Crossville’s Empire Line Now 20% SCS-Certified Recycled Content

Posted on July 21, 2010 by creatingyourspace

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Crossville has enhanced its popular Empire Porcelain Stone® line, which echoes the grandeur of 19th-century France with the look and feel of natural marble. Empire now boasts 20% SCS-certified recycled content, has an updated color palette (including a stunning new Alabaster white), and is offered in a range of sizes and shapes, from newly designed mosaics to 21″ x 21″ large format to popular plank shapes. A choice of polished and unpolished finishes increases Empire’s versatility.

Designed by renowned color forecaster, Barbara Schirmeister, ASID, DC, CAUS, for both commercial and residential installations, Empire’s performance is legendary – because it is Porcelain Stone®, it has unsurpassed durability, resists staining and scratching and will remain virtually maintenance free on floors, countertops and walls. Now, with the addition of 20% recycled content, not only the beauty of Empire will last a lifetime, so will its environmental legacy.

Wools of New Zealand Partners on Oil Spill Cleanup

Posted on June 30, 2010 by floors_admin

Every little bit helps and when it comes to removing oil from water, wool has been shown to soak up 40 times its weight in oil, according to an online BBC News magazine article.

Wools of New Zealand put out a call that was answered by some of its U.S. carpet manufacturer partners to donate wool waste for use in the Gulf coast oil spill clean-up efforts. J. Mish, Woolshire, Woolen Resources and Creative Accents have all shipped wool waste material to Matter of Trust (matteroftrust.org), an organization that is warehousing the fiber and making them into booms.

“Wool is a highly efficient oil adsorbent (meaning the oil clings to the many tiny scales on every strand),” says Elise Demboski, executive director of Wools of New Zealand in North America. “It is natural, biodegradable, hydrophobic, buoyant and has large retaining capacity. This makes it much more effective for use in booms then typical polypropylene fillers,”

Wool has been called on before for this same purpose. As reported by BBC News,

New Zealand sent wool booms to the Persian Gulf during the first Iraq war in 1991. The wool booms successfully helped clean up the million tons of oil released by retreating Iraqi soldiers.

“I applaud our partners for donating their wool waste, which is typically sold or used to make recycled cushion,” shares Demboski. “Instead, they are shipping the wool, at their own expense, to warehouses in the Gulf of Mexico. The wool is joined by thousands of pounds of hair, fleece and feathers that will be turned into 25 miles of boom.

Wools of New Zealand partners are happy to help. “We didn’t think about it twice,” says Don Karlin, vice president of sales and marketing for J. Mish. “When Elise contacted us, we were able to ship 3,000 pounds of wool waste to the warehouse. This is a devastating situation and we want to help anyway we can.”

According to Lisa Gautier, president of Matter of Trust, the warehouses are now full and donations are being held until further notice. Matter of Trust volunteers are busy making booms that are being deployed in Florida and Alabama. Wools of New Zealand partners have been put on a call list and are standing by ready to help when there is a need for more wool.

Wools of New Zealand Partners With Vacuum Maker

Posted on June 17, 2010 by creatingyourspace

Wools of New Zealand is teaming with the German company Miele to promote wool-safe vacuums and is providing Premier Partner showrooms with customer discount coupons.

One of the most important maintenance steps for wool carpet is vacuuming. Regular and thorough vacuuming, at least once a week, is recommended to maintain the beauty of wool carpets and rugs.

To ensure proper vacuums are used that will not damage fine carpeting, Wools of New Zealand is partnering with Miele, a manufacturer of residential appliances including vacuum cleaners that are known for performance and durability.

Wools of New Zealand endorses four types of Miele vacuums from the company’s S4 and S5 series: Polaris, Neptune, Ariel and Pisces.

In addition, Miele is offering exclusive vacuum coupons for Wools of New Zealand Premier Partners to give to customers purchasing wool carpets and rugs.

Wilsonart Laminates Get Another Greenguard OK

Posted on May 27, 2010 by creatingyourspace

Congrats to Wilsonart Flooring high pressure laminate products for having been awarded Greenguard Children & Schools Certification.

The second-generation label follows the Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification already received by Wilsonart.

Products receiving the latest certification include Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract and
BlueFusion Flooring Seam Adhesive.

Wilsonart products are also California Air Resources Board Phase I Compliant (Classic) and California 93120 NAF Compliant (Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract).

Wilsonart also said it is the first North American laminate flooring manufacturer to receive Forest Stewardship Council Certification Registration.

Wilsonart Laminates Get Another Greenguard OK

Posted on May 27, 2010 by floors_admin

Congrats to Wilsonart Flooring high pressure laminate products for having been awarded Greenguard Children & Schools Certification.

The second-generation label follows the Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification already received by Wilsonart.

Products receiving the latest certification include Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract and
BlueFusion Flooring Seam Adhesive.

Wilsonart products are also California Air Resources Board Phase I Compliant (Classic) and California 93120 NAF Compliant (Estate Plus, Red Label, Professional Studio, Contract).

Wilsonart also said it is the first North American laminate flooring manufacturer to receive Forest Stewardship Council Certification Registration.

Doing the Right Thing – This Time It's Fulton Homes That Steps Up

Posted on May 17, 2010 by floors_admin

Recently, we have been fortunate enough to share the news of Big Bob’s Flooring and O’Krent Floors stepping up and doing the right thing. Today we are proud to share a story about Fulton Homes stepping up and doing the right thing.

A Gilbert family has received a new pool fence through Fulton Homes’ Fence Patrol program.

Michelle and Greg McDonald realized the urgency of a pool fence when their 16-month-old twins Camryn and Caden started crawling and figured out how to get to the backyard through the doggy door. They even learned how to open the sliding glass door.

But the daunting $1,500 price tag for a fence wasn’t an option since Michelle was laid off before the twins were born and Greg received a pay cut in March 2009.

The family of six is struggling to pay the mortgage on their Gilbert home they’ve been in for two and a half years, and they’re still paying off medical bills.

So when Greg heard about Fulton Home’s Fence Patrol program on the radio, he entered the contest and wrote about his family’s struggles.

The McDonald family received the call they were hoping for about two weeks later, and on Tuesday, a free beige wrought iron fence was installed around their play pool and rock waterfall feature.

“We’re very appreciative,” said Greg McDonald, a supply chain manager for a Gilbert paint company. “First and foremost, our concern is with the safety of our kids.”

The McDonald family also includes 11-year-old Cody, a fifth grader at Riggs Elementary School, and Chelsi, 15, a Perry High School freshman. “It’s definitely a great thing,” said Michelle McDonald, who lost her job in November 2008 after the family auto body shop she worked for closed. “I thought there was no way we’d get (a free pool fence).”

The Tempe-based Fulton Homes’ Fence Patrol Program is choosing 12 needy families this summer to receive a free pool fence. This is the ninth year of the program, said Christina Salgado, a public relations account manager for Fulton Homes.

“They choose the winner based on the dire situation of the family and the compelling narrative,” Salgado said. “Fulton Homes is a strong proponent for water safety programs. Mr. (Ira) Fulton (founder of Fulton Homes) wanted to help assist families in the community that were deserving and couldn’t afford the proper safeguards around water.”

Seven deaths, including three children, have resulted from 34 water-related incidents in Arizona this year, according to childrensafetyzone.com, which collaborates with local fire departments, hospitals and the media to gather statistics and stories on water-related incidents and fatalities in the state.

Michelle McDonald said that her kids can now play safely in the backyard with the family’s two cockapoos, Lucy and Bo, and she doesn’t have to worry.

“This is definitely a blessing,” she said. “We’re just so happy.”

Families can nominate themselves or another family until July 4. For more information, visit www.kmle108.com.

(Original post By East Valley Tribune)

CARE Releases Annual Report, Diverts 311M lbs. of Carpet from Landfills

Posted on May 12, 2010 by creatingyourspace

CARE-honors-Shaw-sikorski-at-meeting-full CARE Releases Annual Report, Diverts 311M lbs. of Carpet from Landfills

The CARE Board of Directors released its Annual Report that showed that in 2009, CARE members diverted more than 311 million pounds of post- consumer carpet from landfills. Of that amount, 246 million pounds – nearly 80 percent of the total – was recycled back into carpet and other consumer products. The industry also added 561 jobs directly linked to carpet recycling.

According to CARE Chairman Frank Hurd, the new jobs, plus a six percent increase in carpet diversion is especially heartening, given the state of the economy and its effects on the carpet industry.

“Before the last two years, you had to go back to 1975 and1976 to find two consecutive years of declining sales,” Hurd said, noting that, in 2008, carpet recycling experienced its first-ever decline in carpet diversion. “We are proud of the turnaround we experienced in 2009 and the return to year-over-year increases in both carpet diversion and recycling.”

Shaw iPhone App is Here!

Posted on May 11, 2010 by creatingyourspace

7f598972-fc05-4cc4-b946-b5583c55244ffull Shaw Industries has launched a new iPhone application named Carpet Stain Center, which provides continuous availability of carpet stain removal procedures for most common household stains.

The new functionality provides you with step-by-step cleaning instructions. The Carpet Stain Center application is a free download from the iPhone app store and is compatible with iPhone and the new iPad.

The Carpet Stain Center system houses almost 1,000 stains with cleaning solutions. According to Dani Brock, Shaw’s Anso nylon marketing manager, the application is unique to the flooring industry because it offers real-time solutions “as life happens.” From leaking “sippy cups” full of orange juice, to monstrous disasters like food fights, the consumer will be equipped to handle life’s messes with the application.

I have downloaded and used the app. It’s clean, neat, easy and fun to look at all of the solutions knowing that if any of them happen to you that you have no worries because Shaw has provided the solution! – Shannon

Elizabeth Miller

Posted on May 6, 2010 by floors_admin

ElizabethMiller This isn’t a typical post for From the Floors Up, but the flooring industry is a small and close knit group and we would like to take a moment to let Mohawk and Karastan know that our thoughts are with them during their time of loss.

Mohawk Home and Karastan Rugs have lost one of their longtime executives to breast cancer. Elizabeth Miller, who worked for Karastan Rugs for the past eight years of her career as its senior vice president of style and design, passed away May 3. She was 50.

Bill Kilbride, president of Mohawk Home, said, “Elizabeth was one of the most remarkable women I’ve known. For five years, she turned a devastating illness into her passion. She maintained her spirit to win even through her final days. We learned from Elizabeth; she led us; she inspired us; she has made each of us better. She has left her indelible mark on Mohawk and Karastan and each of our associates. All our thoughts and support go to her family and especially her son Oliver.” Miller was a native of Levitown, Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1993, she played a key role in driving the design direction of area rugs at American Rug Craftsmen, Mohawk Home and, most recently, Karastan Rugs.

Upon her diagnosis with cancer in 2005, she worked tirelessly with various foundations and organizations, including with other executives working in the home textile industry in support of breast cancer awareness. In particular, Elizabeth founded “Home For The Cure” in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to raise contributions and awareness.

She was the mother of Oliver Miller-Farrell; daughter of Leatrice Weiss Miller and Mark Miller; sister of Jim Miller and Maggie Myers (Andy); and aunt of Zachary Miller, Sophie Miller, Ellen Myers and Chloe Miller.

The Elizabeth Miller Memorial Fund has been established by Mohawk Home to benefit Elizabeth’s most important passion, her son’s education. Contributions may be sent to: Northside Bank, Attn: Elizabeth Miller Memorial Fund, 1300 Lover’s Lane Road SE, Calhoun, GA 30701-3988.

Congrats to CARE's Recycler of the Year!

Posted on April 30, 2010 by floors_admin

CARE-honors-Shaw-sikorski-at-meeting-full The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) named its Recycler of the Year and Person of the Year at the organization’s eighth Annual Conference held April 26-28 in Santa Fe.

Shaw Industries was recognized by CARE for its continued investment in both people and processes designed to increase the diversion of post-consumer carpet from landfills.

Shaw was previously honored by CARE for its outstanding carpet recycling efforts in 2007, when it received the Recycler of the Year award following its purchase and launch of the Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility.

Shaw’s Evergreen Nylon Recycling program converts Nylon 6 fiber from post-consumer carpet back into the raw material to make new carpet fiber.

Since Shaw opened up the Evergreen plant in 2007, the company has recycled more than 220 million pounds of post-consumer Nylon 6 carpet and more than 36 million pounds of post-consumer carpet filler. In addition to its current reclamation operations, Shaw continues to research opportunities for ways to utilize waste carpet.

For example, in 2009, Shaw began construction of Re2E (Reclaim to Energy), a first-of-its kind, carpet-fueled co- generation facility in Dalton, Ga. The facility will consume 76 million pounds of post-consumer and post-industrial carpet annually and will generate electricity and steam power for one of the company’s carpet mills.”

CARE’s Executive Director, Georgina Sikorski, was named CARE Person of the Year. Since joining CARE in 2009, Sikorski has guided the group through difficult economic conditions, managing during that time to significantly increase both revenues and membership–CARE membership currently stands at 280, up from 50 just a year earlier.

Thanks to Floor Daily for this article!