Publisher's Synopsis
I wrote the original All About Carpets: A Consumer Guide almost twenty-five years ago to answer your questions and save you money. A lot has changed since then. I have expanded the scope of this book to not only save you money, but to help you understand your choices and answer the questions you might not even know to ask. Do you have questions about how the carpeting in your home was installed? Or how to make sure that your new carpet will be installed the right way? Or do you have cleaning or maintenance questions about carpet?
Quality carpeting costs a lot of money. You want to get the most for your hard earned cash. That's why it is so important to understand what you are buying, how carpet is made, what your warranty covers, and the different types of materials used. If you have gone into a floor covering store and felt confused by competing claims and fast sales pitches, then this book is for you.
Over the years, many people have asked me the same basic questions over and over. They've been frustrated trying to find the right answers. People also became confused because they get different answers from "experts." Ask the same question to a salesperson, installer, or cleaner and see if you get the same answer three times! While these people have valuable field experience, few of them are trained in all areas of floor covering.
This book was written for you, the consumer, to help you select your residential carpeting. (Commercial and rental properties have different carpeting needs.) Flooring is one of the largest investments most people make, after their home and car. All too often, when a person buys flooring, a decision is based on very little hard information. You can find lots of information about cars, appliances, computers and so forth; however, very little non-technical material is available for consumers looking for practical advice about carpeting.
