Carpets & Rugs
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Oct 2009
So I married into a 3100 sq foot monster home that has large
rooms with white, plush, wall to wall carpet. Argggh! Even with a
shedding dog and then having a baby, we held it together for a
couple of years. But all bets were off when baby got mobile.
(Don't get me started about potty training!) One room is
smallish, 13x16, totally destroyed and in a high traffic area so
we're going to put in new. Three of the bedrooms have cleaned up
reasonably well. The biggest problems, of course, are in the
biggest carpeting areas. We turned the living room (20x22) into a
family room/play area and it is stained in places, even with
professional cleaning. It is in one continuous piece with the
adjacent dining room, making the total area really large. The
master bedroom is similarly permanently discolored in places and
is big (20x20).
The carpeting itself is in good shape, very thick, plush and high
quality. When it's cleaned, it looks stunning until it dries and
the spots come back.
We are planning to rent out the house (at a loss if need be) and
are setting up a budget to get the house ready. I think my
husband was onto something when he said ''wouldn't it be great if
we could dye it a generic tan so it would cover the spots and go
with everything?''
I turned to google and discovered that yes, indeed, such a
service exists. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any unbiased
reviews on the process, cost and quality of the service.
Everything appeared to be an advertisement.
Has anyone attempted it? If so, was the outcome worth the expense
and effort?
At this point, replacing all of it would at a minimum cost
$20-25/sq yard, putting total outlay in the thousands. Since the
house is destined to be a rental, we're wincing at investing only
for it to be trashed again by renters.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
White Elephant Owner
Forget trying to ''fix'' the problem, only to rent, and as you
said, have them re-ruin it! Go to IKEA: buy area rugs, and mask
the stubborn spots, no fuss, no muss! (remember the old saw: ''Out
of Sight, Out of Mind''?) If I were in your shoes: I'd save the
$$$ solutions for me & my family, if we were going to inhabit the
space again, in the future...
--my 2 cents
Feb 2009
Before we drop some money on big area rugs from Pottery Barn--has anyone had experience with them emanating a bad smell? I've read some bad stuff online. Also wondering about their safety as we have young children. Thanks for any advice you can share about PB rugs or other good child-safe, reasonably-priced rug options.
Cold Feet
I would be really cautious about PB rugs. I can't speak to the
safety but the smell can be really obnoxious. I bought a used one
from someone and it had the burnt rubber smell that you will easily
find described on the internet. The only time it didn't smell was
on really warm, dry days. So, that was about 2 weeks a year. If
you go to a PB store and sniff the rugs you can still find that
smell. It's on the ones that are rubber backed but not the
chenille type rug. If you find one you like I'd sniff it and then
only buy it if you can get in writing that you can return it. I
asked about that one time at a store and they said no. BTW, it
wasn't just me. I was at a co-workers house and smelt this awful
smell then realized what we were sitting over. Their rugs are very
nice looking but it's not worth it.
Jennifer
The smell never goes away. They shed terribly and never stop. Spend
your money elsewhere. I've purchased and returned 2 and am stuck
with a third.
anon
I have several POttery Barn rugs and some of them do have an odd
smell. I didn't even notice at first, but my husband did when one
rug was in a small poorly ventilated room. Frankly, i wouldn't know
if it's because it's a pottery barn rug or what--is that what wool
can smell like? Anyway, I love their rugs but might hesitate next
time to buy. I think you should call them and ask if they know
about this issue before you buy, maybe it's something they've
corrected?
good luck
steph
Both my sister and I had pottery barn rugs with this problem. They
were really good about taking them back, but in her case she had
the rug in the baby's room and was especially concerned -- getting
a refund doesn't take care of that worry. Part of the problem is
that they smell worse over time, not better -- maybe it's glues
breaking down?
I don't know if they've dealt with the issue, but I ended up with
a couple of surprisingly nice wool area rugs from Costco, that seem
to smell fine :)
mary
I have two Pottery barn rugs, both wool, and I have not had this
problem. One is an 11x13' rug in the living room, have had it for
about 8 years. Baby crawled on it, threw up on it, etc. The other
one is a year old, 5x7' in my bedroom. Neither one smells (or
smelled) and I have not had any other problems with them. I have
been satisfied with them.
Ginger
We have a Pottery Barn rug. We like it a lot. I didn't feel it had
any kind of smell to it--toxic or otherwise--and I can be sensitive
to smells. (E.g., my husband had a shed/studio installed in our
backyard, and I couldn't go near it until it totally off-gassed.) I
can't answer your question about whether it is safe because i don't
know what you mean. We got the Adeline rug. It is 100% percent
wool, no synthetics. Don't know if it is treated with anything.
We bought a Pottery Barn area rug 5 years ago for our daughter's
room and it still smells a little. The smell for the first year
was pretty bad, although we were just too busy to do anything about
it. In hindsight, we'd have taken it back. I wouldn't buy a rug
there if I were you. Another reason not to buy one of their hooked
yarn rugs is that the hooks just keep pulling up whenever we vacuum
- doesn't look good.
Stinky rug sufferer
I've had a couple of different rugs from Pottery Barn and though
I'm not about any safety risks/hazards, I will say that they do
tend to smell when first purchased. The smell is a cross between a
wooly/hay sort of smell and something mildly chemical, from my
recollection. I've only purchased wool rugs from them so can't
speak to woven rugs of other materials.
I have a 14 month old and she's never seemed to have a problem with
them. One option I chose when looking for a new rug for my dining
room during a recent move was to buy one used off Craigslist. No
smell at all (and I was pretty picky about the type, size, and
prior use of the rug before buying it so the owner had a receipt to
show that it was only a year and a half old and had been in a guest
room, etc).
Anyway, it saved me a couple hundred dollars off the regular store
price and I avoided that ''new rug'' smell that has accompanied
previous ones I bought directly from the store.
-- love my used rug!
I bought a pottery Barn rug in December. I put it outside for 2
hours before putting it in my daughter's room. There was no smell
that I noticed. It does shed a little bit, but otherwise we really
like it.
Nov 2008
Has anyone purchased or experienced the Flor carpet product? It
is carpeting made into individual squares which are put together
in different designs. I like the look of it and the ability to
be creative with colors and textures and that you can wash the
individual squares in the sink (or so they say). The company
has made attempts to be Green (recyclable materials). But I
wonder about how it holds up to wear and if the squares really
hold together for vacuuming, etc. The squares are held together
with adhesive circles that stick to each other and not to your
floors. You can look at it at flor.com
thanks
Flor tiles are great. We've had some of the 'house pet' tiles as
a large area rug in the living room for several years now. They
have held up incredibly well. We have a dog, baby, and plenty of
yahoo friends befouling it on a regular basis, and it still
looks great, easy to clean. We have a different model installed
as wall-to-wall carpeting in the nursery, and it shows dirt much
more easily. Wish I had chosen a different type for in there.
Installation is a breeze, and we've had no issues with the area
rug coming up at the edges.
Flor fan
May 2008
It's time to throw in the towel on the current sisal area rug we
have in our dining room... it was fine just the two of us but
with two toddlers eating every meal in there plus a cat that
became very sick, there's no deep cleaning it at this point.
Our apartment has hardwood floors and both for sound reasons and
also with little kids running around we'd like a large (at least
8X10) rug in this room. Does anyone have a relatively
inexpensive alternate rug suggestion for a high spill area like
this?
Rachel
We bought a piece of commercial grade carpet and had the edges
bound--many carpet places will do this for a small fee. Not the
most cushy stuff, but, very durable and we've never had anything
we can't clean off of it, including cat vomit, wine and coffee.
Plus, unlike some of the very pricey and fancy wool rugs we've
had, which our cats like much better than scratching posts, it
seems to be totally resistant to snags.
Commercial grade carpet comes in a lot of nice patterns and
styles, especially if, like us, you lean to a clean modern look,
and an 8x10 piece can be had for a reasonable price. You might
also be able to find a carpet store remnant of a residential
grade carpet you like equally well for even less, although it
might not hold up as well.
After ruining a couple of nice rugs between 2 kids and 2 cats, we
finally went down to Home Depot and bought a really low-pile,
polypropylene rug (''premium quality commercial area rug'') in a
dark brown weave (sort of a sisal-like weave, so not so obviously
synthetic like a fuzzy rug might be)...not from the fancy rugs at
the back, but rolled up at the front. The brand is Jefferson
Rugs. It looks surprisingly good, shows absolutely no stains,
and at $25 for the 6x8 size, it won't break my heart if someone
does pee on it. If you want something polypropylene but slightly
more stylish, check out the area rugs made for outdoor use at
Rockridge Home on College - you can hose them clean. I've seen
similar nice-looking outdoor rugs in catalogs like
www.grandinroad.com and www.ballarddesigns.com.
Practical
May 2008
We're looking for those simple, homey rugs (New England-y?)
that are usually circular or oval, made of one long braided
strand of cotton or wool fabric. We have found several places
online, but want to go look at the rugs before we purchase. Can
you recommend a place to go? Many thanks for your help!!
Sorry this isn't local but look at L.L. Bean online. Their rugs
are definitely the traditional New England ones. I have one in
our entry way which takes a lot of heavy traffic and it has
lasted for years and still looks fine.
daughter of New Englander
March 2007
Is it possible to get a ''really good deal'' on a nice kilim or
carpet? I can't spend thousands, but might spend up to $800
(maybe 1K) for a nice one - one that would be worth passing
down in the family, even if it's not a wildly valuable
heirloom. I'd like to get something in the 8' X 10' range.
I'm afraid of buying something online, since it's hard to judge
quality without seeing it, and then the shipping expenses for
returns could be difficult. On the other hand, I'm afraid that
though the best quality will come from a reputable seller, from
a store, I'll also pay top dollar that way.
Any suggestions for where to go? Anyone had good experiences
with an online site? Anyone know of a discount or wholesale
place? All recommendations appreciated!
anon
go to Harvey Clars Auction house. we ended up buying two
carpets after we won our first for so much under our budget!
happy toes
March 2007
I'm looking for a reputable place to buy Asian rugs (Indian,
Kashmiri, Persian, etc.) in the East Bay, or SF if there's a
really great place. Thanks!
Melanie
Notonly are their rugs a good value, but the workers are
knowledgeable -- head to Harvey Clars auction house on
Claremont in rockridge.
rug rich
Jan 2006
I would like to buy 9' x 12'(ish) rug and have approximately
$6,000 to spend. Where to go? Are prices always negotiable or
is there some place that has good quality and price and no need
to haggle? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
EBay is the best place to buy a rug. New and used. Amazing
deals, you'll save a bundle.
annon
If you haven't tried eBay, give it a try. I have bought 3 rugs
on eBay and while they were not new, they were valuable oriental
rugs which I bought for a fraction of what they would have cost
in a store.
Karen
Try www.homedecorators.com
We got our living room rug there and get lots of compliments. They have a huge
selection ranging from traditional to modern, all types. We ended up buying a synthetic
rug rather than wool but you can't tell. It's a nice tight weave, easy to clean and looks
great. Some of their other products are a bit tacky so don't be turned off by that. Check
out the rugs. It's worth a look.
anon
May 2008
I have terrible allergies and even though the rugs in my home
are all over 8 years old I'm told that they can continue
to 'offgas' for over 12 years. This leads me to begin searching
for wool rugs or some alternative. The rugs I've seen in some of
the specialty 'green' stores begin at $700.00 and go upward, we
are talking area rugs here, this is so out of my budget. Then a
friend directs me to Ikea where I find wool rugs for $300.00 and
less. My question is does anyone have experience with these
rugs? Can they actually be 100% wool and cost this amount? I'm
so jaded I don't believe the 'clerks' anymore.
d
If you have terrible allergies, you probably don't want wool
rugs at all. You might want to look into rugs made of dried
grasses or mats like those made from Chilewich, which aren't at
all natural, but wouldn't provide a dust mite-friendly
environment like many natural fibers do. Just a thought from
someone with a crazy allergy to dust...
Albany
I bought 2 wool persian style carpets at IKEA about 8 years
ago. They are still fine. I have had to pull them out & wash
them both a couple of times because of baby puke. I hung them
over the fence & sprayed them with the hose, scrubbed with a
floor scrubbing brush on both sides & rinced with hose...they
dried OK, didn't run. The big one was starting to wear on the
heavy traffic side and I rotated it.
They were both 'hand made in Iran' pretty good for the price!
Aesthetically, they are rustic, not as fine as persian carpets
can be,,,they can be gorgeous, but, these are nice.
Thats all I know.
I was also on a recent search for 100% wool rugs. I, too, looked
at IKEA. I think that the ones they claim are all wool, really
are all wool. However, I actually found better deals, price and
selection-wise, at overstock.com. As I was buying the rug, I
actually called them to ask ''is this REALLY 100% wool?'' and they
said yes.
No Stinky Rugs for Me!
IKEA manufactures most of it's own products, and often owns every
level of the supply chain, which is one way they keep costs low.
Smaller independant stores, in contrast, are acting as agents.
You basically are paying them a finder's fee for delivering
unique products. The extra cost you pay at a boutique, however,
is not likely a representation of increased quality. IKEA is
required to meet the safety and labelling requirements of the
European Union, which is much more stringent than the US, so when
IKEA labels something as being 100% wool, it is definately 100%
wool.
Aran
We have a wool rug that we absolutely love that came from IKEA for $349.00. It is
very thick and durable, easy to clean, and a beautiful dark red. It did not have a
stong smell to get used to but the only complaint is that it shed a lot. It seems to
have slowed down by now (approx 1 yr). We would keep finding bits of dark red wool
fibers all over, and they get everywhere. Kind of a drag, but we still really love the
rug, and we figure it was a small price to pay for such a cheap, large wool rug.
It measures roughly 10 feet by 7 feet
anon
October 2005
I'm thinking about buying a Persian Gabbeh rug from IKEA, but I want to make sure it will hold up, because it's pretty expensive. If you've bought one recently, I'd really appreciate any advice you might have.
These are my questions:
Does it shed?
How often do you vacuum it?
How long have you had it?
Has the vacuum cleaner pulled threads?
Thanks for your help!
Catherine
I bought one 3 years ago and it is OK. No complaints and it has had heavy use. I would not recommend a lot of IKEA things! For example, we bought a chest of drawers for $112. that only lasted 5 months. Piece of junk! Looked great at first though and maybe if only adults used it...but I can say with out reservation that our $500. 8X10 persian carpet has been a very good deal.
dillon
July 2004
Alphabet rug for son's room
Hello,
I'm looking for an alphabet rug to put in our son's room. I'd
like something that isn't ''pastely'' (maybe primary colors) with
conventional print. The rugs I've seen have letters that are
too fancy. Does anyone have any ideas on where I can get such a
rug?
Thank you.
Try:
http://shopmuseum.com/shop/product173.html
or
http://kidatheartdesigns.com/alphabetzoo.html
or
http://kidatheartdesigns.com/abcs.html
or
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/
catzmeow
Try www.lakeshorelearning.com - it's a preschool supply store.
Jen
I bought an inexpensive alphabet rug at Walmart for $40. It is
not large (about 3 x 5, max.) but it is primary colors. The
alphabet is woven into the middle of the rug, and the border has
woven pictures of items that start with many of the letters (for
example: ladybug, airplain, train, fish....) So far it is
wearing pretty well, but the white areas do get a bit grey
looking and I hand clean it once in a while with spray-on rug
cleaner and the vacuum. (This rug sits in the middle of our
children's room so it does get a lot of traffic.) I don't
expect it to stay spotless and when it is too dirty or tattered,
I'll spend another $40 and replace it with the same rug.
Perhaps the size will work for you?
anon
Lakeshore learning store has a great alphabet area rug which
would fit your needs. Primary and bright colors, simple ABCs on
ovals of contrasting colors on a bright red background.
$40.00. There is a store in Walnut Creek, and another San
Leandro (with a clearance warehouse in the back - great deals).
Rachel
Jan. 2004
Fun rug for kids' playroom
Hi, everyone. I am decorating a playroom for my kids (a boy
and a girl), and I am looking for a fun rug for the room. Any
suggestions of where to find a large rug for a kids room? Any
suggestions of places that carry stuff that is not only for
boys or only for girls?
Thanks.
Laura
I recommend Pottery Barn Kids or Target.
Patty
Ikea has great kids type area rugs in wonderful colors. The
price is really good for the size and quality of some of the
rugs there. If you don't want to fight the crowds I believe
you can order online now. Ikea.com
a mom
Nov 2003
Durable childrens' rugs
We are looking for fun children's rug for our soon-to-be
crawling baby and am having a hard time finding a good
selection. Pottery Barn Kids has some adorable rugs, but they're
fairly expensive. Also, we have two dogs who will also be
tramping across it, so it needs to be durable and easy to clean.
Any suggestions?
thank you
Ikea! They are cheap (under $25 for sure), they are fun, and they are backed
with a rubber material that makes it non-slip and also saves our wood floors
from spills. They are also very easy to clean: out in the backyard with water,
brush, and a little dishwasher liquid and like new again! anon
www.thecompanystore.com also has some nice childrens rugs that
are high quality. I bought one on sale for about $50 -- you
really have to look for deals & coupon codes on the internet.
but the rug is thick & pink with flowers.
Tasha
2001
Kids' Interactive Carpets
I'm looking for a fun alternative to wall-to-wall carpeting for my
18-month-old son's room--preferably something "interactive," like a
racetrack or airport scene. I know Home Depot has a racetrack rug (and I saw
them mentioned on the UCB Parents site), but I can't imagine spending much
time sitting on it--it's practically Astroturf. And I know Pottery Barn Kids
has awesome, fluffy-looking interactive rugs, but the 8-by-10 ones are $600.
Is there anything in between? Thanks for any advice.
Linda
Home Depot has more child rugs available than the one you mentioned.
However, you must order them from a catalog. I bought a fairly large Looney
Tunes racetrack rug (not astro turf or carpet) for my son's room about a
year and a half ago. I think it cost around $150.00. He enjoys playing on
it with his cars for extended periods of time, especially if he has someone
to "race".
Nikki
I've bought two blue square racetrack rugs at Ikea and a long thin red
hopscotch rug as well. They're all inexpensive and they look great. I put
the two racetrack rugs back to back because we needed to cover a large area.
The drawback is that they're all thin, but I bought a thick rug pad (don't
buy the ones at Ikea, they're thin and are really skid-pads rather than rug
pads) at an Oriental rug store on College in Elmwood. Most regular carpet
stores sell the pads too. The rug pad turned out to cost as much as the
little rugs, which was a drag, but we ate the cost and forgot about it and
now play pretty happily and constantly on the rugs.
One afterword: I had originally bought a rug at Pottery Barn Kids and when
it arrived, was surprised to notice a chemical smell, which quickly gave me
a headache. It seems that if a rug is stain resistant, it means it's been
sprayed with a chemical which one can still sometimes detect strongly. I
returned the rug after trying unsuccessfully to air it out. When I tried to
buy another, different, non-stain resistant rug the customer service person
told me that almost ALL the rugs are now sprayed with pesticide before
leaving India or China or wherever they're made. This really bothered me,
because nowhere in their catalog, which is aimed at parents of kids, do they
mention this fact. I think it's common practice in the industry now, but
haven't researched it further.
Lisa
We bought a really nice one at Ikea and our 5 year old loves it. It is like
a big area rug with a picture of roads and buildings on it. He loves to
play with his cars on it, is comfortable to sit on and was only around $20.
Dawn
1998
Racetrack Carpet
I've seen the racetrack carpet at Home Depot in El Cerrito (and probably the
one in Emeryville stocks it too). It was around $15 near the area rugs.
Denise
We got our race track carpet at Home Depot in El Cerrito - it was really
inexpensive...they had several different designs...a town, or race track, etc.
Molly
March 2006
I need to put in new carpeting in our bedroom. Any advice about
''airing out'' time before allowing my pre-crawling son to play on
it? I'm concerned about chemicals and any effects they might
have on him.
Thanks for your advice!
meg
Usually, new carpet contains formaldehyde in the glue, which
offgasses into the air, causing indoor air pollution for months.
Here is more info:
http://www.nontoxic.com/purewoolcarpets/whattoavoid.html I think
a rug without glue would be a better choice. If you want carpet,
you can get one made with natural latex, like this one:
http://www.nontoxic.com/purewoolcarpets/index.html
sunsolsal
try Interface FLOR - they make chic, high-quality carpet squares
that you can install yourself and remove for easy cleaning and
maintenance. Their products are as ''green'' as carpet comes.
www.interfaceflor.com
jean
May 2004
We are thinking about replacing the wall-to-wall carpet in
our daughter's room and would like to get a carpet that
would do minimal off-gassing. Where would we look for
something like that?
Thanks.
Katherine
Most carpets are full of formaldehyde, a toxic substance
bad for both children and adults. Nirvana Safe Haven in
Walnut Creek sells carpets made only of wool and latex.
925/472-8868. www.nontoxic.com. They also have paints and
mattresses. I have never done business with them, so I am
recommending them only on the basis of the type of products
they sell.
sunsol
Jan. 2004
We have a 6 month old baby who will soon be crawling, and we'd
like to get an inexpensive area rug for our all-hardwood-floor
apt to create a space where he can play/learn to crawl/walk
safely. Any idea where we can find something roughly 10x10ft
and easy on the skin (our baby has severe eczema and very
sensitive skin)? We aren't terribly stylish and plan on moving
in a year or so, so even scraps/carpet-ends would be OK. Also,
we've been told to get a ''carpet cushion'' to put underneath to
make it softer for baby-falls... any idea where/how to buy
these?
Thanks,
Mom of baby getting ready to crawl
IKEA has inexpensive, 100% cotton rugs that sell for about $25,
and are about 5x4. You may be able to saw two of these together
to fit your needs or they may have bigger rugs that aren't that
expensive.
E.
For inexpensive/attractive rugs, try Target! I am not sure if
they have rugs that are hypoallergenic; I am allergic to wool
and have had difficulty in finding rugs that are cotton. Target
has lots of different selections and could be a good place to
start!
Jan. 2003
I'm shopping for a big area rug for our living room, and like a
wool carpet I saw. We have a 15 month old and there's
another little messmaker on the way. The living room rug
will cover the only traffic area to enter the home. Are wool
carpets hard to clean? Should I get nylon instead? Is there
something to make a wool carpet more stain resistant?
nutty preggers mom attempting to nest ]
Don't buy the wool carpet!!! We were crazy and bought a beautiful
cream wool carpet for the nursery before our first child was born
- the people at the store thought we were crazy, but I thought
how bad can it be - it's terible. I've had it treated
repeatedly and also have it professionally cleaned 3-5 times per
year and it still looks bad. Once a stain is there - it's there
for good. We also have a wool carpet in our living room - it's
not much better, but as we don't spend too much time int he
living room it's a little better. On the other hand I invensted
in very high end synthetic carpets for my other childs room and
the family room and they clean up beautifully. It wasn't cheap,
but I think that is a called Techtest sp? and is nylon with a
Dupont stainmaster finish of some kind. I picked out the carpet,
had it cut and bound and it was about $35 per square yard. Good
luck!
Signed - no more wool carpets until my children are in college!
Jan. 2003
We need to buy a nice wool area rug for our living room. Our 7
month old daughter is starting to roam and I'd like to make it a
nice surface for her. We also have two cats and a dog so it
needs to be able to vacuum well. Where should I buy such a
rug? We don't want to spend more than 500-700 dollars on it.
Our house is pretty modern so we want something simple and
subdued. Do you have any suggestions? We have also thought of
buying carpet and having it bound on the edges. But this seems
expensive. We need the rug to be minimally 9x12 or bigger.
thanks
softer floors
You should be able to get a large rug for that price (or less,
especially if you are willing to consider a high quality
synthetic instead of wool) at Expo (in the East Baybridge center
in Emeryville) or, if you want a solid color, even at Home
Depot. You can also try the Rug Outlet store which is in the
same general area on, I think, Hollis Street, and IKEA. All of
these places offer simple, modern designs, not just Orientals.
Holly
Dick's Carpet One in Berkeley on Ashby (I think). We've
purchased lots of area carpets from them and are going back to
ad carpet to our stairs now. Best bargains are to buy the
remnants and have them bind the edges. The sales staff has been
friendly and helpful and the selection good.
happy shopping.
I just wanted to mention Ikea. I have bought a few there, both
wool and not, $40 - $80 dollars, 8ft by 5ft or so large, for the
mid living room and small back room, obviously doesn't cover the
edges. I also want to inform you that if your daughter shows
any signs of allergies, red patches, sensitivy to detergent,
soap, ect, you may want to hold off on wool. Wool is indeed a
high allergent. Cotton is safter at this young age. You could
test this by buying a inexpensive wool sweater and seeing how she
reacts by wearing it with a tank for a few days, buy used and
then return it for trade if she reacts. My daughter had ecxema
and wool was out of the question as was everything else under the
sun.
Catherine
IKEA is the place for you. Not only are the rugs inexpensive, but their designs are modern/contemporary which will fit your style perfectly.
They have large sizes and probably won't be more than $300. Be
prepared to vacuum a lot as they shed quite a bit at the beginning. IKEA is located in Emeryville off of Hwy 80.
chris
We bought a rug last summer at Macy's Furniture Outlet in Union
City. They were having a sale where everything in the store was
an additional % off (they do this every 4 weeks or so) and we got
a rug that was originally $1500 for $400. Like all outlets,
sometimes you go and there isn't anything great there. But they
generally have a lot of rugs. I live in Oakland and find that it
generally worth the drive down there (also, there is an ''In and
Out Burger'' across the freeway).
Jennifer
Try the Home Decorators catalog. They have lots of Persian style
rugs inexpensively. Also, the Macy's outlet in south Hayward has
inexpensive rugs, but Home Decorators has a lot of what they
have. Call Macy's and ask when they have their additional 30%
off sale.
Toby
I recently answered a similar question on the Household list.
Dalton, Georgia is the carpet capitol of the US. We shopped
locally, got quotes, and then I found a Dalton dealer who got it
directly from the manufacturer. We bought a carpet that we had
bound on the edges, and even with shipping and handling, we easily
saved 50%.
The company was Capitol Carpet, Inc. Phone # 706 279 1820 - sorry
- their website and email are not on their invoice and I no longer
have it bookmarked.
Stacey
We bought a carpet remnant and had it bound at California Carpet
in the city, south of Market. (Might be 8th street.) We got a
nice wool quality for less than $500. Ikea also carries many
inexpensive area rugs.
Dana
Take a look at the ebay auctions for antique persian rugs. In
general they can go well with contemporary furnishings. You can
get amazing deals as long as you pay close attention to the
pictures, shipping costs and the seller's feedback. You will be
in running for many auctions at or below the amount of money you
mentioned.
Robert
I would like to make a comment and share an experience regarding
carpets at IKEA. While we had good luck with IKEA cotton rag
carpets (they last, wash well, that is what we have in our
daughter room), we had to return a large wool carpet because we
could not tolerate the fumes emanating from it.
When we bought the carpet (a large, 100% wool, natural color,
Made in India) the IKEA sales person warned us that the carpet
had been fumigated to comply with US Custom/Agricultural
regulations , to prevent the import of possible insects/molds
That treatment, he said, gave the carpet a strong smell, which
would have faded in a short while, just leave the carpet outside
a few days.
We did just that. We actually left the carpet unrolled outside
for 3 months, hoping the “noxious/insecticide” smell would fade
away. When we bought the carpet in the house we could not
tolerate being in the same room with it, and we are not
particularly sensitive. We finally gave up and managed, after
much arguing and insisting to return the carpet to IKEA (the
carpet was $400!) and get our money back. Pity because the
carpet was beautiful , but could just not be used.
silvia
Another option for a rug is an auction. We recently bought one
at the California Public Auction in Concord. It was a totally
fun, but time consuming experience... they have hundreds of
beautiful persian rugs in all sizes. They claim to have an
online presence as well, but it in no way compares to the
showroom (www.itc99.com). They have auctions every other
sunday, and it is a crapshoot as to what time the rugs will be
up for bids (they do furniture, statues, cars (!), etc) as
well. However, there are tremendous bargains to be had -- a 6
x 10 wool rug sold for $100 when we were there. And, as I
said, it is a lot of fun! They are California public auction
2241 Monument Blvd W, Concord CA 94520 Ph: 925-680-1280
Good LucK!
shopping fun!
I wanted to add another comment on IKEA's cheap rugs. Although i
like a lot of their designs and the prices are often really
great, i have to say i'm not at all impressed by quality. I've
purchased a large wool area rug and for months it's been
excessively 'shedding' to the point where i need to vaccuum it
daily just to get rid of the dust balls that it produces. This
rug wasn't inexpensive and i think in the long run...IKEA
products don't really wear well.
Liz
April 2000
I would appreciate names of companies near Oakland who
sell & install commercial carpet & remnants. We're moving
into the area & into a new house where we want to use
commercial(remnants if possible)in halls, on stairs etc-it
is inexpensive, best for folks with allergies & wears
like iron. Any thoughts appreciated.
Mary Ann
I've had good luck at Dick's Carpets which has two locations: a warehouse
in Oakland at 444 Lesser (tel:534-2100) and a store at 1065 Ashby Ave in
Berkeley (tel: 883-2111). They have a broad range of styles and even
upper-end designer types sometimes. There is also another source which I
haven't been to in years in Richmond called Tradeway Warehouse at 350a
Carlson Blvd (tel:233-0841) which has more industrial-type remnants.
Denise
Home Depot in Emeryville has a huge carpet selection and frequent remnants and
bargains. They will install. Ask for Pasquale. 601-9400.
Merry
Tradeway Carpets on Carlson in Richmond (not the El Cerrito furniture
store) has three or four floors of some pretty neat, and some definitely
funky large and small industrial carpet remnants, in addition to vinyl
and other kitchen floor type stuff. Give them a call. They do
installation and have pads and all that too. Decent prices. Good luck.
Sarah
There is a giant remnant warehouse for rugs called Tradeway. It's in
Richmond. It's a _very_ funky place (or it was the last time that I
was there years ago). It's big and dusty, but the carpets are cheap.
Mostly they have "end of the roll" remnant from wall-to-wall
carpeting. But they will bind the edges of the remnants for you.
Some of the carpeting is very good quality, but it _is_ nylon carpeting
for the most part, though the last time I was there they did have
some wool berber remnants at one time.
I bought a small (3' by 5') rug at CostCo a few years ago. It was
inexpensive. It was a cotton hooked rug in nice colors. I wasn't
looking for a larger size, so I'm not sure how large of rugs they carry.
CostCo's stock of rugs changes frequently, so you might check there, but
there's not much in terms of selection. CostCo is in either El Cerrito
or Richmond, and you have to be a member to buy things there.
Janet
-------
Just got an advertisment from Orchard Supply Hardware. They've got 6'x4'
Berbers on sale, I think for $30 or $40. You might want to also go to a
regular carpet store and see if you can buy a remnant for cheap.
MacFrugals on San Pablo Ave (Richmond) also may have some inexpensive rugs
as well as KMart (if you're not too picky about the pattern). What I've
been doing, for my crawling 9 month old is laying down a blanket. If you
choose to do this, I recommend you buy some of the non-skid matting (at the
most $4) to put under the blanket so it doesn't move so much.
Mitzi
-------
I've always gotten inexpensive area rugs through the Pottery Barn
catalog or the Crate and Barrel outlet on 4th Street. The former is more
likely to have sizes 8X10 or larger.
April
-------
I would suggest looking at Home Depot for carpets. In the
past they have had some with prints that would be fun in a child's
room (animals, kids, "game" carpets, etc.), as well as solid colors or
simple designs. Home Depot carries some of the same carpets as
department stores, but at much better prices.
Susan
-------
We just bought a carpet remnant at Dick's Carpet One on Ashby below
San Pablo 883-2111. They have lots of remnants that you can either
take as is or have them bound. They have an excellent selection and
are resonably priced. Also have pretty cheap rugs made of some kind
of plastic material. Melissa
-------
regarding rugs, try "Dick's Carpet One" on Ashby next to OSH.
I've just gotten a couple of things from them. Good prices, decent
people.
Andrea
--------
I have bought remnants at Tradeway Warehouse, 350A Carlson Blvd Richmond,
233-0841. They have 3 or 4 huge floors of carpet rolls standing on end.
A lot of berbers, a huge assortment. The roll length is usually 12' by
whatever length which is wide for an area rug in my small Albany house.
You have some choices.
Take the piece and lay it down wall-to-wall - We have done this
ourselves by removing everything from the room, putting down a pad and
cutting the piece to fit exactly in the room. Or use the cut piece
without binding it as an area rug, but it will fray on the edges. If
you bind the piece, it is about $1.50/foot and they do it in about a
week. Even a very long roll can be tied to a car roof for getting
home by the back roads. Probably the freeway is not a good idea for
transporting a long carpet piece. Tip: They have a discount room in a
corner all the way down to the right when you go in the door. I have
found smaller pieces of quality carpet in this room but look for
defects. There are other places like Calif Carpet with remnants but a
friend told me this place has good prices.
Susan
-----------
A good place for reasonable large area rugs is Home Depot (either in
Richmond) or in Emeryville near Toys R' Us. We bought ours for around
$80-100 for a very large area and got a really thick pad which they'll cut to
size for you. They'll help you get it on top of your car too. Ours was just
a plain solid color but they also have patterned ones and oriental-style
rugs. They also sell a much thinner green area rug with car road patterns on
it that is fun for play. I think it sells for around $20.
Denise
------------
From: Melissa
We just bought a carpet remnant at Dick's Carpet One on Ashby below
San Pablo 883-2111. They have lots of remnants that you can either
take as is or have them bound. They have an excellent selection and
are resonably priced. Also have pretty cheap rugs made of some kind
of plastic material. Melissa
-------------
From: Andrea
regarding rugs, try "Dick's Carpet One" on Ashby next to OSH.
I've just gotten a couple of things from them. Good prices, decent
people.
Floor covering for breakfast room
2001
I am looking for something to cover my breakfast room floor, under the table and high
chair. I need something that will protect my soft wood (fir) floor, as well as be easy to
clean up (we have a ten month old daughter). I am thinking of maybe getting a painted
piece of vinyl or something like it.
Any suggestions?
-Lisa
You could use:
(1)a desk chair mat(you can find one at Office depot
without the sharp "teeth" on the back since you have
hardwood floor)-this is the easiest ot clean since
it's hard and you can mop it
(2)an ex-shower curtain folded
(3)a special highchair mat that is still a piece of
soft vinyl but it's very colorful (kids oriented)-you
can find those in Target, Wal mart etc in the baby section
--Simona
April 2007
I have an area rug (nice quality, machine made) in my living
room that has just started curling up on one side. It is just
in one area, about 2' long. I haven't done anything to the
rug, no spills have occured, etc. I've tried putting heavy
objects on the curling part, to no avail. It's in a heavy
traffic area, and poses a tripping hazard.
Does anyone know how to fix this? Thanks!
Kim
The classic fix for curling carpet is to sew on a heavy tape.
1- Go to Stone Mountain & Daughter on Shattuck X Dwight & tell
one of the clerks. They will fix you up. OR go to Discount
Fabrics on SP X Ashby...you can probably get something that
will work at hardware stores but cotton braid is the classic
stuff to fix it.
2- Flip back your carpet and attach a thick wide braided tape
along the edge short of the fringe. Use a curved needle & extra
stong thread.
You might want to add a weight. A heavy magnet or what is
perfect, is one of those flat steel weights from the pocket of
a weight training belt? You know? They are 1''X 2'' steel and
flat? Or at the hardware store, they sell thin narrow strips of
metal in the drywall department? Sew that in & it's not going
anywhere. The weight would be in between the carpet and the
braid. Don't sew through to the top. You don't want to see your
work. If you do need a weight, a thick pad will bring the
carpet up to flat. If your pad comes out to the edge, you can
just cut a bit of it off, so the carpet lays flat.
You probably won't need a weight as the braid will stiffen it
so it can lay flat.
annie
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