im looking to carpet my stairs and landing and also adults bedroom.the stairs and landing will have heavy wear (3 young children) but the bedroom less so. I am looking for advice on what type to get as I get conflicting advice from carpet stores. as a result I am not sure whether to get wool/ nylon or a mix? one store are trying to push poly proplylene(wrong spelling)in their own brand. Also, foam or hessian backing. Also, do I go for loops or smooth? I dont want to get the cheapest option, I just want to get the right type of carpet for the purpose. I need the style to be easily vacuumed too. ( I have a childs bedroom carpet that is wool and looks like a 'waffle' and this is difficult to vacuum and never looks good)I am also confused about the stair and landing measurements, having been told different things by the two firms who have come out to measure about positioning of joins.The landing is 5m 60cm ( and has five doors off it all the way along.there are twelve steps on the stairs with a mini landing half way where the stairs change direction (this is 90cm by 90cm) and the stairs are 20cm deep and high. Im asking for a lot of advice here but would be grateful for help.
carpets
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Here's what you really need to know in a nutshell:
Types of carpet:
Nylon - is the strongest fiber carpets are made of, so nylon makes for the longest wearing carpet. Unfortunately, nylon is made from a type of plastic known as polyamides, and polyamides are polar, just like water molecules. Consequently, nylon is the fiber that is also most susceptible to water based stains, and DuPont has spent a king's ransom trying to get their "Antron" brand of nylon fibers more stain resistant. So, because of DuPont's desire to recoup their investment, DuPont "Stainmaster" nylon carpets cost over $30 per square yard, which is exhorbitant.
Polyester - Polyester is neither the strongest fiber nor the least expensive, so it has trouble finding a niche in the market place. It turns out that plastic soft drink bottles are made from a kind of polyester called "polyethylene teraphthalate" or PET. Since the PET has to be very pure to be classified as "food grade" so that it can be used for soft drink bottles, carpet manufacturers have taken to buying old recycled soft drink bottles to obtain a source of inexpensive high quality polyester from which to make carpets out of. The result is that the manufacturer gets high quality plastic at a low cost, and the consumer gets "food grade" polyester fibers which would be stronger than non-food grade polyester because of it's higher purity. So, much if not most of the polyester carpeting out there is actually made from old soft drink bottles.
Polypropylene - This kind of fiber is also called "Olefin", and it's the kind of carpet I buy for all 21 living rooms in my building. The reason why is that polypropylene is the carpet fiber that is most naturally resistant to water and water based stains. Consequently, you can vaccuum most food stains out of a polypropylene carpet by just using a wet dry vaccuum cleaner.
But, most importantly, POLYPROPYLENE CANNOT BE DYED! In fact, the only way to make colored polypropylene fibers is to add tiny colored particles to the molten polypropylene plastic before drawing it into a fiber, a process called "solution dying".
And, as a result of that construction, you can use bleach straight out of the jug on a polypropylene carpet without concern that you'll bleach the carpet. So, if a tenant spills hot candle wax on one of my living room carpets I can remove the wax, but if there's dye in the wax (instead of pigments), then that dye will stick to the carpet fibers, leaving a stain. But, because the dye molecules are sticking to the surface of the polypropylene fibers, I can apply bleach straight out of the jug to bleach the dye without harming the carpet. And the reason why is that the particles from which the carpet fibers get their color is encased INSIDE the plastic fiber and protected from the bleach by a thin layer of polypropylene plastic. So, not only is polypropylene the most naturally resistant fiber to water based stains, you can remove oil based stains from it by using bleach right on the carpet without concern for harming the carpet.
And, I trust you realize that you could check to see if what I'm saying is true by getting one of those car mat size samples of polypropylene or Olefin carpet and torturing it with bleach straight out of the jug.
Lemme continue in another post.
Types of carpet:
Nylon - is the strongest fiber carpets are made of, so nylon makes for the longest wearing carpet. Unfortunately, nylon is made from a type of plastic known as polyamides, and polyamides are polar, just like water molecules. Consequently, nylon is the fiber that is also most susceptible to water based stains, and DuPont has spent a king's ransom trying to get their "Antron" brand of nylon fibers more stain resistant. So, because of DuPont's desire to recoup their investment, DuPont "Stainmaster" nylon carpets cost over $30 per square yard, which is exhorbitant.
Polyester - Polyester is neither the strongest fiber nor the least expensive, so it has trouble finding a niche in the market place. It turns out that plastic soft drink bottles are made from a kind of polyester called "polyethylene teraphthalate" or PET. Since the PET has to be very pure to be classified as "food grade" so that it can be used for soft drink bottles, carpet manufacturers have taken to buying old recycled soft drink bottles to obtain a source of inexpensive high quality polyester from which to make carpets out of. The result is that the manufacturer gets high quality plastic at a low cost, and the consumer gets "food grade" polyester fibers which would be stronger than non-food grade polyester because of it's higher purity. So, much if not most of the polyester carpeting out there is actually made from old soft drink bottles.
Polypropylene - This kind of fiber is also called "Olefin", and it's the kind of carpet I buy for all 21 living rooms in my building. The reason why is that polypropylene is the carpet fiber that is most naturally resistant to water and water based stains. Consequently, you can vaccuum most food stains out of a polypropylene carpet by just using a wet dry vaccuum cleaner.
But, most importantly, POLYPROPYLENE CANNOT BE DYED! In fact, the only way to make colored polypropylene fibers is to add tiny colored particles to the molten polypropylene plastic before drawing it into a fiber, a process called "solution dying".
And, as a result of that construction, you can use bleach straight out of the jug on a polypropylene carpet without concern that you'll bleach the carpet. So, if a tenant spills hot candle wax on one of my living room carpets I can remove the wax, but if there's dye in the wax (instead of pigments), then that dye will stick to the carpet fibers, leaving a stain. But, because the dye molecules are sticking to the surface of the polypropylene fibers, I can apply bleach straight out of the jug to bleach the dye without harming the carpet. And the reason why is that the particles from which the carpet fibers get their color is encased INSIDE the plastic fiber and protected from the bleach by a thin layer of polypropylene plastic. So, not only is polypropylene the most naturally resistant fiber to water based stains, you can remove oil based stains from it by using bleach right on the carpet without concern for harming the carpet.
And, I trust you realize that you could check to see if what I'm saying is true by getting one of those car mat size samples of polypropylene or Olefin carpet and torturing it with bleach straight out of the jug.
Lemme continue in another post.
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So, if it were my house, I would install NYLON carpets in the high traffic areas where food stains aren't much of a concern, like hallways.
In dining rooms, children's rooms or anywhere where food or liquid spills are likely to be more frequent, including anywhere where pets may be kept, I'd install polypropylene (also called "Olefin") carpet for it's excellent cleanability. Also, look for a "commercial" polypropylene carpet. These kinds of carpet will be made for longer wear.
The kind of pile you want:
Basically, the most durable kind of pile is a level loop. That where the carpet yarn simply forms a loop. The loops have a natural resilience to them, so level loop carpets are the longest wearing.
If you cut the loop at the top so that all the fibers in the yarn can move independantly, you have what is known as a "plush" carpet. Plush carpets will show an apparant change of color depending on which way you brush your hand over the pile. (Level loop carpets won't do that.) Some people like that effect, some people don't.
A "saxony" is a plush carpet where the yarns have a tighter twist to them, and there are more yarns per square inch. Basically, a saxony is a high quality plush carpet.
If it were my house, I would use level loop carpets everywhere except those rooms where you're most likely going to be spending most of the time in stocking feet, such as bedrooms. The plush carpets offer a softer, warmer carpet to walk on in stocking feet, and bedrooms don't see nearly the amount of foot traffic that dining rooms, living rooms and hallways do.
However, a plush carpet is difficult for people who are confined to wheel chairs or walk with walkers to deal with, so I'd go with plush carpets in your bedrooms and level loop carpets everywhere else. A berber is considered a level loop, even though the loops are so much bigger.
UNDERPAD:
Basically, the stiffer your underpad, the better it absorbs the impacts from foot traffic over the carpet. A better underpad will extend the life of the carpet, but no underpad is going to double the useful life of the carpet.
Underpad will be quoted in "pounds", and an "8 pound pad" is one that would weigh 8 pounds per CUBIC FOOT. Generally, you get the most "bang for your buck" with the 7 or 8 pound foam chip pads.
If you have a pet that makes messes on the floor, your best bet would be to buy a "pet pad". A pet pad is made from foam rubber where they reduce the amount of blowing gas when making the foam so that the bubbles inside the foam are NOT interconnected. Consequently, these foam rubber pads are not permeable to moisture, and any accident that a pet makes on the carpet will not seep through the pad and penetrate into the wood underlayment under the pad.
So, believe it or not, the best carpet installation would have nylon level loop carpets in the high traffic areas, polypropylene level loop carpets where liquid spills are most likely and plush carpet (probably nylon or polyester) in the bedrooms where a warm soft feel underfoot is desireable and there'll be minimal traffic or liquid spillage. However, most people don't want their floors to look like a "patch quilt" with different kinds of carpet everywhere, so the carpet that's best for your home would be a compromise between choosing how many different kinds of carpet you want to have and where to have each kind. Often people will go with one kind of carpet everywhere, and won't really care that a different kind would be more suitable and appropriate in a particular room. Other times, people will have different kinds of carpets in each room. If it were my house, I would not have any problem with having different kinds of carpet in different KINDS of rooms, such a adult bedrooms and children's bedrooms. Children are much more likely to be spilling Kool-Aid or fruit juices on the carpeting in their bedrooms.
Just be forewarned that any plush carpets you have will show an apparant change in color depending on which way the vaccuum cleaner was moving when it went over that part of the carpet. Some people don't like that characteristic of plush carpets, others do.
Here's an excellent web site for learning about carpeting:
http://www.carpet-rug.com
The CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) is an institution put in place to provide information and advice to the carpeting selling, cleaning and installation sectors of the economy by carpet manufacturers who collectively account for over 90 percent of the carpet produced in North America.
In dining rooms, children's rooms or anywhere where food or liquid spills are likely to be more frequent, including anywhere where pets may be kept, I'd install polypropylene (also called "Olefin") carpet for it's excellent cleanability. Also, look for a "commercial" polypropylene carpet. These kinds of carpet will be made for longer wear.
The kind of pile you want:
Basically, the most durable kind of pile is a level loop. That where the carpet yarn simply forms a loop. The loops have a natural resilience to them, so level loop carpets are the longest wearing.
If you cut the loop at the top so that all the fibers in the yarn can move independantly, you have what is known as a "plush" carpet. Plush carpets will show an apparant change of color depending on which way you brush your hand over the pile. (Level loop carpets won't do that.) Some people like that effect, some people don't.
A "saxony" is a plush carpet where the yarns have a tighter twist to them, and there are more yarns per square inch. Basically, a saxony is a high quality plush carpet.
If it were my house, I would use level loop carpets everywhere except those rooms where you're most likely going to be spending most of the time in stocking feet, such as bedrooms. The plush carpets offer a softer, warmer carpet to walk on in stocking feet, and bedrooms don't see nearly the amount of foot traffic that dining rooms, living rooms and hallways do.
However, a plush carpet is difficult for people who are confined to wheel chairs or walk with walkers to deal with, so I'd go with plush carpets in your bedrooms and level loop carpets everywhere else. A berber is considered a level loop, even though the loops are so much bigger.
UNDERPAD:
Basically, the stiffer your underpad, the better it absorbs the impacts from foot traffic over the carpet. A better underpad will extend the life of the carpet, but no underpad is going to double the useful life of the carpet.
Underpad will be quoted in "pounds", and an "8 pound pad" is one that would weigh 8 pounds per CUBIC FOOT. Generally, you get the most "bang for your buck" with the 7 or 8 pound foam chip pads.
If you have a pet that makes messes on the floor, your best bet would be to buy a "pet pad". A pet pad is made from foam rubber where they reduce the amount of blowing gas when making the foam so that the bubbles inside the foam are NOT interconnected. Consequently, these foam rubber pads are not permeable to moisture, and any accident that a pet makes on the carpet will not seep through the pad and penetrate into the wood underlayment under the pad.
So, believe it or not, the best carpet installation would have nylon level loop carpets in the high traffic areas, polypropylene level loop carpets where liquid spills are most likely and plush carpet (probably nylon or polyester) in the bedrooms where a warm soft feel underfoot is desireable and there'll be minimal traffic or liquid spillage. However, most people don't want their floors to look like a "patch quilt" with different kinds of carpet everywhere, so the carpet that's best for your home would be a compromise between choosing how many different kinds of carpet you want to have and where to have each kind. Often people will go with one kind of carpet everywhere, and won't really care that a different kind would be more suitable and appropriate in a particular room. Other times, people will have different kinds of carpets in each room. If it were my house, I would not have any problem with having different kinds of carpet in different KINDS of rooms, such a adult bedrooms and children's bedrooms. Children are much more likely to be spilling Kool-Aid or fruit juices on the carpeting in their bedrooms.
Just be forewarned that any plush carpets you have will show an apparant change in color depending on which way the vaccuum cleaner was moving when it went over that part of the carpet. Some people don't like that characteristic of plush carpets, others do.
Here's an excellent web site for learning about carpeting:
http://www.carpet-rug.com
The CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) is an institution put in place to provide information and advice to the carpeting selling, cleaning and installation sectors of the economy by carpet manufacturers who collectively account for over 90 percent of the carpet produced in North America.
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what about wool carpets?
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Toffee:
I wouldn't put anything but a polypropylene (also called "Olefin") carpet in the 21 living rooms of my building. That's cuz rarely do any of my carpets "wear out". They ugly out with people burning them with cigarettes, steam irons, and staining them. No carpet will stand up to a cigarette burn. Nylon is more heat resistant than polypropylene, but you'll still damage nylon with a steam iron. At least with the polypropylene, I can get any stain out of it.
But, prove it to yourself. Pour some bleach on a sample of 100% Olefin carpet, wait a while, then rinse it off in your bath tub and hang to dry. If you can't tell where the bleach was, then you can use bleach on your carpet without harming it. That means you can also bleach stains out of your carpet without harming it. And to me, that's the biggest selling point of Polypropylene carpets.
Waynes:
I know little about wool carpets. What I do know is that they are very expensive and have excellent "crush resistance". That is, if you move furniture, the depressions left by the furniture legs come out faster from a wool carpet than other kinds of fibers.
But, I think the reason why more carpet companies are producing only nylon, polyester and polypropylene carpets is simply because the synthetic fibers (especially nylon) are stronger, take dyes well, are more consistant in quality and aren't subject to fluctuations in supply due to weather or political issues the way imported products might be.
They probably talk about wool carpets more on that CRI web site I linked to.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
I wouldn't put anything but a polypropylene (also called "Olefin") carpet in the 21 living rooms of my building. That's cuz rarely do any of my carpets "wear out". They ugly out with people burning them with cigarettes, steam irons, and staining them. No carpet will stand up to a cigarette burn. Nylon is more heat resistant than polypropylene, but you'll still damage nylon with a steam iron. At least with the polypropylene, I can get any stain out of it.
But, prove it to yourself. Pour some bleach on a sample of 100% Olefin carpet, wait a while, then rinse it off in your bath tub and hang to dry. If you can't tell where the bleach was, then you can use bleach on your carpet without harming it. That means you can also bleach stains out of your carpet without harming it. And to me, that's the biggest selling point of Polypropylene carpets.
Waynes:
I know little about wool carpets. What I do know is that they are very expensive and have excellent "crush resistance". That is, if you move furniture, the depressions left by the furniture legs come out faster from a wool carpet than other kinds of fibers.
But, I think the reason why more carpet companies are producing only nylon, polyester and polypropylene carpets is simply because the synthetic fibers (especially nylon) are stronger, take dyes well, are more consistant in quality and aren't subject to fluctuations in supply due to weather or political issues the way imported products might be.
They probably talk about wool carpets more on that CRI web site I linked to.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
firstly, I am grateful for any advice that people take time to give. secondly... wool carpets? yes, I have thought about that.
The carpets are for my own home so whilst I do need durability, I dont have the same concerns as I may if I rented out.
Whilst looking today I saw that some carpets made of nylon were more expensive than some made purely from wool. That surprised me as I thought wool would always be more expensive. I have gathered that it is the amount of wool per square meter/ yard that matters though it is not always apparent how middle of the road priced carpets arrive at their price.
I looked at some very expensive carpets (just out of interest) and it was obvious how they were more expensive.
But for carpets that I am looking at, it is not always obvious. My mother says get a good expensive carpet and it will last for years and years... (if only she would pay for it) but I have so much to buy right now, I need 'average prices'!
I have seen a web site condemning polyprop. carpets and this has unnerved me about buying this.
So... its going to be wool or nylon and looped for hall and stairs and softer on the foot carpet for my bedroom! I saw a shag pile carpet and fancied that for the bedroom ( yes ... I know, its very seventies!!!) but very cosy and inviting too!!!!
Also saw a deep pile luxurious rug to sprawl out on too... anyway... its so not fair that everything comes down to money!!!
I digress, this site is for advice and I start chattering. I wish I go away for a week and come back and low and behold it would all be done! thanks all.
The carpets are for my own home so whilst I do need durability, I dont have the same concerns as I may if I rented out.
Whilst looking today I saw that some carpets made of nylon were more expensive than some made purely from wool. That surprised me as I thought wool would always be more expensive. I have gathered that it is the amount of wool per square meter/ yard that matters though it is not always apparent how middle of the road priced carpets arrive at their price.
I looked at some very expensive carpets (just out of interest) and it was obvious how they were more expensive.
But for carpets that I am looking at, it is not always obvious. My mother says get a good expensive carpet and it will last for years and years... (if only she would pay for it) but I have so much to buy right now, I need 'average prices'!
I have seen a web site condemning polyprop. carpets and this has unnerved me about buying this.
So... its going to be wool or nylon and looped for hall and stairs and softer on the foot carpet for my bedroom! I saw a shag pile carpet and fancied that for the bedroom ( yes ... I know, its very seventies!!!) but very cosy and inviting too!!!!
Also saw a deep pile luxurious rug to sprawl out on too... anyway... its so not fair that everything comes down to money!!!
I digress, this site is for advice and I start chattering. I wish I go away for a week and come back and low and behold it would all be done! thanks all.
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I wouldn't dismiss polypropylene.
Why not get one of those car mat size samples of a polypropylene carpet and torture it? Put it under one of the legs of your couch to crush it's pile. Spill some red wine on it. Maybe spill some bleach on it.
I have 21 apartments in my building, and every apartment has a polypropylene carpet in the living room. I'd say on average, they have a lifespan of 15 years easily if the tenant doesn't burn them with cigarettes. That doesn't sound like that long a time, but after 15 years even an expensive carpet won't seem very valuable anymore either.
But, you can't really go wrong with any manufacturer's product. They all produce quality carpets that will last you a long time if you look after them reasonably well.
Probably the single thing you can do to extend the life of your carpet the most is to vaccuum it regularily. It's the hard dirt particles like sand or grit that get into a carpet and damage the carpet fibers by cutting and fraying them. The cleaner you keep your carpet, the less damage to the fibers from hard gritty dirt.
Also, dust that falls on the carpet is mostly organic and consists of paper fibers, dead skin cells, linen and cloth fibers, etc. Eventually these collect in the carpet and provide a food source for bacteria. If a carpet smells like a wet dog after shampoo'ing it, that means that there's a lot of organic matter that's accumulated deep in the carpet pile where vaccuuming will not get it out. At that point, the only option is to replace the carpet regardless of how costly it is, or just never shampoo it. By vaccuuming the carpet regularily, you remove that dust before it can fall deep into the pile where it won't be removed by vaccuuming.
So, if you spend a lot on a carpet, be sure to spend a little on a good vaccuum cleaner.
Why not get one of those car mat size samples of a polypropylene carpet and torture it? Put it under one of the legs of your couch to crush it's pile. Spill some red wine on it. Maybe spill some bleach on it.
I have 21 apartments in my building, and every apartment has a polypropylene carpet in the living room. I'd say on average, they have a lifespan of 15 years easily if the tenant doesn't burn them with cigarettes. That doesn't sound like that long a time, but after 15 years even an expensive carpet won't seem very valuable anymore either.
But, you can't really go wrong with any manufacturer's product. They all produce quality carpets that will last you a long time if you look after them reasonably well.
Probably the single thing you can do to extend the life of your carpet the most is to vaccuum it regularily. It's the hard dirt particles like sand or grit that get into a carpet and damage the carpet fibers by cutting and fraying them. The cleaner you keep your carpet, the less damage to the fibers from hard gritty dirt.
Also, dust that falls on the carpet is mostly organic and consists of paper fibers, dead skin cells, linen and cloth fibers, etc. Eventually these collect in the carpet and provide a food source for bacteria. If a carpet smells like a wet dog after shampoo'ing it, that means that there's a lot of organic matter that's accumulated deep in the carpet pile where vaccuuming will not get it out. At that point, the only option is to replace the carpet regardless of how costly it is, or just never shampoo it. By vaccuuming the carpet regularily, you remove that dust before it can fall deep into the pile where it won't be removed by vaccuuming.
So, if you spend a lot on a carpet, be sure to spend a little on a good vaccuum cleaner.
Thanks Nestor, I found your post wonderfully put- informative and very helpful. I feel I know what I'm doing now. (and that's a change!)
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Bylough:
Thank you for the "Thanks Nestor".
When I post, I presume that the person asking the question won't be the only one reading my response. And, it's good to know that's the case.
Thank you for the "Thanks Nestor".
When I post, I presume that the person asking the question won't be the only one reading my response. And, it's good to know that's the case.
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WouldYouLike:
"So far 119 have read/seen your post,..."
Oh, I know that this thread has been clicked on that many times, but every time someone posts, responds or replies to a response, that number goes up. I'd be pleased if 119 people had all read what I wrote with interest, but biggest hunk of those 119 probably just popped in to skim over what was written just to make sure no one was talking about them in here.
And, there's some who probably got to this thread by accident when their cat walked across their keyboard.
"So far 119 have read/seen your post,..."
Oh, I know that this thread has been clicked on that many times, but every time someone posts, responds or replies to a response, that number goes up. I'd be pleased if 119 people had all read what I wrote with interest, but biggest hunk of those 119 probably just popped in to skim over what was written just to make sure no one was talking about them in here.
And, there's some who probably got to this thread by accident when their cat walked across their keyboard.
a great help to me too.
cheers!
cheers!
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