Home carpet industries leads floor covering trends.

In the early '70s, a phenomenon was born as consumers all over America rushed to purchase wall-to-wall carpet. Covering hardwood floors in those days was all the rage. During the '80s, velvets and plushes were the norm. The '90s ushered in the textured and Berber craze. Today's floor covering for America's homes is all about diversification, a mixture of textures and colors.

A balance between hard surface flooring and soft floor covering has taken hold. The majority of middle to upscale homes now use a combination of ceramic, hardwood and carpet to accent the home's interior and put the comfort, cleanability and durability where it is needed.

In addition to these trends, the new millennium has ushered in a concept that has taken hold with the do-it-yourself market and those looking primarily for value. Laminate flooring, the fastest-growing segment in the industry, reduces material and labor costs associated with traditional hard surface. These floors emulate wood or ceramic appearances and are experiencing tremendous use in rental, apartment and spec home applications.

Since 1986, Home Carpet Industries, a wholesale floor covering supplier, based in Dalton, Ga., has been servicing the construction, remodeling, restoration and apartment markets. Following 20 years of employment by the world's largest carpet manufacturer. I am fortunate to be the General Manager of Home Carpet Industries. As a native Daltonian, my first love is no doubt carpet. According to volume consumed, carpet is by far the largest floor-covering category. It is made for the masses. It is available in a multitude of textures, colors and constructions. It is used indoors, outdoors, for residential or commercial applications. Carpet trends today are leaning toward textures with the emphasis on designer-type looks in friezes, cut pile Berbers, patterned and textured cut piles.

Home Carpet, originally established as a wholesale carpet supplier, changed as the industry did. We are now the authority on all types of floor covering: residential and commercial carpet, solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminate, vinyl, V.C.T. and rugs. We offer superior service and are known as the "Home of the Flooring Professionals."

Our buying power and knowledge of what and how to buy provides our customer with ultimately the best product at the lowest price. Home Carpet's location in the "Carpet Capital of the World" is a key element to our success. We are miles ahead of our competition on offering the newest products and latest colors. Our buyers keep our product lines current and stylish. If you have a specific product request, we can service those needs as well.

Our entire staff has grown up with this industry. We ship flooring materials all over the country. Most of our customers will tell you that price may be the reason they tried Home Carpet, but the customer service is why they stayed. Our people truly make the difference

Bring your business Home; you will be glad you did. Call us toll free at 800/542-3226, Fax [phone], or visit our Web site at www.homecarpet.com.