Carpet
Padding Why You Need To Use Carpet Padding
You've found the perfect carpet and you are thinking about keeping
your cost down by using either the old carpet padding or non at
all. Stop! You'll regret this decision very quickly. There are good
reasons why you need to use carpet padding!
Using your old carpet padding isn't a wise decision either because
it will have broken down with age, in fact when you lift the carpet
you may find it is actually crumbling. Most times it will have little
or no actual padding left to it.
The one you'll notice the most is the comfort when you walk on the
carpet. Just by walking on the carpet you create a hundred pounds
of pressure per square inch on the carpet.
The under lay or carpet padding will cushion and help to reduce
the pressure on the carpet. The decrease in pressure will help make
the carpet feel better, thicker and softer as well as more spring.
Think of walking on carpet that has been attached to concrete and
then walking on home carpeting. There's quite a difference in comfort!
The under lay combined with the carpet will also act as a sound
buffer making the room quieter and also warmer by holding the heat
much better.
The carpeting pad also help keep your carpets cleaner. The dirt
that find its way into your carpet will work its way down to the
fibers and act like sand paper on the floor and carpet and shorten
its life. The higher the density of the under pad or padding the
more you will extend the life of the carpet because it raises the
carpet off the floor.
This also provides an air space between the sub floor and the carpet
which allows the carpet to breath. The air space also makes for
much deeper vacuuming. When you vacuum the carpet the air space
allows more air to be pulled up through the carpet carrying more
dust and dirt along with it. The result is more effective each time
you vacuum the carpets. This deeper cleaning leaves less dirt behind
to cause abrasion and wear out your carpet so the carpet will last
longer with carpet padding.
Pile crushing will cause the carpet to look ugly and to start to
sag or stretch. Pile crushing is caused when the crushed carpet
is walked on all the time and in the same spot or area. So lets
say from the kitchen to the sofa is a high traffic area. This is
where you will see pile crushing. Hallways are another good example
of were crushed pile will show up.
A good carpet padding or under lay will help decrease the amount
of pile crushing by allowing the carpet to maintain its pile height
so it will stay looking newer longer. It has been proven that under
lay will increase the useful life of a carpet by as much as 50%.
Most of the manufactures will not void their warranty on the carpet
if there is no under lay. You will also find that most carpet manufacturers
require the right under lay or pad to honor their warranty. And
most installers will not install unless you agree to have the correct
type of carpet padding installed.
The carpet pad or under lay is available in three basic forms, rubber,
foam and fiber. Each type of under lay comes in several varieties
and constructions. The different types and thicknesses will be needed
depending on the room the carpet will be going in. Traffic patterns
will also determine the type of underlay you will need.
The bedroom and areas with light traffic will need will be fine
with a thinner pad. But the living room and halls and stairs will
require a thicker and firmer pad.
The foam carpet cushions or under pads are made from prime polyurethane
foam. This is a firmer version of the same foam that is used in
mattresses and auto seats. The ingredients are combined to produce
a large mass of foam and then is sliced into slabs of foam sheets
for under lay.
The bonded polyurethane foam is easy to recognize as it takes shredded
pieces of foam in different sizes and colors and is made in to one
piece. Its advantage is it is easy to install and has an improved
performance. The bonded foam is made from recycled materials from
all over the world . It is one of the most amazing recycling products
of today. These materials would have normally gone in to the land
fills.
The froth polyurethane foam is made with the carpet. Liquid ingredients
are applied on to the backs of the carpet. The foam is thin and
dense and can be found on the back of commercial carpets You can
get home carpets with the foam attached to the back. Draw backs
are as the carpet gets older the foam breaks down in to a powder.
Waffled rubber is molded natural or synthetic rubber and heat is
used to cure it which forms the waffle pattern. It produces soft
resilient cushioning which has a luxurious feel to it.
The flat sponge rubber is a denser carpet cushion which has a flat
surface and is used more in large scale commercial applications
usually used in Berber carpet.
Fiber carpet underlay is uses existing fibers of virgin and recycled
man made or natural fibers which are woven into a sheet of felt.
The natural felt is made from animal hair and jute. This is the
oldest kind of under lay.
The synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and
other acrylics. These are needle punched into relative dense cushions
which have a firm feel. They can be made to be any weight and be
made to stand up to any traffic flow.
With Berber carpet gaining in popularity be sure that the under
pad you choose is rated to be used with Berber carpet because not
all carpet padding is suitable for this Berber carpet.
So did you still want to save money by not installing carpet padding?
I thought you'd change your mind! | |
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