Carpet shopping
is not as easy as it once was. There used to be hundreds of carpet mills
that created a high level of competition between them and helped keep carpet
prices low. Slowly, they faded away. Economic slow-downs took their toll and
most smaller carpet manufacturer's have gone out of business. Some of the
more successful carpet mills started buying up the smaller ones. Today there
are only a few main carpet manufacturers and a few others that are still
holding on by the skin of their teeth.
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Mohawk
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Shaw
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Beaulieu
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Royalty
Royalty is a
smaller carpet mill in California, I included them because I like them a
lot, but they are not as big as the other three. The big three have now
bought up most of the smaller mills and now they are raising their prices
dramatically. Eventually there may only be one major carpet manufacturer.
Lets hope not!
"Horizon
was a fairly diverse carpet company when it was purchased by Mohawk in
1992"
Carpet prices
have gone up dramatically over the past five years.
Some of their
never-ending price increases are due to the rising price of oil, some price
increases are due to supply and demand. I watched as these big carpet mills
have bought up all the little guys and then they increase their prices as
they grow bigger and have less competition. I've played the game of Monopoly
and I know what happens when every space is owned by the other guy, no
matter how you roll the dice, wherever you land, you end up having to pay
dearly.
New fiber
modifications also cause the cost of a carpets to be higher. For example,
the new "softer" nylon carpets are higher priced because they are
softer to the touch and offer a look and feel similar to that of wool
carpets. They have registered or trademarked names like: Tactesse®,
Lisse'® and Caress®. These are three common softer nylon fibers available
today.
People are willing to pay more for these softer nylon carpet styles
so the price is higher. It doesn't mean that the fiber is more durable or
will last longer or will resist stains better. It just means that because
they feel softer to the touch, people are willing to pay more to have them.
That's the beauty of the law of supply and demand. If you build a better
mousetrap and they will beat a path to your door.
You need to
decide if having the softest carpet is worth spending more money. There are
plenty of less expensive options that will be just as durable or even more
durable if you know what to look for. That's why you need to order my carpet
buying guide. I know what carpet you need that will last the longest and
cost the least. That information alone is worth hundreds.
DuPont™
Sorona® Polymer (aka Smartstrand)
Another new
fiber on the market is called Sorona®, 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. Learn
more about Carpet Fibers here.
