Brian Milnes

“Buy American” has been a slogan people have heard for decades now, but do you know the reasons why Americans should buy American products? There are many, but here are the five most important:

1. Safety standards – American manufacturers have to provide their workers with a safe environment in which to work. They cannot work them beyond a specific number of hours, and child labor in factories is prohibited. Sweatshop conditions that exploit children and women are not legal in America.
2. Fairness in labor – American made products must comply with strict regulations and undergo rigorous testing before being offered for sale. In foreign countries the standards for both labor and products are often much laxer, and products may contain unsafe levels of toxins like lead. Buying American made products means supporting better standards for consumers. It also gives consumers a much better chance to address problems or grievances in the event that product failure occurs.
3. Jobs and fair wages for other Americans – when you buy American made products, you are making the choice to employ other Americans. The U.S. Government mandates a specific minimum wage, unlike most other countries around the world. When American businesses and American workers are supported by your product choices, the money they earn goes back into our own economy – which means more workers are employed. A virtuous cycle begins.
4. Environmental conservation – Not only do many other countries have lower environmental standards for manufacturing than America does, but the petroleum necessary to fuel the huge tankers that carry products from elsewhere in the world to the U.S. uses up a finite resource. These tankers emit pollutants into the atmosphere as well. Again, U.S. production methods must comply with safety regulations and they must also comply with regulation for waste disposal.
5. American independence – When we as Americans produce and buy American made products, our economy operates independently. This means that we are not at the mercy of foreign governments or companies who might choose to limit trade to accomplish other political goals. Our country is free act in our own best interest.

As of April 2025, significant changes in U.S. trade policy have introduced new tariffs on imported goods, impacting various industries, including flooring and carpet accessories. These developments underscore the importance of supporting American-made products like Instabind, which offer quality, affordability, and reliability without the price complications associated with international trade.

Bond Products manufactures all of our cotton carpet binding tapes here in Philadelphia in our 100+ year old textile weaving mill. We are proud to be an American business and employer. Call us for all of your carpet, area rug, and flooring needs! 

Have ever wondered how to remove yarn from a serged piece of carpet? If you have, we have just created the video tutorial for you. Learning to use your carpet serger confidently and efficiently is important, so we at Bond Products want to share our tricks with you whenever we can. 

Working with Your Carpet Serger

Carpet serging adds value and visual impact to a carpet, but sometimes mistakes happen and you have to fix the damage. Then you need to know how to remove the serging without a knife. You do not want to cut the carpet or slice your hand accidentally, and there is a better way to remove serging yarn. In this short video Brian demonstrates how he removes yarn that was serged with Bond’s Alpha Mini-2000 portable serger. 

This serger is a two-thread machine. Sergers use two types of materials to serge a carpet, both yarn and thread. The thread goes through the needle of the serger, while the yarn goes through the looper. The yarn is much thicker than the thread and, as it’s wrapped over and over around the edge of the carpet, much more of it is used. The thread is used to wrap the yarn to the carpet itself and is made of strong nylon. 

Removing the Serging Yarn

If you don’t know there’s a trick to removing the yarn, you might be tempted to cut it off with a knife or a scissors, but there’s an easier way. If you pull the yarn and the sewing threads at the same time, the serging will unravel. There will be far more serging yarn to remove per inch than sewing thread, so you need to keep that in mind. Just keep pulling carefully, and it will come off. When you get the hang of it, it comes apart fairly easily. This is very similar to opening up a pet food bag that has been stitched shut. 

Once you have removed the yarn from the carpet, you can dispose of it and re-serge or do whatever you would like with the piece.

If you have any questions about serging or the sergers we offer for sale, or if you’re looking for serging thread, yarn, binding tape or any products you might need, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be more than happy to help you find anything you need for your project.

 

Our Instabind product has a number of creative uses our customers write to tell us about, including crafts, classic car restoration and even yacht remodeling, but the #1 use for Instabind is, of course, rug binding. It’s a great way to make a carpet remnant into an area rug. You don’t even have to be a carpeting professional to do it! Instabind makes rug binding into a fun weekend project for any DIYer or crafter.

How do you turn a carpet remnant into a rug? It’s simple.

Step 1 – Assemble your tools. These will be a hot glue gun, scissors, and clear tape.

Step 2 – Trim off any strings or irregularities along the sides of the carpet and make sure that its sides are straight. You may find using a carpet cutter and straight edge helps.

Step 3 – Take the style of binding you’ve chosen to complement the carpet and make a clean cut. There are so many colors and styles of Instabind available, including:

• Regular binding style
• Cotton binding style
• Synthetic serge binding style
• Cotton serge style
• Cotton rope style
• Rope edge style
• Outdoor marine style
• Faux leather style
• Fringe style

We even sell an Instabind Starter Kit if you’d like to try your hand at carpet binding with a number of projects and styles. Our rule of thumb for selecting a binding is: if it’s a cotton or wool rug or carpet, use a natural (cotton) binding or serging style. If it’s a synthetic rug or carpet, use a synthetic binding or serging style. Of course, the highest quality look will still be the cotton one, but our synthetic binding will look great too.

Step 4 – Pull back the paper on the binding and begin applying it to the carpet in the middle of one cut edge. Extend the Instabind past the corner of the carpet, and using the corner as a guide, snip the flat part of the Instabind, stopping at the piping. With the paper turned back, overlap the backing while rounding the corner. Continue around the carpet until you return to the beginning. You can readjust if necessary at this stage in the project. Using your starting point as a guide, make the finishing cut with your scissors and trim any excess strings.

Step 5 – Seal the beginning and ending pieces of the Instabind together with a bead of hot glue. Now apply a ⅛” bead of hot glue between the edge of the Instabind and the carpet and hold in place a few minutes to let the glue set. Continue this process all the way around the carpet. For a more finished looking back, trim the Instabind backing at a 45 degree angle.

Step 6 – Place your beautiful new bound piece of carpet in any place it complements your decor.

If you have a rug you’d like to repair, or a remnant piece of carpet that could serve as a rug, what are you waiting for? Using Instabind to transform either is much less expensive than the price of an area rug, even an inexpensive one, so what have you got to lose?

 

As Christmas 2024 approaches, we reflect on another year of challenges, perseverance, and blessings. The holiday season is a time to celebrate with loved ones, but it’s also an opportunity to pause and appreciate the year we’ve experienced together. Despite the challenges, we’ve come a long way in 2024—and for that, we owe a heartfelt “thank you” to you, our customers.

Your support reminds us why we do what we do, and we’re deeply grateful for the role you play in our success. One of our favorite things is hearing directly from you. Feedback like this review from Eileen Reali truly makes our day:

“I contacted Bond products via email, with a question regarding their Instabind product. I received an almost instant reply from a very helpful and friendly customer service rep Mallory Heilman. I ended up emailing several questions which were all answered almost immediately. I told Mallory that she made my day by giving me the best customer service ever! 

Finished project!
I’m adding my review for the Instabind™ Synthetic Serge Style Cactus Flower color. Our favorite rug was starting to fray and looked neglected. We brought it to a rug repair business to get an estimate on repair. They wanted $600 to repair the two 9foot frayed edges. We decided to fix it ourselves. I ordered the product and we finally got around to repairing the rug. We love it! I’m including before and after pictures. Thank you BOND PRODUCTS for having an excellent product as an alternative to expensive repairs.” 

Thank You to Our Wonderful Customers

As a family-owned and operated business, Bond offers an ever-expanding catalog of quality products while striving to maintain top-notch customer service. Eileen’s story—and many others like it—motivate us to keep doing our best. We know that many of our customers run their own businesses and face some of the same challenges we do. Your resilience inspires us, and we hope our products have supported your success, helping you navigate the ups and downs of today’s economy.

This holiday season, we want to express our gratitude for your loyalty and trust. As we look ahead to 2025, we know that whatever challenges or opportunities the new year may bring, we’ll meet them together.

From all of us at Bond Products, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for being part of our journey.

 

Bond Products will be hosting our annual Fall Open House from 8 AM to 3 PM on October 24, 2024. This event, like previous open houses, will be open to the public and will offer our customers a chance to observe carpet binding skills from the professionals at Bond and ask questions about how it’s done. Whether you’re a carpet professional or this is your first time binding a rug, everyone is welcome!

Bond sells everything to finish carpet edges and make custom area rugs. We offer a variety of equipment and supplies, as well as parts and accessories, including thread, needles, bobbins, machine parts, and different types and qualities of tape. We also have tapestry equipment to bind wider borders. If you have valuable carpets that need restoration, we work with rug cleaning people to re-fringe/re-serge and restore them to their original luster.

This fall we are celebrating with savings. We are discounting all of our equipment and supplies 10% and will do a half an hour’s free labor on portable machine repairs. If you’re having a problem with your machine, bring it in! We will be happy to look at it. You just need to call and make an appointment to reserve a time slot.

As always, Bond offers clearance items, including certified refurbished equipment, parts, and machines, to our clients who want to have more advanced carpet working capabilities without paying new prices for equipment. Browse our used equipment page for deals! We do trade evaluations on older equipment too, if you are interested in trading up to a new binder with more capability.

Each of our open houses offer our customers to watch our professionals doing what they’re great at, so come on in on the 24th and see everything Bond Products has to offer to the flooring community.

 

Have you discovered Bond Products’ line of staples yet? We offer a wide variety of staples for both the professional carpet installer and the handy homeowner to choose from based on their project needs. We also offer replacement mallet caps. We’ll discuss both of these in this blog.

Replacement Mallet Caps

Our replacement mallet caps are made for use with pre-finish and unfinished wood. They are durable and non-marring with a heavy duty chrome plated steel retention ring. They are easy to install on mallets, fit all major flooring mallet brands, and available in black and white. We guarantee they will fit your mallet. Mallet caps are sold either by the single cap or by the box (27 replacement caps).

A Full Line of Staples

Bond offers a large selection of staples that make carpet installation quick and simple. These include narrow crown wood staples, divergent PAD staples, divergent electric staples, and underlayment staples. For installing carpet, staples are better than nails. They do less damage to the carpet and are easy to use and easy to remove if you make mistakes. Using a staple gun, you can point and staple the carpet to the underlying floor with no problems and less risk of injury than using a hammer and nails.

Staples are also great for installing sheet vinyl flooring and other lighter weight flooring products. They can be used for insulation, roofing, house wrap, or poly sheeting as well.

Here is a list with links to each product:  

16 GA 7/16″ Crown Staples “N” WIRE, Available in sizes 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/4″, and 1-1/2″ – This staple is made to fit Senco N series and Hitachi, Porter Cable, and similar N WIRE staplers, but not recommended for ACQ treated lumber.

15-1/2 GA 1-1/2″ Flooring Staples 10,300 ct per box – This staple is for 3/4″ hardwood or maple flooring applications into wood sub-floors. It’s E-G galvanized for rust resistance, but not recommended for ACQ treated lumber.

15-1/2 GA 1-3/4″ Flooring Staples 9,000 ct per box – This staple is for 3/4″ hardwood or maple flooring applications into wood sub-floors. It’s E-G galvanized for rust resistance, but not recommended for ACQ Treated Lumber. 

15-1/2 GA 2″ Flooring Staples 7720 ct per box – This staple is for 3/4″ hardwood or maple flooring applications into wood sub-floors. It’s E-G galvanized for rust resistance, but not recommended for ACQ treated lumber.

18 GA 1-1/8″ L WIRE Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is the most cost-efficient staple. It is E-G galvanized for rust protection and has a blunt chisel point and is thinner than a 15.5 GA staple or a 16 GA L-cleat. This reduces the chance of splitting. It fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers models plus Hitachi® N3804AB3 & Spotnail® WS4840 & TC4825. Not for exterior applications. 

18 GA 1″ Premium  steel 1/4″ Crown Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is the most cost-efficient staple. It is E-G galvanized for rust protection and has a blunt chisel point and is thinner than a 15.5 GA staple or a 16 GA L-cleat. This reduces the chance of splitting. It fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers models plus Hitachi® N3804AB3 & Spotnail® WS4840 & TC4825. Not for exterior applications. 

18 GA NC0875L12D 7/8″ Underlayment Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is the most cost-efficient staple. It is E-G galvanized for rust protection and has a blunt chisel point and is thinner than a 15.5 GA staple or a 16 GA L-cleat. This reduces the chance of splitting. It fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers models plus Hitachi® N3804AB3 & Spotnail® WS4840 & TC4825. Not for exterior applications. 

5/16 Arrow Electric Gun Staples 5/16″ #T30 – This staple is great for carpeting, plywood, lattice, and paneling. 

3/8 Arrow Electric Gun Staples 3/8″ #T30 – This staple is great for carpeting, plywood, lattice, and paneling. 

3/8 Arrow Electric Gun Staples 3/8″ #T50 – This staple is great for carpeting, plywood, lattice, and paneling. 

NC0875L12D 7/8″ 18GA 1/4″ Underlayment Staples 5,000 CT– This staple has a blunt chisel point and is thinner than a traditional 15.5 GA staple or 16 GA l-cleat. This reduces the chance of splitting. It’s E-G galvanized for rust protection and is the most cost efficient staple. This is an engineered flooring and gym staple.

We also have staples and a staple gun that are also designed for use with rug making. These include: 

SSTGU248 24/8 Galvanized staples to fit #81 stapler – Made of galvanized high carbon, these premium quality staples fit our #81 hand stapler. 

SSTGU81 Bond Heavy Duty Hand-binding stapler #81 – This stapler will staple at any angle and has a curved handle that reduces hand soreness. SSTGU248 staples load easily into this stapler. It can be used on fabric, carpet, paper, and more. 

If you need mallet caps or staples for carpet or flooring installation, call Bond Products at 888-800-2663 (BOND) today. We’ll be happy to discuss with you your staple options and mallet cap needs and supply what you require for your job or project.

 

 

 

In our last blog we talked about how to keep an area rug from creeping on carpet. A bigger problem in the home, however, is rugs slipping on wood floors or other hard surfaces. It’s a safety issue because a slip-and-fall accident can result in an injury. Using rug grippers and non-slip rug pad products can stop your rugs from moving and lower the risk of injury in your home. 

Slip-and-Fall Accidents Are a Common Cause of Injury

Everyone has had a slip-and-fall accident at least once, but more than a million Americans every year go to the emergency room because of an injury sustained during a slip-and-fall accident. This is a real problem. Slip and falls cause serious injury in 20-30% of cases. About 5% involve broken bones. Falls are the leading cause of brain injury and hip fracture, and one-third of adults age 65 or older fall annually. 

Of course, not all of those slip-and-fall accidents involve rugs, but every one involving an unsecured rug is preventable if you use the right products. Bond Products offers a variety of rug backing products for our customers to choose from. 

Rug Grippers and Non-Slip Rug Pad Products

The first type of anti-slip product is TRACTIONBACK Secondary Felt, Double-Grip rubber backing. This product is attached by latex or spray gluing as a secondary backing using either side: felt side down if laying on carpet, or rubber side down if non-skid on a hard surface is needed.

Another products is LOK-LIFT Rug Gripper which can be cut into strips and attached to the outline of the rug on its underside to keep it from moving. LOK-LIFT is safe for all floor surfaces. 

We also offer two non-slip rug pad products, Eco-Grip and Eco-Stay. These rug pads can be purchased to match the dimensions of your rug and cut down to size you need. Rug pads also provide cushioning underneath and make standing or walking on your rug more comfortable. 

Put Them to the Test

To make sure your rug product has been applied correctly and is working, lay the rug on the floor where you want it and test it. Push it with your foot, applying pressure and trying to move it forth side to side or back and forth. If the rug doesn’t move, great! You’ve just increased the safety of the room environment. If it does move, check the directions and make sure you’ve applied the backing product correctly. 

Some products will work more successfully with certain floor types. If you have any questions about which rug grippers or non-slip rug pad products would work best for your rug, don’t hesitate to call Bond Products’ customer service professionals at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be glad to help you choose the right one. 

 

Carpet binder servicing. It’s a pretty simple process as long as you take a few precautions when sending your machine to Bond for professional repair. Here are the steps you should take to make sure your machine gets to us safe and sound so we can get it repaired and returned to you quickly. 

Pack and Ship Your Binder Properly

The first thing you need to do is to pack your carpet binder or serger securely so that it doesn’t get damaged en route to us. Include this information with your machine when you send it to us at Bond Products: 

• The name of your company 
• Your address
• Your phone number
• The name of the person we can call with questions about your binder 

Ship your package to this address: 

Attn. Service Dept.

Bond Products, Inc.

4511 Wayne Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19144

 

We recommend that you use UPS to ship your machine. Be sure to insure your binder with UPS so that, if it is lost or arrives damaged, we can file a claim with UPS and you can be reimbursed for the loss. Carpet binders and sergers are expensive pieces of equipment, so they should always be insured when shipped. When we ship the repaired machine back to you, we take care to insure it too. 

Carpet Binder Servicing: What Happens When Your Machine Gets to Us

Our professional staff will unpack your carpet binder, review the information you send to us, and evaluate the machine. If we have questions about your binder, we will contact you. If you have questions before, during, or after you send your binder to us, please call us. We are always happy to speak to customers and try to resolve their problems. 

Sometimes a carpet binder is in poor enough condition that we recommend that the customer invest in a new machine rather than put more money into something that will only last so much longer. In this way, carpet binding machines are a lot like cars. How long a car will last depends on how well it’s taken care of. If your binding equipment is regularly lubricated, blown out, and cleaned, it will perform better and longer. 

Bond Products has been manufacturing carpet binding equipment since the 1980s, and, believe it or not, many of these older machines are still running very well for their owners. It all depends on how they are treated. Proper maintenance is important! 

Repair Your Carpet Binder Now

Remember, when you send your binder to us, pack it properly, include the right documentation with the equipment, insure it with UPS, and let us know exactly what problems you are having. We will take it from there. Carpet binder servicing is our job, and we do it very well. 

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to repair your carpet binder, that time is now! 

 

Previously we’ve discussed some of the many uses for hook-and-loop tape around the house. There are many articles and Pinterest pins online about DIY uses and craft applications for this handy product. However, the home is not the only place that hook-and-loop tape can or should be used. It can help keep your workspace or warehouse safer and more efficient too. Here are some great ideas:

Rug installation – One of the hazards in any workplace is slip-and-fall accidents. Hook-and-loop tape can be affixed to the floor and used to keep carpets or rugs from moving. It can even be used to keep turf in place – it’s that sturdy. If you want to minimize worker injuries and workers’ compensation claims, keep the rugs and carpets in the workspace in place with hook-and-loop tape.

Storage and Organization – Hook-and-loop tape can also be used to attach items or tools under desks or tables to transform empty space into useful space. Attach hard drives under tables with hook-and-loop tape to free up desk or table space for monitors, keyboards, or printers. It’s easy to organize like tools with like with hook-and-loop tape as well. Use it to label shelves or bins – labels can be switched out quickly and easily when necessary. Your workplace likely has plenty of empty wall space as well. Secure a line of hook-and-loop tape to the wall, and then use it to attach tools. These will be both visible and easily accessible to your workers.

Protection – All products that enter a warehouse must be opened, examined and checked against shipping lists before being stored away again. Don’t toss the used shrink wrap in the dumpster – use hook-and-loop tape to re-secure the wrapping and avoid waste. Hook-and-loop straps can be used to wrap and secure products within any size or shaped containers and will eliminate the need for additional shrink wrap or plastic ties. It can be reused many times and will keep products or items from being damaged by the elements or pests.

Safety – Hook-and-loop tape can be used to tied up loose cables and keep them out of the way or secure them to the perimeter of the room. Secure stacked boxes or shelves with hook-and-loop tape to keep them from falling and products inside from being damaged.

There is no limit to the ways hook-and-loop can make your work space safer and better organized. It’s such a versatile product and can be customized to fit any tool, product, or project. Bond Products sells a variety of hook-and-loop products in volume, so call us today to order it in bulk for your office or warehouse needs.

Braided rugs are a traditional American decorating choice with a great deal of versatility. Adding one to a room makes it both warmer and cozier. They can be hard to clean, however, because they are often made of dense wool, and dirt can get into their braided fibers. Here we’ll discuss braided rug care so that you can keep your rug looking great for many years of use. 

Dealing with Minor Stains on Braided Rugs

If your braided rug has a small localized stain, you can spot clean the stain by combining water and white vinegar in equal parts and then soaking the stain. By scrubbing gently either by hand or with a toothbrush, many stains will come out without too much effort. 

Some braided rugs are lightweight and made of cotton. They can be thrown into the washing machine, cleaned on the gentle cycle, and dried in the dryer or left out to dry. Wool rugs are heavy and need special care, however. You can use a wool cleaning product or one of the foam carpet cleaners available on the market. Just make sure that the product you buy is safe for use on wool and carefully follow the instructions on the label. 

When you are done with any localized or spot cleaning, rinse the area with water, vacuum the rug, and allow it to dry completely. You do not want to leave a harsh chemical residue in your rug as it may damage the wool over time. 

More Extensive Braided Rug Care

If you want to get your braided rug really clean, you should take it outside. Wool can often absorb a great deal of dirt without looking dirty, and your vacuum may not be able to get it all out. So once or twice a year, take your braided rug outside and deep clean it. 

First, if the rug is small enough, shake it and beat it with a wooden spoon to get as much dirt out as possible. If the rug is larger, drape it over a fence or a patio railing and use a tennis racket or larger implement and hit it until the dirt stops shaking out. You may be surprised at what comes out. Wool can trap a lot in the spaces between its fibers. 

When you’re done beating it, you can spray it with a hose. Don’t use hot water on wool, as the heat can shrink it. The water will dissolve remaining dirt and pull it out. You may think this might damage the material, but wool is an animal product. It’s sheep fur, so it can survive getting wet just fine. Wool has a natural waviness to it which is why it is a good insulator. It traps air. Unfortunately, it can also trap water in it if you do not fully dry it. 

After you’ve cleaned the carpet, air dry it in the sun. Exposing the rug to the sun and breeze will dry it faster which is important because you do not want the wool surface to grow mold or mildew. If you need to clean your braided rug when the weather is colder or wetter, you can steam clean it as well. Use a fan to help the drying process go more quickly. Wool does take a long time to dry. Turn the rug over and expose the other side to the fan too so the backing doesn’t grow mold. 

With the right care, your beautiful wool area rug can grace the floor of your home for years and years. Many wool rugs last for a century or more and are works of art. If you need rug backing products for your wool rugs or any other carpet products, please call us at Bond Products. We are always happy to help our customers find what they need to make their rugs and carpets look great. 

 

In our last blog we talked about how and why hook-and-loop tape came to be. Because hook-and-loop tape can be used to hold things firmly in place, this product has many, many applications that go beyond its traditional use as a fastener or zipper substitute. Here are some of them:

A different kind of rug lock – There are a number of ways to stop area rugs from slipping and causing accidents in your home, but hook-and-loop tape is another. Attach strips of loops to your floor and strips of hooks to your rug, and the rug will remain in place.

A remote butler – Do you have a problem finding your TV/cable box/DVR player remotes? Are they always going missing or falling in the cracks of your furniture? If you put a strip of hook-and-loop tape on the backs of your remotes and another in a place where you keep them, they can’t wander off when you’re not looking.

A cord organizer – Rubber bands and twist ties work fine as tools to help you keep TV or computer cords separate and untangled – until the rubber dries out and breaks or unless the twist ties are too short. You can cut dual-sided hook-and-loop tape to whatever length you need and expect it to work for however long you need it because it will not wear out, mold, or degrade.

Keep track of plush toys and stuffed animals – If your small children are forever losing their stuffed animals, you can attach a length of loop tape to the inside of a bag or a piece of cloth and use that to prevent them from getting misplaced.

Hold outdoor cushions and tableclothes fast – It can be a challenge to keep a tablecloth on an outdoor table, but a bright cloth can make all the difference to your outdoor decor. If you have a problem with the wind blowing your cushions or other cloth items away or out of place, hook-and-loop tape is an ideal solution.

Hang up pictures without using nails or masking tape – If you have light pictures or posters you’d like to display but do not want to damage your walls, hook-and-loop coins will allow you to do that easily. Is your kid going away to college or getting his first apartment? Throw some hook-and-loop tape in your bag for move-in day, and it may wind up sparing you expensive fees for nail holes or wall repair later.

There are so many more organizational and display uses for hook-and-loop tape and coins that your imagination is really the limit. Bond Products has many different options so please browse our selection to find the product that will best fit your needs.

Bond Products sells a large selection of products necessary for carpet binding and serging, This includes machines, replacement supplies, yarn, and thread. If you wonder how serging thread and yarn are different from each other and other types of thread, read on.

What Is Carpet Serging?

First, here’s a brief definition of what carpet serging is:

“Carpet serging is a sewing technique where the edges of a carpet are wrapped with yarn in order to prevent unraveling and give it a beautiful, finished look. Serging uses a continuous wrap of yarn, about 3/8ths of an inch wide, around the edge of a rug.”

How Is Serging Thread Different? 

A serger uses two types of materials to serge a carpet: yarn and thread. The cotton yarn is quite thick and has a slick finish. Serger yarn is wound tight so it will go through the loopers on the serger. Often people who work with serger yarn will refer to it as serging thread, so that can create some confusion. The thread goes through the needle of the serger, while the yarn goes through the looper. 

Serging thread is usually a tex 138 or 207 size and has great break strength. It has to be because it passes through many different guides within the serging machine with a lot of tension. The thread is used to wrap the yarn to the carpet itself. The serger thread varieties we sell are made of nylon. Nylon is very strong. It’s important for the serging thread to not shed lint when it’s used so that it doesn’t cause the serger to clog up. 

Carpet professionals will select serging yarn to complement the colors of the rugs being serged. While older rugs were once hand serged using a type of whip stitch, modern rugs are machine serged because it’s so much more efficient and less expensive.

Bond’s serging yarn is sold on 1.25-pound cones It comes in 56 different colors. Each cone covers roughly 175-200 feet. This allows the carpet professional to choose the best yarn color match for the carpet. 

Bond’s serging thread is sold in 16-ounce spools and comes in 10 different colors. Bonded 207 nylon is the most popular choice for our serging machines. Our customers also have the option of selecting our 138 nylon as well if they are using a portable serger.

If you’re looking for serging thread, yarn, binding tape or any products you might need for binding or serging carpets, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be more than happy to help you find what you need.

 

Bond Products’ ironless peel-and-stick seaming tape is the perfect solution for your seaming needs. This ironless tape is designed to make any seaming project super simple, with its easy-to-use peel-and-stick application. It’s perfect for home renovation projects or DIY repairs. 

How Do You Use Ironless Tape? 

You do not have to apply glue or heat anything. Simply peel off the protective backing and stick the seaming tape to your desired surface. There’s only four steps to follow if you are seaming carpet: 

1. Place your carpet on the floor, butt the edges to be seamed, and adjust the tape to the correct position. 
2. Fold back the edges of the carpet, then place the tape under the carpet length of the seam with the brown side down. Be sure the carpet edges are centered on the tape. 
3. Lift the carpet edges on one end and pull up the light-release paper from the tape while pushing the edges into the glue. Continue to press carefully along the entire length of the seam. 
4. Walk over the seam a few times or place a heavy weight along the seam length to press the carpet into the glue.

That’s all! This tape can be used on new carpet or for doing repairs on seams that are splitting. This product is not designed for stretch-in wall-to-wall carpet installations that put tension on the seam, however. 

If you want to avoid using heat, glue, or complicated tools in your seaming project, our Cool Stic ironless carpet seaming tape is the answer. This tape is versatile and can be used for so many applications, including carpet seaming, upholstery, and crafts. It’s the ideal solution for any project that requires a strong, reliable bond without the hassle of traditional seaming methods.

The tape is made of high-quality materials that are durable and long-lasting, making it perfect for seaming. It comes in 15-foot rolls, and right now is on sale – so why wait to purchase? If you have any questions about our ironless tape or other products used in carpet seaming or installation, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We are always happy to help match you with the right products for your needs and make useful suggestions on your home or professional projects. 

 

Happy New Year! It’s out with the old, and in with the new, and with the new calendar comes New Year’s resolutions. Many of us make personal resolutions, but business owners often choose to make additional investments in equipment too. The economy is still growing, and 2024 is a great moment in time to advance the capabilities you can offer to your customers. Bond Products offers a wide variety of new equipment for sale for carpet binding, serging, and installation, as well as rug carving and rug making and any other carpet need you might have.

Are you looking for:

Portable Binders – Our line of portable binders makes finishing carpet on site so simple and the results are clean and elegant looking. You will be proud of the work you can produce anywhere for your customers.

Stationary Carpet Binders – For in-house carpet binding, we have a variety of stationary carpet binding machines that are capable of binding carpets very quickly and with professional results. If you are unsure of the difference between portable and stationary binders or which would be best for your business, we cover that here. 

Portable and Table Mounted Sergers – The Bond Alpha Mini- 2000 Portable Serger works great for serging carpet anywhere, producing beautiful carpets and rugs. We also have a heavy duty serger for in-house serging capability. 

Rug Carving Equipment – If you’ve ever wanted to expand your carpet offerings to rug carving, we have the equipment you need. This is the art of adding texture to a piece of carpet using a carving tool. Give your customers one-of-a-kind results for their interior decor!

Portable Binder Cart – For carpet binding professionals who want to save wear and tear on their knees and backs in 2020, we have our portable binder cart. It will make running your Bond PBL, PBB 2×2 or 4×4, Alpha Mini, or PBL-TX much easier, as it supports your chest and keeps your hands free for working. 

Portable Bag Closer – Bond also offers a lightweight, fast and reliable bag closer that is useful for closing a wide variety of bags used to contain and ship product. 

We also offer a whole line of products related to carpet binding or installation. These include staple and mallets, needles, bobbins, and thread, binding and serging tapes, and, of course, Instabind in a large array of styles and colors! We even offer machine package deals if you want everything you need to get started with a new machine right out of the box. 

If you’ve ever thought of purchasing your own carpet serging or binding machines, the turn of the new year is a great time to invest in new equipment. With the right training and some acquired experience, you can create beautifully bound or serged carpets either in-house or on-site. If you have any questions about which equipment would be best to invest in, call us at 1-888-800-BOND today. We will be happy to help you make the perfect choice. 

 

Upselling is a major plus in any sale. When someone is buying a new home, a car, or carpet, it may be the initial price or sale offer that gets noticed, or it might be the initial hook — but it’s the add-ons that push up profits. In the carpet world, that’s custom carpet edges.

Custom Carpet Edges Pricing

Many folks offer a standard binding edge service, and that’s a terrific profit center, but why stop there? Whereas standard binding usually brings $.80 to $3.50 per foot, offering a more upscale edge can double or triple the profits.

Here is some current market pricing for custom carpet binding:

………………………………Cost per foot……Retail charge…………………….Profit per foot

Standard Binding              $.07/ft                  $1.75/ft                                   $1.68/ft

Cotton Binding                  $.12/ft                  $2.50/ft                                   $2.38/ft

Serge Binding                    $.23/ft                  $4.25/ft                                   $4.02/ft

3” Wide Binding                $.40/ft                  $6.00/ft                                   $5.60/ft

5” Wide Binding                $.60/ft                  $8.00/ft                                   $7.40/ft

Note: Prices roughly based on costs as of September 2023 and profits will depend on your local market pricing.

With these very basic examples, you can see that the profit per foot rises exponentially and dramatically if you offer additional binding options. If you already own a binding machine, your move towards more profits could be as simple as investing in a custom attachment. The other option is to use a DIY product called Instabind that doesn’t require any initial investment. The only tools needed to apply Instabind are a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun!

Invest in Carpet Binding Equipment for Greater Profits

Give it some thought. For just a small investment that will pay for itself quickly, (or none at all if you use Instabind), you can see your business realize a greater profit margin in no time.

Bond’s customer service department is always available to answer any carpet binding questions you may have, so please feel free to call us at 1-888-800-BOND.