Help Deciding What Type Of Carpet To Put In Your Home
Typically, when carpet is chosen for a home there are only a few main factors involved in the decision, Price, Look, and Feel. Often, the carpet looks great for a time, but in the end may not hold up. A more careful decision making process along with some research can alleviate such an occurrence. Here are some things to consider when buying and installing carpet.
Fiber-Nothing affects a carpets longevity like the material used in making the carpet. Consider these different types of carpet fibers…
- Nylon-Pleasant feel, relatively durable, holds color well. Is somewhat stain prone, consider using a stain resistant treatment to the carpet. Price $8-$30 per square yard.
- Olefin aka Polypropylene-Extremely strong and stain resistant. However it lacks the luxurious fell most homeowners desire. May work well in a Sunriver nightly vacation rental application. Price $8-$25 per square yard.
- Polyester-Thick, soft, and luxurious. Also holds color well and sometimes made with recycled plastic bottles. It is prone to “crushing.” $10-$15 per square yard.
- Triexta-Subclass of Polyester, made only by DuPont. It has gained popularity with carpet purchasers. It is softer and more stain resistant than Nylon. $18-$30 per square yard.
- Wool-Luxurious and Dense to the Touch, takes dyes very well. Good stain resistance, yet high priced. $40-$100 per square yard.
Style-Choose from “loop,” or “cut pile.” Cut pile carpeting is typically softer, while loop carpeting usually offers better durability.
Quality-A major factor in quality is carpet density. You can evaluate density by looking, pressing your palm into the carpet, or pressing your thumb into the carpet in order to observe the so called “bald spot.” The smaller the bald spot the better.
Other factors to consider… Padding ranges from between $4 and $10 dollars per square yard. It can make a significant difference in the durability and feel of the carpet. Ensure that the padding brought on the day of installation is the padding you desire and ordered. Usually, padding will be tagged with the “weight” or grade of the padding. Ensure that installers do not cut corners by using old tack strips etc… Also, check the bare flooring where the carpet is to be installed, it should not have any signs of mold or mildew, if the flooring does show signs of problems, fix those issues before carpet install.