Selecting
the right Carpet Fiber is one of the most important aspects
in selecting the right carpet for your home. Learn
what you need to know before you buy new carpet for your home, home office
or rental property.
NYLON
Nylon is the
best wearing fiber available today. You may choose another fiber for various reasons, but nylon is well known for being the best choice if you want your
carpet to last a long time. Nylon is a synthetic fiber and outperforms all
other synthetic fibers. It wears well, resists abrasion and is easy to clean
when anti-stain treatments are applied or designed into the fiber
(Scotchgard®, Stainmaster®, Teflon®, R2X®, etc.). Nylon comes
in hundreds of beautiful styles and colors. Nylon
is the longest-wearing, most resilient and durable fiber. What
is Continuous Filament Nylon?
Good
Qualities:
-
Exceptionally strong fiber
-
Abrasion resistant
-
Resistant to damage from
oil and many chemicals
-
Can be pre-colored or dyed
in wide range of colors
-
Low in moisture absorbency
"Soft"
Nylon fibers
Some people love
the look and soft feel of wool carpets but can't afford to buy it. Now
consumers have a less
expensive option with a new type of "softer"
nylon carpet. Sold under the registered names of Tactesse®, Lisse'®, Anso
Caress® and others, this nylon carpet fiber may be exactly what you are
looking for. While less expensive than wool, the prices for this softer
nylon carpet will be higher than most standard nylon carpets. And there are
some drawbacks to buying this new "softer" nylon carpet.
Ask to see these
softer nylon carpet styles at your carpet dealer, but more importantly, be
sure you know if this style of carpet will meet your needs and lifestyle.
These softer nylons are not meant for every residential situation.
How
Much Does Carpet Cost?
OLEFIN
(Polypropylene)
Olefin is a
strong good-looking synthetic fiber that is inexpensive to manufacture. Some
carpets that are made of olefin are Looped Berbers or commercial carpets. Olefin wears well and has good stain resistance when anti-stain
treatment is applied. Olefin has good anti-static properties. However,
Olefin is hard to keep clean and tends to attract dirt like a magnet. It has poor
resiliency and tends to look dingy when soiled. Olefin is also called
polypropylene or polyolefin. Outdoor grass styles are made from Olefin.
Olefin is not
the best selection for rental units in most cases, however some have had
great success using a commercial level loop Olefin carpet in apartments.
Glued directly to the floor it will last significantly longer than if used
with a pad placed under it. Wheelchairs roll easily over glued down (no pad)
commercial grade carpets. Commercial grade carpets made from olefin are a good choice for handicapped
units, schools, offices, businesses, institutions and retirement home
applications when glued down without padding.
Good
Qualities:
POLYESTER (also
called P.E.T.)
(May be
manufactured from recycled soda pop containers)
Don't be fooled
by the bright colors and softness of this fiber. This is a very soft synthetic fiber that
holds its color well; however it has very
poor resiliency. Traffic areas will usually mat down quickly and soon
afterwards may never return to its original appearance. When new, polyester
looks great and feels so soft and wonderful, but it won’t be too long
before it doesn’t.
Sales people
often recommend this type of carpet to consumers without sufficient fiber
knowledge or experience. Because polyester is so inexpensive to manufacture,
retailers stand to make higher profits from selling carpets made from this fiber, carpet manufacturers
continually try to enhance carpets made with polyester hoping that they can
create a carpet that is more durable and less prone to matting down. In the
past 60 years they have had limited success.
Because prices
are lower for polyester carpets you may be tempted to buy a carpet made from
polyester. Just be sure that your expectations are not very high. Generally,
I do not recommend buying carpets made from polyester fibers to those who
need a carpet that wears well and resists matting and crushing. You might be
able to get 10 years of use from a well-made polyester carpet in a low
traffic application.
Good
Qualities:
What
does BCF mean?
What
is Continuous Filament?
How
do I know if my carpet is made from a Continuous
Filament Fiber?
Why
do some carpets Shed and fuzz?
Smartstrand™ by
Mohawk® (aka Triexta)
DuPont™
Sorona® Polymer (PTT)
Another
relatively new
fiber on the market is called Sorona®, or Smartstrand®, 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 and is very durable.
Should you buy
carpet made with this new fiber? If you want a carpet that resists stains
better than any other carpet on the market today, the perhaps you might want
to consider buying this product. If you want your carpet to last as long as
possible and still resists stains and cleans easily then I suggest you buy a
carpet made from Nylon.
Is Smartstrand
Considered a Polyester?
Smartstrand by
Mohawk is different quite than polyester as it is not prone to matting down
like Polyester or PET Polyester is. It is durable, very stain resistant,
easy to clean and has beautiful colors. If you want the most durable carpet
fiber and the longest wear then choose a nylon carpet. Nylon doesn't resist
stains quite as well as Smartstrand, so you have a choice...What's more
important to you, stain resistance or durability?
There is more
you need to learn about carpet fibers before a wise choice for you can be
determined. Your choice must be made based on your needs, goals,
expectations and your lifestyle. If you have kids or pets that needs to be
considered too. If you choose a carpet that cannot handle the amount of foot
traffic you have, the carpet will wear out much sooner than you might
expect.
Learn about Selecting
the Right Carpet Pad
Alan's
Preferred
Carpet
Dealers
