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More Carpet Buying Q & A
By Alan J Fletcher - Carpet
Expert and Consumer Advocate
About P.E.T. Carpet
What are your opinions on this new fiber? I have a very active
home (4 inside dogs, 2 kids, traffic, traffic, traffic) and I am considering purchasing this carpet for my living room and hallway. What do you think?
Answer:
This is one of my favorite questions to answer, as this is not a new fiber at all! P.E.T. (Polyethylene
Terephthalate) is polyester produced from recycled soft drink bottles, and has been available for years. Here is my take on this fiber:
While polyester is a very soft synthetic fiber, and it is available in wonderful colors, polyester fibers will mat down quickly and is very hard to clean. It sounds to me like you really need a carpet that cleans easy.
The main problem is that polyester or PET will crush or mat down in a hurry. That means in areas where there is heavy traffic, like down the hallway,
polyester/PET carpet will mat down quickly and never come back to its original appearance. In your case, with kids and pets I bet within six months you would be very unhappy with your polyester carpeting.
Do not listen to the advice of carpet sales people who recommend polyester, no matter what they say!
Because polyester is so cheap to make, carpet manufacturers have tried for years to make a good carpet out of polyester, with limited success. every year they come up with some new technique that they claim will make polyester more durable. It hasn't happened yet.
What I do recommend is for you to buy Nylon! Nylon carpet is more expensive than polyester, but it will tolerate an incredible amount of abuse. It cleans easily and won't mat down like polyester. Buy a continuous filament 100% nylon carpet and you will be much happier in the long run!
Sorona is another option if you want a carpet that is easy to clean and very
stain resistant. It is also known as Smartstrand by Mohawk. It is a fairly new
product but it seems to be very durable. It's a much better choice than
Polyester or PET Polyester if you want your carpet to last. See
my Recommended
Carpet Stores near you.
What
Is Carpet Face- Weight?
Does Face-weight have any bearing on the quality of the carpet?
How is this gauged?
Answer:
Face-weight does have bearing on the
quality of carpet but not with every type of carpet. Let me explain. Face-weight
is the amount of fiber or yarn that is used to make the carpet pile. I am sure that you have
seen thin carpets and thick carpets, the thicker the nap (pile) the higher the face-weight. Just because a carpet is thicker doesn't mean it will last longer
or wear better. The key to longevity and durability is in the type of fiber you
select.
Learn about What Grade
of Carpet Should I Select?
Installing
Carpet on Stairs?
I have a question regarding carpet for my indoor stairs (steps). How
should I go about completing this job myself?
Answer:
Installing
carpet on stairs is very difficult and easy to make costly mistakes. Putting carpet on stairs will
usually require hiring a professional to measure and install.
You should contact a qualified carpet installer to help you with this. If you
give me more details about what you would like to accomplish, I may be able to
give you additional helpful information. Carpet manufacturers do not warranty
any carpet installed on stairs. In my Complete Carpet Buying Guide ebook I
provide detailed instructions about how to measure your home for carpet
including a Stair and Landing Measuring Chart to help you determine about how
much carpet you need to buy. Learn more about Carpet
Installation Cost
Should
I Choose Berber Carpet?
Hi, I was wondering how well does Berber withstand high traffic areas.
Is it easy to keep clean and what kind of padding is the best? I am going crazy
trying to decide if I want a plush carpet or Berber. I have a newborn son and
know I will soon have lots of messes to clean up! Thank you for responding at
your earliest convenience.
Answer:
Berber can be made of Nylon or Olefin, and of the two, Nylon would be the
better choice. Berber is a nice looking carpet, and can be quite reasonably
priced. However, It is not the best choice for folks with kids or pets. A good
Nylon plush would clean easily, wear better, and retain its new appearance much
longer than would a Berber. If you must buy a Berber be sure to select one with
small loops, the big loops fall over quickly and look bad sooner. As far as pad
goes, a 6 pound, 7/16" rebond pad for the plush, or an 8 pound 1/4"
for the Berber. Learn about Carpet
Cost
Not
The Carpet I Ordered?
I just purchased some nylon Berber carpet. However, the weave or loop
is much larger than the sample and I have concerns about the nylon pulling. I
like the smaller loop. The larger looks like the yarns has been snagged or
pulled. I found you web site very helpful, but what happens when the carpet comes in
and it does not appear to be the same weave, or loop that was selected?
Can you help?
Answer:
If you have ordered
carpet from a carpet retailer and the carpet does not closely match the carpet
sample, you have every right to refuse the carpet. You should get exactly what
you ordered, so contact the retailer and ask them to look into it. If there is a
noticeable difference they should reorder the carpet and there should not be any
additional cost to you. With any Berber carpet, a smaller loop size is always
preferable to larger loops, as the smaller loops will retain their new
appearance longer. Large loops tend to fall over and lose the new appearance
quicker. Learn about Carpet
Styles
Seaming
Different Color Carpets Together
I want to replace my family room carpet with a different color, but not
the bedroom. What do you do where the two carpets meet?
Answer:
A carpet layer would seam the two carpets together
right underneath the door between
the two rooms. He cuts both sides straight and puts some hot melt seaming tape
under the carpets to join them together. Even if the two carpet colors are very different it doesn't
usually look bad, it is very common to have different colors of carpet
throughout the house.
Read more About Carpet
Installation
Moisture
Barrier Pad for My Dog?
I have an older
dog that does have urine accidents and this is what I am faced with. I plan on
putting down a moisture barrier pad, that I think will help w/the cleaning. What
do you recommend for this situation?
Answer:
Don't
waste your money upgrading to a fancy moisture barrier pad, it won't make that much of a
difference in the long run. A
regular rebond pad will work just fine. I suggest you invest the money you'll
save in a carpet cleaning machine like a Bissell
to help deal with your frequent pet accidents. They cost less than $200 and work
very well. Learn more about Carpet Fibers
Best
Padding for a Dry Basement
I am shopping for new carpeting to be installed over a dry concrete
floor. Every salesperson gives us a different recommendation for the padding.
What is best? Rubber, Rebond or Fiber?
Answer:
If your basement is dry you have nothing to worry about.
Rubber padding is expensive and is a great pad. Even in a basement. The truth
is, that rebond pad is great too, but it is much less expensive. If you had any
moisture in your basement at all, I would recommend using a Synthetic Fiber
Pad. It breathes well and is mold and mildew resistant. It would be a smart
idea to do a moisture test just to be sure. you can get a low-cost moisture
test kit at a flooring distributor or ask your carpet dealer where to buy one
near you.
If I were
buying carpet for my basement, I would definitely buy the Nylon carpet, and use
a 6 or 8 lb. rebond pad. Expect to pay about $3.50- $4.50 per yard for a good
quality rebond pad. Forget buying rubber padding, it is not worth the extra money.
Read more about Carpet
Comparison
Which
Carpet is Better?
We are considering
these carpets a our family room. We would greatly appreciate your opinion. There are no children in our
household, and this is a low traffic area.
-
Master's
Choice - style Chokio, which is rated for heavy use, face weight of 52 ounces,
twist of 7.5, and density of 1910 made of 100% DuPont Stainmaster Xtra Life
Nylon, or:
-
Traffic-master (Wear-Dated Carpet II) style Pacesetter , rated about
3.7 for performance (at high end of active traffic wear), 100% Solutia
Wear-Dated II Nylon, twist of 3.85, density of 3.772, and face weight of 72
ounces.
Answer:
With
your nylon selections and low traffic application, either carpet would
be a good choice. Personally I like the Master's Choice because it has a higher
tuft twist of 7.5, which tends to make a carpet look like-new longer. You are considering two
quality carpets. They both
have the capability to last 10 to 20 years if cared for. You have done your homework well, good job!
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