 | Doug Brennon has been in the carpet/flooring industry for 20 years. He has been the corporate store manager for Derailed Commodity for the last 6 years. For more information please call 620-395-2141 or visit www.derailedcommodity.com. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2010-11-01 13:31:00
How to gauge carpet quality
Question:My wife and I need to re-carpet our home. We put new carpet in three years ago, but it is already looking worn. We need a more durable choice this time, something that can withstand 4 boys and 2 dogs and frequent cleaning. What would you recommend?
Answer: I wish there was a simple answer to your problem. There are many different types of carpets, with each of them having different attributes.
The three things that we need to look at in different carpets are density, twist and pile.
Density:
Density denotes the “thickness” of the carpet. You can do a little test on your own and bend the carpet. If you can see a lot of the backing then it is not a dense carpet. The denser the carpet the higher amount of retention it will have.
The next is twist. The name “twist is exactly what it implies, it is how many times the yarns were twisted together. The more twists the stronger the carpet will be. It is also important that the yarn be a continuous filament. Not a bunch of small yarns twisted together.
Pile:
Pile is another aspect to address; this is simply what the yarn is made of. There are four main yarns used for making carpets, polyester, olefin, nylon, and “Dupont” Sorona. The two strongest of the four are nylon and Sorona.
All premium carpets have stain protection built in or added to the carpet. It is important to realize that there is no carpet out there that can’t be stained, however, there are some that it would be very hard to stain. It is very important after the installation to have the carpets vacuumed regularly and professionally cleaned once a year.
The main thing to know when purchasing new flooring is to find a place where you are comfortable and one that will take the time to show you the different aspects of the carpets. I recommend a stock dealer or a business that will physically pull out the carpet for you to see what it looks like, lain out, and explain the differences. Make sure you allow the time needed to find the perfect carpet.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to buying carpet so it is important to shop where you find qualified salespeople that can help you find the perfect carpet that will give you and your family years of enjoyment.
