Common Carpet- Buying Questions & Answers
Q
I would like to know about the 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?
Thank you.
Rhonda H.
A
Dear Rhonda H.,
Thank you for your question! 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 it will easily crush. That means in areas where there is heavy traffic, like down the hallway, polyester 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!
Q. Does weight have any bearing on the quality of the carpet? How is this gauged? Krista
A. 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 that is used to make the carpet. I am sure that you have
seen thin carpets and thick carpets, the thicker the nap (fibers) the higher the
face weight. Just because a carpet is thicker doesn't mean it will last longer
or wear better. the key is in the fiber itself. Nylon is the toughest, longest
lasting, most durable, resilient, easiest cleaning fiber of all. A thin carpet
made of nylon is just as good as a thick carpet made of nylon, because the fiber
is durable. On the other hand, Polyester is a fiber that is not resilient, not
easy to clean, non durable fiber. The manufacturers of carpet have to make it of
high face weight in order to try to make it last longer, and be more durable. It
generally doesn't work out well.
My suggestion to you is to buy a carpet
made of nylon, of the best quality you can afford in order to get the best bang
for your buck. I would stay away from polyester carpets at all costs! They just
don't last.
As far as how they gauge the face weight of
carpets, you need to know that there is a lot of confusion about how each
manufacturer determines their actual face weight. Unfortunately I cannot give
you the formula because they all use different methods. Some use just the weight
of the fibers, others use the weight of the backing and the fibers. When I look
at a carpet I want to see tightly twisted tufts, closely packed together like a
dense forest, and difficult to see the backing when I spread the tufts apart
with my fingers. The height of the carpet you select is personal preference and
budget.
I hope this has helped you, feel free to ask any questions you like!
Q. I have a question regarding carpet for my indoor stairs (steps). How will
I go about completing this job?
A. Putting carpet on stairs will require 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.
Q. 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.
A. 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. Remember, Nylon is the best fiber.
Q. 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?
A. Thanks for your e-mail and question about carpet. 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.
Q. 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?
A. A carpet layer would seam the two carpets together at the doorway between
the two rooms. 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.
Q. I am thinking of purchasing a Mohawk carpet, the heavier weight one that is made out of the recycled plastics. I have been told that this is easy to clean, but I thought that nylon was the easiest to spot clean? 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 is the best type of carpet you recommend for this situation?
A. The recycled plastic carpet you mentioned is made of polyester the worst fiber to make carpet from. Please don't buy polyester, you will not be happy with it. You need to buy nylon, with stain resisting treatment applied. Don't spend a lot on the carpets where your dog will be mostly, because if your dog does his duty often your carpet will not survive very long. Although nylon cleans the best, dog urine never completely comes out. Don't spend a lot on special pad, whether urine is on it or in it won't make that much of a difference. You are better off sealing your floors underneath so the urine doesn't soak into the wood or concrete. Trust me, I am a firsthand expert on pet urine. If you need more info on this procedure let me know.
Q. 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?
A. Your question is a valid one, and most salespeople do not have a clue
about what pad is right for your needs. I need to know more before I can answer
your pad question.
1. What type of carpet are you buying? Berber, plush? frieze?
2. How long do you plan on this carpet lasting?
3. Might you be selling your home soon?
4. What fiber will the carpet be made of?
5. Do you have kids or pets?
6. What is the estimated price of the carpet are you buying? ($10, $20, $30, $40
per yard?)
Follow up:
Thanks for your reply.
1. Plush Mohawk Signature
2. 10 years
3. Not planning to sell home soon
4. Probably Polyester, but maybe Nylon
5. No kids or pets
6. $13 / yard
Although our basement does not have a water problem, we have been told by some salespeople that "rebond" will grab and hold moisture, and transmit it to the carpet.
Others have told us that "rebond" is better because it will allow the padding and carpet to breathe. And rubber will cause moisture to accumulate between the pad and concrete and cause mildew.
We're confused.
Follow-up answer:
A. Based on your reply I believe that you have a two-fold problem.
First, considering buying a polyester carpet and hoping it lasts 10 years is
unrealistic. Polyester is the WORST fiber to make carpet from. It mats down
quickly and will look lousy in less than 1 year.
Second, you have retail salespeople that are unaware of the truth and are giving
you false information. 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 I were
buying carpet for my basement, I would definitely buy the Nylon carpet, and use
a 6 Lb. 3/8"inch rebond pad. Expect to pay about $2.00- $2.25 per yard for
the pad. (I can buy it for $1.40 from the distributor so $2.00-2.25 is a
reasonable retail price.) Forget buying rubber, it is not worth the extra money.
Anyone who tries to sell you polyester is not giving you good advice. If you
want your carpet to last ten years, buy Nylon and stick with your plush style.
The only other viable option I would consider would be a Berber made of olefin,
using a 1/4 inch 8 Lb. rebond pad.
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Follow-up reply:
Well, went back to the same dealer, and they insisted that polyester / rubber was the way to go. All the other dealers in our town agreed with you, so I went to another dealer, got 100% nylon with 8lb rebond, and paid a cheaper price to boot! Thanks again for your help.
Q. We are considering carpeting a family room with either 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. Would greatly appreciate your opinion. There are no children in our household, and this is a low traffic area.
A. Given your application and low traffic situation, either selection would be a great one. You are considering two wonderful quality carpets. They both have the capability to last a lifetime if cared for. If it were me, I would select the least expensive (Master's Choice) of the two, and then take little vacation with the savings. You have done your homework well, good job! Thanks for your question!
Follow-up reply:
Thank you so much for replying so promptly and with specific information. I now feel more confident about my choice (which will be the Master's Choice as you suggested). Really appreciate this service!
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