THE RUBBER CARPET

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 73, 30 March 1929, Page 14

THE RUBBER CARPET

In I'Vance the cheapest houses have wcll-laid-iiloors, cither in parquet or in narrow,, well-fitting strips of wood, upon which rugs or small carpets can be laid without any danger of spoiling them, says an English writer. The frugal French housekeeper sees no reason at all why tho. landlord should compel her, in addition to his rent, to waste vast sums on linoleum with which to dissimulate the roughness and atrocious carpentering of,his floors. In Germany floors aro also well laid in long, narrow pieces. That they are often painted a rather hideous shade of orange and that this, according to German custom, has to be renewed, does not detract from the good workmanship of tho floors. In America, floors equally receive attention, and neither splinters, cracks, nor knotholes aro permitted. On tho contrary, rugs and carpets can hero also bo laid straight on to the floors without the preliminaries of linoleum, brown paper, linings, what-not.

It seems to bo only in England that floors are permitted to be full of splinters, frill of cracks, and utterly unsightly. And, since these builders seem in this respect to play into the hands of the lionleum makers and expense has to bo considered, the rubber carpet offers claims to consideration. It has manifold advantages. It is comfortablo to walk on, and it deadens sound both

for the inmates of the flat and also for those -underneath it. It is being made in good colours and in simple designs, which have escaped the "floral" tendency. It can be used with the fewest possible rugs, and it is both wai-m and easy to clean. Rubber carpets aro being increasingly used in big establishments, warehouses, and so forth, where floors aro not equal to those of the private house. Thus it would bo admirably suited for the average English floor as it is tolerated to-day.