Doing It Right the First Time

With a host of certified flooring installers at its disposal, American Carpet One offers customers a means of meeting the highest industry standards while providing the best installation quality and service available.

Certified Floorcovering Installers (CFI) is an international non-profit organization established in the early 1990s to train and certify installers with the end goal of ensuring that the installers working on homeowners and other customers’ projects are indeed qualified. Larry Marvel, installation manager at American Carpet One, explained that installers working at the company need to pass both written and performance tests in order to gain CFI certification, and must display honesty and integrity.

All journeymen carpet installers at American Carpet One were recently certified by CFI — a first for the industry in Hawaii. They joined a select group of more than 40,000 CFI installers nationwide that are certified to install many products and floor coverings to meet industry standards. These installers are identified by the CFI seals on both their uniforms and work vehicles.

“They set the standards, they tell us what carpet is specified for certain jobs,” said Marvel. “How those types of carpet should be installed, how the seams should be sealed. Basically, they tell us from start to finish how the job should be completed while meeting industry standards. It’s a lot more than just putting rug on a floor.”

Marvel explained that American Carpet One’s certified installers are skilled in a wide range of different installation methods. Tack-down installation occurs when the carpet is set down against two walls and power-stretched across the carpet pad to the two remaining walls. The carpet must be stretched properly to avoid wrinkles and to promote even wear across the surface according to the type and thickness of cushion utilized underneath.

With a glue-down installation, the carpet is attached directly to a surface using an adhesive that is applied to the carpet backing. Marvel noted that this type of installation is preferred in commercial settings, as the carpet tends to receive 35 percent more wear in high-traffic areas.

“In both types of installations, its about understanding how to do a proper layout, where to place the seams correctly and align the direction of the naps, how the carpet turns to the walls; all these parts play key roles in a good carpet installation,” said Marvel, who has been involved in the carpet installation industry for nearly 40 years. “For all types of installation, whether tack down or glue down, the industry sets a standard, and our installers have to meet or exceed those standards to the customer’s satisfaction.”

Dealing with covering stairways or rooms that aren’t square or present interesting angles are just some of the difficult situations that certified installers deal with on a regular basis. The CFI installers have access to a vast network of colleagues within the association that can offer advice based on practical experience.

“These installers have to be experts in seam construction, power stretching, trimming, pattern alignment and a lot of other skills that it takes to install carpet in a customer’s home,” Marvel said. “A customer using a CFI installer can be assured that they’ve already been approved and tested by their peers in the trade, and that the installation in their home or business is done right the first time.”

AMERICAN CARPET ONE
contact // 447-2751
web // www.AmericanCarpetOne.com