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You may have just spent countless hours, days or even weeks choosing
the perfect carpet for your home. Be advised, your job is not over yet
and you are only halfway there.
When you install carpet in your home, the dazzling array of texture
and colors is overwhelming. Eventually you narrow the choices and
finally settle on just the right one. Your work isn't done, though,
because you have to choose a pad to go under the carpet. There are a
number of choices, and a range of prices. Do you choose fiber over
foam? Is thicker always better? What will work best in your home?
Choosing the right pad will not only increase the comfort of the
carpet, but will extend the life of the carpet as well. It's easy to
get confused about what to buy. Carpet commercials run on television,
the radio, in the newspapers, and in magazines. Often these ads offer
free, thick padding. Although thicker padding is sometimes better,
it's not always the best choice.
Before you choose the padding for your carpet, it's important to
understand the purpose of the pad, and how it works. A properly
carpeted house will have different degrees of thickness and densities
of padding in various rooms, and in the different areas within these
rooms. Carpet padding is designed to 1) absorb the impact of feet on
the carpet, 2) control the flex of the carpet backing, 3) provide a
comfortable surface, and 4) provide insulation over cold floors.
If
the carpet pad is too thick and not very dense, it will flex a great
deal as you walk on it. This will feel great under your feet at first,
but quickly you will notice carpet fibers filling up the vacuum bag.
Excessive flexing of the carpet backing actually breaks down the
backing and allows carpet fibers to fall out. On the other hand, if
there were no padding, the carpet fibers themselves would absorb the
full impact of foot traffic, and would wear down and break off in no
time.
In
most areas of the home with moderate to heavy traffic, a relatively
thin, high-density pad (3/8 inch maximum) is best. This allows for
adequate cushioning for comfort and fiber life, but it does not allow
the carpet backing to over flex and disintegrate before its time.
In
areas where there is little foot traffic, you might choose a thicker,
less dense padding. In an area like a bedroom, a thicker pad will
provide a comfortable, cushy feel underfoot. This kind of pad is also
good on the floor of a den where someone might sit to watch
television.
There are three basic choices for residential carpet padding: foam,
sponge rubber, and fiber. All are available in a range of thickness
and density. For any thickness, you can compare the ounces per square
yard to gauge the density of the padding.
Foam padding, often urethane foam, is a favorite for residential use.
Several grades are available, including a 'bonded foam', which
consists of multicolored small pieces bonded together for good
density. Fiber padding looks like animal hair, but today is made of
recycled fiber. Fiber pads produce a firm foundation and are a good
choice for high traffic areas. Sponge rubber pads are available in a
waffle design, which is more resilient than the flat design. If you
choose sponge rubber padding, select a thin pad.
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