blackberrysquirrel's Profile

I may be a lone voice in the crowd, but is any one else over the "My Room" thread? The rooms are lovely, but basically they are all the same: a crib, a changing table and a chair at an angle in the corner. It was good while it lasted, but I've personally had enough. The appeal here is likely limited to those with children. Perhaps this content requires a spin-off site? For this non-parent, it's irrelevant.

This is a stencil, which can be found here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65963564/allover-stencil-mermaid-reusable

White appliances! Yeah!!!!

I consider myself the expert on this one, as I've had cats for the past 18 years! I've tried every suggestion mentioned. As far as sisal or jute, cats will scratch it for sure, but if they vomit on the rug, good luck. I've never been able to get the stain out without some bleaching to the rug. I've tried shag, and as the above writer noted, getting vomit out of a shag/flokati rug isn't pretty and the rug never gets totally clean. I've looked into FLOR, but a lot of those tiles are looped, which leaves you vulnerable to snags. And I, personally, think it becomes pretty expensive if you are looking for a large rug. I just tried a Pottery Barn indoor/outdoor rug, and that was destroyed after 6 months. My suggestion is to purchase a carpet remnant and have it cut to size. I just purchased a remnant, had to cut to 9' x 12' (quite large) and the total cost including binding was $260. The key is getting a rug that is a flat cut pile, so no risks of snags. Most carpeting comes with a scotch-guard coating so clean-up is a snap. You're a bit limited color and pattern-wise, but if you're looking for a neutral, you'll have plenty of choices. My cats scratch the dickens out of it, and I've never seen a snag or even a loose thread. I also have a dog that loves to eat on it and no stains to speak of. For me this was the best option. I wish I'd done it years ago! It would have saved me a lot of money and frustration :) Oh--do not go to Home Depot or the like for this!! Way more expensive. Find a local carpet store that sells remnants. I have a great contact for this in LA for anyone interested: Carpet Remnant Warehouse in Torrance. They were great to work with, family-owned, reasonable prices and made my rug in 2 days.