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How Do I Choose The Right Carpet?
The most
frequently asked question we hear is… “How do I know
which carpet will work the best for my needs?” While it is
true that all carpets look alike, carpets that have the same
price may perform differently. Carpet performance is dependent
upon the type of fiber used to construct the carpet, the density
of construction and the style of construction.
Fiber
In almost all applications high quality nylon will wear
significantly longer than any other type of fiber. The
latest versions of premium nylon fibers from Allied, Dupont,
and Monsanto have excellent durability and abrasion resistance
properties for any residential or commercial application.
Further, the latest versions of stain resistance treatments such
as “STAINMASTER” from DuPont and the competitive versions do a
good job at resisting typical food and beverage stains. Cool Aid,
spaghetti sauce and wine are just a few examples of spills that
clean up beautifully. The polyester or olefin fibers available
today wear reasonably well, though not as well as nylon.
However, they have excellent stain resisting properties and
withstand the sun better than nylons. Polyester carpets are
a good choice for low to medium traffic areas such as bedrooms
or family rooms where young children do a lot of eating and
drinking. Carpets made with polyester or olefin fibers are
less expensive than identical nylon carpets.
Construction
In general, the tighter a carpet is constructed the better
its resistance to crushing and matting. Picture two pieces
of carpet-one with one hundred strands of fiber standing straight
up and another with two hundred and fifty fibers. Every time
your foot walks on the second piece of carpet each fiber is
carrying less of the total stress load and therefore wears
much less. Did you ever notice the nice carpet in the better
hotels? This carpet is designed for high use and while it is
still comfortable it is manufactured with very short nylon
fibers that are tightly packed together (called gage). The
combination of short height and tight construction yield
excellent wear-ability.
The next major factor in carpet construction is the number
of twists per inch. Carpets with higher twists will out
perform those with lower twists. Did you ever twist a
piece of wire and notice how much stronger it become?
The same results occur as you increase the twists with nylon
fiber. Typically, five twists per inch or more will yield excellent results.
Style
The last major impact upon how carpet wears is determined
by the style of construction. A looped style carpet, such
as the commercial style of a “Berber” carpet, will outperform
any other style of carpet at a similar price point. The loop
or arch is a highly efficient weight bearing structure. Did
you ever notice that bridges are built as an arch? Loop and
Berber style carpets tend to be more modern or contemporary
in style and are most typically used in high traffic family
rooms, hallways, stairs and recreational rooms. Textured
Saxonies, also known as “Twists”, are the next best wearing style
of carpet. The extra twist count yields good wear-ability and
also gives a two-tone appearance to the carpet, which helps to
hide the vacuum marks. Twist carpets are viewed as semi formal
in style and are appropriate for use throughout the home. Formal
Saxonies are generally the softest, smoothest and the most elegant
looking carpets. They do not wear quite as well as the twist or
the loop styles; however, a good quality Formal Saxony will wear
well if it is vacuumed frequently. (Frequent vacuuming keeps sand
from wearing away the fibers as you walk on the carpet.) Formal
Saxonies are suitable for every area of your applications.
These beautiful looking carpets will show all your footprints
and vacuum marks…and that is part of their beauty.
If you are looking for carpeting that offers long-term durability
in high traffic areas consider “Berber or Twist” styles made from
a premium nylon fiber with short pile heights, tight density and
high twist levels. If traffic is moderate, a “Twist” made from
a quality nylon fiber in a short to medium pile height and density
will perform well. If traffic is light to moderate and/or
severe staining or sun fading is expected then look to a polyester
carpet for your best results. When you shop for new carpet ask
every question you can think of. Look for a product that will
meet your use, color, style and budget criteria.
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The Home Beautiful 141 Daniel Webster Highway, Belmont, NH 03220
603-524-5588 800-698-5588
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