Landlord's Guide to Replacing Carpet & Flooring
Carpet Buying Q/A
Q. Does weight have any bearing on the quality of the carpet? How is this gauged?
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.
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 Polyester, because the nylon fiber is far more durable. On the other hand, Polyester is a fiber that is not as resilient, not as easy to clean and not as durable fiber as nylon.
The carpet manufacturers have to make polyester carpets 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. 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 would like to know about the P.E.T. carpet made by Mohawk. 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?
A. 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.
not to mention that it is hard to clean!
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. I have several animals and want to buy carpet for my home. I am looking at a tight loop berber carpet that is 90% olefin and 10% nylon. It is Mohawk rough house brand and is supposed to be stain resistant and kid resistant. I have several animals but no kids and live alone. The installer is providing a 6 lb pad. I am also installing the carpet over concrete. Is this a good choice? If not, what is an affordable choice? Also is there some kind of padding to put over concrete to keep the cold out? I have no basement but my home is built on a concrete slab. Thanks for your help!
A.
Well, there are several things we need to discuss regarding
your carpet needs. First, pets and Berbers are a no-no. Why, Because their
nails, running, and scratching will snag your Berber in a hurry. It is expensive
and sometimes impossible to repair. Second, Berbers require a 1/4 inch
thickness, 6 to 8 pound padding. Any thicker than 1/4 inch and you risk voiding
the warranty and stretching out your carpet prematurely. You claim your
installer is providing a 6 pound pad but you don't say how thick it is.
Carpet manufacturers create carpets to endure specific consumer requirements.
Carpets designed for the traffic created by children is different from the
traffic created by pets. Comparing kids to pets is not a valid comparison and
you should not relate the two on a similar basis. Don't choose a carpet that
claims to be kid proof and assume that it will hold up equally as good for your
pets. You will not be able to substantiate a valid claim if need be.
In your case, and I only know a little bit about you and your pets, I suggest
you go with a Nylon, commercial grade, dense, cut-pile carpet with anti-stain
treatment, and use a 1/4 inch, 8 pound, moisture-barrier rebond-type padding.
No, it is not a soft luxurious carpet, but it will last you a whole lot longer
and will be quick and easy to clean. Pet accidents will tend to bead-up on top
of the carpet instead of immediately soaking into the carpet, giving you more
time to clean up the mess before it becomes soaked-in and undetectable. Also,
this type of carpet will endure heavy traffic and still look like new again
after it has been cleaned. I always recommend using Chem-dry, and not using a
steam cleaner service.
Q. Thanks so much for your wonderful site, I was definitely comfortable with choosing nylon after reading what your comments were regarding nylon. One decision down! However, now I not can not decide between a Lisse (which I am told is a frieze) with scotch guard from the Horizon line by Mohawk. Or a 100% nylon cut pile carpet by Gulistan. I am told both have a 50oz fiber count. And are scotch guarded. This carpet will go in 3 bedrooms, A master & 2 children's rooms. We have 3 kids and a toddler. The Lisse is the one I like best however, it worries me because I can easily run my fingers through and see the base of the carpet. I thought that was a no no. Yet, I am told the twist on this one is much tighter than the cut pile, even though the cut pile is very tight and short. Our rooms are very small and there is no room to periodically change the walk patterns. I want durability and easy care, and a nice classic look. We will probably be in this home for at least an other 10 years. We also need to put new base boards in the rooms. There were none in the room to start with. Do we do this on top of the old carpet? Pull the old carpet back and attach base boards as close to the floor as possible? or Wait and put them in after the new carpet is installed? Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
A.
While I love a frieze, it sounds to me like this plush style
would be the best way for you to go. A shorter, tighter nap is what will hold up
to your traffic scenario. As far as baseboards, they may be installed prior to
installing the carpet if they are left up off the floor just far enough to be
able to tuck the carpet underneath it (usually about 1/2 inch will do), or you
may wait and install the moulding after the new carpet is in.
Q.
We are in the process of purchasing a new home from Engle Homes. A typical
builder with cheap cheap carpet as "their" standard. We opted to have
no carpet installed by Engle and purchase our own better carpet.
Will installers typically come out to measure first before quoting or can you
give them a ballpark sq. footage? What about stairs?, Is that extra cost? How do you determine a good installer versus a poor installer?
A. Installers charge by the yard and usually include a "per stair" charge as well. You would be wise to have prospective installers come by and measure up your new home, thereby knowing exactly where you stand, where the seams will go, and get a chance to take a closer look at the installer before hiring him.