Brian’s Blog

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! 

 

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! 

 

We previously discussed America’s carpet history, but that was the history of commercial carpet making on large looms and, later, low pile looped carpet after nylon was invented. A more everyday carpet – the rag rug – was found in pioneer homes throughout the colonial and Western expansion periods.

The last half of the twentieth century was a period of unprecedented affluence for Americans. Before that time only the very rich could afford to redecorate in the sense that we think of it. People inherited furniture from their family members when they died. People inherited clothes too. This was because when you make something completely from scratch it’s a huge time investment.

Think about how much labor was involved for a housewife to make a wool dress, from the shearing of the sheep to the final stitches. Most people couldn’t go down to a fabric store and buy a bolt of wool to make something that would go on the floor. They couldn’t afford it! When the wool dress or the cotton trousers they wore got too ragged to wear, the fabric they were made of got used again. One way people did this was to make rugs out of the scraps.

Children were very often responsible for sewing narrow scraps of fabric together at the ends and winding them into balls. Sometimes these would be kept until the next rug project, and sometimes the rags were sold to people who produced these carpets for sale. With the invention of the industrial loom, much more fabric of all kinds was produced which resulted in a lowered price for fabric but also far greater scrap fabric availability. Very little was wasted; if it could be used it was, both in the home and to be sold.

There are many different types of rag rugs: woven, braided, coiled, knitted, or crocheted. Hooked rugs using a canvas backing were also common. Cotton scraps of various colors and patterns can be sewn on a machine and then crocheted to create an aesthetically pleasing finished product. From the earliest days of America to the Great Depression to now people became skilled in learning how to making something out of very little. The rag rug is both a historical artifact and a piece of art.

 

If you’re looking to add to your business’s capabilities by purchasing a carpet binding or serging machine this year, have we got a deal for you! Actually, Bond offers 5 deals on our line of portable binders and serging machines. In this blog we will go through everything our package deals include, and we think you will agree that, when it comes to providing what your business needs to get started right out of the box, we’ve got you covered.  

Bond Machine Package Deals

Our line of portable binders makes finishing carpet on site so simple and the results are clean and elegant looking. You will be proud of the work you can produce anywhere for your customers. Our machine package deals center around a combination of carpet binding machine + binding tapes. 

Deal #1 Bond Model PBB-1X Bobbinless 2×2 Binder – For this deal you get: 

• Bond Model PBB-1X Bobbinless 2×2 Binder AS WELL AS 
• The top 25 colors of ⅞” veltron binding 
• Free veltron binding color chart 
• 1-¼” serge tape folder attachment
• Folder bracket and guide plate for the second folder
• The top 5 colors in 1-¼” cotton serge tape
• Free cotton binding and serge tape chart
• Box of 100 #25 Needles 
• #75 Cleartone .012 thread canister (Spare)
• Bond Spray Lubricant
• Bond Sewing Softener
• EZ Duster
• Size 69 bonded nylon natural / white Tex 70

The value of all the combined extras in Deal #1 is $1,028.50, but we offer them at $875.26 with the total price of everything with the Bond Model PBB-1X Bobbinless machine for $5,926.25. It’s currently on sale for only $5,283.24. 

Deal #2 Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless 4X4 Binder – For this deal you get: 

• Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless 4X4 Binder AS WELL AS 
• The top 25 colors of ⅞” veltron binding 
• Free veltron binding color chart 
• 1-¼” serge tape folder attachment
• Folder bracket and guide plate for the second folder
• The top 5 colors in 1-¼” cotton serge tape
• Free cotton binding and serge tape chart
• Box of 100 #25 Needles 
• #75 Cleartone .012 thread canister (Spare)
• Bond Spray Lubricant
• Bond Sewing Softener
• EZ Duster
• 12/4 Tex 135 Glazed Cotton Color Maple thread

The value of all the combined extras in Deal #2 is $1,048.00, but we offer them at $892.81 with the total price of everything with the Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless machine for $6,890.75. It’s currently on sale for only $6,151.29. 

Deal #3 Bond Model PBB-1X Bobbinless 2×2 Binder – For this deal you get: 

• Bond Model PBB-1X Bobbinless 2×2 Binder AS WELL AS 
• The top 25 colors of 1-¼” veltron binding 
• Free veltron binding color chart 
• 1-¼” serge tape folder attachment
• Folder bracket and guide plate for the second folder
• The top 5 colors in 1-¼” cotton serge tape
• Free cotton binding and serge tape chart
• Box of 100 #25 Needles 
• #75 Cleartone .012 thread canister (Spare)
• Bond Spray Lubricant
• Bond Sewing Softener
• EZ Duster
• 12/4 Tex 135 Glazed Cotton Color Chestnut thread

The value of all the combined extras in Deal #3 is $1,176.75, but we offer them at $1,008.69 with the total price of everything with the Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless machine for between $6,074.50 – $6,174.50. It’s currently on sale for only $5,416.67 – $5,506.67. 

Deal #4 Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless 4×4 Binder – For this deal you get: 

• Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless 4×4 Binder AS WELL AS
• The top 25 colors of 1-¼” veltron binding 
• Free veltron binding color chart 
• 1-¼” serge tape folder attachment
• Folder bracket and guide plate for the second folder
• The top 5 colors in 1-¼” cotton serge tape
• Free cotton binding and serge tape chart
• Box of 100 #25 Needles 
• #75 Cleartone .012 thread canister (Spare)
• Bond Spray Lubricant
• Bond Sewing Softener
• EZ Duster
• Size 69 Tex 70 NATURAL / WHITE nylon thread 16 oz spl

The value of all the combined extras in Deal #4 is $1,157.25, but we offer them at $991.14 with the total price of everything with the Bond Model PBB-2X Bobbinless 4×4 machine for $7,000.00. It’s currently on sale for only $6,249.62. 

Deal #5 Bond Alpha Mini Portable Serger -The Bond Alpha Mini- 2000 Portable Serger works great for serging carpet anywhere, producing beautiful carpets and rugs. For this deal you get: 

• Bond Alpha Mini Portable Serger AS WELL AS 
• Cotton Serge Yarn TOP 20 colors
• Free Serge Yarn Color Card
• Pack of Serger Needles
• Size 207 Tex 210 Nylon White Thread
• Size 207 Tex 210 Nylon Black Thread
• Size 207 Tex 210 Nylon Royal Blue Thread
• Size 207 Tex 210 Nylon Gray Thread
• ⅞” Veltron Poly tape Color 315
• ⅞” Veltron Poly tape Color 975
• ⅞” Veltron Poly tape Color 990
• ⅞” Veltron Poly tape Color 995
• ⅞” Veltron Poly tape Color 324

The regular price of everything in Deal #5 is $7,855.00, but we are offering it to our customers currently at $7,213.97.

If you’re wondering which carpet binding machine would be the right one for your business, we covered that extensively in a previous blog. Please click here for a handy breakdown of the machines we offer and, if you have more questions, call our helpful customer service department at 1-888-800-BOND. We are always happy to assist our customers in finding the carpet and rug products they need. 

Bond Products offers a wide variety of products designed to make carpet installation, rug making and maintenance, and rug binding simpler. One of these tools is the carpet beveler. If you’re wondering what a carpet beveler is and how it works, read on. 

A carpet beveler is similar in function to a rug carver in that it shaves away parts of the carpet, but where a rug carver is used to make designs in the rug, a beveler’s job is simpler. It tapers the edge of the carpet. This is useful because the carpet binding often can’t cover the whole width of the carpet fiber, so trimming it will create a smooth transition from the carpet fibers to the area the binding covers. Thicker carpets will always require beveling before they are bound. Lower-grade commercial carpet will not. 

Two Beveler Options 

Bond offers two different carpet beveler choices to our customers: 

The EW-610 Carpet Shearer/Beveler – This beveler is an affordable, variable-speed,110V tool that makes shearing heavy plush and Berber carpets simple, saving you time on carpet binding or custom border rugs. 

The EW-311 Shearer/Beveler with Speed Control – This 110V, variable-speed beveler is a coarse-cut, handheld tool. It’s used solely on carpets with loose piles and is not intended for use on either loop-pile carpets or Berber carpets. Use the EW-610 beveler to work on those. 

Two products we recommend using with our bevelers are our Bond Sewing Softener, which will soften the hard backs of carpet to make working with them easier, and Bond Spray Lube to keep your beveler’s blades lubricated and in good condition. If you invest in our quality carpet tools, our Spray Lube will help keep them working for you for years. 

With the proper training and the right equipment, you can easily bind beautiful carpets and rugs. Many carpets are functional works of art and should be bound with care and maintained well so they last a lifetime for their owners.

If you need carpet binding tools like bevelers, rug carvers, carpet binders, or others – we’ve got you covered. Call us at 1-888-800-BOND for any assistance you may need in choosing the right tools and products. That’s what we are here for. 

Last time we discussed the practical old art of rag rug making. So many of our crafts come from meeting a specific need that people had in living day to day, and over time, as our lives became more affluent and people had access to better resources and materials, craft became art. Today many hooked rug makers are artists using a cloth medium. Let’s explore how this art originated.

It’s easy to understand a need for carpet. Floors are often cold without them, and every hard floor needs a nice area rug. The materials needed for making a hooked rug are rather simple: some kind of hooked tool, rougher woven material for the backing, and pieces of fabric for the face of the rug. This last was often strips of wool from old blankets or discarded clothing. Rug hooking appears to go back in time to at least as early as the third century A.D. when the Copts were practicing it. People in the British Isles also made these sorts of rugs as sort of disposable flooring. They would get too dirty to clean and so new rugs would have to be regularly made for the floor during slower times of the year like the dark days of winter. These rugs were probably quite a lot less artistically made since they didn’t last.

The Artistry of Rug Hooking

American hooked rugs became more decorative and artistic in expression over time. In the new world, people often used burlap sacks for the backing of hooked rugs because it’s what they had lying around. Many edible goods were shipped in burlap sacks, including rice, wheat, flour, sugar, coffee, and livestock feed. This gave the poor a free medium with which to work. Prior to that, they would have had dirt or bare floors in their houses or tenements.

Not only was burlap now available, but fabric scraps were as well. The wool from blankets or clothes was still used, but cloth manufacturing brought down the price of other fabrics as well, particularly for scraps or remnants.

In the nineteenth century, new synthetic dyes were being developed in the laboratory. This meant that a variety of new colors were available for rug hookers to use. These colors created a palette from which to create flowers, trees, and other natural scenes. People and pets were remembered in cloth, and important dates or historical events were recorded. Every house could have a little bit of art now, either on the floor, on the bed, or on the wall.

 If you are near to completing your hooked rug project, Bond Products has a number of binding tapes and equipment available to finish your rug so that it looks neat and beautiful wherever you choose to place it in your home.

 

At Bond Products we offer a wide variety of tools for making carpet installation easier. In order to install new flooring, though, often you have to remove the old. What products are best for carpet cutting beyond your basic utility knife? In this blog we will go through the options, from the affordable, lower-tech products to ones that are more complex and powerful. 

Your Carpet Cutting Options

People automatically think of scissors or shears when they think of cutting, and Bond has them! Our smooth-cut shears are made of sharp stainless steel and versatile, great for rug work and cutting carpet. 

One of the most popular and affordable carpet cutters we have is the needle nose cushion back cutter. It has a point that separates carpet fibers when you push the tool through the pile, splitting the carpet evenly to create a nice, straight cut. Its firm, grippable handle won’t slip in your hand either. 

Our motorized tool, the Bond Model 1925-A Cordless Carpet Cutter is wonderful for cutting through stubborn carpeting, padding, or hair padding on a concrete floor. This portable, cordless cutter sharpens itself with the touch of a button and comes with a rechargeable battery and charger. If you want to save time (and money!) on your carpet jobs, this tool will help. 

The cordless carpet cutter has two optional attachments, a 90-degree wall trimmer and a single-strip cove base cutter, to meet those tougher cutting challenges. We also recommend purchasing a second battery so you never need to pause your project to recharge it. 

If you’re looking for a “big gun” carpet cutting solution, we also offer the Bond #840 Carpet Pattern Cutter (carpet jigsaw). People do not immediately think of using a jigsaw to cut carpet, but this type of tool offers a very accurate cut through two layers at a time. It can also be used to cut leather, polystyrene, or cardboard. Bond’s 110V carpet pattern cutter offers variable speed and a lock-on trigger switch. It can perform 95% of what more expensive scroll saws do for a much smaller investment. This is a portable and lightweight tool that will save you time and money! 

Your Carpet Problems Solved

Our goal at Bond Products is to make every carpet or rug project possible by providing our customers with the tools they need to accomplish them. If you have any questions, our customer service staff would be happy to answer them. Call us at 1-888-800-BOND anytime. We are here to help. 

 

One of the biggest challenges of floor installation is getting pieces of flooring to fit together correctly. Many flooring professionals use mallets to tap pieces or boards together. Bond’s ProDriveHD® Tapping Block is designed to make this process even simpler. Let’s talk about its features and how it’s used. 

Laminate flooring is designed with interlocking tongue-and-groove ends and edges. These must be connected properly for the finished floor to have a fully smooth, aesthetically pleasing surface. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to make the different pieces mesh correctly.

Flooring professionals often rely on hammers or mallets, used together with a tapping block, to force the different pieces together. The tapping block is necessary because many types of flooring, including laminate, are fairly delicate. Hitting a piece of laminate directly with either a mallet or hammer often results in damaged edges. When you place a tapping block parallel to the piece of flooring, you can tap the block instead. The force transfers through the block to the flooring and forces it into the adjoining piece without damaging its edge. 

The ProDriveHD® Tapping Block 

Our tapping block is made in the USA and ideal for installing vinyl plank, engineered, or solid hardwood flooring without using a mallet. You only need your hands and the tapping block to do the job, allowing for faster work with much less risk of damage to workers or materials.

This tool measures 3.25″ x 15’5″ x 1.5″ and is made of thick black textured HDPE for enhanced durability. It features an extra-long wooden D grip that protects the fingers of the user from crushing. It’s heavy enough at 46 ounces to be able to push the flooring planks together with only one or twice strikes. This tool is ideal for working with longer planks. 

For flooring professionals, our tapping block is a must-have tool. If you have any questions about the ProDriveHD® Tapping Block or any of our other flooring tools, our helpful representatives are happy to talk to you. Call us at 1-888-800-BOND to order all of your flooring products. 

 

According to the home design website Homes and Gardens, “…carpet is making a comeback in a big – and very stylish – way. Looking into carpet trends 2022, it seems we will be expressing our creativity in bold, imaginative and innovative style.” Bright, colorful rugs are once again appealing to homeowners across the country. Many are designing the look of their favorite rooms from the floor up at this moment in time. 

Carpet Trends 2022 

Trends come and go. What appeals to people right now may seem not nearly as interesting next year and utterly passé by 2025. We’ve blogged about carpet trends before, including the layered rug trend, the carpet runner trend, and the gray carpet trend. All of these trends resulted in arresting home looks even if they are not as popular right now. 

In recent years, the colors people were choosing to design around were neutral like gray and beige. Patterned carpets have been more understated and have often been made of natural fibers like jute and sisal. Now bright, colorful rugs, sometimes wildly patterned, are coming back in style and not just in the bedroom, but in common rooms like the living room as well. Some designers compare adding a heavily patterned rug to a room to adding an arresting piece of art. As we know, many rugs are pieces of fabric art and one of a kind. 

A brightly colored rug can liven up a practical space too, like a hall or laundry room. No one expects the laundry room to contain a design surprise, so it can be a visual treat for anyone who wanders in or has to stay awhile doing chores. Kitchens, dining rooms, foyers, even bathrooms, can all benefit from a striking design piece on the floor.

“A heavily patterned design is a bold decision, but if you love it, go for it.”

We always recommend that people choose their rugs for function and look. Go with what makes you happy and fits your family’s needs. It’s fun to follow design trends, but most people are not interior designers and don’t want to redecorate their homes on a yearly basis. Trends change all the time too and vary by location. Still, it’s fun to incorporate something different into your decor, and one simple way to do that is to switch out your area rug. 

Bond Products has everything you might need to bind, back, or fringe your area rug and the tools necessary to install carpet too. Call us at 1-888-800-BOND for all of your area rug and carpet supplies. Our carpet experts are always ready to help. 

 

Our homes are the places that we modify and decorate to increase our comfort, inspire ourselves, and recharge. Bond Products’ motto is, “Every hard floor needs a nice area rug.” We appreciate comfort and beauty. Rugs come in a variety of options, though, so it’s good to choose the right one for your needs. Homes with pets may need different things from their carpets and rugs. What are the best rug materials for pets? 

Pets are great. They add so much to their owners’ lives. They also can make fairly large messes. If you have pets, you will want your rugs and carpets to be able to withstand additional traffic and dirt. Here are three fiber options that you should consider. 

Best Rug Materials for Pets

Nylon – As a synthetic fiber, nylon is specifically made to withstand both dirt and pressure. It’s a great choice for areas of heavy traffic in the home. It’s easier to maintain than other types of carpet, as well as mildew resistant, stain resistant, and non-allergenic.

Nylon was designed to imitate wool but with improved durability. The color is manufactured into the fibers themselves. It lasts over time, maintaining its texture, color, and appearance for up to 15 years. If you want an indoor carpet fiber that will survive most of what pets can do to a rug, nylon is a great choice. 

Wool – As a natural animal fiber that’s been used for thousands of years, wool has many advantages. Wool is renewal, biodegradable, and durable if it is properly cared for. It’s not as tough as nylon for high-traffic settings, but it stands up to the pressure of being walked and laid upon extremely well. 

A soft fabric, wool feels good to the touch. It can be dyed nearly any color on the spectrum, and it combines well with other fibers. Wool is somewhat stain resistant, but it cannot be chemically treated like nylon can, so if an accident or spill occurs, it should be cleaned right away. 

Wool is also useful for keeping the home quiet, pest and dust free, and for reducing asthma and allergy attacks. It’s even better than synthetic carpets for asthma and allergy sufferers because it both traps and naturally repels tiny insects. 

Olefin – Also known as polypropylene, olefin has often been used as an outdoor carpet material. This is also a synthetic material made from plastic. It’s popular because it is inexpensive, simple to clean, and durable. 

In terms of durability, olefin is tops. It resists stains, dirt, pilling, and water. It repels moisture, so it’s good for areas that are prone to molds and mildew. It’s not as soft as wool or nylon, but it can handle all of the traffic you throw at it. Because olefin carpet is often made from loop fabric, it may snag more than nylon, though, on pets’ claws. 

What’s the Best Carpet for Homes with Pets?

The best carpet is one that will best fulfill your family’s requirements, whether that’s comfort, aesthetics, durability, and/or stain resistance. Nylon, wool, and olefin each offer advantages to pet owners. Pets make messes, but with the right carpet or rug, that’s not a tragedy. If you are looking for materials to bind your rugs, fringe them, or make them slip resistant, call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We are here to help you with your carpet and area rug needs. 

 

There are so many practical uses for hook-and-loop fasteners. You can use them around the home or in the workplace and even during the holidays to keep your decorations tidy and organized. From clothing to crafts to carpets, if you need any two things to stick together and stay stuck together, this is a great solution. Bond Products offers a number of hook-and-loop products for different needs. In this blog we will talk about how you choose the right hook-and-loop fastener for your project. 

Choosing the Right Hook-and-Loop Fastener

There are a number of options when it comes to this product. Knowing which one is best to use can be confusing. Essentially there are two basic choices: adhesive or sew-on. What’s the difference?

Sew-on Hook-and-loop

This is probably the type of hook-and-loop fastener people are most familiar with. We often call it by the brand name Velcro. It’s often a part of children’s shoes and clothing, as well as adult athletic and casual wear. It holds up well over time and takes the place of buttons or a zipper. This makes it great for anyone who has difficulty performing fine motor skills, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. 

Because it needs to stand up to hard use and multiple washings, a sew quality fastener has a tougher backing and is sewn on. You’ll find it on safety equipment, outdoor cushions, medical equipment like back braces, on backpacks and helmets. Since it has nylon fibers, not metal or cloth, it stands up better to water and outdoor applications. 

Adhesive hook-and-loop

You can use this type of fastener to stick to an object and hold it in place, bundle cords, or affix pictures to walls. It’s a great organizational tool and works well to keep items like a TV remote from getting lost. If you have a rug you need to keep from moving on your floor, you can do this with hook-and-loop fasteners as well. 

Hook-and-loop fasteners come in a range of colors and sizes. You choose the right hook-and-loop fastener by the use you have for it. We carry sew-quality fasteners in 25-foot rolls and peel-and-stick fasteners in 25-foot rolls or in round coin form in various colors and volumes. If you need hook-and-loop fasteners in a large size or in a bulk amount, call our customer service department at 1-888-800-BOND. We would be happy to talk to you and get you what you need. 

 

If you’ve been considering investing in carpet serging or binding machines for your workroom or retail store business to generate extra income, now is an opportune time. In this blog we will go over the advantages of the PBL-TX Wide Tapestry Binder. This machine allows you to easily attach wide tapestry borders of up to 7-1/2″ on the face. 

The PBL-TX Wide Tapestry Binder

Our Model PBL-TX Wide Tapestry Binder is a portable, straight-stitch machine with an adjustable stitch length. It’s ideal for upholstery work and can bind over 10 feet of carpet per minute. Simply blind stitch the wide border on and flip and glue it to the back side of the rug. 

The PBL-TX has a feeder lift of just over ½ an inch high and needle lift about ¾  inches. It can handle goods that thick and hard latex backings are no problem for this machine. We recommend pairing it with Bond Sewing Softener to soften the edges and reduce needle deflection. 

This machine uses regular portable style A, HD bobbins. It has a walking foot top and feed dog bottom for consistent pulling power. It comes with a Tapestry attachment and other options are available. It has four heavy duty caster wheels for stability and an 8-foot electrical cord. A 220V motor is optional. The PBL-TX is backed by Bond’s 90-day warranty. 

If you need carpet supplies we also have a whole line of products related to carpet binding, including needles, bobbins, and thread, binding and serging tapes in a wide variety of colors. 

We are proud of our high quality carpet binders and all of the equipment and products we carry. If you are unsure of which type of carpet equipment would work best for your needs, call our customer service professionals at 1-888-800-BOND today. We will be happy to help you make the perfect choice for your business.