November 2007
Wall-to-wall carpeting
Different types of fiber wear in different ways. Choose on the basis of where the carpet will go and how it will be used.
When you shop for carpeting you have to shop first for the fiber type, then the carpet brand. Highly advertised brands such as Anso from Honeywell, Stainmaster from DuPont, and Wear-Dated from Solutia are brands of nylon fiber, not brands of carpet. Because different retailers may sell the same carpet under different carpet brand names, comparison shopping is difficult. You'll probably have to take copious notes on carpets you like and look for samples with similar specifications in other stores. But basic information on things such as pile height and tufts per square inch is often lacking. You also need to consider installation.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Carpeting is sold at stores such as CarpetMax and Carpet One, which sell name brands as well as their own store brands; at home centers such as Home Depot and Lowe's; and at independent flooring stores, where you'll see carpet brands such as Aladdin and Philadelphia. Carpeting is also available by mail, from companies such as S&S Mills.
The price of a carpet depends largely on its fiber content, pile weight, and style. Wool is very expensive compared with synthetics. Nylon, the best-selling carpet fiber, typically costs more than polyester or olefin. Branded fiber tends to cost more than unbranded.
Wool, the standard against which synthetic carpets are measured, has outstanding resilience, comparable to that of nylon, so its crushing and matting resistance is very good. The best wool carpets are also known for their soft feel underfoot, though nylon can feel just as soft. But unlike nylon, wool may abrade. It also stains easily and tends to yellow in bright sunlight. Nylon is mildew resistant and offers good resilience and resistance to abrasion. Olefin, also known as polypropylene, generally resists staining, fading, abrasion, and moisture, making it a good choice for a basement or playroom. Polyester resists staining, but its resilience is only fair. Some polyester carpet is made from recycled plastic soda bottles.
Price range: $14 to more than $30 per square yard for nylon; $10 to $22 per square yard for olefin; $12 to $15 per square yard for polyester; and $30 to $60 per square yard for wool.
Important features
Generally, a heavier pile weight--the ounces of yarn per square yard--is considered better and is more expensive. A longer pile height is better if you want a luxurious look and feel. Pile whose height variations give it a textured look minimizes footprints or vacuum-cleaner tracks. A carpet with a high tuft density wears better. You can figure it by multiplying the number of tufts per inch, left to right, by tufts per inch, up and down. You can check tuft density by folding back a carpet sample. With a denser carpet, you won't see much backing peeking through. Like high tuft density, highly twisted yarn provides better resistance to wear. Labels may note that the yarn is heat set to help retain its shape.
Cut-pile styles, including saxony and plush, are made of yarn that's attached to the backing and cut at the top. The deeper and thicker the pile, the more luxurious the carpet may feel, but the more likely it is to retain dirt. Cut pile generally crushes under foot traffic more than other styles, so it's best reserved for low-traffic areas such as a formal living room or a master bedroom. Textured saxonies are better at hiding footprints.
In a level loop, yarn is looped over so both ends are attached to the backing. Short, densely spaced loops may not feel very soft, but they provide a smooth surface that wears well and is fairly easy to vacuum because there aren't crevices for dirt to sink into. High-density level loop is good for stairs, family rooms, and other high-traffic areas. Low-density level loop doesn't perform as well.
Berber is a variation of level loop, but with thicker yarn. Genuine Berber is handmade from wool. Less expensive Berber-style carpeting can be made of wool, nylon, olefin, or a nylon blend. The thicker yarn can snag, making this not the best choice for a foyer or hall.
Multilevel loop has long and short loops that give a textured appearance. The short loops create pockets that can make vacuuming difficult.
Retailers may include padding in the price of a carpet, but often it's a cheap grade. Low-density padding that you can easily compress between your fingers feels spongy underfoot and won't provide much support for the carpet. Better is medium-density padding made of prime urethane, a type of foam; rubber; rebond, made of leftover bits bonded with adhesive, hence its multicolored appearance; or pressed fiber, which is felt-like.
All new carpets emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs)--air pollutants associated with carpet manufacture--for a few days after installation. Though emissions are generally at a very low level, not everyone agrees what's safe. Current scientific evidence indicates that the level of VOCs emitted is probably not harmful to most. The Carpet and Rug Institute has made reduction of "4-PC," the most-odorous carpet VOC, a goal of its Indoor Air Quality Carpet Testing Program. Carpets, padding, and adhesives that pass may carry a "green label."
How to choose
Performance differences. Branded nylons generally resist stains, while many unbranded nylons may not. In Consumer Reports tests, branded nylon, which is usually treated with stain and soil repellent before the backing is put on the carpet, generally performed better than unbranded. We analyzed the yarn in one unbranded model and saw why: More than twice as much stain repellent was on the top quarter-inch of the carpet as at the base of the yarn, indicating that repellent was sprayed only on the surface. Dense level loop and short cut-pile retained the least dirt after vacuuming. Multilevel loop and longer cut-pile models retained the most. With our worst performer, a multilevel-loop carpet, 70 percent of the dirt couldn't be vacuumed out. As for carpet wear, Home Depot's performance appearance rating (PAR) is a useful guide. It correlated closely with the Consumer Reports wear-test score. A carpet with a PAR of 4 to 5 is appropriate for moderate- to high-traffic areas.
Recommendations. Choose the most appropriate fiber, style, and construction for the room where the carpeting will go and then shop for color and price. For example, for a formal room, you might opt for the lustrous appearance and feel of cut-pile or wool. For a child's room or basement playroom, you'd be better off with olefin fiber for its stain and wear resistance--and a level-loop construction for easy vacuuming.
Most people arrange installation through the retailer, who sends employees or a subcontractor to do the job. Work out the details beforehand, and get them in writing. Decide, for example, who will be responsible for trimming doors, if that's necessary. Make sure installers double-glue seams--even seams under furniture. If you rearrange your furniture and expose a seam to foot traffic, fibers around an improperly glued seam can become fuzzy, and stitches may unravel.
When the installer arrives, ask to keep the identifying label from the plastic that the carpet comes wrapped in. That will probably be your only official record showing that you received what you ordered. Ask also for a scrap of the carpet, at least 12x24 inches, and file that along with the label, the sales receipt, and the warranty. This documentation can be important if you have a problem later. Have the installer inspect the carpet surface and backing for flaws before it's installed. Anything less than perfect warrants a call to the retailer.
You can minimize problems with VOCs by asking the installer to air out a new carpet for a day or so before installation. After it's installed, keep windows open and a fan going for two or three days. Make sure the installer seals seams with adhesives that have a CRI green label.
Different types of fiber wear in different ways. Choose on the basis of where the carpet will go and how it will be used.
When you shop for carpeting you have to shop first for the fiber type, then the carpet brand. Highly advertised brands such as Anso from Honeywell, Stainmaster from DuPont, and Wear-Dated from Solutia are brands of nylon fiber, not brands of carpet. Because different retailers may sell the same carpet under different carpet brand names, comparison shopping is difficult. You'll probably have to take copious notes on carpets you like and look for samples with similar specifications in other stores. But basic information on things such as pile height and tufts per square inch is often lacking. You also need to consider installation.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Carpeting is sold at stores such as CarpetMax and Carpet One, which sell name brands as well as their own store brands; at home centers such as Home Depot and Lowe's; and at independent flooring stores, where you'll see carpet brands such as Aladdin and Philadelphia. Carpeting is also available by mail, from companies such as S&S Mills.
The price of a carpet depends largely on its fiber content, pile weight, and style. Wool is very expensive compared with synthetics. Nylon, the best-selling carpet fiber, typically costs more than polyester or olefin. Branded fiber tends to cost more than unbranded.
Wool, the standard against which synthetic carpets are measured, has outstanding resilience, comparable to that of nylon, so its crushing and matting resistance is very good. The best wool carpets are also known for their soft feel underfoot, though nylon can feel just as soft. But unlike nylon, wool may abrade. It also stains easily and tends to yellow in bright sunlight. Nylon is mildew resistant and offers good resilience and resistance to abrasion. Olefin, also known as polypropylene, generally resists staining, fading, abrasion, and moisture, making it a good choice for a basement or playroom. Polyester resists staining, but its resilience is only fair. Some polyester carpet is made from recycled plastic soda bottles.
Price range: $14 to more than $30 per square yard for nylon; $10 to $22 per square yard for olefin; $12 to $15 per square yard for polyester; and $30 to $60 per square yard for wool.
Important features
Generally, a heavier pile weight--the ounces of yarn per square yard--is considered better and is more expensive. A longer pile height is better if you want a luxurious look and feel. Pile whose height variations give it a textured look minimizes footprints or vacuum-cleaner tracks. A carpet with a high tuft density wears better. You can figure it by multiplying the number of tufts per inch, left to right, by tufts per inch, up and down. You can check tuft density by folding back a carpet sample. With a denser carpet, you won't see much backing peeking through. Like high tuft density, highly twisted yarn provides better resistance to wear. Labels may note that the yarn is heat set to help retain its shape.
Cut-pile styles, including saxony and plush, are made of yarn that's attached to the backing and cut at the top. The deeper and thicker the pile, the more luxurious the carpet may feel, but the more likely it is to retain dirt. Cut pile generally crushes under foot traffic more than other styles, so it's best reserved for low-traffic areas such as a formal living room or a master bedroom. Textured saxonies are better at hiding footprints.
In a level loop, yarn is looped over so both ends are attached to the backing. Short, densely spaced loops may not feel very soft, but they provide a smooth surface that wears well and is fairly easy to vacuum because there aren't crevices for dirt to sink into. High-density level loop is good for stairs, family rooms, and other high-traffic areas. Low-density level loop doesn't perform as well.
Berber is a variation of level loop, but with thicker yarn. Genuine Berber is handmade from wool. Less expensive Berber-style carpeting can be made of wool, nylon, olefin, or a nylon blend. The thicker yarn can snag, making this not the best choice for a foyer or hall.
Multilevel loop has long and short loops that give a textured appearance. The short loops create pockets that can make vacuuming difficult.
Retailers may include padding in the price of a carpet, but often it's a cheap grade. Low-density padding that you can easily compress between your fingers feels spongy underfoot and won't provide much support for the carpet. Better is medium-density padding made of prime urethane, a type of foam; rubber; rebond, made of leftover bits bonded with adhesive, hence its multicolored appearance; or pressed fiber, which is felt-like.
All new carpets emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs)--air pollutants associated with carpet manufacture--for a few days after installation. Though emissions are generally at a very low level, not everyone agrees what's safe. Current scientific evidence indicates that the level of VOCs emitted is probably not harmful to most. The Carpet and Rug Institute has made reduction of "4-PC," the most-odorous carpet VOC, a goal of its Indoor Air Quality Carpet Testing Program. Carpets, padding, and adhesives that pass may carry a "green label."
How to choose
Performance differences. Branded nylons generally resist stains, while many unbranded nylons may not. In Consumer Reports tests, branded nylon, which is usually treated with stain and soil repellent before the backing is put on the carpet, generally performed better than unbranded. We analyzed the yarn in one unbranded model and saw why: More than twice as much stain repellent was on the top quarter-inch of the carpet as at the base of the yarn, indicating that repellent was sprayed only on the surface. Dense level loop and short cut-pile retained the least dirt after vacuuming. Multilevel loop and longer cut-pile models retained the most. With our worst performer, a multilevel-loop carpet, 70 percent of the dirt couldn't be vacuumed out. As for carpet wear, Home Depot's performance appearance rating (PAR) is a useful guide. It correlated closely with the Consumer Reports wear-test score. A carpet with a PAR of 4 to 5 is appropriate for moderate- to high-traffic areas.
Recommendations. Choose the most appropriate fiber, style, and construction for the room where the carpeting will go and then shop for color and price. For example, for a formal room, you might opt for the lustrous appearance and feel of cut-pile or wool. For a child's room or basement playroom, you'd be better off with olefin fiber for its stain and wear resistance--and a level-loop construction for easy vacuuming.
Most people arrange installation through the retailer, who sends employees or a subcontractor to do the job. Work out the details beforehand, and get them in writing. Decide, for example, who will be responsible for trimming doors, if that's necessary. Make sure installers double-glue seams--even seams under furniture. If you rearrange your furniture and expose a seam to foot traffic, fibers around an improperly glued seam can become fuzzy, and stitches may unravel.
When the installer arrives, ask to keep the identifying label from the plastic that the carpet comes wrapped in. That will probably be your only official record showing that you received what you ordered. Ask also for a scrap of the carpet, at least 12x24 inches, and file that along with the label, the sales receipt, and the warranty. This documentation can be important if you have a problem later. Have the installer inspect the carpet surface and backing for flaws before it's installed. Anything less than perfect warrants a call to the retailer.
You can minimize problems with VOCs by asking the installer to air out a new carpet for a day or so before installation. After it's installed, keep windows open and a fan going for two or three days. Make sure the installer seals seams with adhesives that have a CRI green label.
