The most frequently asked questions
Stairnosings are essential for buildings where student, staff and public access occurs by steps. They are also vital where dedicated stair cases are used for fire escape purposes. Building Codes for the construction of stairs and exits and Australian Standards for access and mobility now require all new buildings to include slip-resistant stair treads.
Tactiles aid the mobility skills, orientation and the safety of the vision impaired and blind.
Yes you can arrange for our installers to carefully move your furniture and replace when the carpet or flooring has been laid.
No one carpet fibre is inherently ‘better’ than any other. Each fibre comes in a variety of qualities and price ranges. The most important point is to choose a fibre, style and construction to suit your lifestyle and budget, that’s suitable for the room in which it will be placed.
Carpet Tiles are easy to maintain. Damaged carpet tiles can be easily replaced in isolation without having to replace the full area. Worn carpet tiles can be rotated with those from low traffic areas, prolonging the life of the carpet.
The good news is, there is an independent carpet rating scheme
The Carpet Institute of Australia has developed the Australian Carpet Classification Scheme (ACCS). It’s a voluntary industry labelling and grading system for carpets of all fibres and is used by all the major suppliers.
An ACCS label gives the carpet a star-rating out of six for residential use and four for commercial or contract use, indicating how well it performed in a number of independently assessed wear and performance tests.
There are 3 main types of carpet underlay and each come in varying densities and qualities:
*Foam underlay is manufactured from largely recycled material, the higher density grades provide great acoustic and thermal insulation.
Most good quality foam underlays are treated with anti-microbial agents, to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth and protect against germs and allergies.
*Felt underlay is manufactured from jute, hessian or re-cycled clothing material, it is not used much anymore but is the best product to help smooth out a rough sub floor.
*Rubber underlay has increased dramatically in price during the last few years. It is the best underlay to use over in-slab heating as it allows the heat to pass through to the air, this however also means that it is not a great thermal insulation material.
Floor covering is “manufactured” in your building, so the installation is critical. A poor installation will mean a poorly finished product, even if you paid for high quality flooring. That’s why professional, trained, experienced installers who care are critical.
Flooring must be laid in accordance with Australian Standards and backed up with a comprehensive installation guarantee. Insist upon a lifetime installation warranty.
Most carpet is manufactured 3.66 metres wide and will need to have joins in rooms wider than this. Carpet should be planned in accordance with Australian Standards and suited to wear and tear in your areas.
Joins in the wrong places may not only look bad but also can also be potential wear areas. In the future you may have to replace your whole carpet area for just a few small wear spots. If possible joins should be placed away from windows where falling light could show them up, and they also shouldn’t be in high-traffic walkways such as corridors.
Ask your retailer to see the installation plan and check the placement of cross-joins and seams in the carpet.
I have actually done both steam cleaning and dry cleaning methods of carpets. My experience is that dry cleaning only cleans the top surface of the carpet, whereas steam cleaning cleans deep into the pile. Steam cleaning is really hot water and detergent being pumped into your carpet and then sucked back out together with the dirt. It’s crucial that the steam cleaner operator has a substantial machine with a powerful vacuum.
It has been shown that when students have access to natural light and views of the outdoors, they retain more of what they learn. Creating this improved learning environmentrequires eliminating glare and reflections caused by direct sunlight. Screen shades, block out shades and external shading solutions help bring natural light inside whilst filtering glare. Bringing in light as required but filtering or blocking out when needed, also helps you to control the internal temperature. You can save energy related to lighting, cooling and heating your school.
You can walk on carpet and replace furniture immediately. The joins in most jobs use heatbond tape and are at full strength within minutes of being done.