Brian Milnes

Dear Bond Products customers,

2020 has been a year full of unexpected challenges for all of us. Unfortunately, there are several more that are currently occurring throughout the world that will have an effect on the prices and availability of our products. We wanted to give an explanation of what the factors behind these are, including shipping challenges and higher steel prices. This may help you understand any changes we have to make going forward. 

Steel Scrap Prices

Over the past several months, forecast steel scrap prices for December have increased from $15/20 per ton of scrap to $80-$100 per ton or higher. The COVID-19 pandemic has already greatly disrupted the supply chain for steel and wire products around the world. Labor and raw material shortages also complicate this problem. At least in the short term we are looking at much higher prices for steel which will affect the price of finished goods in ways we can’t fully predict. 

Shipping Challenges

Another problem that American companies face is shipping challenges out of China. Currently there is a global shortage of shipping containers due to a lopsided trade balance with China and the delays of shippers in returning containers because of the coronavirus. There are almost 180 millions shipping containers across the world. These are used to move 60% of global goods. Without containers, nothing can ship and goods remain in port waiting to be shipped. 

Steady demand for products coupled with a lack of shipping options means that cargo costs are skyrocketing. This affects both retailers and manufacturers nationwide. The cost to store any waiting goods in warehouses will also add to shipping costs and costs to the consumer here. 

Right now shipping lines have announced that they are temporarily suspending cargo bookings into South China as well beginning in early January and extending perhaps until the end of February of 2021. COVID-19 has affected shippers due to quarantine rules for ship crews. 

The ongoing COVID-19 situation is beginning to be characterized as a force majeure event which is an event that is large enough to be beyond the control of individual manufacturers or even countries. There are provisions in contracts for force majeure events. Typically they nullify obligations for the duration of the event – which is a fancy way of saying that people cannot be held to the old rules when the game has completely and unexpectedly changed. 

We are looking at higher freight rates, higher prices on goods made of steel, and unpredictable shipping of goods. That is in addition to any challenges we face in the United States and in the state of Pennsylvania. Please know that Bond Products is working hard to keep our products available to you, our customers, at affordable prices. We will continue to serve you as best we can during this pandemic and beyond. 

If you have any questions, please feel free, as always, to contact our customer service representatives at 1-888-800-BOND. They will be happy to assist you. 

 

Bond Products now offers our customers the option of financing the purchase of orders over $3000. If you are interested in expanding your business’s offerings in the new year with the purchase of new equipment, it’s now quick and easy to do just that. 

New Financing Options for Machinery and Merchandise

It can be challenging to afford the entire cost of a carpet binding machine or serger at once. This is why we’re now giving Bond customers the ability to finance any purchase over $3000. This financing option includes merchandise as well as equipment, as long as your total order is over the $3000 limit. Here’s how it works: 

Go to any machine page. Next to the picture of the product and above its description, you will see a gray finance button. If you click on the button, a financing box will open on the right side of the screen. It will tell you what the most affordable financing option is for this product based on its price and will invite you to fill out a 60-second application. When you have filled out the application, you will be able to see what different equipment lenders are willing to offer you in terms of competitive rates. From there you can choose the best offer and order your machine or your machine plus merchandise and complete your purchase. 

It’s simple!

Our new financing option allows people to shop for the best rate and the best option for leasing equipment as well. If you have been waiting for an opportunity to buy carpet binding equipment and products to increase your capabilities moving forward, this is it. We are excited to offer this new purchasing choice. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, after all.

As always, Bond Products’ customer service representatives are able to help you with any questions you may have about our products, shipping, and payment. If you have problems or need clarification, please call 1-888-800-BOND. 

 

Bond Products is pleased to announce that we now offer a simple international purchasing process for our customers outside the United States. If you are from an English-speaking country like Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, this will make purchasing with a different currency a snap. For customers from other countries, it will also help with translation of purchasing and shipping terms so you know exactly what you’re ordering, what it costs, and when it will arrive.

Bond’s New, Simple International Purchasing Process 

It can be a hassle for customers who want to purchase products from different countries. There are numerous legal and financial challenges when buying products internationally: language barriers, currency conversion, duties, taxes, and shipping costs. Because of this, Bond now has a software solution, Zonos, that our customers can use.

Using this software is easy. If you look on our website, in the bottom right corner you will see a circle containing a flag. If you click on that, you have the option to choose your own country. When you have selected your country, Zonos will tell you any issues with taxes or duties that you might expect when you order products through our website. 

When you click to purchase a product or multiple products, Zonos will translate your shopping cart to your native language and currency. This will make checkout, payment, and shipping much easier for you. There is also the option to order via USPS. With that option you will be responsible for paying any applicable customs duties and taxes, however.

We know we have customers around the world who are interested in Instabind, our carpet binding machines and equipment, our new ProDriveHD line of tools and fasteners, and the other great merchandise we offer. This is our way of reaching out to those customers and meeting the needs of carpet binding professionals across the world.

If you have any questions about any of our products or how we can accommodate purchasing and shipping to countries around the world, please call our customer service department at 1-888-800-BOND. As always, we will be happy to talk with you and get you set up with what you need. 

 

One of the questions Bond Products’ customers ask us about is how to fix a dripping glue gun tip. We sell a number of different glue guns, glue sticks and slugs, and other glue gun supplies, and we always want to make sure our customers are satisfied with their products. So here is an explanation of why dripping often occurs and what you can do about it. 

Why Is Your Glue Gun Tip Dripping?

There are a number of factors involved in how well a glue gun operates. It’s a combination of the glue formulation, its viscosity, the diameter of the sticks by manufacturing being maintained inside the specification of the glue gun design, and, perhaps most importantly, the ongoing maintenance of the glue gun by the user.

When you heat your glue gun up from a cold start, you will likely see some dripping at first. Most glue guns drip when they first heat up. This is due to the expansion of the glue as it transitions from a solid to a liquid. 

Most of the 12mm (1/2”) or 15mm (5/8”) glue guns have an extension nozzle design. This means that the extension tube of the nozzle which has glue inside is past the check valve. With extension nozzles those glue guns will also have a few drips throughout the day. Basically, every time the glue gun is used, a small amount of adhesive will melt past the check valve, and gravity will pull on it and cause it to drip. However, if a glue gun is dripping constantly, this is usually a sign to replace the nozzle or check the type of adhesive being used.

The Type of Glue Matters

Some glues are of a polyamide formulation which is moisture sensitive. Polyamides will absorb moisture from the humidity in the environment. If you use this type of product and allow the sticks to be moisture contaminated, the glue gun tip will drip nonstop. The moisture that is trapped in the glue stick is boiling inside the glue gun’s heating chamber, and the pressure builds up. This pressure releases itself by opening the nozzle valve and dripping down from the nozzle tip. 

Under normal circumstances because of the way glue guns are designed, the glue stick will “relax” when the trigger is released. Heat up your glue gun and feed a glue stick through. With the trigger compressed, mark the glue stick with a pen at the back of the inlet tube just before the glue stick enters the melt chamber, then wait a few minutes. You will see the glue stick will move backwards up to a half an inch or so. This is the result of the material in the heater housing melting and expanding.  As that happens, the pressure that is created in the heater housing by the thermal expansion pushes the glue stick back.  

However, if a glue gun has what’s called “melt back,” which can occur from laying the glue gun on its side, this can act as a resistance to this relaxing effect. It will cause the glue gun to drip as the pressure opens the nozzle valve.

Sometimes fibers or other debris works its way into a glue gun over time. This debris can build in the nozzle and cause the valve to be unable to close. The fix for this is to remove the nozzle while the tool is hot, purge a half stick or so through the tool, and install a new nozzle. Nozzles do wear over time, so changing out the nozzle is often the easiest solution to fixing a dripping glue gun. Bond Products has long nozzle glue gun tips available for sale. 

This may be a longer explanation than you were expecting for why a glue gun tip drips and how to fix it, but this problem can have a number of causes. If you know why dripping may occur over the life expectancy of the glue gun, it’s easier to know what to do. If you need help with finding supplies for your glue gun, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to help. 

 

 

If there’s one thing that we’ve learned in 2020, it’s not to predict what will happen next. We’ve seen many unpredicted and unpredictable things happen this year. For businesses that sell products that are imported or exported, some of the changes have affected prices because freight costs have risen and are still rising. We wanted to give our customers a heads up that, due to an increase in freight costs, the prices of some products, specifically the ProDriveHD fasteners, will be affected, at least in the short term.

Factors Involved in Increasing Freight Costs 

As with any other product or service, fluctuating supply and demand affect freight costs. Right now most of the available ocean freight capacity is being utilized. Because American consumer spending on imported goods has been and is high in 2020, space in freight containers is very tight. Demand is expected to remain high into the new year as consumers who are at home are spending more on goods and far less on services. 

In China and India specifically there are large backlogs of bookings. Companies are waiting long periods of time for space in containers for their goods. Carriers are charging premiums for storage space, and freight rates are unusually high. Rates for air freight are also rising as we enter the holiday season and companies buy up space in anticipation of fourth quarter spending.

As of November 1, 2020 General Rate Increase (GRI) has been filed for all cargo imported from Asian ports of loading, to ports in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

When products arrive here in the United States, there are further congestion problems, unfortunately. Most major American and Canadian ports are clogged with already shipped goods, especially on the West Coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver. On the East Coast, it’s not much better. There are vessel berthing delays, terminal operational delays, chassis shortages, and full warehouses preventing more goods from coming into the country. 

Once goods are unloaded off freight containers, it’s challenging to find truck power to ship them from the coasts to elsewhere on the continent. Right now trucks are booked for 1-2 weeks in advance. As a result, trucking rates are also surging. 

We are living in uncertain times with the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming U.S. election, among other potential disruptions, so it’s impossible to predict what freight costs will look like in the following months. The cost of imported products, including ProDriveHD fasteners, will increase due to freight costs, at least temporarily. We at Bond Products would like our customers to know that we always offer the most competitive prices we are able on the products we sell. We are proud of the quality of our product lines. If you have any questions about products or products costs, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to answer any of your questions. 

 

Carpet seams can be a challenge for the DIYer who needs to either install new or fix damaged carpet. Improperly installed carpet looks so ugly. With the right tools and supplies, though, you can hide carpet seams and make your flooring look smooth and seamless.

Hide Carpet Seams Like a Pro

If your installed carpet has seen some wear due to traffic or incorrect installation, you don’t have to tear it up and get all new carpet. It is possible to repair it and hide carpet seams so your floors look nice again. You can hire a professional carpet layer to do this job, or you can do it yourself with the right tool, supplies, know how, and patience. You will need:

• Carpet seaming tape
• A seaming iron
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• A weight or something heavy
• A seam comb

If you are fixing a seaming problem, you will need to diagnose why your seams are coming apart. Typically that’s due to one of two problems: seam peaking and seam splitting. 

Seam peaking is when seams are being forced upward due to pressure, and they form a little peak in the carpet. This will make an obvious line running the length of the seam. Improperly installed carpet will sometimes have many unsightly lines due to seam peaking. It’s usually the result of using too hot of an iron or too much force to stretch the carpet together. 

The other common seam problem is seam splitting. This is when carpet seams tear apart, leaving a gap that exposes the floor underneath. Typically this happens as a result of long or hard use or because the carpet or seaming tape used to install were of poor quality. 

If the problem is minor and the area doesn’t see heavy traffic, the best solution is to either re-glue or re-tape the damaged seam. You can do this by applying glue with a glue gun under the carpet’s seam and then weighing the carpet area down until the glue dries, usually for several hours. 

If the problem is more severe or the carpet gets a great deal of wear and tear, it’s better to replace the seaming tape and re-seam the pieces of carpet together. To do this, remove the old seaming tape and then put the new tape underneath both pieces of carpet. Use a seaming iron to press the seams together onto the tape so that both pieces of carpet firmly adhere to the seam tape. Weigh down that section with weights or something heavy and allow it to dry and cool. When you remove the weight, comb through the seam with a seam comb to make the carpet look smooth and nice. 

For smaller carpet problems, it’s often simple enough to repair and hide carpet seams yourself. Bond Products sells the items you need to get this and any other carpet problems you might have done. If you have questions about which products would be best to use, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. Our customer service department will be glad to assist you. 

 

 

 

 

As summer turns into fall, the weather changes and becomes cooler and more rainy. While there are many things to enjoy about fall, higher humidity in the house is not one of them. People worry that the moisture will damage their carpet. Here we will answer the question of how you get humidity out of carpet so your flooring will not get ruined when the weather turns wet.

Why Does Humidity Damage Carpet?

There are a number of ways dampness will wreak havoc on carpet over time. First, unchecked humidity will cause mold and mildew to grow. They will make the environment smell musty too. These are more damaging to natural fiber carpets and area rugs than they are to nylon carpet which is often water resistant. Moisture in all carpet can attract fleas and dust mites, however. No one wants to deal with a flea problem, and dust mites are terrible for people with allergies. 

Humidity also causes carpet fibers to swell. In order for installed carpet to remain flat and neat looking, you need to avoid the conditions that can cause the carpet to pull at its seams. If the environment fluctuates between hot and humid and cool and dry year after year, this can result in pulling and eventually a rippled appearance to your flooring.

How Do You Get Humidity out of Carpet? 

To avoid damage to your carpet, controlling humidity is wise. How do you moderate humidity? Here are some tips:

First, if you have more than “garden variety” humidity, such as flooding from heavy rainfall or a burst pipe, you may need to consult a disaster restoration professional to help you dry out and restore your carpet or rugs. If you have a smaller wet spot, using a wet vac is recommended to remove water from carpet. If you don’t own a wet vac, you can easily rent one to use on your carpets. 

Fans also can be useful if you have a wet, but not disastrous, water spill. You can position the fan at the wet spot and let it do its magic. If it’s a dry fall day, it’s also helpful to open the windows and allow the breeze to dry the humidity and bring fresh air into the house. Creating good air flow will do a lot to get humidity out of carpet. 

Another trick to remove trapped moisture is to sprinkle the carpet or the rug with baking soda. Shake a generous amount of baking soda over the rug and let it sit for a half hour or more. Then you can use a regular vacuum to suck the baking soda and any moisture and musty odors out.  

For typical humidity, adding a humidifier to any damp areas of the house should work. Set the humidifier at between 40-50% humidity. As anyone who lives in a cool climate and heats their house all winter knows, taking all the humidity out of the air will make it uncomfortably dry. You will feel that dryness in your skin and in your respiratory system. However, if the humidity is higher than that 50% range, the house will feel damp, and it will allow bacteria and mold, among other things, to grow. Keeping the house at that optimal range will make it comfortable for people but not welcoming to molds and critters. 

During the wetter months of the year, it’s important to be vigilant about moisture in your house to limit the damage it can do to your carpets and rugs. By following the above tips, you should be able to get humidity out of carpet and control the moisture in your home better. 

 

“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.

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.

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).

Currently we are running a special deal on mallet caps if you buy 3 at a time, so now is the time to stock up!

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:  

5010D 5/16″ Divergent PAD 20GA Staples 5,000 CT -This staple is made of premium graded steel and has an improved point and superior strip integrity and holding power. It won’t bend or break. It can be used for carpet pad, insulation, roofing, house wrap, and poly sheeting.

5418D 9/16″Divergent Electric 20GA Staples 5,000 CT (14MM) – Similar to the 5010D, this is a larger staple used for carpeting.

7512D 3/8″ Divergent PAD 19GA Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is made of premium graded steel and has an improved point and superior strip integrity and holding power. It won’t bend or break. It can be used for carpet pad, insulation, roofing, house wrap, and poly sheeting.

A-11 3/8″ Divergent PAD 20GA Staples A-11-10D 5,000 CT – This staple is made of premium graded steel and has an improved point and superior strip integrity and holding power. It won’t bend or break. It can be used for carpet pad, insulation, roofing, house wrap, and poly sheeting.

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.

NC1000L13D 1″ Narrow Crown 18 GA Engineered Wood 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 wood staple.

NC1250L15-8 1-1/4″ Narrow Crown 18GA Engineered Wood Staples 5,000 CT – This staple has a blunt chisel point and is thinner than a traditional 15.5 GA staple or a 16 GA I-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 wood 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 Gunlach 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.

 

 

 

 

It’s that spooky time of the year when the days get shorter and the trees lose their leaves. So it’s perhaps relevant to mention that Edgar Allan Poe, one of America’s foremost writers of atmospheric horror literature once said, “The soul of the apartment is the carpet. From it are deduced not only the hues but the forms of all objects incumbent.” Poe had quite a lot to say about carpets and which ones should and should not be included in the home, including: “The abomination of flowers, or representations of well-known objects of any kind, should not be endured within the limits of Christendom.” Ha!

Today we have laxer standards about what kinds of rugs can be used. It’s not hard to see that the carpet you choose will affect the atmosphere of your room. Why is this?

The rug is the anchor of the room’s decor – Flat surfaces are the base layer of design.  Eventually all eyes will move to the floor and what is on it. Typically rugs take up significant space in a room, so their colors and design with have a greater impact on the atmosphere than a single piece of furniture or decoration. You want what’s anchoring the room to have presence and weight.

A large rug will be adjacent to most of the room’s other features – Most people are concerned about how well individual pieces of decor complement or “go” with other pieces. Does the couch match the curtains? Do the pillows clash with the upholstery? You can get away with some color or pattern variations as long as those pieces are not right next to each other. The carpet, though? That’s going to be “next to” just about everything in the room because of its size. That means for most people it will be much more practical to decorate the rest of the room around the carpet rather than to try to make a carpet fit into the room after choosing the paint, the curtains, and the furniture.

After all, clashing fabrics or colors create an atmosphere of unease. Some people will not realize why they feel uncomfortable in a room. Others will examine every piece of the decor to decide where the homeowners went wrong. Some of them will mentally redecorate your room, replacing in their minds the pieces that don’t work until they can create harmony – even if it’s just in their own imaginations.

Interior designers reflect Edgar Allan Poe’s opinions when they offer advice on how to design your room decor around your bold area rug. No doubt Poe would shudder at many of the rugs we like today. He would likely agree with our motto at Bond Products, though. “Every hard floor needs a nice area rug” is essentially a restatement of his “The soul of the apartment is the carpet.” Most people want to be comfortable and at peace in their homes. That’s why choosing the right carpets is such an important task in home decorating.

 

 

Previously we’ve talked about how to give an antique rug a new life. In this blog piece we gave tips that were appropriate for rugs that are dirty, torn, or frayed around the edges. What do you do if your rug is really beyond rehabilitating, though? If it’s worn in many places and generally unsalvageable? Here we’ll talk about what your options are for Oriental rugs that are no longer suitable to grace your floors.

Layer your rugs – If your Oriental rug is badly worn or stained in the middle but its edges are still in good shape, you can layer another rug over it and still keep it on your floor. Layering rugs is trendy right now, so that is an extra benefit. If you have a large space and not enough money for a big rug to fill it, using the damaged rug to help cover the floor is a great hack. If you don’t have a damaged rug but would like try out the layering trend with an old rug, put the word out among your friends and family. Someone may have a worn rug available to give you.

Donate your rug – If you have a worn but historically significant rug, you can donate it to a historical society, museum, or nonprofit organization. If it’s recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity, you can claim a tax deduction for the value of the rug. In 2017, Congress passed tax reform that increased the standard deduction, so whether this suggestion works for your situation will be dependent on income and the value of the rug.

If you are no longer using the rug, however, you may still want to donate it to put it in the hands of people who would appreciate it or use it rather than have it gather dust in your basement or attic.

Repurpose your rug – Because Oriental rugs are woven on the warp strings that make up the rug fringe, you cannot just cut them down as you could a carpet remnant or a machine sewn rug. An experienced upholsterer could create a small rug, a pillow, a wall hanging, or upholster a footstool or chair, though. The project would depend on how much of the Oriental rug remains in good condition. If your rug is a family heirloom or has real sentimental value for you, repurposing it into a smaller item is a great way to keep the rug as a part of your home decoration (minus the damaged parts).

If none of the above suggestions work for you, there is always the option of offering it to friends, relatives, or young people who are just starting out in life and have the energy to fix things up. An Oriental rug really is a work of art, so it’s a shame to discard one if it can still be cleaned, repaired, or repurposed in some way.

 

Bond Products’ motto is “Every hard floor needs a nice area rug.” We’ve talked about many different rug and carpeting options on this blog in the past few months, including shag rugs, gray carpeting, and sisal rugs. What do all of these kinds of rugs have in common? They make a room more attractive and more comfortable. The beauty aspect of carpets is easy to understand, but we all know that carpets also make a room instantly more cozy and warm. How do they do this? Here we will discuss how carpets help insulate their surroundings and keep heat (and cold) from escaping from a room.

Carpet as an Insulator

Carpet isn’t a heat source, of course, but it does affect how much heat the area retains. That’s because carpet is an excellent insulator. Materials like metal and marble are good conductors of heat – they allow heat to flow efficiently. Carpet does the opposite. Think about putting your bare feet down on a cold concrete floor. The cold concrete will conduct the heat in your body away. This makes you colder. You can imagine how cold your feet would be on that floor, can’t you? Carpet, as a poor conductor, allows the heat to remain in your body, so you feel warmer. In a sense, you’re putting a coat on the floor when you install carpet or put a rug down.

How Well Does Carpet Insulate?

Of course, not all carpet is the same, and some carpets insulate much better than others. Thicker carpets insulate better than thinner ones. Wall-to-wall carpeting holds more heat than rugs on hardwood. Carpet experts measure a material’s resistance to heat transfer (or thermal resistance) using what they call R-value. The higher the R-value, the better the material insulates. For example, the R-value of concrete 10 cm thick is .07. The R-value of 1-cm-thick fiberglass insulation is .22. In between, but much closer to insulation, is 1-cm-thick carpet with an R-value of .18.

Because carpet is such a good insulator, adding a rug to a room will lower the amount of energy it takes to keep a room cooled or heated and will save the homeowner money in the long run. When there is a difference in temperature between the indoor air and that under the floor, carpet can help reduce energy costs in heating and cooling. Uninsulated floors account for 10-20% of a home’s heat loss. If you are building a home or renovating an older home, it’s always wise to think about how the flooring you select will affect heating and cooling costs. If you’re living in a home or apartment that gets cold in the wintertime, adding an area rug is an easy way to solve that problem.

Carpets have many great qualities, including as art, but keeping things cozy and comfortable in the house is a big reason for their use throughout human history into today. Can you imagine life without rugs or carpets? Why would you want to?

 

Carpet trends go in and out of style, but the gray carpet interior design trend should have some traction for the foreseeable future. Why? Because gray is a very versatile neutral color that blends well with a variety of earth tones, and it’s easier to maintain a gray carpet than a white or beige one.

We’ve talked about other carpet trends in recent blogs, including the use of waterproof carpet throughout the house and the carpet runner trend. The increased use of gray carpet is a bit different, though, because it’s part of an over trend to use the color gray in interior (and exterior design). Gray is just hot right now, so gray carpet is seeing more use.

The Color Gray

Gray has been the “it” color for about five years now. It overtook beige and other traditional neutral colors first for walls and then in accents like pillows and rugs. From there it moved to furniture, kitchen cabinets, flooring, and – yes – carpet. Gray is a cool color, bordering on metallic, which means it can give your space a more contemporary look than a tan carpet would. It goes great with stainless steel appliances and bathroom fixtures. Gray complements many other colors, including black and white, but also aqua, green, red, and even pink. Bold colors go great with gray. Everything goes with gray.

Why Gray Carpet?

Gray is a great choice for wall-to-wall carpet because it hides so much. Dirt, paw prints, and food stains all disappear on gray. People with pets and small children can relax after they install gray carpet. It can take general abuse without having to be professionally cleaned too often. Gray area rugs work well with hardwood floors because the cool of the gray balances out the warmth of the wood. Other area rugs can be layered over gray carpet or area rugs easily too.

Interestingly enough, carpet weavers in Tibet, Nepal, and India are now weaving rugs in their traditional patterns, adding in various grays to accommodate the current demand for the color. If Tibetan rug weavers have taken to gray as a deliberate choice for their time honored art, you know it’s arrived.

Instabind also is available in gray if you are looking to cut down a gray carpet remnant or rebind an area rug with gray accents. Or if you’d like to try out some gray in your home or on your floors, painting an accent wall gray or putting down a gray runner in your kitchen are inexpensive choices for weekend projects. Bond Products has a range of gray colors – C912, C320, and C167 that are all available in ¾” and 1-1/4” regular cotton binding and 1-1/4” serge tape. Why not get in on the trend and add some gray to your home and floor this summer?

 

 

 

 

Last year for Thanksgiving we talked about the original celebrants, the Plymouth Pilgrims, their struggles, and why there were grateful to celebrate the First Thanksgiving. After everything they’d gone through, it was completely natural to them to take time to feel gratitude and give thanks to God. In modern society, however, we don’t work much on feeling or practicing gratitude. Did you know there are very practical reasons for taking a pause and putting the challenges of life into perspective? Even scientists have noticed the benefits practicing gratitude can have on health and wellness.

A study published in The Journal of Psychosomatic Research found a link between gratitude and quality of sleep: “Gratitude predicted greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction.” Why? Thinking positively potentially soothes the brain and readies it for better rest and relaxation. Some people even keep a gratitude journal and write in it at the end of the day before bed. It’s a good way to keep track of the blessings in your life.

Gratitude may help you keep the pounds off as well. Not only has a daily gratitude habit been found to correlate with increased patience; it’s also been found to influence willpower or self control. Both of these are important in losing weight because impulsivity is a dieter’s enemy. Many people binge on food for comfort when they are feeling sad or angry. Focusing on the good things in life can help break this habit.

Finally, it’s not surprising, but creating an attitude of gratitude can help control depression. One specific technique, called the Three Good Things, has been shown to alleviate depression and improve happiness. This is similar to keeping a gratitude journal. Subjects were asked to write down three good things that happened each day and then the reason why these things had happened. It helped them to refocus their attention on the positive and see that good things often come from effort – which is something they have control over. This makes them feel less helpless and fated to be unhappy.

No doubt the original Pilgrims would laugh at the “psychology of gratitude.” They believed in being grateful to God for the blessings he sent them. Still, it’s clear that these people were able to accomplish amazing things in a new world entirely unfamiliar to them. Their faith and attitude of gratitude was a part of that.

If you haven’t made a practice of thinking about the blessings in your life, this Thanksgiving Day would be an excellent time to try it. Here at Bond Products we are thankful for our customers, our workers, and the opportunities we have to operate our business in America. Happy Thanksgiving to you from all of us at Bond Products!

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.

You may remember that Bond Products is an American company with a long history in manufacturing, beginning with carpet binding. The business was first known as National Tapestry Company and then as Bond Narrow Fabric Company after it diversified into the making and distributing of “narrow fabrics” which the garment industry used primarily to make military uniforms. While our company currently focuses more on our lines of products made for binding and installing carpet, narrow fabrics have been a part of our business for 70 years, and Bond Products still offers narrow fabrics for sale.

Our narrow fabric products include twill tapes, apron tapes, and many specialty products still used in the manufacturing of custom lampshades, blinds and other curious industries. Currently we offer the following:

Twill tapes – We carry 100% cotton twill tapes in variety of styles and sizes. Twill tapes are great for bag straps and rug bindings. They’re used in sewing and tailoring to reinforce seams, make casings, bind edges, and make sturdy ties for closing garments as well as for many other creative endeavors.

Hug Snug seam binding – These seam bindings are available in a wide variety of colors. The brand Hug Snug has become very popular in the clothing industry, used most often as a nice rich looking covering for hems on various garments.

Hook and loop tapes – Hook and loop tape is more commonly know by the brand name Velcro (a combination of the French words “velour” and “crochet”)  and is often added as a fastener to children’s shoes and coats. It has a multitude of other uses as well. Bond Products’ hook and loop tape is available in a wide variety of colors and is designed specifically for holding carpets in place. Simply peel and stick the hook and loop tape to apply – and your home will be safer and tidier at once.

The above variety of twill tapes, cotton tapes, hook and loop tapes, and polypropylene webbings are available through our website now, but if there are narrow fabric products you don’t see, call and ask us! We want to help you find the narrow fabrics you need for whatever use you have. We will be adding more products to this page over time, so keep an eye out for new offerings.