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CHAPTER 8 needs of the architect, specifier, and building owner or
<br /> manager who must stay informed about the rapidly
<br /> CUTTING COSTS WITH CARPET changing contract furnishings market.
<br /> IN THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT: The new data also reflects the fact that use-life, rather
<br /> than wear-life, is the basis on which commercial floor-
<br /> Comparative Use-Life Costs of Commercial ing is selected today. In the average commercial facili-
<br /> Carpet Versus Hard Surface Floorcovering ty occupied by rental tenants, the floorcovering and
<br /> other interior furnishings are changed for design
<br /> For the 1991 issue of the CARPET SPECIFIER'S reasons approximately every five to seven years to up-
<br /> HANDBOOK, the comparative use-costs of commer- date color and style and also to replace furnishings
<br /> cial carpet versus that of hard surface floors in contract showing signs of wear. Surveys indicate that the refur-
<br /> applications have been newly evaluated. A previous bishment cycle in tenant owned facilities lengthens to
<br /> revision was prepared by Carpax Associates, Inc. in approximately seven to ten years.
<br /> 1987 based on an earlier study by Industrial Sanitation For the purposes of this study,the contract office seg-
<br /> Counselors, Inc. (ISC). The original ISC study, com- ment was chosen as a prototype market. Thus, all
<br /> pleted in 1974, furnished an accurate, detailed ap- estimated costs are based on this commercial sector.
<br /> proach to ascertaining carpet maintenance costs bas- Similar cost comparisons can be made for the hospitali-
<br /> ed on cleaning products and processes available at the ty, retail, and institutional segments as well. Further,
<br /> time. Since 1974,commercial carpet maintenance has this report does not claim that carpet should be used
<br /> changed significantly,and there is a much wider range in every area of a commercial office building. On the
<br /> of cleaning products and procedures in the market. For contrary, there are specific service areas for which hard
<br /> example, both wet and dry extraction methods are com- surface flooring is best suited.These may include: en-
<br /> monly used in cleaning today's commercial carpet.The trance areas, restrooms, food preparation facilities,
<br /> premise of the ISC study remains valid, however, in that loading and/or storage spaces, and others. However,
<br /> it considers equipment, materials, maintenance time, the study does acknowledge that carpet has gained
<br /> and wage considerations as its basis.The 1991 update widespread acceptance as the major floorcovering pro-
<br /> considers these influences and other contemporary duct in most commercial sectors within the United
<br /> practices in the data development. States and that the positive economics of carpet can
<br /> The goal of this study is to provide a relative com- be proven.As an illustration of the growing trend toward
<br /> parison between costs incurred in the use of various the specification of carpet for most areas in office
<br /> flooring materials, not to supply average national buildings—terrazzo, once a major flooring product in
<br /> figures for every aspect of commercial flooring costs. such facilities and a comparison factor in the previous
<br /> This study differs from the previous one in that these study—was not included in this updated report.Terraz-
<br /> comparisons were made using costs from one locality zo was deleted because its use is reserved primarily
<br /> (the Atlanta area) rather than on an elusive and highly for off-street entrance areas and other heavy traffic
<br /> variable national average. These comparisons, based locations in an office building.
<br /> on one locality, are, therefore, more accurate and in- The present information not only supports the original
<br /> formative as a relative scale because the variables in claims in the 1974 and subsequent studies but also
<br /> the current national market, such as the cost of labor, acknowledges the increasingly complicated issues
<br /> supplies, and freight, are too broad to capture in a related to the various costs of purchasing, installing and
<br /> meaningful set of figures and would not give a clear maintaining commercial floorcovering. Rather than try-
<br /> comparative overview. While conducting research for ing to pinpoint specific statistics such as exact labor
<br /> cost comparisons, it became apparent that the costs costs across the nation for a work force as diverse as
<br /> for flooring materials, especially carpet and composi- that of the floorcovering and commercial maintenance
<br /> tion tile, have become much more competitive. Con- fields, it was deemed more meaningful to obtain from
<br /> tract dealers are selling more by price than by quality industry sources an overview of cost factors which im-
<br /> of the product. pact on the use-life expense of carpet compared to that
<br /> The reader should also note that this study does not of hard surface flooring using a given geographical sec-
<br /> favor one carpet cleaning method over another. Many tor's cost factors.
<br /> wet and dry techniques are highly effective and each The result is a confirmation of the earlier conclusion
<br /> should be investigated to determine which is ap- that the use-cost of carpet is significantly below that
<br /> propriate for a given commercial installation. In gather- of hard surface floors.This is partly due to the fact that
<br /> ing data for this article, Carpax Associates, Inc. has carpet, when properly maintained, usually retains its
<br /> turned to respected trade resources, utilizing their ex- "new" appearance for most of the five to ten year style
<br /> perience and informed opinions rather than the highly cycle now preferred by many contract specifiers. In ad-
<br /> variable "dollars and cents" comparisons of some dition, there are substantial9
<br /> studies. This report has been targeted to address the "down-time" when carpet is being vacuumed or clean-
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