Nylon exploded onto the scene as a synthetic fiber when silk became scarce during WWII. Needing parachutes and other military fabrics, textile chemists and engineers at DuPont created a replacement fiber, which has today become the fiber of choice for a significant portion of carpet sold throughout the world! Because of its strength and durability, manufacturers in both the commercial and residential markets create beautiful carpet from nylon fibers.

Since its debut about 60 years ago as a carpet fiber, little has changed in nylon’s basic chemical makeup. What have changed are the dyeing, construction and finishing technologies. As a result, today’s nylon carpet products perform exceptionally well, whether in loop or cut-pile (plush) constructions.

Colorfastness is one of the strengths of nylon fiber. Solution-dyed nylon (where color is introduced while the fiber is still in its liquid state prior to extrusion) is nearly impervious to fading from direct sun or even bleach! Because of the latest stain protection technologies, nylon dyed after extrusion is also extremely colorfast, though it must still be protected from direct sunlight or bleach exposure.

When nylon carpets are constructed, installed and maintained well, they retain their original shape and appearance – providing years of useful life. They resist staining and soiling, and respond well to most commercial cleaning methods. The truth is that because of its chemical structure, nylon will never actually wear out; it simply “uglies out” at the end of its useful life.

Mainstream fiber choices haven’t changed much over the past twenty years! Wool still reigns at the top of the list, since for the last thousand years or so, it has thrived as a successful (though perhaps a bit more expensive) carpet fiber. The latest generations of nylon and polyester are solid choices as well. In upcoming entries, each of the fibers will be highlighted in it’s own post.

Wool, with it’s distinctive beauty, charm, and gracious wear characteristics, is still king o’ the hill for the “I Want!” lists. While nylon “uglies out” as it ages, wool looks good year after year. In fact, with basic maintenance, wool carpets perform superbly for 20 years or more. Wool may occasionally wear out – literally, yet still look great. We’ve seen beautiful 30-year-old wool carpets – with only one or two threadbare spots where there was high traffic.

Nylon has been a wonderful second choice for 50 years. Today’s nylon carpets are attractive, stain resistant, and high-performing at a great value. With standard maintenance, and installed over a quality pad, nylon carpet will perform well for 10 – 20 years.

Polyester, once known for poor performance, has made a significant comeback and now accounts for up to one-fourth of residential carpet sales. Its draw is price. Insure performance by asking for yarn with multiple plies and multiple twists.

How many of you took a shower this morning…..and had to retrieve your shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shaving cream from the corner of your shower on the floor OR from the bench that was designed for you to sit on…that you haven’t sat on since you moved in all of the products from the health and beauty aisle at the grocery store? We want to be sure you know about something that we offer that you will not find anywhere else.

” I designed this out of frustration because of the collection of products I had in my shower. It looked like a grocery store because I had conditioner, shampoo, body soap, shavers, a loofah, plus all my husband’s product lined up on my shower floor. Not only was it a hazard, but took up valuable space in my shower. I swear my husband and I didn’t use the same soap, conditioner or hair care products. I realized that the space between the studs was a waste….so designed this caddy to store all those products. ” – Elaine Carlson

Installation is easy because it fits between a 2 x 4. All you need is a cross brace between the studs and the caddy rest on that board. The best part is – you can do it even after you have finished your bathroom. You can cut out any area (providing you have space between your studs) nail in a 2×4 and slide the caddy in with silicone around the outer edge….let it dry and you are done. The only thing you have to be careful about is you don’t make your opening larger than the area the caddy will cover.

It comes in 4 colors and looks like real stone although it is a resin and marble dust. It sells for $129. Keep in mind, if you have an installer do it from scratch it would cost twice as much and you would not have the finished shelf dividers!

Have you heard about our do-it-yourself demonstration? For more details, check out our previous post with all of the details.

Here are the specific details of what products we will be working with in the demonstrations…..

1. Armstrong Luxe Vinyl Plank Flooring…..comes in three qualities….good, better and best. This vinyl plank tile does a pretty good job of simulating real hardwood flooring. It has a revolutionary Lynx™ Technology – the most forgiving floating LVT floor system available. You can easily remove and reposition planks while maintaining the integrity and appearance of the installation.

These planks have superior water resistance. If an area floods you can pick up the floor….let it dry out and reinstall it. The self stick aspect is not effected….Cool isn’t it? We thought this would be especially helpful since we have had all kinds of flooding recently in the Chicago area and expecting more rain.

Century stocks the 5 patterns listed below: During this promotion you will get a 10% discount plus, if you use the Century in store coupon and buy a certain dollar amount you will get the product for even less. The discount applies to any Luxe pattern – not to just what we stock.

A6800 Jefferson Oak Golden

A6801 Jefferson Oak Gunstock

A6802 Jefferson Oak Cherry

A6805 Sugar Creek Maple

A6806 Ponderosa Pine Natural

2. Armstrong Grande Illusions and Bruce Park Avenue laminate flooring. Our customers will receive 20% OFF on Grand Illusions & Park Avenue Premium laminate flooring and you can also use the in store coupon. This laminate floor has a furniture quality piano finish…so it has a gloss finish while having the look of exotic hardwood. It is easy to install because of the Lock ‘N Fold technology & is crafted with superior sound quality. To give you added value we are also giving an additional discount (20% off) on Armstrong’s Quiet Comfort and Quiet Comfort premium underlayment. These products have a pre-applied tape which again makes installation easy.

This laminate is also 9 times more resistant to scratches, dents & dings than engineered wood and has a 30 year limited residential warranty…..12 mm thick.

Below are the items stock:

PARK AVENUE

The patterns are listed below:

15006-60-L3016 Ironwood – Natural

15006-60-L3017 Ironwood – Amber

15006-60-L3018 Pradoo

15006-60-L3019 Makore

15006-60-L3020 Exotic Walnut

15006-60-L3044 Fruitwood

15006-60-L3045 Wenge

15006-60-L3046 Mocha Maple

GRAND ILLUSION

The patterns are listed below:

15001-60-L3021 Cherry – Bronze

15001-60-L3022 Cherry – Natural

15001-60-L3023 Brazilian Jatoba

15001-60-L3024 Melbourne Acacia

15001-60-L3025 Cabrueva

15001-60-L3027 Tigerwood

15001-60-L3028 Walnut

15001-60-L3029 Cherry

15001-60-L3030 Afzelia

3. Armstrong Cushionstep Sheet Flooring….10% off all patterns. (We do not stock this but, material is usually a day or two away). This floor is very forgiving in terms of installation….so again is a perfect DIY product. This product is soft, thick durable and super easy to clean. Many people love this product because you have 74 patterns to choose from and you have a limited number of seams.

4. Bruce Turlington Engineered Wood Flooring. Our customers will receive 10% off. The line has a wide assortment of exotic hardwood species (oak, maple, hickory, cherry & walnut).

No glue, nails or staples are needed with this easy Lock & Fold Installation. Planks can be removed & replaced if damage occurs. The planks finish repels spills & stains and is 100% genuine engineered hardwood – install on any level of the home, even the basement! Can you believe it also has a 25 year warranty?!?

We stock a ton of patterns…

04006-60-EAK00LG Natural Oak

04006-60-EAK11LG Gunstock Oak

04006-60-EAK04LG Harvest Oak

04006-60-EAK06LG Butterscotch Oak

04006-60-EAK07LG Woodstock Oak

04006-60-EAK08LG Cherry Oak

04006-60-EAK17LG Saddle Oak

04006-60-EAK20LG Natural Oak

04006-60-EAK21LG Gunstock Oak

04006-60-EAK24LG Harvest Oak

04006-60-EAK26LG Butterscotch Oak

04006-60-EAK27LG Woodstock Oak

04006-60-EAK28LG Cherry Oak

04006-60-EAK37LG Saddle Oak

04006-60-EMA00LG Natural Maple

04006-60-EMA86LG Cinnamon Maple

04006-60-EMA87LG Amaretto Maple

04006-60-EMA20LG Natural Maple

04006-60-EMA96LG Cinnamon Maple

04006-60-EMA97LG Amaretto Maple

04006-60-EHK58LG Brandywine Hickory

04006-60-EHK68LG Smokey Topaz Hickory

04006-60-EHK84LG Falcon Brown Hickory

04006-60-EHK69LG Brandywine Hickory

04006-60-EHK78LG Smokey Topaz Hickory

04006-60-EHK94LG Falcon Brown Hickory

04006-60-ECH20LG Natural Cherry

04006-60-ECH26LG Bronze Cherry

04006-60-EWT22LG Cocoa Brown Walnut

04006-60-EWT30LG Autumn Brown Walnut

Stay tuned here and on network TV, WGN Radio, WBBM, WGN, WLS and WMAQ websites.

Come join us! We’re having a factory do-it-yourself demonstration day at all 12 Century locations on May 22 from 11am to 3 pm.

We are bringing in factory experts to talk and demonstrate how easy it is to install their products. More importantly, is the fact we will give each customer the opportunity to try it themselves. We are setting up a 4’ by 8’ table and we will simulate an area that would represent a room with four walls. We will pre-cut the products for you and let you play! It is a great way to take the mystery out of installing a product yourself. The factory expert will be there to help you work through the process.

This event is sponsored by Armstrong, so not only will you have the opportunity to try the installation yourself, but you will have the opportunity to talk directly to the factory!

We feel like it seems most people are feeling the crunch of the economy; so we thought we would focus on how easy it is to install a floor yourself. It works out perfectly because Armstrong had recently launched their Luxe Plank Vinyl Flooring which is geared to the weekend warrior who wants to try their hand at installation. Since not everyone likes vinyl flooring, we are expanding the demonstration to include how to install Armstrong’s Lock & Fold flooring, plus the Armstrong Cushion Step sheet flooring.

Stay tuned for our next post with information on the products we will be working with in the demonstrations.

Reader Question:

Hi! I am trying to establish “Wright” style cottage, in new house. I plan to do the bathroom in white subway, beadboard , octagon white on floor. Do you have suggestion for shower “steam” tile??

Answer:

In the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House Restoration, the bathroom walls were white 3×6 subway tiles laid straight with the white octagon tiles on the floor. If you wanted to be safe and accurate, that would be the best route. If you just want the bathroom to have a cottage feel that is simple and clean, here are a couple of design considerations you may not have thought of with subway tiles.

• Install 3×6 tiles in a vertical application. This can help create the illusion of height on the wall. This can be viewed as more modern, but if you keep the other items in the bath with a cottage feel, this will be fine.
• Consider using larger subway shaped tiles such as 4×8 or 8×10 tiles.
• On one of the walls in the shower, create a picture frame effect and install the tiles on the inside of the frame in a herringbone pattern.
• To incorporate color, take a sheet of mosaics and have them cut into linear strips and installed along side the subway tiles. (randomly and sparingly)
• For more depth and interest, incorporate pencil liners, chair rail and other moldings into your design scheme.

Products to check out:

• Dal Tile’s Rittenhouse Square offers:
  • 3×6 subway tile in matte and semi gloss
  • 2×4 brick joint mini subway tiles
  • Shelf rail
  • Modern Dimensions also has some alternate rectangular shapes

We hope this information helps. Come in to see us and we can give you more specific advice based on the size of your shower and other design considerations in your bathroom.

Our Mission is: To become a customer driven company, focused on increasing our sales and market share. We will differentiate Century Tile versus the competition in product, presentation and service while continuing to support our reputation for value and selection. Clearly put…TO MAKE CENTURY TILE “SIMPLY THE BEST”

A family owned and operated business serving Chicagoland since 1947.

Century Tile’s twelve locations and commitment to Chicago for over 60 years; First Quality Flooring, Value Pricing, Best In-stock Selection and Knowledgeable Staff.

Midwest’s largest in-stock selection of flooring.

We carry over 10,000 styles and colors of floor coverings which we import direct; as well as carry many of the major flooring brands domestically offered.

Century Tile’s size and buying power allows us to offer you the best selection of products at the lowest price and best value in Chicago that you can take home today.

Century Tile offers you Chicago’s most knowledgeable and on average 12 years of flooring experience sales staff, which will assist you with any flooring project.

Century Tile also offers:

Chicago Ceramic Tile

Chicago Granite Marble

Chicago Hardwood Flooring

Chicago Laminate Flooring

Chicago Carpet

Chicago Flooring