Hi, and welcome to our blog! Whether you’re a faithful follower or this is your first time, we’re glad you’re here. We are a brick and mortar flooring store located in Springfield, Missouri. It’s safe to say we do things a little differently around here. Our entire staff works as one large commission-free team, meaning, you’ll work with several people during your floor buying process.
The design of our team is all purposeful, instead of having a bunch of people who have their hands in a little bit of everything (like many traditional flooring stores) we have a small but mighty team full of experts - each in their own area. This allows us to bring the best possible experience to every person that walks through the doors of our showroom (or visits us online).
In January, we had the opportunity to expand our team once again, with an incredible addition to our customer experience department by hiring Tim Wilson.
Tim has an extensive background in healthcare and management, and we’re excited to have him as a part of our team where he will ensure customer satisfaction. Though he won’t spend much time on the showroom floor, our commitment to flooring education remains the same. He has completed the same training as anyone else on the team - including, but not limited to product training in the showroom. Below is a unique perspective as to what he has learned so far, carpet edition.
If you’re like me, you probably have never really thought about carpet. I mean really thought about it. You take it for granted, it’s there, you walk on it. On occasion you’ll notice an over-the-top shag while out and about, or a really nice-looking pattern, but you’ve likely never really thought about it more than that.
My third day of work at Mouery’s, Rick, the store owner, brought me to the showroom to learn about carpet. We spent about an hour looking at the many in-stock carpet samples on the showroom floor. I got to feel the carpet, hold it up and examine the fibers, see how it was woven together, examine the back of it, feel the various textures, how one felt juxtaposed another, hold a higher priced carpet against a lower priced carpet and noting the difference.
When I got home that evening, my 8-month-old daughter was playing on a mat on our carpeted living room floor. I got on the floor and ran my hand through the carpet. It was then that I came to the disappointing realization, that I had a very low-quality carpet. After spending the morning learning about quality products, feeling them, seeing them up close, in detail, I had an immediate understanding.
I told Rick the next morning what happened, and we joked about having to redo the floors in my house. It was a joke but it’s going to happen at some point.
Allow me to share with you what I learned from Rick that led to my realization because of my education.
In the world of carpet, wool is hands down the best quality. It is a natural, sustainable fiber, naturally water, odor and stain resistant and extremely durable. All other carpet fibers are manmade (synthetics) and try their best to imitate wool. I also learned that wool is more expensive in most cases because of all the reasons listed above. The manpower it takes to create a carpet from wool is astonishing. They are more difficult to seam than other fibers, and depending on the wool carpet selected, the seam may be more visible; but at Mouery’s, our installers have gone through extensive training and are the best in the area at installing wool.
There are a couple of natural plant fiber options in Sisal, made from the agave plant (yes, the same one that gave us tequila) and Jute, from the jute plant: both options are extremely durable and rugged but not the most comfortable.
Next we have synthetics.
Nylon: it was the first synthetic fiber produced to be used for carpet. It is structurally a silk like thermoplastic that is extremely versatile. It is very durable but not always the most stain resistant.
Polyester: is inherently stain resistant as it is hydrophobic (repels water). It is also much easier to produce and has a wide range of price points. While more stain resistant, it is not as durable as nylon and can crush down over time.
Then we come to Triexta, or SmartStrand from Mohawk. This synthetic blends the durability of nylon with the stain resistance of polyester. It is perfect for high traffic areas and families with children and pets. (This is what I will be putting in my house, by the way). There is a huge selection of colors and patterns, and a price point for any budget. They even have Smart Strand Silk, all of the qualities of Smart Strand but ultra soft.
There is so much more we could learn about carpet: ounce weight, the way the fibers are dyed, dye lots, pattern repeats, measurements, carpet cuts, seaming carpets, how sunlight affects carpet, carpet care and cleaning. But, if you’re like me, or, at least like I was, this is more than you knew before.
Rick made it simple for me to understand the products we sell with his expertise and provided me with the education to be able to help answer your questions when you come in. Mouery’s has virtually any style you’re looking for and our team loves helping customers pick the right carpet out. We love seeing your Pinterest boards and paint samples, please, bring them in!
I have no background in construction, design, flooring, so all of this has been brand new to me. I have learned much in my short time here and will be sharing more of my flooring education with you!
Final thoughts
We hope you’ve enjoyed this unique perspective from Tim on carpet fibers. In the weeks and months to come we’re excited to share more of what Tim has learned about luxury vinyl plank and hardwood flooring. If you have any further questions we would love to talk to you. You can give us a call at (417) 883-4710, email us at flooring417@gmail.com, or visit our showroom located at 2516 W Battlefield Rd, in Springfield, Mo.
We offer free in home estimates and design consultations, you can get set up for an appointment here. We also post new arrivals, design inspiration, completed job site photos and more on our social media platforms, so be sure to follow us where you can!
