An Expert Guide to Carpet Padding…
A quality carpet pad is essential to the life of your carpet . . .
A good carpet pad absorbs pressure from walking on the carpet, helping it maintain its original appearance. And certainly, the thickness of the padding adds to the comfort, plushness and durability of the flooring. Most carpet pad is made from foam or rubber. The most common foam material is bonded polyurethane, or “re-bond”, which compresses chopped foam chunks into a solid sheet. Denser pad performs better.
Why do I need carpet padding?
Logically, you might think that carpet padding is simply to make the carpet feel softer when you walk on it. While this is certainly one of the benefits and considerations, the main reason is to protect the carpet from premature wear. Padding acts as a sort of shock absorber, absorbing the pressure from foot traffic and allowing the fibers to bounce back (think trampoline) rather than being trodden hard into the sub-floor surface. This has the effect of prolonging your carpet’s life and in the long run, saving you money from having to replace your flooring prematurely!
Buying (or being advised to buy) carpet padding that is too thick is probably the most common mistake made by carpet buyers. Padding that is too thick has the effect of allowing carpet fibers to stretch too far thereby causing premature wear. Also, carpet that sits higher than the recommended maximum of 7/16″ will be harder work to adjoining surfaces as well as accommodating door swings and similar clearances.
For residential applications, you should consider at least a good 6 lb pad while a more dense 8 lb or rubber pad may be desirable if they fit your budget. One important consideration on your pad selection is to match the density, and therefore cost, of your pad to your carpet investment. Said another way, a considerable investment in a higher end carpet deserves a similar investment in a quality pad that will match the life of the carpet, that is, a more expensive carpet deserves a more dense pad if the carpet is to reach its life expectancy with normal maintenance.
Re-bond can also offer a moisture barrier such as Stainmaster, and both re-bond and rubber padding can include an antimicrobial agent to fight odors and bacteria. Better quality carpet pads also help the carpet “breathe,” which makes vacuuming more efficient and helps to keep the carpet clean longer.
An Expert Guide to Carpet Padding…
A quality carpet pad is essential to the life of your carpet . . .
A good carpet pad absorbs pressure from walking on the carpet, helping it maintain its original appearance. And certainly, the thickness of the padding adds to the comfort, plushness and durability of the flooring. Most carpet pad is made from foam or rubber. The most common foam material is bonded polyurethane, or “re-bond”, which compresses chopped foam chunks into a solid sheet. Denser pad performs better.
Have a question concerning your next carpet or flooring project? Click to email direct.
