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How to Choose Carpet Wisely in Today's Marketplace?
The "Old Way" to Buy New Carpet
Homeowners who have purchased new carpet in years past might think that buying new carpet is like buying a bag of Groceries. Just visit the local Carpet supermarket and select a new carpet to replace the old carpet and in a few days the old carpet will be gone and your new carpet will be installed! Back in the 1950's and 1960's that's the way it used to be!
In the 1970's the POPULAR colors available were avocado green, gold and orange. The popular Carpet styles of the times were Shags and heavy Plush over a thick padding.
In the 1980's large-looped Berber Carpets were the BIG fad. Unfortunately, most Berber styles were poorly made, hard to install and hard to seam up.
Most looped Berbers were made from a low-quality Olefin and were prone to matting and crushing as well as being hard to keep clean.
The New Way to Buy Carpet
Homeowners who have never bought carpet before have few preconceived notions about how to buy new carpet and are open to suggestions. Prices have doubled since the early 1990's and buying carpet for a small two-bedroom home can easily cost $3500 or more depending on the grade or quality of carpet you select.
In the old days...
Just fifty years ago, if you wanted to buy new wall-to-wall carpet, you simply walked into a any local carpet retailer and picked out a carpet of a suitable color within your price range. There weren't a lot of options back then.
As a homeowner your choices were usually based on a quality level of low, medium or high grade of carpet. But basically all carpets made back then were designed to wear like iron and no matter what grade of carpet you selected. You could expect your new carpet to last at least 10, 15 or 20 years or more.
Today there are at least five hundred different carpet choices to consider including options such as colors, grades, fibers, backings, stain treatments, styles, pile height, warranties, density ratings, face-weights and fiber deniers - not to mention the Price!
Then there is the padding selection you need to make... What type, density, thickness, quality and price? You have to get it all right or you stand to lose hundreds or even thousands.
What does that mean? If you install new carpet in your entire home and expect your new carpet to last for 15 years but it wears out in 5 years, what have you lost? Thousands! You didn't get the value that you expected for the money you invested.
Can you afford to have this to happen to you? To avoid this, you need to learn how to select the right carpet, the right pad and have it all installed properly. I can help you accomplish all that and help you save money too! How To Choose New Carpet Like a Pro!
"Don't blindly rely on any one Carpet salesperson's to advice about which carpet or padding
is the right choice for you, it's your responsibility to choose new carpet wisely"
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Smartstrand™ by Mohawk®
DuPont™ Sorona® Polymer (PTT)
Another relatively new fiber on the market is called Sorona®, or Smartstrand®, and is a polymer made from corn. (Actually it was invented back in the 1940's) Invented by Dupont™, they claim this new fiber has great anti-stain properties and say it is very durable. Carpet Specifications - Fiber types
Should you buy carpet made with this new fiber? If you want a carpet that resists stains better than any other carpet on the market today, the perhaps you might want to consider buying this product. If you want your carpet to last as long as possible and still resists stains and cleans easily then I suggest you buy a carpet made from Nylon.
There is so much more homeowners need to learn about carpet fibers before the wisest carpet choice can be determined. Your choice must be made based on your needs, goals, expectations and your lifestyle. If you have kids or pets that needs to be considered too. What Grade Of Carpet Should I Buy?
If you choose a carpet that cannot handle the amount of foot traffic you have, the carpet will wear out much sooner than you might expect. Learn about Selecting the Right Carpet Pad
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