CHOOSING THE RIGHT CARPET
By Lou Hager
article used with permission
from http://www.residentcenter.com

With over one and a half billion square yards of carpet bought and installed in the United States last year, you can imagine the thousands of choices available for one to choose from. Choosing an affordable yet attractive and durable carpet to withstand the lifestyle of the average renter is not an easy task. When you look at all the factors that must be considered such as face weight, SPI, Saxony, secondary backing, heat set, VOC’s, FHA-approved, cut pile and wear warranty, it can become overwhelming. Most people find a nice color, feel the threads, walk on the sample, and check the price and they’ve made their choice. Let’s take a closer look and see what all that carpet lingo really means. Better understanding what choices are available will only help us to make a more intelligent selection.

Which Style is Best?
Outdoors, we select the surfaces below our feet based on function:
Hardworking driveways get concrete or asphalt; informal gathering areas are cedar or redwood; lounging areas are soft grasses. Carpet, too, should be chosen with function in mind.More than 95 percent of all carpeting manufactured these days is tufted, meaning loops of yarn are sewn into a primary backing, then reinforced with adhesive and secondary backing. The threads above the backing are called the pile. Following are the six styles of carpets, although there are many variations, along with some of their characteristics and best usages:

Level Loop-Loops of equal height and size; durable, slow to wear, and easy to clean. Best used in high traffic areas, hallways and family rooms.

Cut Pile All loops are cut; velvets and plushes are ½ inch or longer; not twisted and it creates a level surface. It is best used in low-traffic areas such as the master bedroom or the living room.

Cut-and-Loop This is a combination of loops and cut loops that create a textured look, usually durable. It is best used in dining areas, stairways, family rooms and children’s bedrooms.

Frieze This is a cut pile with straight and curled fibers that is usually very resilient and hardly ever leaves tracks or footprints. It is best used in living rooms and hallways.

Saxony All loops cut, twisted and heat set; luxurious yet practical. It is best used in dining rooms, hallways and stairways.
Berber-This type of carpet has tightly spaced loops of thick yarn. It is very durable however it traps dirt and is hard to clean. It is best used in family rooms and “clean” high traffic areas.

Loop carpets Can be level or multilevel, patterned or plain. Cut-and-loop carpets can be randomly sheared for a sculpted look. Generally, as pile height increases and loops are cut, carpet becomes softer and more luxurious, but harder to clean and maintain. The most durable and easily cleaned carpets are short pile, commercial grade carpets. They’re low on comfort, but extremely tough and a good choice for entryways or kitchens.

What to Look For In A Good Carpet
The information and data on the back of the carpet is helpful in comparing carpets of the same style. There are several areas in which the carpet is graded or evaluated. Face weight indicates the weight, per square yard, of the carpet’s pile. The extra yarn in a high-face-weight carpet makes it more resilient and longer wearing. High quality berber, plush and frieze carpets often have a face weight of 48ozs. Or more; good low-level loop, 36 ozs. or more. Most carpets that are installed in apartment communities have a face weight less than 30 ozs. Carpet density is measured in stitches per inch (SPI), though some carpets specify stitches per three inches. Standards for a good carpet vary among carpet styles. Better loop and cut pile carpets may have a 10 to 12 SPI, while the best berbers, using thick yarn may only have 5 or 6. Bend the carpet backwards; the less backing you see, the better the carpet. Nylon, olefin and polyester and wool are the most common fibers. Wool is naturally resilient and water resilient, but cost upward of $25 per yard. Synthetics dominate the market, and nylon’s the leader because it’s resilient, easy to clean and nearly indestructible. Olefin is likewise durable, and often used in berbers, indoor-outdoor carpet and in high traffic and commercial locations. Polyester has traditionally lacked resiliency, but manufacturers have improved it over the years by blending it with other materials. Be careful with blended carpets made from two different types of yarn. Different yarns react differently to cleaning solutions and methods, resulting in a carpet that never gets completely cleaned. Heat-set carpet has fibers that have been twisted, then steamed or heated to help them retain their firmness and shape. Wear warranties are common, but it’s almost impossible to wear out most carpets. The pile may get matted, lose it’s luster and turn ugly, but the yarn strands won’t wear down to the backing. This doesn’t make wear warranties useless, just don’t pay extra for it. A stain warranty doesn’t mean carpet is stain-proof. Bleaches, iodine, oven cleaner, paint strippers, hair products, tanning lotions, mustard and insecticides can permanently stain a carpet. Hot drinks are more likely than cold drinks to permeate and stain fibers.

What Makes A Good Carpet Pad?
Carpet pad composition and thickness affect the comfort and longevity of carpet. There are basically two categories of pad: Attached pad is bonded to the back of the carpet at the factory. Usually an inexpensive plastic type foam, it quickly loses its resiliency. I can remember as a kid growing up in Virginia, this was the type of carpeting and padding my Dad bought for our home. We went to the department store, he chose the color he wanted and we took it home folded up in a bag. You can imagine how thick the carpet was. Unattached pad comes in rolls usually 6 ft. wide and is installed independently of the carpet. Heavy, dense pads, such as waffled rubber ones, are the most resilient and longest lasting. However, their higher price, $8 to $10 per square yard directs most owners to a foam pad instead. Urethane pad is inexpensive and feels good under your feet at first, but then tends to compress soon after installation, especially in high-traffic areas. Bonded or rebond pad, composed of multi-colored foam chunks, is denser and longer-lived than urethane pad, and is the most common residential pad. My recommendation to apartment owners is to go with the rebond. While it’s tempting to install an extra-thick pad under a cheap carpet to give it a luxurious feel, this allows the carpet to flex too much, opening seams and weakening the carpet backing. A pad that’s too thin, on the other hand, can collapse quickly, causing the carpet to wrinkle and wear more quickly. For most carpets, a good choice is a 3/8 to ½ inch thick pad, with a density of 6 lbs. per cubic foot. For more cushion or resiliency, you could opt for a denser, rather than thicker, pad. In high-traffic areas like stairs and hallways, get a thinner pad with a density of 8 lbs. or more. When carpeting over concrete, consider the insulation value; denser pads offer R-values of up to 2. Another benefit of any unattached pad is it lifts the carpet off the floor, allowing for better air circulation and dirt lift when a carpet is vacuumed.

Is My Carpet Installer Doing It right?
The right carpet, along with a compatible pad and proper installation are all necessary for a comfortable, long-lasting carpet. Half of all carpet problems go back to poor installation or problems that should have been caught during installation: bad seaming, a too thin pad. A row of stitches missed during manufacture, or inadequate stretching. Carpet should be stretched with a power stretcher and secured with tack strips, or it will wear unevenly, possibly creating a footing hazard. Tack strips should be installed ¼ to ½ in. from the wall or baseboard. The carpet pad should butt to the tack strips and be nailed every 4 in. around its perimeter. Seams should be kept in low-traffic areas and away from direct sunlight, which emphasizes them. They should be joined from the bottom side with hot-melt carpet tape and a seaming iron. Six-inch wide tape will keep seams flatter than 3-in. tape. Most carpet has a “nap” to it and the nap of seamed pieces should run in the same direction.

Is New Carpet Hazardous To Your Health?
Contrary to popular belief, formaldehyde hasn’t been used in the manufacture of carpet for more than 12 years. But studies show carpets and backings can be composed of as many as 120 different chemicals, including some suspected carcinogens, pesticide-like chemicals and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Those who are allergy prone or chemically sensitive may experience flu-like symptoms, headaches or respiratory problems when old carpet is removed and new carpet is installed. Since most new carpets are installed in vacant apartments, health risks are minimal. However, occasionally a new carpet is installed in an occupied unit. To minimize health risks for these residents, the Carpet and Rug Institute suggests that people sensitive to odors, chemicals or allergens stay away while old carpet is removed and the new carpet is installed. Tearing out and removing old, dusty, mildewed carpet and pad can stir up a lot of allergy-priming particles. To cut down on the airborne dust, the old carpet should be vacuumed before removal and the floor should be vacuumed after the old carpet and pad are removed. In addition, exhaust fans can be used along with open windows to ventilate the area.

The Bottom Line
Carpeting can last for up to 10 years or more with proper maintenance and care. On the other hand, I’ve seen good grade carpet last less than 1 year because it was abused and not taken care of by occupants that lived like animals. I’ll never forget the apartment I entered one time to discover the resident rebuilding his motorcycle engine on the carpet in the living room. My recommendation for most apartment owners is to have at least three reputable carpet contractors provide you with a proposal for the same quality carpet and padding. I like at least a 20-30 oz. faceweight along with a 6 lb. rebond padding. Have each contractor identify where seams will be placed and how many square yards it will take to carpet the unit. This is how some carpet contractors can get over on you. They will offer you a lower price per sq. yd. but tell you it will take more yards than necessary. It is also possible for a contractor to minimize sq. yardage by placing seams in high traffic areas.