Which Carpet/Rug and Where to Buy It

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• Flor carpet squares
• Seeking super stain proof area rug
• Where to get a braided rug
• Where to buy an oriental rug
• Where to buy a nice rug - have $6k to spend
• Rugs from IKEA
• Rugs for kids' rooms
• Inexpensive/hypoallergenic area rug?
• Wool vs. Nylon carpets
• Area rug for living room
• Carpet remnants for new house
• Floor covering for breakfast room

 

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Flor carpet squares

Nov 2008

Has anyone purchased or experienced the Flor carpet product? It is carpeting made into individual squares which are put together in different designs. I like the look of it and the ability to be creative with colors and textures and that you can wash the individual squares in the sink (or so they say). The company has made attempts to be Green (recyclable materials). But I wonder about how it holds up to wear and if the squares really hold together for vacuuming, etc. The squares are held together with adhesive circles that stick to each other and not to your floors. You can look at it at flor.com thanks

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Flor tiles are great. We've had some of the 'house pet' tiles as a large area rug in the living room for several years now. They have held up incredibly well. We have a dog, baby, and plenty of yahoo friends befouling it on a regular basis, and it still looks great, easy to clean. We have a different model installed as wall-to-wall carpeting in the nursery, and it shows dirt much more easily. Wish I had chosen a different type for in there. Installation is a breeze, and we've had no issues with the area rug coming up at the edges. Flor fan

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Seeking super stain proof area rug

May 2008

It's time to throw in the towel on the current sisal area rug we have in our dining room... it was fine just the two of us but with two toddlers eating every meal in there plus a cat that became very sick, there's no deep cleaning it at this point. Our apartment has hardwood floors and both for sound reasons and also with little kids running around we'd like a large (at least 8X10) rug in this room. Does anyone have a relatively inexpensive alternate rug suggestion for a high spill area like this? Rachel

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We bought a piece of commercial grade carpet and had the edges bound--many carpet places will do this for a small fee. Not the most cushy stuff, but, very durable and we've never had anything we can't clean off of it, including cat vomit, wine and coffee. Plus, unlike some of the very pricey and fancy wool rugs we've had, which our cats like much better than scratching posts, it seems to be totally resistant to snags.

Commercial grade carpet comes in a lot of nice patterns and styles, especially if, like us, you lean to a clean modern look, and an 8x10 piece can be had for a reasonable price. You might also be able to find a carpet store remnant of a residential grade carpet you like equally well for even less, although it might not hold up as well.

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After ruining a couple of nice rugs between 2 kids and 2 cats, we finally went down to Home Depot and bought a really low-pile, polypropylene rug (''premium quality commercial area rug'') in a dark brown weave (sort of a sisal-like weave, so not so obviously synthetic like a fuzzy rug might be)...not from the fancy rugs at the back, but rolled up at the front. The brand is Jefferson Rugs. It looks surprisingly good, shows absolutely no stains, and at $25 for the 6x8 size, it won't break my heart if someone does pee on it. If you want something polypropylene but slightly more stylish, check out the area rugs made for outdoor use at Rockridge Home on College - you can hose them clean. I've seen similar nice-looking outdoor rugs in catalogs like www.grandinroad.com and www.ballarddesigns.com. Practical

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Where to get a braided rug

May 2008

We're looking for those simple, homey rugs (New England-y?) that are usually circular or oval, made of one long braided strand of cotton or wool fabric. We have found several places online, but want to go look at the rugs before we purchase. Can you recommend a place to go? Many thanks for your help!!

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Sorry this isn't local but look at L.L. Bean online. Their rugs are definitely the traditional New England ones. I have one in our entry way which takes a lot of heavy traffic and it has lasted for years and still looks fine. daughter of New Englander

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Where to buy an oriental rug

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March 2007

Is it possible to get a ''really good deal'' on a nice kilim or carpet? I can't spend thousands, but might spend up to $800 (maybe 1K) for a nice one - one that would be worth passing down in the family, even if it's not a wildly valuable heirloom. I'd like to get something in the 8' X 10' range. I'm afraid of buying something online, since it's hard to judge quality without seeing it, and then the shipping expenses for returns could be difficult. On the other hand, I'm afraid that though the best quality will come from a reputable seller, from a store, I'll also pay top dollar that way. Any suggestions for where to go? Anyone had good experiences with an online site? Anyone know of a discount or wholesale place? All recommendations appreciated! anon

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go to Harvey Clars Auction house. we ended up buying two carpets after we won our first for so much under our budget! happy toes

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March 2007

I'm looking for a reputable place to buy Asian rugs (Indian, Kashmiri, Persian, etc.) in the East Bay, or SF if there's a really great place. Thanks! Melanie

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Notonly are their rugs a good value, but the workers are knowledgeable -- head to Harvey Clars auction house on Claremont in rockridge. rug rich

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Where to buy a nice rug - have $6k to spend

Jan 2006

I would like to buy 9' x 12'(ish) rug and have approximately $6,000 to spend. Where to go? Are prices always negotiable or is there some place that has good quality and price and no need to haggle? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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EBay is the best place to buy a rug. New and used. Amazing deals, you'll save a bundle. annon

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If you haven't tried eBay, give it a try. I have bought 3 rugs on eBay and while they were not new, they were valuable oriental rugs which I bought for a fraction of what they would have cost in a store. Karen

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Try www.homedecorators.com
We got our living room rug there and get lots of compliments. They have a huge selection ranging from traditional to modern, all types. We ended up buying a synthetic rug rather than wool but you can't tell. It's a nice tight weave, easy to clean and looks great. Some of their other products are a bit tacky so don't be turned off by that. Check out the rugs. It's worth a look. anon

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Rugs from IKEA

May 2008

I have terrible allergies and even though the rugs in my home are all over 8 years old I'm told that they can continue to 'offgas' for over 12 years. This leads me to begin searching for wool rugs or some alternative. The rugs I've seen in some of the specialty 'green' stores begin at $700.00 and go upward, we are talking area rugs here, this is so out of my budget. Then a friend directs me to Ikea where I find wool rugs for $300.00 and less. My question is does anyone have experience with these rugs? Can they actually be 100% wool and cost this amount? I'm so jaded I don't believe the 'clerks' anymore. d

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If you have terrible allergies, you probably don't want wool rugs at all. You might want to look into rugs made of dried grasses or mats like those made from Chilewich, which aren't at all natural, but wouldn't provide a dust mite-friendly environment like many natural fibers do. Just a thought from someone with a crazy allergy to dust... Albany

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I bought 2 wool persian style carpets at IKEA about 8 years ago. They are still fine. I have had to pull them out & wash them both a couple of times because of baby puke. I hung them over the fence & sprayed them with the hose, scrubbed with a floor scrubbing brush on both sides & rinced with hose...they dried OK, didn't run. The big one was starting to wear on the heavy traffic side and I rotated it. They were both 'hand made in Iran' pretty good for the price! Aesthetically, they are rustic, not as fine as persian carpets can be,,,they can be gorgeous, but, these are nice. Thats all I know.

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I was also on a recent search for 100% wool rugs. I, too, looked at IKEA. I think that the ones they claim are all wool, really are all wool. However, I actually found better deals, price and selection-wise, at overstock.com. As I was buying the rug, I actually called them to ask ''is this REALLY 100% wool?'' and they said yes. No Stinky Rugs for Me!

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IKEA manufactures most of it's own products, and often owns every level of the supply chain, which is one way they keep costs low. Smaller independant stores, in contrast, are acting as agents. You basically are paying them a finder's fee for delivering unique products. The extra cost you pay at a boutique, however, is not likely a representation of increased quality. IKEA is required to meet the safety and labelling requirements of the European Union, which is much more stringent than the US, so when IKEA labels something as being 100% wool, it is definately 100% wool. Aran

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We have a wool rug that we absolutely love that came from IKEA for $349.00. It is very thick and durable, easy to clean, and a beautiful dark red. It did not have a stong smell to get used to but the only complaint is that it shed a lot. It seems to have slowed down by now (approx 1 yr). We would keep finding bits of dark red wool fibers all over, and they get everywhere. Kind of a drag, but we still really love the rug, and we figure it was a small price to pay for such a cheap, large wool rug. It measures roughly 10 feet by 7 feet anon

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October 2005

I'm thinking about buying a Persian Gabbeh rug from IKEA, but I want to make sure it will hold up, because it's pretty expensive. If you've bought one recently, I'd really appreciate any advice you might have. These are my questions: Does it shed? How often do you vacuum it? How long have you had it? Has the vacuum cleaner pulled threads? Thanks for your help! Catherine

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I bought one 3 years ago and it is OK. No complaints and it has had heavy use. I would not recommend a lot of IKEA things! For example, we bought a chest of drawers for $112. that only lasted 5 months. Piece of junk! Looked great at first though and maybe if only adults used it...but I can say with out reservation that our $500. 8X10 persian carpet has been a very good deal. dillon

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Rugs for kids' rooms

July 2004

Alphabet rug for son's room
Hello, I'm looking for an alphabet rug to put in our son's room. I'd like something that isn't ''pastely'' (maybe primary colors) with conventional print. The rugs I've seen have letters that are too fancy. Does anyone have any ideas on where I can get such a rug? Thank you.

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Try: http://shopmuseum.com/shop/product173.html or http://kidatheartdesigns.com/alphabetzoo.html or http://kidatheartdesigns.com/abcs.html or http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/
catzmeow

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Try www.lakeshorelearning.com - it's a preschool supply store. Jen

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I bought an inexpensive alphabet rug at Walmart for $40. It is not large (about 3 x 5, max.) but it is primary colors. The alphabet is woven into the middle of the rug, and the border has woven pictures of items that start with many of the letters (for example: ladybug, airplain, train, fish....) So far it is wearing pretty well, but the white areas do get a bit grey looking and I hand clean it once in a while with spray-on rug cleaner and the vacuum. (This rug sits in the middle of our children's room so it does get a lot of traffic.) I don't expect it to stay spotless and when it is too dirty or tattered, I'll spend another $40 and replace it with the same rug. Perhaps the size will work for you? anon

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Lakeshore learning store has a great alphabet area rug which would fit your needs. Primary and bright colors, simple ABCs on ovals of contrasting colors on a bright red background. $40.00. There is a store in Walnut Creek, and another San Leandro (with a clearance warehouse in the back - great deals). Rachel

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Jan. 2004

Fun rug for kids' playroom
Hi, everyone. I am decorating a playroom for my kids (a boy and a girl), and I am looking for a fun rug for the room. Any suggestions of where to find a large rug for a kids room? Any suggestions of places that carry stuff that is not only for boys or only for girls? Thanks. Laura

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I recommend Pottery Barn Kids or Target. Patty

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Ikea has great kids type area rugs in wonderful colors. The price is really good for the size and quality of some of the rugs there. If you don't want to fight the crowds I believe you can order online now. Ikea.com a mom

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Nov 2003

Durable childrens' rugs
We are looking for fun children's rug for our soon-to-be crawling baby and am having a hard time finding a good selection. Pottery Barn Kids has some adorable rugs, but they're fairly expensive. Also, we have two dogs who will also be tramping across it, so it needs to be durable and easy to clean. Any suggestions? thank you

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Ikea! They are cheap (under $25 for sure), they are fun, and they are backed with a rubber material that makes it non-slip and also saves our wood floors from spills. They are also very easy to clean: out in the backyard with water, brush, and a little dishwasher liquid and like new again! anon

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www.thecompanystore.com also has some nice childrens rugs that are high quality. I bought one on sale for about $50 -- you really have to look for deals & coupon codes on the internet. but the rug is thick & pink with flowers. Tasha

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2001

Kids' Interactive Carpets
I'm looking for a fun alternative to wall-to-wall carpeting for my 18-month-old son's room--preferably something interactive, like a racetrack or airport scene. I know Home Depot has a racetrack rug (and I saw them mentioned on the UCB Parents site), but I can't imagine spending much time sitting on it--it's practically Astroturf. And I know Pottery Barn Kids has awesome, fluffy-looking interactive rugs, but the 8-by-10 ones are $600. Is there anything in between? Thanks for any advice. Linda

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Home Depot has more child rugs available than the one you mentioned. However, you must order them from a catalog. I bought a fairly large Looney Tunes racetrack rug (not astro turf or carpet) for my son's room about a year and a half ago. I think it cost around $150.00. He enjoys playing on it with his cars for extended periods of time, especially if he has someone to race. Nikki

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I've bought two blue square racetrack rugs at Ikea and a long thin red hopscotch rug as well. They're all inexpensive and they look great. I put the two racetrack rugs back to back because we needed to cover a large area. The drawback is that they're all thin, but I bought a thick rug pad (don't buy the ones at Ikea, they're thin and are really skid-pads rather than rug pads) at an Oriental rug store on College in Elmwood. Most regular carpet stores sell the pads too. The rug pad turned out to cost as much as the little rugs, which was a drag, but we ate the cost and forgot about it and now play pretty happily and constantly on the rugs. One afterword: I had originally bought a rug at Pottery Barn Kids and when it arrived, was surprised to notice a chemical smell, which quickly gave me a headache. It seems that if a rug is stain resistant, it means it's been sprayed with a chemical which one can still sometimes detect strongly. I returned the rug after trying unsuccessfully to air it out. When I tried to buy another, different, non-stain resistant rug the customer service person told me that almost ALL the rugs are now sprayed with pesticide before leaving India or China or wherever they're made. This really bothered me, because nowhere in their catalog, which is aimed at parents of kids, do they mention this fact. I think it's common practice in the industry now, but haven't researched it further. Lisa

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We bought a really nice one at Ikea and our 5 year old loves it. It is like a big area rug with a picture of roads and buildings on it. He loves to play with his cars on it, is comfortable to sit on and was only around $20. Dawn

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1998

Racetrack Carpet
I've seen the racetrack carpet at Home Depot in El Cerrito (and probably the one in Emeryville stocks it too). It was around $15 near the area rugs. Denise

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We got our race track carpet at Home Depot in El Cerrito - it was really inexpensive...they had several different designs...a town, or race track, etc. Molly

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Inexpensive/hypoallergenic area rug?

Jan. 2004

We have a 6 month old baby who will soon be crawling, and we'd like to get an inexpensive area rug for our all-hardwood-floor apt to create a space where he can play/learn to crawl/walk safely. Any idea where we can find something roughly 10x10ft and easy on the skin (our baby has severe eczema and very sensitive skin)? We aren't terribly stylish and plan on moving in a year or so, so even scraps/carpet-ends would be OK. Also, we've been told to get a ''carpet cushion'' to put underneath to make it softer for baby-falls... any idea where/how to buy these? Thanks, Mom of baby getting ready to crawl

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IKEA has inexpensive, 100% cotton rugs that sell for about $25, and are about 5x4. You may be able to saw two of these together to fit your needs or they may have bigger rugs that aren't that expensive. E.

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For inexpensive/attractive rugs, try Target! I am not sure if they have rugs that are hypoallergenic; I am allergic to wool and have had difficulty in finding rugs that are cotton. Target has lots of different selections and could be a good place to start!

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Wool vs. Nylon carpets

Jan. 2003

I'm shopping for a big area rug for our living room, and like a wool carpet I saw. We have a 15 month old and there's another little messmaker on the way. The living room rug will cover the only traffic area to enter the home. Are wool carpets hard to clean? Should I get nylon instead? Is there something to make a wool carpet more stain resistant? nutty preggers mom attempting to nest ]

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Don't buy the wool carpet!!! We were crazy and bought a beautiful cream wool carpet for the nursery before our first child was born - the people at the store thought we were crazy, but I thought how bad can it be - it's terible. I've had it treated repeatedly and also have it professionally cleaned 3-5 times per year and it still looks bad. Once a stain is there - it's there for good. We also have a wool carpet in our living room - it's not much better, but as we don't spend too much time int he living room it's a little better. On the other hand I invensted in very high end synthetic carpets for my other childs room and the family room and they clean up beautifully. It wasn't cheap, but I think that is a called Techtest sp? and is nylon with a Dupont stainmaster finish of some kind. I picked out the carpet, had it cut and bound and it was about $35 per square yard. Good luck! Signed - no more wool carpets until my children are in college!

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Area rug for living room

Jan. 2003

We need to buy a nice wool area rug for our living room. Our 7 month old daughter is starting to roam and I'd like to make it a nice surface for her. We also have two cats and a dog so it needs to be able to vacuum well. Where should I buy such a rug? We don't want to spend more than 500-700 dollars on it. Our house is pretty modern so we want something simple and subdued. Do you have any suggestions? We have also thought of buying carpet and having it bound on the edges. But this seems expensive. We need the rug to be minimally 9x12 or bigger. thanks softer floors

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You should be able to get a large rug for that price (or less, especially if you are willing to consider a high quality synthetic instead of wool) at Expo (in the East Baybridge center in Emeryville) or, if you want a solid color, even at Home Depot. You can also try the Rug Outlet store which is in the same general area on, I think, Hollis Street, and IKEA. All of these places offer simple, modern designs, not just Orientals. Holly

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Dick's Carpet One in Berkeley on Ashby (I think). We've purchased lots of area carpets from them and are going back to ad carpet to our stairs now. Best bargains are to buy the remnants and have them bind the edges. The sales staff has been friendly and helpful and the selection good. happy shopping.

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I just wanted to mention Ikea. I have bought a few there, both wool and not, $40 - $80 dollars, 8ft by 5ft or so large, for the mid living room and small back room, obviously doesn't cover the edges. I also want to inform you that if your daughter shows any signs of allergies, red patches, sensitivy to detergent, soap, ect, you may want to hold off on wool. Wool is indeed a high allergent. Cotton is safter at this young age. You could test this by buying a inexpensive wool sweater and seeing how she reacts by wearing it with a tank for a few days, buy used and then return it for trade if she reacts. My daughter had ecxema and wool was out of the question as was everything else under the sun. Catherine

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IKEA is the place for you. Not only are the rugs inexpensive, but their designs are modern/contemporary which will fit your style perfectly. They have large sizes and probably won't be more than $300. Be prepared to vacuum a lot as they shed quite a bit at the beginning. IKEA is located in Emeryville off of Hwy 80. chris

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We bought a rug last summer at Macy's Furniture Outlet in Union City. They were having a sale where everything in the store was an additional % off (they do this every 4 weeks or so) and we got a rug that was originally $1500 for $400. Like all outlets, sometimes you go and there isn't anything great there. But they generally have a lot of rugs. I live in Oakland and find that it generally worth the drive down there (also, there is an ''In and Out Burger'' across the freeway). Jennifer

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Try the Home Decorators catalog. They have lots of Persian style rugs inexpensively. Also, the Macy's outlet in south Hayward has inexpensive rugs, but Home Decorators has a lot of what they have. Call Macy's and ask when they have their additional 30% off sale. Toby

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I recently answered a similar question on the Household list. Dalton, Georgia is the carpet capitol of the US. We shopped locally, got quotes, and then I found a Dalton dealer who got it directly from the manufacturer. We bought a carpet that we had bound on the edges, and even with shipping and handling, we easily saved 50%. The company was Capitol Carpet, Inc. Phone # 706 279 1820 - sorry - their website and email are not on their invoice and I no longer have it bookmarked. Stacey

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We bought a carpet remnant and had it bound at California Carpet in the city, south of Market. (Might be 8th street.) We got a nice wool quality for less than $500. Ikea also carries many inexpensive area rugs. Dana

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Take a look at the ebay auctions for antique persian rugs. In general they can go well with contemporary furnishings. You can get amazing deals as long as you pay close attention to the pictures, shipping costs and the seller's feedback. You will be in running for many auctions at or below the amount of money you mentioned. Robert

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I would like to make a comment and share an experience regarding carpets at IKEA. While we had good luck with IKEA cotton rag carpets (they last, wash well, that is what we have in our daughter room), we had to return a large wool carpet because we could not tolerate the fumes emanating from it.

When we bought the carpet (a large, 100% wool, natural color, Made in India) the IKEA sales person warned us that the carpet had been fumigated to comply with US Custom/Agricultural regulations , to prevent the import of possible insects/molds That treatment, he said, gave the carpet a strong smell, which would have faded in a short while, just leave the carpet outside a few days.

We did just that. We actually left the carpet unrolled outside for 3 months, hoping the \x93noxious/insecticide\x94 smell would fade away. When we bought the carpet in the house we could not tolerate being in the same room with it, and we are not particularly sensitive. We finally gave up and managed, after much arguing and insisting to return the carpet to IKEA (the carpet was $400!) and get our money back. Pity because the carpet was beautiful , but could just not be used. silvia

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Another option for a rug is an auction. We recently bought one at the California Public Auction in Concord. It was a totally fun, but time consuming experience... they have hundreds of beautiful persian rugs in all sizes. They claim to have an online presence as well, but it in no way compares to the showroom (www.itc99.com). They have auctions every other sunday, and it is a crapshoot as to what time the rugs will be up for bids (they do furniture, statues, cars (!), etc) as well. However, there are tremendous bargains to be had -- a 6 x 10 wool rug sold for $100 when we were there. And, as I said, it is a lot of fun! They are California public auction 2241 Monument Blvd W, Concord CA 94520 Ph: 925-680-1280 Good LucK! shopping fun!

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I wanted to add another comment on IKEA's cheap rugs. Although i like a lot of their designs and the prices are often really great, i have to say i'm not at all impressed by quality. I've purchased a large wool area rug and for months it's been excessively 'shedding' to the point where i need to vaccuum it daily just to get rid of the dust balls that it produces. This rug wasn't inexpensive and i think in the long run...IKEA products don't really wear well. Liz

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Carpet remnants for new house

April 2000

I would appreciate names of companies near Oakland who sell & install commercial carpet & remnants. We're moving into the area & into a new house where we want to use commercial(remnants if possible)in halls, on stairs etc-it is inexpensive, best for folks with allergies & wears like iron. Any thoughts appreciated.
Mary Ann

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I've had good luck at Dick's Carpets which has two locations: a warehouse in Oakland at 444 Lesser (tel:534-2100) and a store at 1065 Ashby Ave in Berkeley (tel: 883-2111). They have a broad range of styles and even upper-end designer types sometimes. There is also another source which I haven't been to in years in Richmond called Tradeway Warehouse at 350a Carlson Blvd (tel:233-0841) which has more industrial-type remnants. Denise

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Home Depot in Emeryville has a huge carpet selection and frequent remnants and bargains. They will install. Ask for Pasquale. 601-9400.
Merry

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Tradeway Carpets on Carlson in Richmond (not the El Cerrito furniture store) has three or four floors of some pretty neat, and some definitely funky large and small industrial carpet remnants, in addition to vinyl and other kitchen floor type stuff. Give them a call. They do installation and have pads and all that too. Decent prices. Good luck.
Sarah

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There is a giant remnant warehouse for rugs called Tradeway. It's in Richmond. It's a _very_ funky place (or it was the last time that I was there years ago). It's big and dusty, but the carpets are cheap. Mostly they have end of the roll remnant from wall-to-wall carpeting. But they will bind the edges of the remnants for you. Some of the carpeting is very good quality, but it _is_ nylon carpeting for the most part, though the last time I was there they did have some wool berber remnants at one time. I bought a small (3' by 5') rug at CostCo a few years ago. It was inexpensive. It was a cotton hooked rug in nice colors. I wasn't looking for a larger size, so I'm not sure how large of rugs they carry. CostCo's stock of rugs changes frequently, so you might check there, but there's not much in terms of selection. CostCo is in either El Cerrito or Richmond, and you have to be a member to buy things there. Janet ------- Just got an advertisment from Orchard Supply Hardware. They've got 6'x4' Berbers on sale, I think for $30 or $40. You might want to also go to a regular carpet store and see if you can buy a remnant for cheap. MacFrugals on San Pablo Ave (Richmond) also may have some inexpensive rugs as well as KMart (if you're not too picky about the pattern). What I've been doing, for my crawling 9 month old is laying down a blanket. If you choose to do this, I recommend you buy some of the non-skid matting (at the most $4) to put under the blanket so it doesn't move so much. Mitzi ------- I've always gotten inexpensive area rugs through the Pottery Barn catalog or the Crate and Barrel outlet on 4th Street. The former is more likely to have sizes 8X10 or larger. April ------- I would suggest looking at Home Depot for carpets. In the past they have had some with prints that would be fun in a child's room (animals, kids, game carpets, etc.), as well as solid colors or simple designs. Home Depot carries some of the same carpets as department stores, but at much better prices. Susan ------- We just bought a carpet remnant at Dick's Carpet One on Ashby below San Pablo 883-2111. They have lots of remnants that you can either take as is or have them bound. They have an excellent selection and are resonably priced. Also have pretty cheap rugs made of some kind of plastic material. Melissa ------- regarding rugs, try Dick's Carpet One on Ashby next to OSH. I've just gotten a couple of things from them. Good prices, decent people. Andrea -------- I have bought remnants at Tradeway Warehouse, 350A Carlson Blvd Richmond, 233-0841. They have 3 or 4 huge floors of carpet rolls standing on end. A lot of berbers, a huge assortment. The roll length is usually 12' by whatever length which is wide for an area rug in my small Albany house. You have some choices. Take the piece and lay it down wall-to-wall - We have done this ourselves by removing everything from the room, putting down a pad and cutting the piece to fit exactly in the room. Or use the cut piece without binding it as an area rug, but it will fray on the edges. If you bind the piece, it is about $1.50/foot and they do it in about a week. Even a very long roll can be tied to a car roof for getting home by the back roads. Probably the freeway is not a good idea for transporting a long carpet piece. Tip: They have a discount room in a corner all the way down to the right when you go in the door. I have found smaller pieces of quality carpet in this room but look for defects. There are other places like Calif Carpet with remnants but a friend told me this place has good prices. Susan ----------- A good place for reasonable large area rugs is Home Depot (either in Richmond) or in Emeryville near Toys R' Us. We bought ours for around $80-100 for a very large area and got a really thick pad which they'll cut to size for you. They'll help you get it on top of your car too. Ours was just a plain solid color but they also have patterned ones and oriental-style rugs. They also sell a much thinner green area rug with car road patterns on it that is fun for play. I think it sells for around $20. Denise ------------ From: Melissa We just bought a carpet remnant at Dick's Carpet One on Ashby below San Pablo 883-2111. They have lots of remnants that you can either take as is or have them bound. They have an excellent selection and are resonably priced. Also have pretty cheap rugs made of some kind of plastic material. Melissa ------------- From: Andrea regarding rugs, try Dick's Carpet One on Ashby next to OSH. I've just gotten a couple of things from them. Good prices, decent people.

 

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Floor covering for breakfast room

2001

I am looking for something to cover my breakfast room floor, under the table and high chair. I need something that will protect my soft wood (fir) floor, as well as be easy to clean up (we have a ten month old daughter). I am thinking of maybe getting a painted piece of vinyl or something like it. Any suggestions? -Lisa

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You could use:
(1)a desk chair mat(you can find one at Office depot without the sharp teeth on the back since you have hardwood floor)-this is the easiest ot clean since it's hard and you can mop it
(2)an ex-shower curtain folded
(3)a special highchair mat that is still a piece of soft vinyl but it's very colorful (kids oriented)-you can find those in Target, Wal mart etc in the baby section
--Simona