper: Scrubbable means that the wallpaper can withstand scrubbing with a brush and a prescribed detergent solution. (An attribute that would be useful for wallpaper...

Wallpaper pattern and run numbers   (created at May 15, 2009)   87  

A pattern number and dye-lot or "run number" is printed on each roll. A pattern number identifies a particular design and color way of a pattern. The dye-lot number represents a particular group of rolls that are printed on the same print run. Different dy...

What about feature walls—are they still allowed by the ‘design police’?   (created at May 13, 2009)   63  

Yes, it is still a very good way to make a focal point in a room. Using an interesting wallcovering can highlight an important area of a room such as around a fireplace, or create a positive first impression in an entrance hall, for example. You could pape...

What are the latest trends in wallpaper design?   (created at May 13, 2009)   49  

Every year there are new colours and designs in every product area responding to global and local influences, cultural and lifestyle trends and changes. Wallcovering manufacturers regularly bring out new colours and designs too; sometimes subtle variations...

Has wallpaper moved on from those scary florals that my nana had?   (created at May 13, 2009)   51  

Absolutely yes, and to be honest, not completely! Wallpaper has had a bad rap in recent years—many thought it as just being the stuff your gran used to have in the lounge. It’s come a long way since then. Homeowners shown contemporary wallpaper collections...

How do I work out how much paper I need in a room?   (created at May 13, 2009)   58  

Most wallpaper rolls are about half a metre wide and 10 metres long, so that will give you about 3 drops given the standard wall height of 2.4 metres—about 5 square metres per roll. A normal-sized living room would take around 7 rolls, generally speaking b...

Are there ‘test-pots’ for wallpaper?   (created at May 13, 2009)   45  

Yes, in a way—your retailer will provide you with a good-sized sample piece of the wallpaper you like so you can try it at home. Just tape or pin the sample on the wall and see how it looks.

Can I wallpaper a room myself or is it too difficult for a beginner?   (created at May 13, 2009)   50  

Yes you can and no, it isn’t.  It’s much easier now, with pre-pasted papers and new technologies like non-woven backings. Retailers will advise you; they have instruction leaflets and videos/DVDs that show you how.  A great place to start is our ...

Is it true that if I wallpaper it will be hard to remove when I want to change the look of the room?   (created at May 13, 2009)   53  

It used to be, but that was then—now there are papers that can be easily stripped and replaced. We make a very effective wallpaper stripper (Metylan Special Wallpaper Remover) that will make the job simple and quick. And if you make sure that the walls are...