More American cities are passing green mandates - laws requiring builders to adhere to environmental standards.

(NewsUSA) - When Washington, D.C. passed its Green Building Act of 2006, a mandate stating that all new private real estate developments need to follow the LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) standards set by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), it broke new ground. Building green became the new industry norm.

When builders “go green,” they erect efficient buildings that use fewer resources, improve indoor air health and minimize environmental impact. Cities have embraced green building to save energy, water and waste-management costs. From 2003 to 2007, the American cities with green building mandates grew from 22 to 92, a 418 percent increase.

How do buildings go green? The LEED system certifies buildings as silver, gold or platinum. Platinum buildings most closely follow the USGBC’s environmental standards, which look at location, water conservation, energy consumption, atmosphere, materials, indoor health quality, innovation and design.

A truly green building relies on a marriage between eco-friendly consumer products, like low-flow faucets, and renewable energy sources. Architects know to begin with sustainable building blocks -; choosing strong, energy-efficient building material can help ventilation and heating and cooling systems use less energy while improving indoor air quality.

For example, one company, Alternative Construction Technologies, Inc. (ACTech), has developed insulated structural panels made from 75 percent recycled materials. In tests, the ACTech panel system proves up to 65 percent more energy-efficient than traditional building materials. Buildings constructed using the system will waste less energy, so renewable energies, like wind and solar power, can be incorporated to optimize their intended economies and efficiencies.

The panels improve indoor air quality and acoustics. They are also firesafe and able to withstand hurricane-force winds, making them a safe building material in natural disaster-prone areas.

As American cities look to improve their carbon footprint, they must combine green materials with eco-friendly energy sources. Fourteen percent of U.S. cities with populations over 50,000 already have green building mandates, while another 36 cities plan to enact them.

For more information about the ACTech Panel System, visit www.actechpanel.com or call 1-800-859-8813. ACTech trades on the OTC Bulletin under ACCY.

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Contact: Maggie O’Neill; Ed Johnson
919. 772.4688
Wood from Old Home Site will be Salvaged for New Garner Nature Center
On Friday, July 18, wood from a farmhouse in Garner’s White Deer Park will be salvaged for reuse in the new Nature Center to be built there. Slated for demolition when the park is built, the dilapidated 1930’s farmhouse will contribute first as part of the new building, and also as part of the interpretive program for the park. Staff from Garner’s Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and volunteers from the park design team will carefully remove the boards with hand tools. The 3/4” tongue and groove heart pine boards will be used as flooring in the new Nature Center.
The Nature Center will be the Town of Garner’s first LEED Accredited building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a measurement tool used internationally to evaluate performance in site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Removing the boards is just one of the many environmentally sustainable initiatives the project is undertaking to achieve a LEED rating from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
“The Nature Center will have many environmentally friendly systems and features,” said Tom Maynard, Director of Garner Parks and Recreation Department. “It will include exhibits about protecting the environment. We believe the building itself will be a tool for use in teaching about how to care for and sustain the environment. The reclaimed wood is one example of how we can show people what they can do at home.”
“Reclaiming the wood is also a nice way to remember the people who once lived in the area and the history of Garner as a farming community,” said architect Louis Cherry of Cherry Huffman Architects.
The Town will store the boards until they are refinished and installed in the new Nature Center. The wood that cannot be salvaged will be recycled. The building begins construction in Fall of 2008 with expected completion in June 2009.
About the Project
White Deer Park is a 96 acre nature park located on Buffaloe and Aversboro Roads in Garner that is slated for construction this Fall. In addition to the nature center, the Park will feature 2.5 miles of paved walking trails, five picnic shelters, two new playgrounds, wildflower meadows and an arboretum. The Nature Center will also permanently house the white deer that the park is named for. The 2500 square foot Nature Center will achieve a LEED Silver Rating from the US Green Building Council for its many environmentally sustainable features.
The design team for the park includes Garner Parks and Recreation Department, obs Landscape Architects, Cherry Huffman Architects, Design Dimension, Stewart Engineering and ConsiderDesign.
###
TOWN OF GARNER
(919) 772?4688
www.garnernc.gov
moneill@garnernc.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY
July 17, 2008
Town of Garner to Salvage The Homestead
The best photo opportunities related to this project will be Friday, July 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
The address of the facility is 2400 Aversboro Road. It is located approximately .5 miles from the Aversboro Road and Timber Drive intersection. Please contact CB McDonald at 919?772?4688 if you plan to visit the site so we can arrange an escort to get you from the parking lot to the site.

Town Of Garner NC website

Garner NC City Guide

City5NC.blog

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Aspiring real estate “flippers” should plan their selling strategy before they start renovations.

(NewsUSA) - Buy a run-down building in a nice area. Gut the rooms and rebuild state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms. Then sell the home for hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.

The idea of “flipping” homes appeals to Americans. But for many aspiring flippers, reality does not live up to the expectations created by reality television and get-rich books.

Flippers buy distressed properties in nice neighborhoods. They often run into trouble with contractors to stay on budget for the home repairs or improvements. People attempt to make lavish improvements and don’t realize how much time and money the ambitious renovations will really cost. By the time they sell their real estate project, many flippers barely break even. In some cases, flippers lose money. Sometimes people create a dream property, put it on the market, then watch the home sit for months without exciting buyers’ interests. In the meantime, mortgage costs eat into flippers’ profits.

When it comes to flipping homes, profits depend on quick sales. Before buying properties, people should learn how to sell them. Californian real-estate professionals have created a step-by-step system for homeowners looking to quickly sell properties.

The “Fast Action Homes Sales System” teaches homeowners how to create bidding wars with or without a real estate agent. Homeowners using the guide learn how to attract buyers’ interest with signs, printed ads and custom-built Web sites. The advertisements lead to a frenzied weekend bidding war, giving sellers the advantage.

The whole process, from first step to exit, takes two or three weeks. Before potential real estate moguls invest in a property, they should start planning its final sale -; selling a newly renovated home quickly is key to making a profit-earning flip.

To access a quick-start guide to the Fast Action Home Sales System, either visit www.RealEstateKit.com or call 1-800-669-1038.

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Repairing concrete surfaces can help properties make better first impressions.

(NewsUSA) - In today’s highly competitive housing market, every advantage counts when attracting potential buyers to your home.

Traditional home upgrades, like bathroom and kitchen remodels, return less than 70 percent of their cost, so homeowners are looking elsewhere for project ideas.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 50 percent of the time a home is sold before a buyer even gets out of their car. Improving a home’s exterior, or curb appeal, can give buyers better first impressions.

For exteriors, the Quikrete Companies offer a line of inexpensive, easy-to-use products whose impact can mean the difference between another week on the market or making a deal:

Spruce Up Driveways

If a potential buyer pulls into your driveway and sees small cracks and mystery stains, they’re probably walking away with a bad first impression.

Quikrete Concrete Resurfacer offers an economical alternative to replacing old concrete. Following a thorough pressure washing, homeowners just mix, pour and squeegee. The resurfacer results in a durable, wear-resistant surface that can be driven on after 24 hours.

Quick Patching

Patching unsightly cracked or pitted concrete surfaces such as steps, driveways and sidewalks can be an easy improvement using the Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher. The versatile, vinyl-infused compound bonds to the concrete surface for a smooth repair. The patcher has a high resistance to ultraviolet light and heat, and it is self-curing, so no additives are needed.

Fix Small Cracks

For minor concrete repairs, like cracks less than half an inch in width, Quikrete Gray Concrete Crack Seal offers a easy solution -; simply shake the ready-to-use product and pour it directly from its bottle. Once applied, the material blends with the natural color of concrete for a uniform finish, becomes dry to the touch in 30 minutes and maintains adhesion throughout freeze-thaw temperature cycles.

For more information, visit www.quikrete.com .

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How A Forest Products Company is Making a Real Environmental Impact

 
(ARA) – With the growing popularity of green building practices, more companies are incorporating environmental and sustainability policies. These are all positive steps toward reducing the impact of global warming and caring for our earth. But what do you really know about a product you buy that is labeled green? Is it really environmentally friendly, or is it just a marketing scheme? And how much of a difference is it actually making?

“Green and sustainable forestry practices are a step in the right direction. But even the most stringent standards, those certified internationally by the Forest Stewardship Council, are only a modest step away from the large-scale deforestation practices that were prevalent until recently,” says Raul Hernandez, founder of Old-Growth Again, an organization dedicated to restoring logged forestlands back to their ancient form.

Hernandez goes on to explain the problem is sustainable forestry does little in the way of restoring large and ancient trees overtime. Without these trees as a significant portion of working forests, the effects forestlands can have on global cooling are limited. Under sustainable forestry practices, lands are cut at rates of up to 30 percent per decade. At this rate of cut, a forest is “sustained,” but it’s maintained as a young forest in perpetuity with trees rarely exceeding 80 years of age.

OGA is changing this by practicing a much higher “Restoration Forestry” standard. Restoration forestry involves many practices including limiting the rate of cut to a maximum of 10 percent in any one decade. This conservative rate allows for a growth increase of standing lumber at rates of approximately 20 percent per decade, allowing the forest to mature so that a large amount of the forest canopy will once again be dominated by trees over 200 years old (the definition of old-growth).

Why is this important? “Depending on the tree species and geography, forests managed on a 200-year cycle sequester 3 to 4 times more carbon per acre than forests managed on 60 to 80 year cycles,” says Hernandez. “Restoration forestry practiced on a global scale would cause dramatic global cooling to take place while growing the highest quality lumber.”

How can you help? With the nice weather, more people are spending time outside enjoying their yards. If you are looking to add some new furniture and decor, consider Forever Redwood, OGA’s thick-timber products, which help fund the organization’s mission. Add some new lawn furniture, a gazebo or pergola, a swing or just some planter boxes. The look and design of the products is a throwback to another era when lumber was plentiful and of extremely high quality.

Besides supporting a good cause, redwood products are very long lasting and can be left outdoors for decades in elements such as harsh sun and snow, without maintenance. You can choose from three grades of redwood for Forever Redwood products — young, mature and old-growth. Half of the lumber used is from salvaged material left on the forest floor when the forest was first logged in the 40s and 50s. This wood is carefully inspected, and because of its high quality, much of it is in great shape and can be used, a testament to the longevity of the old-growth lumber. The other half comes from careful harvesting of the forest.

“One of the biggest aspects of global warming is deforestation. If forest lands are managed so they sequester carbon as they did before the high levels of harvesting, a big part of global warming equation would be eliminated,” says Hernandez.

To learn more about Forever Redwood furniture and products, and how old-growth forests are helping counteract global warming, visit http://www.OldGrowthAgain.org   .

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(ARA) – Is what used to be your office now the baby’s room? Have your desk and computer taken up residence in the formal living room? Are you running out of space to store your growing collection of stuff?

Now that summer is here, it’s a great time to reassess how the space in your home is being used. And if you’re looking for more creative ways to utilize the space you already have, look no further than the backyard deck – specifically underneath it.

“Expanding a home’s outdoor living space is a big trend, and so many newer homes have second or third level decks with space underneath that is basically lost. Utilizing this normally wasted space in the home is easier to do than you may think,” says Don Garrison of LockDry Decking.

While typical wood decks have gaps between the boards, providing no shelter from the elements for the area below, those that utilize a watertight aluminum decking system like the one offered by LockDry (www.lockdry.com), can create a beautifully finished and gapless deck that keeps the area under the deck dry, no matter what the weather.

Whether you need extra space for storage, a game room for the kids, a workshop or an entertainment room, the lower level is instantly transformed into usable space when you seal the deck above; and keeping the area dry isn’t the only benefit aluminum decking offers over wood and composites.

“Aluminum is the perfect material for decking,” explains Garrison. “It is able to withstand the most extreme outdoor elements. It does not rust, rot, warp, or splinter. It will not freeze and crack. It does not contain any chemicals that will leach. It also weights less than half of wood decking and is much stronger.”

Installation is simple, and since the decking surface is watertight, no water penetrates to the deck framing, protecting the wooden structure, and your house, from moisture. Kits, which are available directly from LockDry, include trim for a professional, finished looking deck.

Aluminum railing systems are also available to complete your deck. The various styles will complement just about any architectural style, from contemporary to traditional. Choose from cable, glass, picket and decorative styles. They are shipped in pre-assembled sections for easy installation.

In addition, the decking is maintenance free, so you’ll never have to replace a rotted, cracked or warped board again. You also won’t have to spend a perfect summer day waterproofing, staining or painting the deck. All it takes is periodic cleaning to keep the deck looking great. The aluminum decking stays cool to the touch, has a textured, non-skid powder coat finish, and is available in four beautiful colors, so there’s sure to be an option that complements the color scheme of your house.

Once your deck is finished, there’s no end to the ways you can decorate it. Add potted or hanging plants – the water runoff won’t harm your aluminum deck like it would wood. Add a table with an umbrella and comfortable chairs, and you’re set to enjoy the nice weather. The deck is also the perfect place for your grill, as most decks are built off the kitchen. Add some benches for extra seating, and you’re ready to entertain.

Each LockDry decking system comes with a limited lifetime warranty. For more information, visit www.lockdry.com or call (800) 711-1785 to request a brochure and decking samples.

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(ARA) – Whether you’re selling your home or planning to live there for years to come, you can add interest and value using architectural elements. Customizing your kitchen, bath or master bedroom is a simple way to set your home apart and increase the “wow factor” of those particular rooms, which real estate agents say sell houses.

Architectural elements are the unique details that form the architectural style of houses and buildings. These include anything from stairways and fireplace mantels to columns and ornaments. Examples of architectural details are found in every design style from intricate Victorian gables to modern clean-lined ceiling domes.

Here are a few easy design tips that use architectural elements to bring your kitchen, bath or master bedroom from ordinary to extraordinary.

Kitchen — From Lackluster to Luxury
* Stock cabinets can be plain and boring. Add decorative corbels (an architectural support bracket), panel and crown mouldings to create a high-end, customized appearance.

* Add a ceiling medallion above the breakfast bar or table. Whether simple or elegantly embellished, a medallion will enhance any light fixture and create a focal point.

* Build an “oven nook.” Using a shelf or fireplace mantel and some decorative corbels, you can create the look of a custom built-in cooking station found in model homes.

Bathroom — From So-so to Spa
* Switch out the simple wood trim around doors for elegant casings and add a chair rail at mid-wall height. For a look featured in four-star hotels, paint the wall below the chair rail a muted, relaxing color and use a slightly lighter shade of the same color above the chair rail.

* Add a decorative shelf or mantel for display of art, plants or your favorite fragrance bottles.

* Add to the height of the bathroom by installing a round or elliptical dome. A dome will allow for a larger, more dramatic light fixture while adding depth like a tray ceiling.

Master Bedroom — From Routine to Relaxing
* Trimming the bedroom with crown moulding shows attention to detail and complements rooms of any style.

* Add a niche to your wall for dramatic display space. Highlight special photos, keepsakes or a piece of art.

* Create a custom headboard using architectural plaques, ornate corbels and decorative swags. A custom headboard allows you to show your style and offers an elegant space to frame the room’s largest piece of furniture.

Adding architectural elements to customize the spaces in your home doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Lightweight, decorative mouldings and other elements are available through companies like Focal Point Architectural Products, which specializes in closed-cell polyurethane products that won’t rot or mildew. The pieces look like plaster and wood, but offer a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to traditional materials.

For more information or design inspiration, visit www.FocalPointProducts.com or call (800) 662-5550 to find a dealer near you.

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(ARA) – Tune in to your average home improvement show and you may get the idea that anyone can do demolition. Think again.

Virtually every home remodeling project begins with demolition. Homeowners who do their own demo can save big bucks, especially on projects where professionals will finish the construction part of the job. But poorly executed demolition can damage parts of your home that you’d rather preserve – and end up costing you more than the remodeling project itself

“There’s more to demolition than picking up a sledgehammer and swinging at the wall,” says Joe Skach, a demolition specialist and inventor of a pry bar system commonly used by contractors for demolition. “You need to know what to remove and how to remove it properly in order to keep the structures that you’ll need in place to complete your renovation.”

Before you tear up a floor, open a wall or demolish a countertop, keep these basic do-it-yourself demolition tips in mind:

* When removing siding from a home exterior, be aware of all lines coming into the house through the siding. Take care in these areas so that you don’t damage the home’s power source or leave yourself without cable or phone service. If you’re using a ladder to remove siding from high on the building or just getting on to the roof be sure the ladder contacts the top of the structure at least two steps below the ladder’s topmost step. If possible, tie the ladder to a stable surface near the upper support point.

* If you’re opening drywall, make sure you know whether there are live electrical wires, pipes or HVAC conduits behind it. Turn off power and water before beginning. Cutting into wiring or pipes can cause serious injury to you and seriously damage your house.

* Before you do anything with a wall, head to the basement or attic to determine if it’s load-bearing – meaning the wall helps support the ceiling or roof above it and is integral to the structural integrity of the house. To determine if a wall is load-bearing, look at the exposed joists in the cellar or attic. If joists are perpendicular to the wall, it’s likely load-bearing.

* Be prepared to be surprised. Floors can have multiple layers of covering, roofs can have multiple layers of shingles, walls can turn out to be load-bearing and newly revealed pipes can spring a leak. Allow room in your budget and schedule to deal with the unexpected.

* The right tools will make your job much easier. Professional contractors know it’s hard to remove hardwood floor with a putty knife or take down a wall with a tack hammer. You shouldn’t try it either. Before you begin your demolition project, be sure you have the right tools on hand.

While working on a six-month construction job and struggling with inefficient prying devices, Skach invented the Artillery Pry Bar System. Designed to tackle many jobs that require both prying power and adaptability, the tool features a variety of interchangeable prying blades and handles that fit onto a light yet strong extruded aluminum body.

“I found the ability to adjust the length and weight of the handles made prying much easier and far less of a strain on the body,” says homeowner Norman Novinger, who used the Artillery Pry Bar System to remove tile from a kitchen, bath and walkway. The first 16 square feet of the job took two and a half hours with traditional prying tools. Novinger says he accomplished the remaining 200 square feet in just one hour using Skach’s invention.

The system is especially effective on siding, flooring and roofing materials. First used by contractors and landlords, the system is now offered in a homeowners’ version. Visit www.artillerytools.com to learn more.

* Cover up and clean up. Protect your eyes with safety goggles and your lungs with a dust mask or respirator. Flying particles can cause serious injury. Inhaled insulation or lead paint dust can create respiratory illness. For most projects of moderate to grand scope, it’s wise to invest in a dumpster. Remove construction debris quickly as you progress to keep your work area safe and efficient.

“Do-it-yourself demolition can be both satisfying and a money-saver for homeowners, whether they finish the project themselves or hand off the construction phase to professionals,” Skach says. “The key is to do demo right – with the right tools – so that every swing of a hammer and pry with a bar is as easy and effective as possible.”

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Pump Up Your Powder Room with Daring Styles

 
(ARA) - Just as you get your fashion ideas from the pages of top glamour magazines … so do home decor manufacturers. That’s right, from paint colors and textile patterns to fixture finishes — what accessorizes our outfits is stunningly similar to what accessorizes our homes.

But while you may have perused the style magazines and been tempted by the unique designs — it’s often a daring step to implement them. So, why not start small? Your powder room is likely the smallest room in your home — and could have the potential for your biggest style impact. With a few small changes you can go from drab to glam with some new styles and bold updates.

Bright Ideas
Colors have made it back into our wardrobes after years of gray days. Today, runways are packed with models showing off the year’s hottest hues — bright, vibrant blues and greens and signature jewel tones. Incorporate more color into your powder room with paint that makes a statement. Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color, has selected Blue Iris — a bold and balanced blue-purple hue — as its “Color of the Year” for 2008. Other “it” colors that the company expects will be on walls everywhere this year include its Rococco Red and Daiquiri Green.

Picture Perfect
Now, minimalist metals are hot for the home. Why not spruce up your bathroom walls with metallic-framed vintage black and white photos or advertisements?

And, to create a focal point and a beautiful framing effect for your mirrors try new Mirrorscapes Mirror Frames from Inspirations by Moen. The Mirrorscapes collection includes five different styles of customizable frames ranging from classic elegance to modern sophistication and comes in a wide variety of metallic and wood finishes. The innovative system is easy enough for a DIYer to install in minutes and can turn most any wall-mounted, plate-glass mirror into a beautifully coordinated, custom-designed look.

Lighten Up
Today’s trendsetters are installing chandeliers in unexpected places, like the powder room. The Calais Chandelier from Z Gallerie features a modern vintage-inspired design, with its sweeping curves and dramatic black finish. Or, for an earthy twist on the overhead lighting, try a chandelier made of Capiz, a flat semi-transparent shell with a pearlescent appearance, such as World Market’s Coffee 8-inch Hanging Pendant. For the perfect amount of light no matter what style lighting you choose, install a dimmer. You can set the mood while adding some unexpected whimsy and charm into the bath.

Modern Mania
Just as today’s fashions are sleek, simple and shiny — faucet manufacturer Moen incorporated these cues into the new Level bath suite. This sleek, modern collection features a geometric single-handle single-hole mount faucet in a contemporary chrome finish. Paired with a black, white or clear glass vessel sink, the faucet can punch up your powder room with an extra modern edge.

Accessorize in Style
No powder room update is complete without stylish accessories to pull it all together. It’s the little details that make a big difference and many options are available to meet any design tastes. For a clean, sophisticated look in the bath, the Iso bath accessory collection from Inspirations by Moen offers sleek styling and a contemporary chrome finish. It includes a variety of unique accessories such as a robe hook, pivoting paper holder, towel ring, single and double towel bars, pivoting decorative mirror and a glass shelf. An attractive wall-mounted toothbrush/tumbler holder and wall-mounted soap dish round out the offering.

If you’re looking to taste-test your style desires, look no further than the nearest fashion magazine for inspiration. They offer a host of hot style ideas — not only for your wardrobe, but also to pump up your powder room.

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(ARA) – Last summer you fell in love. Now, just three short seasons later, your beloved has let you down. Time has revealed that your love affair — not to mention the object of your affection – wasn’t nearly as timeless or as durable as you thought.

How did this happen, you wonder. How could you have so badly misjudged the quality and style of the dining-room set you bought just one year ago?

“For most people, furniture-buying decisions are either based on emotion – ‘falling in love’ with a piece – or on the lowest price,” says Brad Haas, a furniture expert with manufacturer Carrington Court. “Neither way is likely to lead to a happy, satisfying long-term relationship with your furniture. This is especially true of upholstered furniture, where poor construction and quality can be hidden beneath layers of fabric and padding.”

Successful furniture shopping requires a careful balance between emotion and intellect, Haas points out. If you’re planning to update your décor with some new furniture this summer, here are two important areas to examine when assessing furniture. If the piece measures up to these standards, chances are you’ll still be able to love it next summer.

Frame Construction

If you’re shopping in a showroom, be sure to ask the sales person about the frame under the upholstery. If you’re shopping online, be sure it’s with a company that can answer this basic question – what is the frame made of? Hardwood frames like oak, maple and poplar provide a strong, solid foundation for the furniture. Avoid soft woods like pine or plywood.

Wood should be kiln-dried hardwood, which imparts strength and durability. Several types of hardwood are good; Carrington Court Direct uses maple/poplar and ash. “Of course, the strongest wood in the world is no good if it’s cut too thin,” Haas notes. Many manufacturers use 5/4-inch lumber, Carrington Court uses 8/4-inch lumber, meaning the wood is nearly 65 percent thicker than planks commonly found in wood frames.

Fabric

If you’re buying from a big-box furniture store, you’ll likely have only a few fabric selections to choose from. Limited fabric choices allow manufacturers to buy their fabric in volume, keeping their costs down. If you go with a smaller company you may find yourself with more choices – or even the ability to supply your own fabric; Carrington Court offers 200 fabrics and has a “customer’s own material” program. If you’re having furniture made for you, the manufacturer should be willing to send you sample swatches of the fabric you choose.

When choosing a fabric type for your upholstered furniture, keep in mind that durability is a key consideration. Some materials commonly used include:

* Cotton – A natural fiber, cotton resists wear, fading and piling, but is less resistant to soiling. Blending cotton with other fabrics can address soiling issues.

* Acrylic – Originally developed as imitation wool, this synthetic fabric resists wear, wrinkling, soiling and fading.

* Nylon – One of the most resilient fabrics, nylon is rarely used alone. Most often, it is blended with other fibers, making it one of the strongest upholstery fabrics. It’s highly resistant to soiling and fading.

* Olefin – Often used in blends with other fibers, olefin is a perfect choice for furniture that will get heavy use and wear.

* Polyester – Most often blended with other fibers, polyester resists wrinkles.

* Rayon – Developed as a silk alternative, this synthetic is more durable than silk but does wrinkle.

If you’re furniture shopping in a showroom, carefully inspect the upholstery and repeat your inspection when the furniture is delivered to your home. Look for fabric that is clean, free of rips, tears or stains. Also, if the fabric is patterned, be sure the patterns line up at fabric seams.

Carrington Court Direct has sold furniture for 23 years. Its Parsons and dining-room chairs can be found in dining rooms, bedrooms and living areas of homes across the country, as well as in quality hotels, designer showrooms, restaurants and offices. To learn more, or purchase furniture online, visit www.CarringtonCourtDirect.com.

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