Brian’s Blog

Do you have questions about carpet binding tape? We have the information you need. Below are some frequently asked questions that Bond Products gets about carpet binding tape – with our answers.

What Is Carpet Binding Tape?

Carpet binding tape is tape that is used to bind the edges of carpets, area rugs, runners, and staircases to make them more attractive and prevent them from fraying or unraveling. Binding tape is also used in cars, boats and recreational vehicles. It’s made of cotton or polyester and comes in a variety of colors to better match the color of carpet it’s trimming.

How Do You Bind Carpet Edges?

There are two ways to bind carpet edges: by machine or by hand using an “instant” carpet binding tape like Instabind. 

Carpet professionals bind carpets using cotton or polyester binding tape, depending on the fabric material of the rug. They push the carpet through a binding or serging machine that can be either stationary or portable. Portable binding machines are designed to allow for carpet binding when the carpet is being installed on site. A stationary binding machine is what a carpet store will use. These machines work very well, but they require a large table and workspace to turn the carpet on as it’s being bound.

Instabind™ regular style carpet binding has a similar appearance to standard or traditional binding but without showing any stitching. It’s not stitched – it’s glued. Instabind is available in 22 stock colors and a variety of styles. It’s more durable than traditional carpet binding and actually helps reinforce the carpet backing along the cut edges. 

For specific instructions about how to use Instabind to bind a rug or a carpet, click here. Or watch our instructional video:

 

How Much Does It Cost to Bind Carpet Edges?

The cost of having a carpet bound by a professional will vary from place to place, but expect that it will be at least $2 dollar per linear foot (measure the perimeter of your carpet) if you use polyester carpet binding tape which is the least expensive kind. 

If you want to bind your carpet yourself using Instabind, you can purchase it in standard 54 or 216 ft rolls (priced by the roll) or custom size lengths with a $.40 per foot up-charge (priced by the foot). Please note the diameter is estimated to be 9/32″ wide. We recommend that you use latex-based hot melt glue sticks for a long-lasting strong hold. 

If you have any further questions about carpet binding tape, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We are always happy to answer questions about carpet binding, whether you need help with your small carpet project as a first time DIYer or whether you have your own carpet binding machine and need assistance keeping it tuned and maintained. Call us! We are here to help.

Bond Products offers our ProDriveHD line of well-made, durable tools for our customers who work with carpet and flooring or enjoy DIY projects. One of these is Bond’s heavy duty hand-binding stapler. Let’s talk about how this handy tool is made and what it can be used for. 

Carpet Binding 

Carpet does not come with finished ends. When it’s cut to fit a space, it needs to be bound to both look nice and to keep it from wearing out or unraveling over time. Carpet binding is the art of applying stitching, or fabric and adhesive to the ends. There are three common ways of doing this: binding, serging, and fringing. 

Carpet professionals cut very large pieces of carpet down to size and then use a carpet binding machine to bind the edges to create a beautiful area rug, runner, or mat that matches the needs of their customers’ taste and space. 

Watch Brian demonstrate Bond’s “One size fits all” PBB2X bobbinless carpet binder in action: 

Bond’s Hand-Binding Stapler

Bond’s hand-binding stapler is an ideal stapler for binding area rugs or carpet samples. It is excellent for tagging the tabs underneath the end of the binding when they come off the edge of the machine. It can also be used for hand binding like a little blind stitch. You can staple at any angle on fabric, paper, or other materials, and its curved handle is designed to eliminate the soreness that can result from using a heavy-duty hand stapler for any length of time. 

This stapler uses our premium quality 5/16” galvanized 24/8 staples, and it’s a simple and quick job to fill its rear-loading magazine with them. 

This is a well designed tool that is made to stand up to daily use for years. 

As always, if you have any questions about our carpet binding products or any items we sell, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to help you find what you need to get your home project done or make your carpet binding work easier and faster to do. 

 

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
• Safety edge style
• Faux leather 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?

 

Next week from January 31 to February 2, 2023 Brian Milnes will be representing Bond Products at Surfaces or The International Surface Event (TISE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. He will be displaying a variety of our products in Tool Alley in booth #4360. If you’re planning to be at Surfaces, please stop by and say hello!

Surfaces is the largest North American event for the floor covering, stone, and tile industry. Flooring professionals go every year to purchase products related to the flooring trades and learn about what’s up and coming in flooring. 

If you will not be in Las Vegas next week but would still like to take advantage of our Surfaces 2023 sale, you’re in luck! 

Shop Bond’s Surfaces Sale! 

For the duration of the event, shop the entire inventory on our website using the discount code TISE23 and save 10% on any order you spend over $50 on. We offer a wide variety of high quality flooring products in our Pro Drive HD™ line of supplies. Tested with professionals in mind, our flooring products are sure to serve your needs – and at a competitive price. This would be a great time to stock up on staples, staple guns, mallets, mallet caps, L-cleats, or finish nails for your professional or DIY flooring project. 

If you’re in the market for a machine to expand your business’s capabilities, now is the time to invest. Save on our carpet binding machines, portable binders, tapestry binders, and sergers. Don’t forget about our Instabind styles and the other binding and serge tapes we offer too.  We sell all the products that you need to work any of these machines to their full capacity. We’d love to show you what they can do at our booth at Surfaces.

If you have any questions about our catalog or which products would be best for your needs, do not hesitate to call us at 1-888-800-BOND. Shop now and save!

Binding corners is a more challenging part of the process of binding carpets and rugs. It can be tricky to bind something with a 90-degree corner and make it look completely professional. Fortunately, we at Bond Products have several tips for making it easier to create great looking finished carpets no matter how many corners they have. 

Binding Corners Using a Carpet Binder

In this video Brian demonstrates how to bind a piece of carpet that has an inside corner using a Bond Model TMB1 Double Puller carpet binder. Many stair runners have inside corners that have to be bound and so do carpets that are cut and installed around fireplace corners and other decorative room elements.

The way you accomplish this is to bend and crease the carpet corner into a straight line so that you can sew the binding on right through and make a perfect looking corner. You can do this with a table model carpet binder or a portable binder.

Blind Stitching a Carpet with a Mitred Corner

If you need to blind stitch a carpet with a mitred corner, we have a video that shows you how to do that too! 

Here the carpet binding is sewn to the rug using a PBL-TX tapestry binder, and then it’s wrapped around the edge using Bond PSA Double-sided EasyTape and a hot glue gun for a beautiful look. You can use either glue or our SSTGU81 Pro-Drive Heavy Duty Hand-binding stapler to tuck the binding tabs under the carpet at the corners. 

You may think binding corners looks difficult, but with the right tools and a little experience, it really is not hard at all. If you have questions about what products you need for any carpet job, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND, and our customer service team will be happy to help you get exactly what you need. 

 

The holiday season is upon us, and for most families that means some change ups around the house and decorative gifts. Some people go all out for Christmas and switch out their decor completely, while others like to put up a tree and focus on a pretty accent piece like a holiday themed area rug. There’s quite a selection of holiday rugs to choose from. 

A new area rug is also an excellent gift idea for someone with either bare floors or an appreciation for fine craftsmanship. One question that this all raises, however, is: What do you do with your old rug when you’ve replaced it with a new one? The two most common solutions would be to either donate it to charity or a friend or throw it away. There are other ideas, though. Let’s go through a few of them.

Hang an antique rug on the wall. People from many other cultures hang rugs as decorations, not just because they are beautiful, but because they offer further insulation against cold or heat. A smaller area rug hung on the wall can be just as much of a conversation piece as a painting or other original piece of art because fiber art is fine and intricate.

Use the rug as a canvas. Do you have creative impulses? Here’s a new opportunity. You can paint a rug, stencil it, attach glitter or beads to it, or cut patterns into it to add interest. Damaged larger rugs can be cut down to make smaller rugs, welcome mats, or even floor mats for the car. If the alternative is throwing it away, you’re not taking a risk by experimenting on it first. Your kids may need to be entertained during the holiday break from school, and they might love the chance to deconstruct a rug and make it into something else.

Keep your old rug in your trunk. It’s a real hassle to clean out a car’s trunk. There are all kinds of little crevices that dirt and small objects get trapped in. Putting an old rug inside the trunk interior will help to keep it cleaner. It’s useful in other ways too. That rug can be taken out and used to make the ground more comfortable and pleasant – like when you go for a picnic or to see the fireworks. A rug offers better protection from the damp or cold than a blanket.

These are just a handful ideas for what you might do with an old rug, but there are many more online. If you do get a new rug this Christmas, think twice before you throw out the old one. It may have possibilities you never considered!

Bond’s customer service representatives often about how to finish off or bind a carpet project. For many types of rugs, including ones made from carpet remnants, the answer can be, “Use Instabind.” For the question of how to bind a latch hook rug, it’s a little more complicated. There are at least two methods for binding a latch hook rug, and we will go over them here. 

Making a latch hook rug is an easy and fun project that even young children can enjoy. There are many types of beautiful rugs. Designing and hooking a latch hook rug is a good introduction to the art of rug making for all ages. When the hooking part of the project is finished, then it’s time to bind it to make sure it looks neat. 

The Hand Sewn Method of Binding a Latch Hook Rug

One way to bind a latch hook rug is to hand sew the edges. To do this you will need scissors, a tapestry needle, and yarn or strong thread as well as the latch hook project itself. 

Typically, latch hook projects will leave about an inch of unhooked space around the edges. To bind the rug, fold this inch of rug canvas down along the back of the rug. Then thread the tapestry needle with the yarn or strong thread and, using a whip stitch, sew the folded rug canvas to the back of the project at the edges. When you reach the corners of the project, you will want to cut out the small square of rug canvas where the edges overlap and keep stitching. When you have stitched all four sides of your rug, break your thread or yarn and knot it tightly. 

Because the yarn on latch hook rugs is long and often shaggy, the edges will be hidden by the length of the yarn. If you use the hand sewn method, the yarn will remain the visual focal point, but the project will not look as neat as if you bound it with binding tape.

Binding a Latch Hook Rug with Binding Tape

If you want your latch hook rug to look more finished and neat, you can bind it with binding tape. To do this, trim the edges of the finished rug. Leave space on the canvas two complete grid squares deep. This will be about a half an inch of canvas, and you will use it to attach the binding. 

Choose a binding tape that matches the rug. Press the edge of the tape as close to the edge of the finished rug as you can and pin it to one side of the canvas. Then, using a sewing machine, sew the binding tape to the canvas. Use a new strip of binding tape for each side of the rug, and sew each of them in place. 

The next step is to take the unsewn edges of the binding tape and pin them to the bottom of the rug. This will hide the edges of the canvas grid. From here you will hand sew them in place using an overcast stitch. When you have sewn all four edges, make a tight knot, and voilà, you’re done!

With the binding of your latch hook rug complete, you can use it either as a floor covering or a wall hanging. If you intend to use it as a regular rug, you may want to browse Bond’s selection of rug backing products. These include products that protect your flooring from scratches as well as one that keep rugs in place to prevent slipping accidents. 

Enjoy your beautiful latch hook rug! 

 

 

 

In the past couple of years when people have spent more time at home, the concepts of nesting, coziness, and mindfulness have become more popular. When winter comes, these seem all the more compelling. The Danes have a word for this: hygge. Let’s take a look at what it means. 

What Is Hygge? 

The Danish concept of hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”), refers to finding comfort, pleasure, and warmth in simple, soothing things like drinking coffee before a warm fire, snuggling under a soft blanket, putting on soft socks, or spending time pursuing simple pleasures with friends and family. In fact, this is not just a Danish concept. Other Scandinavian cultures like Norway and Sweden also have come up with many practical ways to emotionally and physically sustain themselves through their long, cold, dark winters. 

What Is a Hygge Rug?

There is no specific hygge rug, but there are plenty of different kinds of rugs that can be used to make a room feel like a warmer and cozier place to be. Rugs have that transformative character. They can make a cold, tiled room feel softer and more inviting. They can add artistic interest to any space. If you’re looking to create a hygge atmosphere in your home, here are several types of rugs that work well for this purpose: 

Wool Rugs 

Wool, because it’s animal fleece, is perfect for keeping out both cold and damp. It both looks and feels warm, acts as a natural insulator, and even helps to control allergies. There are so many wonderful kinds of wool rugs that you may have difficulty choosing between antique Persian rugs and wool contemporary ones. Take your time and choose well – wool rugs last a long, long time. 

Shag Rugs

The long, long strands of shag rugs feel like they are hugging your feet when you walk on them barefoot or in your fleece socks. Shag rugs were a design phenomenon in the 1960s, but now they can be used in a variety of settings to create a funky, hygge mood.

High Pile

Besides shag, there are many other types of high-pile rug choices that will give you the same soft, buoyant feel when you walk or sit on them. Is it a rug or a place to take a winter nap? You decide. 

Handmade Rugs

Braided rugs, hooked rugs, hand-woven rugs…all of these are fiber art that add a cozy, personal touch to a room. Hygge is all about feeling comfortable and content. Homemade art like quilts and knit throws go well with handmade rugs for a layered aesthetic. Bonus points for adding plenty of color, because winter days can be very gray.

If you want to create a hygge feel in your home, remember that hygge is not a specific style, it’s a mindset. If the rug you choose helps you to relax and lower your stress level, it’s a hygge rug. 

For all your rug and carpet needs, remember to call Bond Products at 1-888-800-BOND. We can help you find what you need to bind, serge, or replace your worn out carpet bindings and fringes. 

 

News commentators and economists have been discussing the possibility of the R word – recession – for some months now. As with any recession, it’s always good for a company to take a hard look at what is working and what can be added or changed to become more profitable and efficient. Investing in equipment to increase product or service offerings can be useful. Right now Bond Products has a number of quality reconditioned used or refurbished carpet binders for sale. If you want to expand your business and are looking for a more affordable way to do it, take a look at our used carpet binding equipment. 

New Strategies for Success 

While economic downturns are never fun for businesses, they can be weathered if companies look for ways to trim and transform themselves. Adding another skill to your business’s portfolio by purchasing a carpet binder or serger can increase income for your flooring business. Customers will typically pay $7-12 per linear foot to add wide tapestry borders to carpets and rugs. 

With training, skill, and the right carpet binding equipment, you can create attractive, fully finished rugs ranging from functional to art either on location or on site. This is a simple and straightforward way to expand your customer base.

Quality Used Carpet Binding Equipment

Bond Products offers both new equipment and quality reconditioned used or refurbished equipment to our customers. If you have not yet checked out our clearance outlet page, what are you waiting for? The right machine may be waiting, and we include a 60-day warranty with every used machine we sell. 

Our used equipment inventory changes all of the time, so if you don’t see what you need right now, keep checking back. You never know what kind of great deal may be available. 

As always, if you have any questions about which type of equipment would be best to invest in, call our customer service professionals at 1-888-800-BOND today. Whether you’re interested in new or used carpet binding equipment, we will be happy to help you make the perfect choice for your business. 

As with any other tool, it’s important to remember best safety practices when you use your glue gun to adhere objects together. In this blog we will go over some advice on glue gun safety so you do not have to worry when you use yours for work jobs or hobby crafts. 

Glue Gun Risks

Glue guns are designed for a number of uses and by people of all ages. There are even glue guns for children. This is possible because both the guns and hot-melt adhesive glue are generally safe to use. Poor quality glue guns can pose a safety risk, like the Crafter’s Square glue gun recalled by Dollar Tree earlier this year. It’s worth the extra money to purchase a high quality glue gun that you can use without worry. 

The tip of the glue gun can get very hot, and the glue in its molten state can also burn skin, so injury is possible. However, by taking the right safety measures, these risks can be avoided.

Glue Gun Safety

• Most hot glue gun injuries are burns to the fingers and hands. To avoid burns, use your glue gun carefully along with protective safety gear like gloves, long-sleeved shirts, and safety glasses. The hot glue can also damage surfaces like tables, so using a drip mat is advised. 
• Before you plug in your glue gun, check to see if there is any damage to the casing or fraying of the cord. Keep it away from flammable materials, and use it in a clean, dry, well-ventilated work environment. 
• Only run your glue gun at the recommended temperature which is designed to avoid overheating the glue and creating toxic vapors. 
• Do not lay a hot glue gun on its side or tilt a hot glue gun upward. Use the safety stand to keep it upright when you are not using it. 
• Do not leave a hot glue gun unattended for the same reason. This is a fire hazard. Unplug it if you are not using it right away. It doesn’t take long for a glue gun to heat up, and it’s not worth risking a fire for convenience if you need to step away from your task..
• To remove the nozzle, unplug the glue gun and allow it to cool down until warm, but not cold. Do not touch the warm nozzle without protective gloves. 
• If you get hot glue on your skin or in your eyes, rinse or submerge the area in cold water immediately. Do not try to remove the melted glue from the skin as it might open a deeper wound. Seek medical attention if serious injury has resulted. 

A high quality glue gun used in the correct way is a great tool for flooring, woodworking, decorative crafts, household repairs, and more. Safety first is always the way to go, though. If you have any questions about the right glue gun for your project, call Bond Products at 1-888-800-BOND. Our customer service representatives will be happy to help you find what you need. 

 

  

 

Carpet binders, cutters, and bevelers are handy tools in the arsenals of carpet and rug professionals. They do have a tendency to clog, however, because they all work with fibers. This makes their maintenance important. To keep yours working smoothly when you do not have an available air compressor, we recommend using Bond’s E-Z Duster. 

E-Z Duster: Your Portable Air Compressor

Each aerosol can of Bond’s E-Z Duster contains 12 ounces of pure difluoroethane which is 100% ozone safe. Its air blast exceeds 70 psi, and it has a variable pressure trigger which allows you to control the release of clean, filtered, odorless air wherever you want to direct it. 

Despite its power, it’s safe to use and will not damage metal, plastic, glass, computer hardware, or mechanical equipment when used as directed. The 12-ounce can is the perfect size to carry with you and also small enough to store anywhere – at home, in your garage, in your car, in your toolkit, or at work. 

What Does It Clean? 

The high-pressure propellant E-Z Duster uses will quickly blow away dust, lint, dirt, sand, sawdust, moisture, and debris from any delicate surfaces like keyboards or printers, computers, cameras or other electronics, and, of course, carpet binders. It can be used to clean hard-to-reach areas too.  

If you need to dust items that are hard to wipe like plants, decorations, or craft materials, the E-Z Duster is your solution. Squeeze the trigger and you control how much moisture-free air pressure comes out. This is a hand-held air compressor that works for any use, no matter how delicate. 

At Bond Products we make E-Z Duster available in 12-ounce cans either singly or by the case. Because it’s an aerosol product, we can only ship it domestically within North America, so please choose the UPS Ground shipping option at checkout. 

We also carry other maintenance products that keep your carpet binding equipment in top condition like sewing oil and spray lube. For all of your carpet binding and installation needs, call us at Bond. We are here to help! 

 

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. How can you stop your area rugs from slipping out from underneath you when you walk on them? 

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 percent 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. 

Anti-Slip Products

The first type of anti-slip product is safety grips. Safety grips are squares that can be peeled and applied to the back of an area rug to help it grip the floor and prevent slipping. 

MOVENOT and SUPERMOVENOT rubber backing products are two-sided backing products. Both have a felt side and a rubber side. You can glue either to the underside of a rug. If you glue the gray felt side down, it will act to protect the floor from scratching. Gluing the rubber side down stops the rug from slipping on the floor or out of position and protects people from slipping and falling. 

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. 

Finally, we also offer RUGLOCK Spray which can be sprayed onto the back of an area rug to keep it in place. RUGLOCK is waterproof and spill proof and will adhere to any type of rug. This is the easiest product to use to stop rugs from slipping on any type of hard floor, and it won’t peek out from under the rug like a pad can. 

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 product 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. 

 

One of the biggest rug trends of 2022 is vintage rugs. While classic rugs like Persian rugs never truly go out of style, the distressed, vintage look is in. There are different options if you are interested in incorporating rugs of this type into your home decor. Here we will discuss the benefits of these rugs as well as what to do with your vintage rug once you’ve found the perfect one. 

Vintage = Chic + Environmentally Friendly

A current trend in home fashion is the move away from mass produced items to classic pieces and vintage treasures, including distressed rugs. Why? First, older vintage pieces are unique. They have a history that people connect with in different ways, and they can help create a one-of-a-kind look in the living room, bedroom, or other personal space. 

Second, vintage rugs are an eco-conscious choice following the “Reduce, reuse, recycle” motto. They already exist. No new resources need to be used to create them, and finding space for them keeps them out of the landfill. 

How Can You Tell If a Rug Is Vintage? 

Vintage can be defined as being between 30-99 years old (as opposed to antique which refers to items more than 100 years old). Here are some signs that indicate you’re dealing with a true older rug: 

• It shows signs of wear
• It feels gritty or smooth on the back
• It’s floppy or more supple than a new rug
• It has low or worn away rug pile 
• It’s dyed in colors that can be identified by period

Not every vintage looking rug will be vintage. Some companies offer affordable, machine washable, classic looking rugs that look good but are not vintage. If you want the look but don’t want to search for months through antique stores and flea markets, that may be a good solution. 

What To Do with a Vintage Rug 

If you do decide to purchase an older, distressed rug or you get lucky and inherit one, what should you do with it? We recommend three things. 

Have it professionally cleaned – Your rug may come with dirt, stains, pet urine, or cigarette smoke – all of which will cause harm to it if you don’t remove them. Because these crafted pieces are more delicate, you should take it to a professional to clean it. They will make sure it’s clean, dry, and odor free.

Have it professionally repaired – A certain amount of wear can give a rug historical authenticity or charm as it does to any other antique. If you intend to use it in your home, you should have loose yarns and frayed patches repaired, however.

Replace the binding – A new binding makes a real difference in the appearance of an older rug. Bond Products offers many different types of bindings for rugs made of both natural and synthetic fibers. You can do this at home yourself using Instabind or have a rug professional attend to it once the carpet has been restored.

Once your vintage rug is clean, repaired, and re-bound, it will be ready to be showcased in your home to great effect.  If you have any questions about carpet binding products, don’t hesitate to contact us at Bond Products today.

 

We’ve talked about some recent carpet trends, including waterproof carpet and recycled carpet. These are trends that focus on reducing waste and making life easier for families with children and pets. Another carpet trend that does the same is the carpet tile. Carpet tiles are easy to install, easy to replace, and useful in areas that are more prone to water damage and other hard use.

What Are Carpet Tiles?

Carpeting tiles are similar to other tiled floor options like ceramic or vinyl tiles. Typically carpet tiles come in squares that are 12 inches by 12 inches or 18 inches by 18 inches. Some carpet tiles have peel-and-stick backing that makes them a cinch to install yourself or pull up and replace. With traditional wall-to-wall carpet, a big stain can mean pulling the whole thing up and discarding it. That is a huge cost and a huge waste of carpet – even carpet that will be recycled. The same is true for pet stains. It’s basically impossible to get cat odor out of carpet. Even if your cat has only ruined one small area, the whole thing is a loss. Carpeting tiles solve this problem nicely.

Carpet tiles come in a variety of patterns and colors and can be mixed and matched for greater designer flair. They give you built-in flexibility in the future as well. Where you may have kept a hated armchair because it matched the rug, now you have the freedom to alter the rug and match a new design element to that alteration. Area rugs can be very expensive, and if you’re spending the money on one, you’re making a commitment. Carpeting tiles give you options.

If you’ve hesitated to carpet part of your basement because once in a while it gets wet, carpet tiles may be the solution. Waterproof carpet comes in tiles too.

What are Carpet-tile Rugs?

With so many different designs, it can be hard to choose which carpet tiles you love most. But you don’t have to! With carpet-tile rugs, you can create your own favorite rug simply and easily and fit it to your space. One option for carpet-tile rugs is to use the sticky back tiles to make a “permanent” pattern on your floor space. Another is to attach your tiles together and bind the whole thing with Instabind. This kind of rug can be moved around to any spot where it fits your decor.

Using carpet tiles or carpet-tile rugs looks to be a trend with legs. Homeowners will embrace any practical solution that decreases cost and increases their options in terms of design and repair. Check out the variety of carpeting tiles online if you’re curious about what’s available to work with now.

 

If you’ve been in the market for a good stapler, now is the time to buy! Bond Products has expanded our stapler inventory with three new stapler products. Let’s go through each of your new options. All three staplers make the carpet-installation process quicker and easier to accomplish.

Heavy Duty Hand-Binding Stapler

The SSTGU81 Pro-Drive Heavy Duty Hand-Binding Stapler #81 is a versatile stapler that allows you to staple at any angle. It can be used on a variety of materials, including carpet, fabric, and paper. Loading staples is simple, and our galvanized 24/8 staples work perfectly with this stapler. It features a curved handle that is designed to minimize hand soreness when working with this tool. 

2 Hammer Tackers

Bond now offers two different hammer tackers, also called pad staplers. A tacker is a powerful stapler tool. The difference between a tacker and a stapler is that a tacker shoots the legs of the staple right into the material without bending it. It’s held and swung like a hammer. 

Flooring professionals appreciate how fast hammer tackers work to connect wood and lighter materials like carpet. Gluing and nailing take much longer than stapling. DIYers also like how quick and easy they make an around-the-house job. 

Both of these tackers are constructed from steel, are chrome plated for durability, and feature an ergonomic handle grip for a more comfortable grip.  

The 05-5010 Hammer Tacker is our bottom-loading pad stapler. This makes it quick and easy to reload without losing any parts. The magazine capacity is 168 staples or two strips. It also features a big, round buffer plate. 

The G-11 A-11 ProDrive HD Hammer Tacker is our top-loading pad stapler with a quick clear jam release. Its magazine capacity is 84 staples or one full strip. 

As always, we have all the staples you need for any of these tools! If you have any questions about these staplers, the staples they use, or any of our other flooring products, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to find what you need and ship it to you quickly. 

 

Water has the power to be extremely destructive. Rain storms and floods bring devastation, but a little bit of water where you don’t want it in your home can also be extremely damaging. If your subfloor has too much moisture when you lay new flooring, the end result will be a mess. Flooring manufacturers understand this very well. If you’re a flooring installer or you want to guarantee the warranty on your flooring will be honored by the manufacturer, moisture testing your subfloor is a must. 

The Moisture Problem

Different flooring materials react differently if the subfloor is too wet, but what can go wrong? As it turns out, a lot. 

With tile floors, moisture can break down the adhesive that secures the tiles to the floor. This results in loose tiles and, too often, mildew or mold growth beneath. Laminate and vinyl flooring often “float” above the subfloor, which means moisture cannot damage the adhesive, but it can damage the composition of the flooring or its finish. 

Water is the enemy of hardwood floors. Wood warps, cups, or buckles when exposed to moisture which creates bumpy and often discolored surfaces that have to be replaced. 

Perform Moisture Testing to Protect Your Floors

If you don’t want water damaged flooring, there is a solution. Test for moisture before you install the flooring to make sure the moisture levels are at the level the manufacturer requires. If the subfloor is too wet, it can be dried out using fans or dehumidifiers. 

If the floor is not tested and its moisture level documented, the warranty on the flooring will very likely be nullified. Manufacturers require this because they have had to replace hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of flooring over the years since the EPA restricted the content of organic solvents in flooring adhesives. If you install flooring professionally or want to install your own flooring, you will want to do the job correctly to make sure the warranty will not be voided. Every flooring manufacturer has its own warranty terms with specific conditions that must be met and documented with written verification. 

If you want to successfully install flooring or become an inspector of warranty work, Bond Products now offers two moisture testing products, the Tramex Moisture Meters kits. 

The first kit is the Ultimate Concrete Moisture Test Kit. It measures the moisture content, relative humidity, and dew point of concrete floors and slabs. It contains the following: 

• Concrete Moisture Encounter X5 -CMEX5
• Moisture Encounter 5 – ME5
• Free app available for android and iOS (phone not included)
• Feedback Datalogger – DL-RHTX
• 3 x Hygro-i2 Relative Humidity Probe
• Heavy-duty Pin-type electrode
• Hammer-action pin-type electrode
• Infrared Thermometer
• Calibration Check Salt
• Hole liners
• Extension handle

The second kit is a smaller collection of tools, the Compact Concrete Moisture Test Kit. This kit is capable of measuring the relative humidity and moisture content of concrete and wood flooring. It contains: 

• Concrete Moisture Encounter X5 – CMEX5
• Free app available for Android and iOS (phone not included)
• 1 x Hygro-i2 Relative Humidity probe
• Heavy-duty Pin-type Wood probe
• Hole liner

If you have questions about which moisture testing kit would work best for your flooring installation needs and budget, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to talk to you and make a recommendation. Don’t wait until you have a flooring failure, get your moisture testing kit, and start using it on your next job!