Brian’s Blog

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.

One of the products in Bond’s Pro Drive HD™ line that we haven’t yet talked about is our staples. Bond carries several types of staple guns and a wide variety of staples as well. Here we will list the types of staples, what their best uses are, and which staple guns they are suitable for use with. 

Staple Guns

Bond offers a hand stapler and a pneumatic stapler. 

The SSTGU81 Gunlach Heavy Duty Hand-binding Stapler #81 is a quality hand stapler. In the carpet industry, it’s used to attach 1½” binding tape to carpet and will staple the tails on corners because it will staple at any angle. Many people also use it in the flooring industry and for fabric and paper. Its curved handle reduces quick soreness that can result from use. 

Use the SSTGU248 24/8 5/16″ Galvanized Staples with the Gunlach stapler. They are 5/16” in length and come in a package of 5000 staples. 

We talked about why a pneumatic stapler is such a useful tool back in January. The pneumatic stapler we have available to purchase is the 18 GA Underlayment Stapler with Extra Capacity Aluminum Magazine. This stapler is used for flooring installation and has a bump/single fire operation and a fast jam release. Use GA staples from 7/8″ to 1-9/16″ in length with this stapler. 

If you would like to use this stapler out of the box in one package deal with the necessary staples, we offer that too. 

The Right Staple for the Job 

Here are the types of staples we have available for sale, along with what they are used for: 

15-1/2 GA 1-1/2″ Flooring Staples 10,300 ct per box 

15-1/2 GA 1-3/4″ Flooring Staples 9,000 ct per box

15-1/2 GA 2″ Flooring Staples 7720 ct per box

These flooring staples are used for 3/4″ hardwood or Maple flooring applications into wood sub-floors. They are E-G galvanized for rust resistance but not recommended for ACQ-treated lumber. Over time these staples may corrode, due to galvanization thickness. They are not intended to prevent rust on exterior applications. To ensure maximum protection, use stainless steel type 316 staples.

These staples perform. They will meet any manufacturer’s quality standards. We guarantee that they will fit 15-1/2 GA flooring tools, including Stanley Bostitch® tools or we will give you your money back.

The following staples have a blunt chisel point. They are thinner than a 15.5 GA staple or a 16 GA L-cleat and have a reduced chance of splitting. They are E-G galvanized to protect from rust. These are the most cost efficient staple we offer. 

18 GA NC1000L13D 1″ Premium  steel 1/4″ Crown Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is similar to Duo-Fast® 1832 and fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers models plus Hitachi® N3804AB3 & Spotnail® WS4840 & TC4825. It fits most 18 gauge 1/4″ narrow crown staple tools including: BeA®: 90/38-150 / Bostitch®: S32SX, SX150, T40SX-CT / Craftsman®: 18300, 18306,18367, 18406, 18435 / Duo-Fast®: KN1848, KN1848A, KB1836, KS7648 / Fasco®: F20P 90-40 / Hitachi®: N3804AB / Jamerco®: JTS061825, 1838a, 1838H / Makita®: AT638 / Porter-Cable®: NS100, NS100A, NS150 / Senco®: A100LS, A150LS, SKS-L, SLS20-L, SLS25L, SLS25XP / Spotnails®: @WS4840, FS4825.

It WILL NOT FIT : Paslode® 3/16″ Crown Staplers.

18 GA NC0875L12D 7/8″ Underlayment Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is similar to Duo-Fast 1828 and fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers models plus Hitachi® N3804AB3 & Spotnail® WS4840 & TC4825. It fits most 18 gauge 1/4″ narrow crown staple tools including: BeA®: 90/38-150 / Bostitch®: S32SX, SX150, T40SX-CT / Craftsman®: 18300, 18306,18367, 18406, 18435 / Duo-Fast®: KN1848, KN1848A, KB1836, KS7648 / Fasco®: F20P 90-40 / Hitachi®: N3804AB / Jamerco®: JTS061825, 1838a, 1838H / Makita®: AT638 / Porter-Cable®: NS100, NS100A, NS150 / Senco®: A100LS, A150LS, SKS-L, SLS20-L, SLS25L, SLS25XP / Spotnails®: @WS4840, FS4825.

It WILL NOT FIT : Paslode® 3/16″ Crown Staplers.

18 GA NC1250L15-8 1-1/4″ Premium  steel 1/4″ Crown Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is similar to Duo-Fast® 1840. It fits ALL Duo-Fast® SureShot Staplers. It fits most 18 gauge 1/4″ narrow crown staple tools including: BeA®: 90/38-150 / Bostitch®: S32SX, SX150, T40SX-CT / Craftsman®: 18300, 18306,18367, 18406, 18435 / Duo-Fast®: KN1848, KN1848A, KB1836, KS7648 / Fasco®: F20P 90-40 / Hitachi®: N3804AB / Jamerco®: JTS061825, 1838a, 1838H / Makita®: AT638 / Porter-Cable®: NS100, NS100A, NS150 / Senco®: A100LS, A150LS, SKS-L, SLS20-L, SLS25L, SLS25XP / Spotnails®: @WS4840, FS4825.

It WILL NOT FIT : Paslode® 3/16″ Crown Staplers.

The following staples are made of premium graded steel. They have an improved point, superior strip integrity, and holding power and do not bend or break. 

20 GA 5010D 5/16″ Divergent PAD Staples 5,000 CT – This staple is compatible with: CS-500 Duo-Fast®, EWC-5018A Duo-fast®, HT-550 Classic Duo-Fast®, SureShot®5020 DLAF Duo-Fast®, SureShot® 5020 S Duo-Fast®, SureShot® 5020 Duo-Fast®. OLDER MODELS: CT-859A, EWC-5018, HT-550, JP-5020, JP-5020 DL, JS-5020 DL. 

A-11D 3/8″ Hand or Electric staples 5,000 CT – This staple is equal to Arrow T50. Use this with Slap Stapler– Interchangeable with Senco® A-11, Duo-Fast® A-11, Rapid® 11, JK671. It fits Arrow® CT50K, ETFX50, ETF50BN, ETN50, HT50, T50PRN, ET50, ETC50 Electric Staple Guns. Air Staple Guns Fasco® F1B A11-16, AUTO, L/M. 

19GA 7512D 3/8″ Divergent PAD Staples 5,000 CT– This staple is for use with HT-755 Duo-Fast® series 3/8″ x 15/32″ Crown.

20GA 5418D 9/16″ Divergent Electric Staples 5,000 CT (14MM) – This staple is GUARANTEED to fit all 5400 & 5418 SERIES & Older Models: BN-54245, BND-5424 SP284, ENB-5418A, ENC-5418A SP330, ENC-5418A SP330A, ENC-5418A. 

The final two types of staples we offer are: 

16 GA 7/16″ Crown Staples “N” WIRE Available in DIFFERENT LENGTHS – This staple is ideal for sheathing, soffits, underlayment, lattice, cabinets, case backs, drawers, and more. It’s electro galvanized and made to fit Senco N series and Hitachi, Porter Cable and similar N WIRE staplers. It’s similar to Senco® N17BAB staples and available in sizes 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″. These above lengths are 7/16″ crown x 3/4″ leg,16 gauge. 

3/8 Arrow Electric Gun Staples 3/8″ #T50 – This is a 3/8″ | 10 mm staple that’s great for carpeting, plywood, lattice, and paneling. It comes in boxes of 5,000 staples. 

Bond’s Staples – “Superior Products At The Right Price©” 

As you can see, we have a full line of staples and quality staplers to meet your needs. If you need staples, staple guns, mallets, mallet caps, L-cleats, or finish nails for your flooring project, shop our Pro Drive HD™ line of supplies or call us at 1-888-800-BOND with any questions. We will be happy to help you. 

We have answered many carpet binding questions on this blog over the years, but one we haven’t yet answered is: “How thick is carpet binding tape?” Let’s talk about binding tape thickness – specifically binding tape width – and what people need to know about carpet binding. 

A Quick Refresher: 

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.

People use binding tape for a number of purposes besides binding carpet or turning a remnant into a rug, including crafts, home decor, and, most recently, making face masks. They are useful for these purposes because binding tape comes in a number of fabric types as well as a large variety of colors, so it’s easy to match or complement the fabric or material you are binding it to. 

Binding tape is attached to carpet by either hot glue, stapling, or sewing. Instabind is attached with hot glue and is typically used for smaller DIY rug projects. It comes in regular, cotton binding, faux leather, synthetic serge, cotton serge, rope edge, outdoor marine, and safety edge varieties. 

How Thick Is Carpet Binding Tape? 

Binding tape that is used to bind carpets with carpet binding machines comes in a number of thicknesses, but the most common are ⅞ and 1¼ inches. The thicker the carpet or rug being bound, the thicker the binding tape has to be to cover the edge. Bond Products sells binding tape in these thicknesses:

• Cotton 7/8″ Serging Tape
• Cotton 1¼” Serging Tape
• Cotton 3” and 5” Wide Sisal Binding Tape
• Polyester 3” Binding Tape
• Cotton ¾”, 1¼” Binding Tape
• Polyester 13/16 ” and 1¼” Binding Tape
• Veltron “Mega” ⅝”, ⅞”, 1 ¼”  Polyester Binding Tape
• Marine ⅞”, 1¼”  Polyester Felt Binding Tape

These tapes are available in a full spectrum of colors to match whatever kind of carpet is on the market for sale. 

During the carpet binding process, the carpet will be cut down to the desired shape. It may also be beveled and tapered toward the edges. This will affect how wide the binding tape has to be and make the tape lie neatly at the edges. 

Bond Products also has carpet binding equipment for sale as well as other quality equipment, including sergers, cutters, bevelers, and machine package deals. If you have further questions about binding tape thickness or need carpet binding tape or anything necessary to bind carpet, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be glad to help you. 

 

2020 has been a very challenging year for businesses. Many of the services that companies have provided are either temporarily not in demand or prohibited by government mandated lockdowns. As is the case in any recession, now is the time to look at what your company does and see if you can make adjustments to remain profitable or regain profitability. One of the ways to survive is to change your product and service offerings. To do this, you may need to invest in quality equipment.

Find the Opportunities

Few people enjoy a recession. Times are tough. If you need to make changes to your business model, that can be hard and require some flexibility. All businesses have to look at consumer behavior now and then try to predict what it will be in the future, in both the short and the longer term. 

For example, if you have a carpet business and you have been installing carpet in new construction or residential homes, it’s likely that you’ve lost business in the past months. With the economy in freefall, fewer buildings are getting built. People have been ordered to remain in their homes and to isolate themselves from other people. Unemployed people have a lot less discretionary income to spend, so you may not be selling and installing nearly as much carpet as you were in 2019. 

In order to balance the loss of income from these streams, it’s possible to make changes in the services or products you are offering. If you, like many people, anticipate that the above trends might continue, you might want to look at offering services like binding and serging carpets, repairing area rugs, and selling area rugs. In the short term, rugs may be what is in demand and what people have the discretionary income to purchase. 

Investing in Quality Equipment

Bond Products offers a variety of high quality carpet binding machines and equipment for sale or lease including: 

• Portable sergers
• Portable binders
• Tapestry binders
• Stationary industrial table binders
• Table mount heavy duty sergers

If you would like to jump right into carpet binding and want everything you need to begin, we have machine deals that combine equipment and supplies and make everything as simple as possible. 

We also offer an assortment of carpet cutters and bevelers to suit your carpet cutting application. These range from simple carpet scissors and electric shears to portable bevelers and six blade carpet cove cutters. 

For customers who might want to invest in carpet binding equipment but limited budgets for equipment outlays, we also lease equipment and have used equipment for sale on our clearance outlet page. The equipment listed changes, so check back regularly to see if what’s in our clearance inventory fits your needs. 

Diversifying your service offerings or products is one way to survive the pandemic and recession. If you’re looking to invest in quality equipment like carpet binding, serging, or cutting machinery that will last over time, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to help you find exactly what you need. 

 

Roofing fasteners are a necessary component of any roofing job whether you’re installing a new roof on a home, a business, a commercial building, a pole barn, or a garage. The roofing screws you choose will make a difference in the overall strength and integrity of the roof. Bond Products has the roofing fasteners you need to get the job done right. 

Why Are Roofing Fasteners Important?

Using the right roofing screw will not only secure the roofing material to the building, it will have an impact on the building’s energy efficiency and the longevity of the structure. Choosing a good quality roofing fastener can also impact your homeowner’s insurance!

We have roofing fasteners in a number of different styles and powder-coated paint colors to match a variety of roof panel colors, creating a clean and attractive appearance on any structure. 

3” x 10 GA ¼” Hex Head Screws

These screws are self-drilling screws. They are designed to attach metal to wood on a house, porch, pole barn, shed, barn, or other utility building and are ideal for attaching roofing panels and siding on post-frame & residential metal roof applications. They utilize 16mm EPDM virgin rubber vulcanized to a steel washer. This forms an excellent seal even when the screw is driven at an angle.

The metal section of these screws are coated with an additional topcoat that exceeds 1,000 hours of salt-spray performance and the powder-coated head of the screw has a topcoat that reduces chalking or fading. They are available in the following colors:

• Classic red
• Terracotta
• Stone gray
• Slate gray
• Midwest green

1” x 10 GA ¼” Hex Head Screws

These self-drilling screws attach metal to wood and can be used for a variety of building projects, including roofing HVAC, steel stud framing, gutters, and register vents. They are ideal for attaching roofing panels and siding on post frame and residential metal roof applications. They use 12mm EPDM virgin rubber vulcanized to a steel washer forming an excellent seal even when the screw is positioned in the roof at an angle.

Like the roofing screws above, these 1” screws are premium mechanical coated with a topcoat that will exceed 1,000 hours of salt-spray performance and their heads are powder coated so they will resist chalking or fading. They are available in white and tan. 

1” #9 Hex Head Self-tapping Roofing Screws

This is a self-drilling screw as well, designed to attach metal to wood. They are C1022 steel hardened with a thread cutting end designed for penetrating wood. They are mechanical zinc/tin coated for 1,000 hours of salt-spray performance. Insert these screws with 12.7 mm EPDM steel-bonded washers which come bulk packed with the screws. Used together, they will form a great seal even when they are driven in at an angle. 

These roofing fasteners are commonly used on houses, porches, sheds, pole barns, and other buildings. They are ideal for attaching roofing panels and siding on post frame and residential metal roof applications and can be used for HVAC, steel stud framing, gutters, and register vents too. 

Roofing screw selection is important for ensuring that a roof will be strong and will stay strong over time. If you are not sure which type of roofing fasteners would best meet your needs, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We would be happy to talk over the specs of each screw type and advise you. 

 

Summer is here again. The days are long, warm, and sunny. After being cooped up in our houses during the COVID-19 lockdowns, most people are ready to be outside as much as they can. Life may be getting more “normal,” but many people are still not ready to spend lots of time in public spaces. For them one solution might be to extend their house outward to the outdoors where it’s easier to be social. If you want to make your porch, patio, or deck more attractive and cozy, what are your options for patio carpet? 

Patio Carpet Challenges

The main enemies of carpet are water, too much sunlight, dirt, and insects. If your outdoor living space is protected from moisture, as a three-season porch is, you can use whatever carpet type you like to decorate. Bear in mind that too much sun exposure will fade carpet, though. If your space will be exposed to all of the above, there are still a number of possibilities for patio carpet or deck carpeting. 

Carpet Options for Outdoors

In terms of aesthetics, it’s hard to improve on carpeting or rugs made of natural materials. They look wonderful outside because the materials they are made from, such as jute or bamboo, naturally belong outdoors. They will blend in beautifully with stone or wood. Their only downside is that they will be more vulnerable to staining, mold growth, and decomposition. You will have to take some care in maintaining them. 

If your space will be used regularly or face tough challenges like high traffic or use by children and pets, opting for indoor/outdoor carpeting or rugs is a good choice. Waterproof carpets are excellent for the pool area or around a hot tub or spa. The plastic fibers in indoor/outdoor carpets are resistant not just to water, but to dirt, fading, stains, and mold. If they get dirty or smelly, they can be cleaned with a mild bleach solution. 

We talked about another solid option for outdoor carpeting in our last blog, and that’s artificial turf. It’s a bit more complicated to install artificial turf than it is to install carpeting and certainly more complicated than to add rugs. Still, for the right location and the right use, artificial turf is a wonderful long-term solution in the home for areas next to decks or patios. 

Adding small rugs to porches or patios is an easy way to make a space pretty and cozy. Smaller rugs can easily be removed if the weather gets too wet. They dry faster in the sun than larger carpets. If you have a carpet remnant, you can always cut out a small piece and bind it with Instabind to make a rug for your space. Our new Instabind colors are all earth tones. They complement a variety of colors and patterns and look good on carpets for the living room or the porch or patio.

For outdoor rugs, we’d also suggest our Outdoor Marine Instabind. It’s especially suited for the wear and tear nature specializes in. The Outdoor Marine Instabind couples well with our Hi-Temp adhesive glue sticks for a tough rug binding that will stand up to heat and moisture. 

Many homeowners have invested time, sweat, and money into their homes this year because they had down time or were stuck at home during quarantines. It was a good time to accomplish a project or finish up one already started. If you’re working on making your porch, patio, or deck a little nicer this summer, don’t forget to add a rug or patio carpet. 

 

Installing artificial turf is a landscaping choice many homeowners or organizations are making for areas of their property that they want to look neat and attractive without a lot of maintenance. Home putting greens, pet runs, play areas, pools, tennis courts, and other athletic fields often utilize artificial turf. Installing artificial turf is more challenging than installing carpet. With the right tools and supplies, however, including the right turf tape and mallets, you can make any area attractive, easy to use, and easy to clean by landscaping artificial turf. 

Landscaping Artificial Turf

What do you need to install artificial turf that will stay put and look great? First, you need to break up the sod either with a tiller or a sod cutter  and remove all plant material from the section you are landscaping. If you do not remove all grass, weeds, or seeds, they will find a way to grow through your turf and create unsightly problems. So take your time and be thorough.

When you’ve entirely cleared the area, you will need to lay down crushed aggregate over the entire surface to the depth of two to four inches. When you’re finished laying it down, the aggregate should be level with the ground surrounding the piece that you are landscaping with artificial turf. Then you will need to add a 15-25 year weed barrier on top of the aggregate. This will ensure that any potential plant growth will be stifled and will not wreck your turf. 

When you’ve completed adding the aggregate and the weed barrier, you’ll begin installing the turf itself. You will need a carpet knife or box cutter to cut the turf. During the turf Installation, the trickiest part is making sure that the seams match up so that the artificial turf looks like all one lawn and there are no seam issues. 

Bond Products offers a variety of products to make that easier, including turf tape, turf seaming irons, a turf carpet tractor and even a turf seam sewing machine. With our turf tape, you won’t have to fumble around with messy pails of glue, trowels, and fabric. Just roll Bond’s turf tape out, line it up, heat with a high temperature iron, and lay the seam. In order to attach the turf solidly to the ground you’ll also need 6-inch galvanized nails. 

Bond also sells mallets and mallet replacement caps. These are very useful for spiking down the turf and hammering out bumps under the turf. You will want to make sure that the surface of the turf is entirely flat when you’re finished so that it looks and feels as good as possible when you’re walking or playing on it.

Once your artificial turf is seamed and attached, your job is almost finished. The final step is to  apply an infill material that will keep the turf down and flat. Brush the infill material over with a broom to make sure the entire backing is covered.

Landscaping artificial turf may sound like a difficult job, but with the right tools and supplies, most homeowners can install it on their own. The key is to make sure you have the right equipment and quality artificial turf and to take the time you need to do a good job start to finish. If you need turf installation supplies or mallets, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We are here to help you get everything you need to make your projects turn out perfectly.

 

During the last few months when many people have had extra down time, lots of them have used it to accomplish home improvement projects. We always encourage our customers to think about binding a piece of carpet to make it an area rug. It’s such a simple and rewarding project. You can use any carpet remnant you like. We have Instabind in a full spectrum of colors, including five new Instabind colors: Heather, Lead, Smoke, Graphite, Chestnut. 

New Instabind Colors

The five newest colors are all earth tones. Lead, Smoke, and Graphite are all variations of gray. Gray is a trending color right now for carpet and interior decorating. It complements both black and white color schemes and also other earth tones. Heather is a shade of tan, and Chestnut is a rich brown color. 

Earth colors are always appealing. People enjoy being in nature because nature helps them to relax and unwind physically and mentally. That’s why incorporating natural earth tones in interior decorating is so pleasing to the eye. Using them mimics the experience of being outdoors. 

Beige is becoming a popular choice as a neutral color and an earth tone too. Behr, the paint and stain company, recently announced its color of the year: Back to Nature. This shade is a light green shade with tan overtones. Behr stated: 

“The living room is the perfect place to prominently feature Back to Nature on the walls. This shade is at once soothing and warm as a welcome alternative to white. Green walls look absolutely amazing in a room with loads of natural light pouring through French doors or large windows. This is the ultimate place to set up a relaxing reading area, complete with a comfy sofa and side chair.”

We believe that this color and other earth tones are great colors for carpets and area rugs as well as walls. It’s easy to add a sisal rug to a hardwood floor. The rug’s natural fibers give the room texture and depth and make it more visually appealing. Wool is another excellent choice of rug material. It’s beautiful, it’s long lasting, and it helps to reduce allergies. 

How Much Instabind to Order

If you do not know how much Instabind to order for your project, click here for our handy tutorial. It’s very simple to measure your rug or carpet remnant and order the right amount. We also offer Instabind package deals for anyone wanting everything necessary to bind a carpet remnant in one kit. 

If none of the five new Instabind colors appeal to you, we have a wide selection of other colors available. Take a look at your options and then call us at 1-888-800-BOND to place your order for Instabind and any other carpet binding needs you might have. 

 

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, there has been a much greater demand for personal protection equipment (PPE) for both personal and professional use. Because so many hospitals did not have adequate equipment and supplies went to them first, many people were left scrambling to find hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves. The grocery stores and pharmacies ran out of these supplies fast and still have empty shelves. If you are looking for these hard-to-find items, we are happy to say that we have them in stock to order either separately or in kits.

Gloves, Masks, and Hand Sanitizer

We’ve done several blogs about how to make your own mask to wear out in public or to work. People making their own masks have helped meet consumer demand. It’s a lot harder to make your own gloves or hand sanitizer, though, so, in an effort to help our customers comply with local regulations to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Bond Products is now offering four different products (while supplies last). These are:

• Hand sanitizer in 4-ounce spray bottles – this hand sanitizer is an 80% alcohol, antiseptic, topical solution 
• KN95 masks – These 4-layer masks come in packages of 30
• Gloves – These disposable gloves come in packs of 40 (20 pairs) or 100 (50 pairs)

Some geographical areas of the United States have already lifted their lockdowns. In Pennsylvania the governor is lifting the lockdowns on a county-by-county basis, depending on how many coronavirus cases exist. Other states have been allowing certain industries to return to work as long as they take precautions to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. Not every area has experienced the coronavirus the same, but everyone wants to minimize the risk of having employees become sick. For this reason, providing staff with PPE and training them in using it to prevent the spread of the virus is vital. 

We are selling our gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer individually or in kits. If you have any questions about what you may need for PPE or any other carpet binding or installation needs, do not hesitate to call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to help you find what you require to keep working – either at home or on the job. 

 

In our last blog we talked about making cloth masks to help service workers, family members, and neighbors protect themselves from the coronavirus. Several of the products we sell can be used to make face masks with ties. This is useful for people who sew who may have enough fabric but have had a hard time finding elastic. Face masks that tie are also preferable in some ways than those with elastic. 

Sewing Face Masks to Help the Effort

When we look back at the COVID-19 epidemic, there will be a lot of difficult and frustrating things to remember, but one of the good things will be how people pulled together for each other and soldiered on. Frontline workers and those in essential industries kept working. Many people at home stayed busy making a difference by sewing face masks. They sewed all day and sometimes into the night, and they made do when they ran low on things like elastic. They created new patterns and taught others how to sew too. We’ve seen a lot of customers purchasing our ½-inch and ⅝-inch cotton #501 natural tapes and twill tapes as material for mask ties. 

One of our customers, W.C. Carpenter, has been making use of our cotton binding and donating them to people in need! They sent us these pictures of their work and the final result. Impressive!

A really nice thing about making face masks is that this is the perfect beginner sewing project. There are some more complicated face mask patterns available, but the simplest ones involve cutting rectangles and sewing them together in straight lines. If you can cut, pin, and sew a straight line, you can make a mask. 

Here’s what you will need: 

• High quality 100% cotton fabric
• Binding tape or twill tape
• Pins
• Thread
• Scissors

That’s it! Here is a great tutorial (with pattern) on how to make a two-layer, rectangular mask with a filter pocket. The type of mask allows you to add a piece of filtering fabric to make the mask more effective against viruses. 

Face masks with ties aren’t harder to make than masks with elastic, and they should hold up longer. This is important because they will have to be washed as protective gear. Elastic loses its elasticity over time, but ties will continue to work as long as the mask itself lasts. Some people prefer this type of mask because they think it’s more comfortable, especially if it has to be worn for many hours. Elastic can cut into the skin and pinch. 

If you would like to make face masks for yourself or others and need quantities of cotton binding tape or twill tape for the face mask ties, Bond Products has the supplies you need. Call us – we will be happy to help get you started.

 

Americans may be quarantined at home, but they are still working to combat the coronavirus. Many people are making cloth masks for frontline workers or family members to wear to protect themselves. Our awesome customers have asked about using our cotton binding tapes for surgical masks. Yes, cotton binding tapes and twill tapes can be used to make masks! Bond Products has created a coupon for you to use to get 10% off mask making supplies.

CDC Recommends Wearing Cloth Masks 

Last week the Centers for Disease Control came out with a recommendation for Americans to wear cloth masks or face coverings in public places, especially places where it’s hard to maintain the recommended distance of 6 feet between two people. This might mean at work for some people or at the grocery store or pharmacy for others. Wearing cloth masks can help slow the spread of the virus. Some people may be sick and not even know it, so wearing a face mask as an extra precaution would really help keep others around them safer.

Harvard Medical School also recommends wearing a mask if “you have respiratory symptoms like coughing or sneezing…This may help contain droplets containing any type of virus, including the flu, and protect anyone within three to six feet of the infected person.” Since cloth masks are reusable, they will still be good to have when the coronavirus outbreak is over. Cold and flu season is every year.

It’s important to wash and sterilize the masks after they are used, so making a number of masks if you are going to be out of the house on a regular basis would be advisable. You can wash them in hot water and use color-safe bleach to sterilize them. 

Making Cloth Masks to Wear

Cloth masks can be made from household items like t-shirts or cotton fabric. There are a number of tutorials online about how to make face masks. Some of them are very simple and others are designed to allow an extra protective insert or to be worn over an n95 mask. You can decide which would work best for you. 

One of the challenges for many people sewing masks has been to find elastic to use to fasten the masks over the wearer’s ears. We’re happy to say that our cotton binding tapes and twill tapes are ideal to use for fastening masks that tie behind the head or fasten behind the ears.

If you want to make cloth masks for your family, neighbors, or community members, enter the coupon code “MASK10” to save 10% on all cotton binding, twill tapes, hook & loop tape, glue guns, and scissors. The COVID-19 pandemic will not last forever, but until it ends, we’re all doing what we can to help each other survive it. Call us today or order online. Please stay safe and well! 

It’s a challenging time for the country and the world. While we’re quarantined, many of us suddenly have time on our hands. Some find that keeping busy with work helps to fight boredom and worry. If you’re wondering just what you’ll do stuck at home over the next days or weeks, now is a good time to work on some DIY projects, the kind you might have wanted to try but didn’t have the time for. 

What Kinds of DIY Projects?

It’s always a great time to make a rug out of a carpet remnant. If your kids are home from school, they can help you with this project because Instabind is very simple to use. All you have to do is cut your rug to size, measure the perimeter, then order the Instabind style and color of your choice, and apply it to the carpet remnant using a glue gun. Instabind is great for updating the interiors of cars, boats, and motorhomes too if yours need some sprucing up before you take them out of storage in a few months. Check out the video:

Another kind of project to tackle would be a more involved Easter craft with your kids. If you’re thinking of dyeing Easter eggs, why not try decorating DIY Easter eggs with hot glue. You can make all sorts of fun patterns using a hot glue gun. Most of our customers use hot glue guns for work, but glue guns are also excellent for crafting. You can use them to make baskets or nests or projects for any school theme your kids are now studying at home. 

It might be a good time to learn a new skill too, like rug carving, rug hooking, or braiding rugs. We have all the supplies you need for making rugs, carving rugs, and then adding non-slip backings to them so they will not slide on your floors and cause accidents. Making a rug really is an art and one that Americans did throughout the history of this country in order to add beauty and comfort to their homes and cabins. It’s the perfect practical, traditional craft. 

For any flooring project involving nails or staples, we have those too. Give us a call at 1-888-800-BOND for any question you might have about our inventory of supplies. We’ll be happy to help you find the right ones. 

A Note on Our Company

Bond Products received an exemption from the State of Pennsylvania and was allowed to re-open as of Monday, March 30, 2020. We had been taking orders over the phone and shipping them, but now we are truly open, although working with a reduced staff. We will ship whatever we have in stock, so if you have DIY, carpet installation, or rug binding needs, please call us, email, fax, or order online, and we will get you stocked up. 

It’s a difficult time for everyone. Please stay healthy and well. God bless you. 

 

In recent blogs we have discussed how higher tariffs and the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide will affect the prices and availability of necessary manufactured goods such as staples and nails. In this blog we will talk about the current logistics challenges and why problems with international shipping by ocean or by air look like they are not going away anytime soon. 

The Current State of International Shipping

Anything we state now about shipping is subject to change weekly, daily, and sometimes even hourly. The COVID-19 virus and China’s regional shutdowns in manufacturing areas greatly affected production of goods earlier in 2020. As China’s people have recovered from the coronavirus, production has too. Right now their production levels are about 70-75% of normal, and exports have resumed and are increasing too. 

The earlier shipping deficits in February and March, combined with an expected increase in demand in April and May, are going to create some problems. Shipping rates have increased and will continue to increase. There’s also a large imbalance in shipping container supply because China’s imports collapsed in February, so there are few containers in the U.S. and Europe presently. 

President Trump closed travel from Europe to the U.S. in order to fight the advance of the coronavirus, but that decision has caused massive disruption to transatlantic air freight. Without passenger flight service, air freight will have to go through freighter airport hubs, and this will be more expensive and result in more delays. 

Domestic logistics are also tricky right now. There were already trucker shortages in the U.S. Some companies are having to store goods longer than usual because they cannot be immediately shipped domestically from ocean ports.

The COVID-19 Outbreak Continues to Complicate

As the COVID-19 virus has spread to Europe and the U.S. it only makes shipping challenges more complicated. Italy locked itself down entirely last week. Areas of the U.S. like the San Francisco Bay Area are also locking down. In these areas cargo flow slows to a halt. It’s uncertain how many countries will institute lockdowns or what the rules of those lockdowns will be. Currently in the U.S. all terminals and airports continue to be operational, but that is subject to change at any given time. 

It’s hard to predict exactly what will happen with international shipping under these circumstances except to say that resources will be scarcer than usual and shipping costs much higher. That is guaranteed to affect consumer prices on goods and services. 

At Bond Products we want to be open about how the current challenges to the market affect us and, by extension, our customers. We are affected by the mandates of the City of Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania, but, unfortunately, these mandates are not the same, so the situation is confusing. At this time we are monitoring both and keeping our business open as we have fewer than 50 employees and are considered in part a hardware store and manufacturer. This may change, of course. If you have any questions about prices or availability of any of our products, please do not hesitate to contact us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to share with you what we know. 

 

 

 

 

Do you need mallets for your flooring installation needs? Bond Products has them! Anyone working in the wood flooring industry knows how useful and necessary rubber mallets are for installing floors. Having the right mallet makes all the difference for this job, so Bond offers several mallet choices as well as a variety of mallet caps to complement them. 

Different Mallets for Different Needs 

We currently offer three single head versions called MI (3.0lbs) and MIII (3.6 lbs). They both have an iron wedge while the third one, H081W, (3.1lbs) has a unique beveled head. All three come with a 6-ring grip and a white cap. Our MII mallet is comparable to Powernail® Mallet MIII. The handle of this mallet is made of 100% American hickory. The 6-ring wood grip is easy to use, and the rings carved into the handle prevent slippage during use and protect wear layer. 

This mallet comes with a replaceable non-marring white mallet cap that protects flooring material and tools from damage. Replacement caps are available for this mallet. They come in white, black, or gray for use with all types of pneumatic flooring nail staplers or nailers. 

The second type of mallet is a double head mallet. This mallet also has a cast steel head, weighs 3.3 pounds, and is 15 inches in length. It too is made of 100% American hickory and has a 6-ring wood ring grip that makes the grip comfortable and easy to hold. The double head design helps to protect the nailer from damage during use. The double head mallet is ideal as a rental tool and can be used with all types of pneumatic flooring nail staplers or nailers. 

The double head mallet comes with two premium mallet caps affixed with chrome plated steel retainer rings. This unit also takes replacement mallet caps in white, black, or gray as necessary. 

Both types of mallets are made in America and designed for hardwood floor installation to allow the user to apply maximum force with little effort. A good mallet makes the job of installing wood flooring simpler, easier, and safer. 

Bond happily supplies replacement mallet caps in white, gray, and black. Each mallet cap has a heavy-duty, chrome-plated steel retention ring that ensures a proper fit. Our mallet caps will fit all major flooring mallet brands. We guarantee they will fit your flooring mallet. Although anyone can use our mallet caps, they are designed for professionals, with long-lasting durability in mind. White and gray mallet caps are non-marring and used for prefinished woods, whereas black mallet caps are used for unfinished woods. All types of our premium mallets caps are sold either by the single cap or by the box (27 replacement caps). Volume options are also available.

If you have any questions about either type of mallet or the replacement mallet caps, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. Our customer service department will be happy to help. And for staples, staple guns, L-cleats, or finish nails for your flooring project, shop our Pro Drive HD™ line of supplies.