PURCHASING NEW CARPET – HOW TO CHOOSE WISELY!

Decisions about purchasing new carpet for your home or business can be difficult. Wall-to-wall carpets should last at least 10 years, longer if vacuumed regularly and cleaned periodically by a professional carpet cleaner. 

You may be purchasing new carpet for the first time or perhaps your old carpet has reached the point where it can no longer be satisfactorily cleaned professionally. This is the perfect time to choose new carpet based on your current needs. Ask yourself these questions to get started:

• Do you have small children who will be crawling on the carpet?
• Will food or drink be consumed in the area? 
• Do you have dogs and cats, where dirty feet and urine and vomit could become problematic? 
• Do you have a lot of traffic in some areas, little or no traffic in others? 
• Is there a fireplace in the area? 
• Do you have areas where a lot of sunlight comes through?   
• Is the area susceptible to water damage?

HOW TO CHOOSE WISELY WHEN PURCHASING NEW CARPET

Important characteristics to look for when purchasing new carpet to help you make an informed and wise decision:

RESILIENCY

This is the ability of the carpet to return to its original state after a thorough vacuuming and/or a professional carpet cleaning. It is also descriptive of the strength of the fibers.

CLEANABILITY

This describes the ability of the fiber to be cleaned to a satisfactory level.

AFFINITY TO OIL

The cleaning of a fiber that has a high affinity to oil based stains means that these stains may be very difficult to remove, if at all.

STAIN REPELLENCY

This describes how easy or hard it will be to remove ordinary spots and spills from the carpet. Also describes ability to repel water-based spills.

SUN FADING

If heavy sunlight coming in from large windows is a factor, stay away from carpet fibers that are susceptible to sun fading.

FLAMMABILITY

This can be a problem around wood-burning stoves or fireplaces. A low melting point can also produce burn lines, especially in areas where furniture or carts, especially with wheels, are used frequently.

PRICE

Price is expressed in general terms as  Expensive, Moderate, and Inexpensive but will, of course, vary which each individual store or dealer and can be influenced by decorating styles at the current time.

COMMON CARPET FIBER TYPES:

It is important to remember when purchasing new carpet that fiber types have both positive and negative characteristics. The 5 major types of fibers, Acrylic, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, and Wool are listed below according to their specific characteristics. Of course, there are also carpets that are manufactured with a blend of fibers. Knowing the characteristics of a fiber can influence your decision process when it comes to time to purchase new carpeting for your home or business.

PLEASE NOTE:

As technology advances, many new and different types of carpet fiber will inevitably appear on the marketplace. If you are considering purchasing any of these newer fibers, please call our office for more information at 607-272-1566 so we may advise you about the sustainability, cleanability, and best uses for these fibers.

Acrylic

Resiliency-Modest

Cleanability-Good

Affinity to Oil-Medium

Stain Repellency-Good

Sun Fading-No

Flammability–Extremely Flammable

Price-Inexpensive 

Nylon

Resiliency-Excellent

Cleanability-Good/Excellent

Affilinity to Oil-Medium

Stain Repellency-Good

Sun Fading-Yes

Flammability-Flammable

Price-Moderate 

Olefin

Resiliency-Poor

Cleanability-Good/Excellent

Affinity to Oil-High

Stain Repellency-Excellent

Sun Fading-No

Flammability-Low Melting Point-Subject to burns from abrasion

Price-Inexpensive 

Polyester

Resiliency-Modest

Cleanability-Good/Excellent

Affilinity to Oil-High

Stain Repellency-Excellent

Sun Fading-Moderate

Flammability-Extremely Flammable

Price-Moderate 

Wool

Resiliency-Excellent

Cleanability-Good/Excellent

Affinity to Oil-Low

Stain Repellency-Good

Sun Fading-Yes

Flammability-Naturally Flame Resistant

Price-Expensive

FURTHER INFORMATION TO CHOOSE WISELY

To protect your investment and help your carpet to last longer and wear well, it is extremely important to insist on 2 things: 

• A quality pad must be installed under the new carpet. 
• Proper installation with a power stretcher is essential.

As a general rule, a short, tightly woven carpet will do best in high traffic areas. A softer and thicker pile may be more preferable if small children will be playing and crawling on it. A thick, velvety pile may work best for a more formal, less trafficked area but may readily show footprints.

Since machine made area rugs are also manufactured with the above fibers, knowing the specific characteristics of each will be helpful in choosing area rugs for your home or office as well.

Please feel free to call our office at 272-1566 if you have further questions or would like suggestions from our experienced staff for your purchase.

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