Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with carpet

SQUEAKY Floor Filter. How can I stop the floor squeaks in random locations in the 2nd story of my house?

emjay — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:49:29 -0800

SQUEAKY Floor Filter. How can I stop the floor squeaks in random locations in the 2nd story of my house? How can I stop the floor squeaks in random locations in the 2nd story of my house?

Recently bought a 2-story home, concrete slab downstairs with concrete block walls throughout the first-floor. The 2nd-floor has wood framing and already has a heavy pad and carpet, but walking through the house, several spots squeak quite loudly as you walk past them. One of these spots is even in the tiled bathroom!

Any suggestions for stopping the squeaks short without too many tools or hassle involved?

Looking for something to cover the ugly carpet in our apartment for less than $500 for 156 sq ft.

Brian Puccio — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:21:30 -0800

Can we get area rugs (or custom cut+bound remnants) to cover our apartment's ugly carpet that won't bubble up or fall apart? The gf and I have an apartment that has two carpeted rooms (one is roughly 8x9 and the other 7x12) but the carpet is just an ugly brown. When I first moved in 18 months ago, I got some cheap Ikea Erslev rugs. But they get dirty quick, don't stay put (even though I've resorted of copious amounts of carpet tape) and have started to wear out. So we bought a remnant at a local carpet place, had it cut and bound and tried it out. It bubbled up in several spots and we thought it was because it was too tight a fit. We had it cut down and even with two inches on each side (which I think looks ugly since now the room is ringed by a stripe of brown carpet) it still won't lay flat. We do have the bed on one half of it and two bookshelves on the other half of it.

I'm tired of spending money trying to cover up the ugly brown carpet on solutions that don't work. I'm OK with spending up to $500 to hide the carpeting in these two rooms and have started looking at carpet tiles. Would those work and would the fact that they are tiles, as opposed to one continuous piece, and thus wouldn't bubble and buckle so much? Is there another solution we should be looking at?

Thanks!

Asbestos exposure and asbestos tile removal...did I screw up and what is my next step?

sirhensley — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:07:49 -0800

Asbestos exposure and asbestos tile removal...did I screw up and what is my next step? I am in the process of removing my old (nasty) carpet so I can lay down laminate wood flooring in my house. I started the project by ripping out all the old carpet and padding at which time I noticed there was vinyl tile underneath the carpet.

My plan was to just leave the tile and install the floating laminate flooring on top of it. However, there were tack strips and staples all over the floor. When trying to carefully remove the tack strips the tile kept breaking/cracking/crumbling. After finishing 1/2 the room and destroying about 20 of the these tiles it occurred to me that the tile may contain asbestos. I stopped working, sent out a sample and got confirmation that the tile does contain asbestos.

During the work I was wearing a respirator and had an air filter (HEPA filter) running since I have very bad allergies. However, I am concerned about a couple of items.

1) The respirator I was wearing was a 2 canister mask but was only rated for paint/solvents and not for asbestos/mold. Am I being paranoid about what I may have breathed in, or would the respirator likely catch most/all of the asbestos.

2) Most of the remaining tile is in-tact, but about 10% of the tile looks somewhat deteriorated...kinda like an old particle board table that has been used/moistened too many times. I dont know if the foundation is cracked under the tile and letting moisture up, but I am more concerned about the fragile tile.

3) I had windows open with my HEPA air filter running, but realize this may have done more harm than good by moving the air, and thus asbestos fibers around. What should/shouldnt I do at this point.

4) At this point I would like to just stop disturbing the tile and lay down my laminate flooring. However, 1/2 the room is still covered with tack strips and staples. Not sure how to proceed on this now. Do I finish removing the strips even though I know more tiles will be broken? I would bit the bullet and lay a new subfloor over the current one, except I dont know how to get around the tack strips that are currently there.

5) BTW, I never removed carpet before but was discusted by how much stuff was underneath the carpet and pad. It looked like sand and the floor was covered with this. The crazy thing is that was UNDER the padding...is this normal?

Any help/info on each of my questions would be appreciated.

Is that word Persian for "flying"?

pmann — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:21:42 -0800

Help me identify my rug! It has a label on the back that says "OSMAN" across the top, with a picture of a mosque and some Arabic or Persian writing along the bottom. Where was it made, and what does the label say? I got it cheap on craigslist, and the seller didn't know much about it. I don't expect that it's some rare, valuable treasure; I'd just like to know what the label says and where it is from. Thanks!

Wall-to-wall carpet--should I take the plunge?

Gordion Knott — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:53:10 -0800

Coping with a squeaky floor overhead. Will a thick carpet on the floor solve the problem? My wife, who occupies the home office above mine, is diligent about keeping her footfalls to a low volume. Even so, since the floor is wooden (wideboard pine), I hear the boards squeak as she crosses the floor (it's new construction).

We've laid a few low-pile throw rugs on the floor, but these seem to be ineffective. So I'm thinking of taking the plunge and covering the floor with a wall-to-wall, thick-pile carpet and mat.

Will this work at removing a large share of the squeaks? And if so, what type of carpet and mat should I buy?

I'm not a big fan of wall-to-wall carpet on wooden floors, so obviously, I want to make the best decision from the outset.

Dude! Can I surf the waves in your area rug?

Fuzzy Skinner — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:50:33 -0800

What are your personal experiences with products or methods to keep your area rugs from moving around on your carpet? I have a 5'x8' area rug in my living room. It's sitting on short-nap carpeting, right in main area where the sofa, chairs and television are, so it gets a good amount of traffic. It's pretty thin and rubber-backed and lays down pretty well, but quickly develops "waves." I've looked at the various adhesive rug pads out there that are supposed to keep this from happening, so I know pretty much what's out there, but I want to know your personal experiences with any of these products. Or, is there some magical product or method that works better than the rug pads, but might not be as obvious?

Also: this is a rented apartment, so suggestions to remove the carpet or do anything permanent are not going to work.

Thanks!

Can I clean a carpet without ruining the hardwood underneath?

perpetualstroll — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:45:06 -0800

If I steam clean a carpet that has been installed on top of a painted hardwood floor, will I ruin the hardwood? I have a room in my house that has carpet on top of painted hardwood. Down the road, I am thinking of refinishing the hardwood floor. If I were to steam clean the carpet, would I be risking ruining the hardwood? Are there other things I should be taking into consideration?

WTF is my dog's problem?

alpha_betty — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:30:35 -0800

DogFilter: Why is my dog licking the carpets excessively, then vomiting a pile of hair (and other charming habits)? For the past 2-3 days my 4 year old chihuahua has been licking the carpets all over the house, trying to pull out pieces of the carpet, running around making chokey/snortey sound or panting, and then vomiting a great pile of hair held together with partially digested food.

I have read that this may be a form of doggie OCD, boredom, anxiety, hunger, or thirst, and that one should try distracting the dog or redirecting her from the carpet to a toy or chew. These things have so far not worked. If you get her attention during a licking episode, she will stare at you for a few seconds and continue on. She doesn't appear to enjoy the licking, but acts like it's compulsive, which makes me think it's the OCD/anxiety.

Things that may be related:
-It has been ungodly hot here. Like, over 100 degrees.
-She does not like to drink water although it is tossed and refilled at least once daily so that it's fresh and cool. She will pant for hours without seeming to think to take a drink.
-We are having issues with her hiding under our bed - when not licking the carpet, she's usually under the bed and submissively urinates when we try to coax her out.
-A few feet away from the bed, she has episodes of sneaky urination- when we leave the door open, she goes in and pees in the same spot, every time, despite the multitude of pet and carpet cleaners we've tried. This leads to the aforementioned hiding under the bed.
-Her ears have been really warm. I don't know if this matters.
-We moved into a new apartment about 2 months ago, though this behavior didn't start til 3-4 weeks ago (the peeing), 2 weeks ago (the hiding) and then 2-3 days ago (the licking).

We are making a vet appointment for ASAP on Monday, but any advice, ideas, suggestions, etc to get through the weekend and keep her comfortable would be appreciated.

How do I remove this strange glue from my previously carpeted hardwood?

bradn — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:37:36 -0800

How do I remove this strange glue from my previously carpeted hardwood? Here's a photo.

Just bought a house, tore out nasty carpet. Other rooms are fine, but in the living room, the outside perimeter of the carpet pad was glued to the floor with dots of this fibrous, brownish glue. "Oops" only makes it harder and doesn't seem to dissolve it at all. Same with laquer thinner. Tried a glue remover specifically meant for carpet glue on hardwood and that didn't work either. Fine sandpaper and steel wool don't take it off, we need something that will dissolve it.

We plan to refinish eventually, but the floor looks terrible with these glue dots all over and I'm not sure we can live with it like this for long. Anyone seen this type of glue before?

Cushy playroom flooring on a shoestring budget, please!

missuswayne — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:54:30 -0800

Need creative ideas for inexpensive flooring in a playroom/rec room. Our budget is next to nothing. We just enclosed our screen porch to create a big (250 square feet) playroom/rec room for the kids and their toys, and we need to put down some kind of cushy floor over the existing ceramic tile to prevent head injuries.

I'm going to investigate carpet remnants today, but I'm also interested in creative ideas for soft flooring on the cheap - I mean, really cheap. I looked at those 2'x2' interlocking foam mats online and at around $500 they are too pricey, and pretty ugly to boot. Bonus points for attractiveness, as this room is visible from the kitchen and dining room.

Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its carpet time! COOL RUNNERS!

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:01:57 -0800

Where can I get modern, bright or otherwise designy carpet runners online or in Southern California? Long, long, by-the-foot options preferred, but if I find something I like I might just buy several of the same one. Other relevant information: I am allergic to beige.

You want the truth..? You can't handle the truth!

mu~ha~ha~ha~har — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:49:56 -0800

I have about a week or so to find some of this carpet. Yep, it is that stuff that's everywhere. You probably even have 3 rolls of it under your house as we speak. It's almost safe to say, at some point, you really did have like 3 rolls of it - what did you do with them?!! Where should I inquire about getting a scrap of it?? (30cm/12inch -sq.) Demolition.. people? The dump? Is there like an Elephants Graveyard but for carpet?? Also.. I need a hand with repairing melamine/laminex?? ( Bathroom vanity and a cupboard). And (omg!) this blind ( /s)... It's about 10x4 inches of absolute scorched earth toast and it's pretty much dead center of the room. (There were factors. We were all involved.. except for any cats at all though, which was a nice change.)

There is nothing to work with here, though if I can find something that's close enough, I'll definitely be able to do something with that.
Where/who should I be asking (Brisbane, QLD)
and/or does anybody happen to know what that carpet is called??

Now,
*For the cupboard I was thinking super-glue, vice grips and some white tape? Would there be a better way?
*The vanity... Get it back to white and then sculpt new edges using.. *something that dries white and hard*.
What would this product be??

(I will run it by SO but I'd like to open the topic with the answers.)
So again - any better ideas would be tremendous!!

*And the blinds... my god. The cats (they're always doin' somethin') - aren't on the lease so I am being ultra anal about leaving no trace of them. Hairy blinds were at the top of my cat related concerns list. (Now it's on a different list... grrr!)
I didn't use anything harsh on them but I sure was horrified when they dried.
The filth that came off them was brown/red/yellow... not at all blue related. I did use a little bio-zet because it's neat on colours so it's possible that the sun bleached bit... but shit!! These are the blinds from the room beside it. Yeah.. O-M-G!!

I also washed a pale, creamy coloured one the same way after (but with much more opportunity for disasters!!) and it's come up freakin' fantastic. But, of course, the remaining four are blue.
What can I do?? (..paint?? It'll be possible but not without both much tedium AND suspense.) Ugh!! I'm just trying to get my bond back!

*There are also yellow marks from a table on the vinyl floor. (I think it's vinyl?) It's stained like rust would, only it's yellow and has so far withstood various application methods and combinations of -
Gumption, Domestos, Bi-Carb (/+vinegar), toothpaste, sugarsoap, morning fresh, bio-zet, napisan, CD scratch repair, magic eraser, a whisper of nail polish remover (that seemed effective yet I got it off quick-smart and I'm hesitant to try it again). Oh and diluted degreaser stuff SO had.
So what can I try now?

I like breathing formaldehyde as much as the next person, but...

misanthropicsarah — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:41:16 -0800

How do I get rid of that horrible new carpet smell? My office had new carpet put down in the hallways last Thursday through Tuesday. It's industrial carpet glued to concrete floor. The glue smell gives me horrible headaches. Plus, I'm sure it's toxic.

My coworkers (there's only 2 of them) don't grok that this smell is causing a serious problem for me; somehow they can't smell it or it doesn't bother them. I had the hall windows open yesterday, but it's all of 20° today and they'll whine about it being cold if I open the windows again.

So, how can I get this horrible smell to go away? I'd prefer to eliminate or neutralize it instead of covering it up with something (Febreze also not an option because that gives me headaches too).

Home Flooring for the Baffled

ottereroticist — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:35:23 -0800

Please share your experience, strength, and hope regarding flooring options for upstairs bedrooms. The carpet in the upstairs of our 1917 bungalow (two bedrooms and a hallway/office) has finally become too heinously stained to live with any longer. I need to put down some kind of flooring but am overwhelmed by the options. Carpet? Laminate? Stained OSB? Painted floor cloths? Oy!

I've got about 560 sq. ft. to cover, and a budget of $2-3K. I'm hoping to hire it done but can pull out the old carpet and move furniture myself. Cost is the prime criterion, with beauty, durability, eco-friendliness, and low dust following.

So: What options should I consider? What did you learn the hard way? Have you been happy with your choice over time? If you live in the PDX area, where did you buy your flooring? If you used Home Despot for installation, how did that work out?

Thanks for your help, invisible friends!

Help me build a better cat tree.

bigcheesegump — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:06:56 -0800

Help me out with building a cat tree. I normally build my cat a customized cat tree and have no problem with the construction and safety aspects but I always have difficultly laying the carpet around the wooden platforms and legs.

I have seen some trees that have the carpet laid over all the surfaces of the tree as opposed to just the tops and the sides. I normally have the platforms and legs totally wrapped but end up with seams at corners and joints. These all inevitably end up shredded, tattered and requires me to constantly prune dangling strands of carpet. Does anyone have any tips to make it clean and sharp like this?

What's sliming my carpet?

xz — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:25:31 -0800

There are wee slime trails on our carpet every morning. What's making them and how can I get rid of them (preferably without nasty chemicals...) I live in Melbourne, Australia.

We've got a living room with carpet that's not sealed well against the floor against the back wall of the house. There's actually a little space under there that drops down to the foundation. In the morning there are always slime trails as if a bug, or group of bugs, is going exploring every night. They come up from under the carpet, tool about, and then descend again. Their purpose eludes me.

I haven't been able to catch the buggers in the act, but when I look under the edge of the carpet I see some little dark brown millipede-type things, generally curled up and dead. They don't seem to be the types of things that would leave a slime trail, but hey, what do I know?

I tried using a mess of salt, but that didn't work.

Can anyone make a decent guess as to what's going on and suggest a way to make it stop? It's pretty gross and I've got company coming to stay. I'd prefer to use a natural-type solution, but if it's gotta be Super-Power-Insect-Death Spray, I can deal.

Thanks!

Dirt Floor

chuckdarwin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:16:27 -0800

I need a carpet cleaner that won't break the bank. What current model do you recommend? (UK models/links only, please) Are there features that are essential? (ex: Do I need one that uses hot water?)

Sense of touch too sensitive?

MrBCID — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:49:30 -0800

Why does rubbing my hands on clothing cause tooth discomfort? Not always, but sometimes when I reach into my pants' pockets, that rubbing motion causes my whole mouth to feel weird, specifically my molars; it's not pain but it makes me want to bite down a couple of times to relieve it... The dryer my hands are the more discomfort I feel; and it's usually when I have dress pants on (cotton and/or polyester), it doesn't usually happen with denim...

I get a similar "vibrating" feeling when I (or someone I am looking at) rubs their hands on carpet, it's a weird feeling all over concentrating on my mouth and arms (makes me rub my arms)... Similar to the feeling when someone scratches a chalkboard with their fingernails...

Before posting this question, I did some research and found this article that links bright lights, loud noises, heavy perfumes, and itchy clothing to tooth sensitivity... but doesn't say much about why they are linked... coincidentally, I do wear sunglasses, do avoid perfumes (light or heavy), and can't stand itchy clothing...

Does anyone have any idea why this happens?

Tips for replacing carpet ruined by a cat

shinji_ikari — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:55:42 -0800

When replacing cat pee ruined carpet, what are the best ways to make sure the smell is totally gone? We had a cat with behavior issues that pretty thoroughly ruined the carpet and some of the baseboards in our basement. We're getting the basement recarpeted and replacing the baseboards, but I've heard that it can be tricky to keep the smell from coming back. It's pretty bad and in multiple spots so I want to make sure we do everything possible before the new carpet goes down. We're planning to put Killz down on the spots after the old carpet is removed, but were wondering if there were any other steps that would be good to take to make sure that we get the smell totally out.

How can I keep my carpet dry?

arnicae — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:37:42 -0800

Water is seeping out of my aquarium onto my rug. Is there anything I can use to absorb the water? We recently installed a sump into our marine saltwater system. More tubes, a bigger pump, and of course another separate aquarium were added to the system. We've been having a persistent problem with water leakage- usually several pints at a time, but up to a gallon. Obviously, the long-term solution is figuring out what is causing the leak, but for now I'm trying to find a way to keep the water from soaking my carpet. (It's low-quality, but aggravating to be walking to the bathroom in socks and step into soggy frigid water, and I know I'll be doing long-term damage to the carpet and/or the floor beneath it)

Any ideas? Would a chamois similar to what is used at a car wash work? Any thoughts on how to mitigate the damage to the floor beneath?

Thanks in advance.

"At least it's soap..." Yeah. Right.

konolia — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 13:06:12 -0800

Just a second ago my daughter spilled approximately a cup of liquid hand soap onto my carpeted hallway. How do I get this up?????

How to remove a blue stain from my friends carpet.

unsurmountable — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:32:51 -0800

How to remove a deep blue Lysol toilet cleaner stain in the carpet A friend of mine spilled some Blue Lysol Toliet Cleaner causing a 2" circle stain. Does anyone have tips or any cleaning sites i could search for removing this.

Door number one, carpet. Door number two, tile

Gordion Knott — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:35:57 -0800

What are the pros and cons of tile versus carpeting for rental apartments? I've got a smattering of rental apartments that I renovate (and re-renovate) when tenants move out.

Until recently, I've forked out 600 bucks for new living room carpet at each renovation, but my management company wants me to switch to tile.

Their reasoning is that
1) tile lasts longer than carpet, and doesn't need replacement with each renovation,
2) radiator leaks (common for me) won't lead to carpet damage and mold (even though the carpet is a sturdy indoor/outdoor brand), and
3) I'll save money big time, an important consideration in the soft rental market we're experiencing in my area

I'm having the better floors sanded and polyurethaned, but these are in the minority. For the most part, it's tile, tile, tile (but decent vinyl tile, of course).

My only reservations are that I'll lose prospective tenants who don't like the tilely look, and that I'll create problems down the road, when I renovate apartments for higher-end tenants who insist on carpeting.

Is tile a big turn-off for rental tenants? Will it complicate matters if I decide to lay down carpet in a few years? Other pros and cons?

Save my (Apartment's) Carpet!

Alterscape — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 06:27:52 -0800

My new apartment has carpet in a few places I wish it didn't. Help me keep my (potential) mess away from this carpet and save my security deposit. The only place in the apartment where I can store my bike is a walk-in storage closet that's about 15' away from the front door. It's a straight shot from the door through the edge of the living room and part of a hallway to the closet door, but it's all carpeted. Also, the 'breakfast nook' area next to the kitchen is carpeted. In both of these places, I worry that dirt and liquid will stain the carpet, resulting in my owing the landlord a hefty bill for carpet replacement.

The two solutions I've come up with thusfar are area rugs/carpet runners or plastic runners. Area rugs and carpet runners don't seem ideal because while they prevent damage to the original carpet, they're just as hard to clean. Plastic runners may not work because I can't find a good source for low volumes of the stuff -- I can buy a 36"x150' roll for $200 online but I only need about 15'. Also, I worry that my roommate might find it aesthetically objectionable. What I'd really like is some kind of vinyl/linoleum with a hard backing that won't slide around on top of the carpet. I've thought about bonding linoleum scraps to thin masonite (to keep the edges of the linoleum from curling), but I don't have any way to acquire sufficiently long sections of masonite, cut it to width or prevent it from sliding around.

Any ideas what else would protect my floor without destroying my wallet? Brick-and-mortar sources for plastic runner in would also help. I'm willing to be crafty in the interest of aesthetic appeal but my access to tools is severely limited right now.

How do I avoid painting my carpet?

DZ-015 — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:13:01 -0800

I'm painting the skirting on my staircase and have a fitted carpet which I don't really want to lift. Is there a neat trick to avoid getting paint on the carpet that won't take me the same length of time it took Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel?