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Carpet Buying Guide 2024
Misleading Carpet Information? After you shop for carpet at a few different places, you will have heard plenty of conflicting information. Every carpet salesperson suggests something different and many carpet websites do not provide complete, accurate or honest product information.
This should not surprise you because we are living in the age of misinformation. Today, a lot of product information is intentionally skewed by retailers or manufacturers. They leave out important details and facts that consumers need, in order to make wise and informed carpet buying choices. "Misinformation does not always mean false information, but it does mean misleading" Incorrect or incomplete product information is a major problem for consumers when selecting new carpet and padding. If you select the wrong "grade" of carpet, it can be a very costly mistake.
Best Carpet Advice
Remember the story of Goldilocks And The Three Bears? She tried out three porridges, three chairs, and three beds before finding one of each that fit her needs perfectly. This is exactly what you need to do when it comes to choosing new carpet, padding and installation. It is important that you get at least three free estimates from three different local carpet retailers.
It's the smartest way to compare all your options side by side to help you decide which carpet dealer and which products will fit your needs and goals perfectly. To get started, I suggest you take my Carpet Foot-Traffic Test to help determine what grade of carpet you need to select that is designed to meet your needs, goals and lifestyle.
Q. How Much Should I Spend on New Carpet?
If
you are just starting your journey to buy new carpet, you are going to find
that Carpet
is more costly than you expect. There are many factors that must be
considered. Here are 3 questions you need to answer
before you begin shopping for carpet.
1. What grade of carpet do you require for your home?
2. How long do you want your new carpet to last?
3. How much money do you plan to spend on this project?
Q. Why do most homeowners OVERPAY for new Carpet and Flooring?
It's because they don't do their Carpet homework! By doing just a little bit of research on my website, anyone can quickly learn how to select the right grade of carpet. You can also save time and money by avoiding common retail sales scams. How to Avoid Carpet Scams!
Get Answers To These 4 Key Carpet Questions
1. What Makes One Carpet More Durable Than Another?
2. What One Characteristic Makes Carpet Tolerate Heavy Foot-Traffic?
3. What Makes Carpet Able to Resist Stains Better Than Another Carpet?
4. How Do I Avoid Common Retail Sales Scams & Rip-Offs?
These are just a few of the important answers you need before you agree to buy new carpet from ANY retail source. I have dozens of free articles posted on my website to give you all the answers you need to make wise and informed choices.
How to Avoid Common Carpet Scams
Buy the wrong grade of carpet and you stand to lose hundreds or even thousands! Choosing the wrong grade carpet can cost you dearly! You might hope to buy carpet that will last for 15 years. What will you do when your carpet wears out in just 3 years? How to Avoid Carpet Scams
Times have changed! It's not like it was 50 years ago when there were limited styles and colors but all carpets were well-made and able to last a long time. Today there are thousands of different colors, textures, patterns, grades and quality levels to choose from. Choose the wrong grade of carpet today and you may end up having to replace it much sooner than you think! You need to know... Some Carpets are designed to last for only 3 to 5 years... and some carpets are made to last 7 to 10 years. Some are designed to last 15 to 20 years or longer!
Carpet Specifications - Face Weight, Pile Density, Tuft Twist
Whatever grade of Carpet you buy, it will eventually wear-out based mainly based on YOUR level of foot traffic you have in your home. What level of foot traffic do you have? Low traffic, medium traffic, heavy traffic? Learn more: What Grade of Carpet Should I Select?
New Carpet Warranties
How
long your new carpet will last has very little to do with the manufacturers
warranty limits or the wear-rating they attach to it.
Carpet longevity is determined on the amount of foot-traffic you have in your home verses the grade or quality level of carpet and the padding you select! Of course, any carpet will wear out faster if it is not properly maintained or the quality is insufficient for the application.
Carpet Quality is Not Always Obvious...
Your new carpet will last forever if you never walk on it. Carpet specifications are the key to understanding carpet quality. A medium-grade of carpet may last 7 to 12 years in your home, however, a higher-grade carpet may last up to 25 years, all depending on the Amount of Foot-Traffic you have in your home and how well you care for your carpet.
Recognizing a low-quality, cheaply-made carpet might be obvious for most homeowners (costing less than $20 per yard), it can be very hard for homeowners to tell the difference between a medium-grade carpet (priced $25 to $40 per yard) from a higher-grade of carpet (costing $45 to $85 per yard or more), just by looking at the Carpet sample or just by feeling the surface fibers with your hand.
All Carpets Look and Feel Great When Brand New!
However, cheaply made carpets made from Polyester and P.E.T. Polyester are not very durable or resilient and can quickly mat down in medium to heavy foot traffic areas, especially in hallways and stairs. Once this happens, there is really nothing you can do to fix the problem.
Carpet Manufacturer's Warranty Claim Denied!
If your home has moderate to heavy foot-traffic and you choose a grade of carpet not capable of tolerating your level of foot-traffic, any carpet warranty claim you submit will likely be denied and you will have no recourse whatsoever. In fact, most new carpet warranty claims are denied for any number of reasons, and often they might blame YOU for not taking proper care of your new carpet.
You may be blamed for not following the required maintenance or cleaning schedule, for not choosing the right grade of carpet or pad to meet your level of foot-traffic or they may say that your carpet was installed improperly. They look hard to find any reason to tell you that your warranty Claim is Denied!
Why Buy a Carpet Made of Nylon?
Carpets made from Nylon are generally more capable of tolerating medium to heavy-traffic applications. Nylon is the most durable and most resilient fiber on the market today. There are many different grades of the Nylon Fiber and you need to learn what they are and what it means to your own unique application. If you have moderate to heavy foot traffic in your home, then I suggest you select a carpet made of NYLON!
How To Compare Carpet Fibers
SmartStrand®, is a fiber known by 4 different trade names. This can be quite confusing for homeowners. Please be advised:
1. SmartStrand® (Mohawk Brand)
2. P.T.T. (Chemical name: Polytrimethylene terephthalate)
3. Sorona®
4. Triexta®
Mohawk's SmartStrand® Fiber, is made from Dupont's Sorona polymer. SmartStrand® is also known as P.T.T.; Triexta; and Sorona - and is to some degree related to the Polyester fiber. In fact, I read that it is manufactured on the same or similar machines as Polyester.
While the manufacturers of the SmartStrand® Fiber may claim it is as, or more durable than Polyester, or P.E.T. Polyester, I believe it is less durable than any standard denier Nylon fiber, and I think the SmartStrand® Fiber is more prone to matting and crushing of the pile over a Nylon. SmartStrand® is often touted to be more stain resistant than Nylon, but from my own experience, I think SmartStrand may be a bit more stain resistant than Nylon 6,6, but only to a small degree.
Stainmaster® and other carpet brands using Antron's 6.6 Nylon fiber no longer use Teflon® to help resist stains. Now they use a topically applied solution called DuraTech®. I think it is a good option to consider if stain resistance is a major issue for you. Learn more about Carpet Fibers.
New and Improved Carpet Fibers?
I am not as impressed with the SmartStrand® Fiber, as some carpet salespeople are. I don't think it is as durable as they claim. It's priced similar to nylon, so if durability is what you need, then I think Nylon is a better choice. I think Nylon is more durable and it resists stains and cleans easily too.
Nylon is the most resilient (able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed) synthetic fiber available today. What more do you want? A cheaper price would be nice, but that is not going to happen anytime soon. Nylon is more costly to manufacture than all other synthetic fibers.
Q. Why Do They PUSH Polyester Carpets?
Want inexpensive carpet? Choose Polyester. Polyester & P.E.T. Polyester are among the cheapest fibers to manufacture which is why manufacturers and carpet salespeople work so hard to convince homeowners to buy it. When you buy a carpet made from Polyester, it translates into more profits for the carpet dealer, more for the carpet manufacturer and higher commissions for the carpet salesperson too!
Q. Is Carpet made of Polyester just as durable as Carpet made of Nylon?
NO! The Polyester fiber, and the P.E.T. Polyester fiber is prone to matting and crushing of the pile. Choose a carpet made from Polyester your new carpet will soon start to mat down and look ugly in a very short period of time. Especially in moderate to heavy main traffic lanes, on stairs, hallways and any other area in your home that has anything more than light foot-traffic.
Regardless of what any carpet salesperson tells you, polyester carpets are not intended for medium, moderate or heavy foot-traffic applications. Regardless of what any carpet salesperson tells you, this is the cold hard fact. Polyester is and will always be Polyester. If they say that Polyester is NEW and IMPROVED... or say it is just as DURABLE as NYLON... you need to reconsider where you are shopping for new carpet.
Carpet Specifications
Learn all about Carpet and Padding Specifications to be sure
you choose wisely. The "manufacturing
specifications" are what allows you to determine the grade or
quality level of a carpet or padding.
Carpets that are made from low-quality materials will wear out faster than those that are made using higher-quality materials. This is why you need full access to the specifications of any carpet you consider.
The 5 Basic Carpet Specifications
-
Fiber Type - This is most important - Learn more about Carpet Fibers.
-
Pile Height - 3/4" pile height or less helps resist matting and crushing.
-
Tuft Twist - Less than 5 twists is poor, 5.5 to 7 is considered good. 7 or above is excellent.
-
Face Weight - 35 to 65 ounces is considered good for most residential carpets.
-
Pile Density - The higher the number the more durable the carpet.
Learn more about Carpet Specifications
Your Final Selection? Selecting The Right Carpet.
Many homeowners choose their carpet based
on color, look, feel and price.
However, there are many other important factors that need to be taken
into consideration.
From start to finish you must make all the right decisions to be successful and satisfied with the final outcome.
Choosing the right Carpet, the correct padding, getting qualified installation and a reasonable price is just the tip of the iceberg! When shopping for carpet at a local retailer, you won't be able to remember all the details. It would take too long to write everything down to refer to later so I created a form to help you keep track of your final selections.
Print out several of my Carpet Shopping Forms to use as you narrow down your final choice.
Where NOT to Buy Carpet?
Where you buy carpet is a major factor because not all carpet retailers have your best interests in mind, and some carpet retailers should be avoided at all costs! Never be pressured by any salesperson into buying right now! Take your time, take some samples home for a few days and make wise and informed choices!
Choosing the right carpet involves many different factors and some aspects are more important than others. Even if you know what style and color you want, there are a lot more decisions you have to make correctly. If choosing new carpet was easy then there would be no need for this website.
The First Choice You Need to Make?
Locate a reputable, locally-owned carpet store near you.
Buying new carpet wisely starts with knowing how to select the right grade of carpet for your home! The last thing you want to do is buy the wrong grade of carpet and have it wear out in a hurry. There are many key factors for you to make beyond the 5 main carpet specifications, such as... Correct padding, obtaining qualified installation and getting a fair and square deal!
But here's the catch... If you make all the right carpet choices but end up buying from an unscrupulous carpet retailer, you may end up unhappy with the final outcome. It's important to have Top Quality Products, Stellar Customer Service and Qualified Installation. You want to buy from a retailer who will be there for you before, during and especially AFTER the sale. Learn more about the Best & Worst Places to Buy New Carpet
Costly Carpet Buying Mistakes / Common Carpet Complaints...
Here is a list of common carpet complaints from homeowners who bought new carpet and why they were unhappy with their carpet purchase. My years of experience and ongoing research has revealed that fewer than 14% of consumers make ALL the right Carpet choices from start to finish.
The other 86% either spend too much, choose the wrong materials, end up with installation problems or unhappy in some way with their Carpet Buying Experience. What can go wrong you might ask? Plenty! Here is a list of unfortunate homeowners who didn't do their carpet homework and have lost thousands! Read about how to avoid Costly Consumer Carpet Buying Mistakes
How Much Carpet Do You Actually Need?
Too many Carpet Salespeople are not proficient at measuring for carpet and that could spell bad news for your pocketbook. It's easier for them to just add on a few extra yards of carpet to the estimate and not have worry about ordering too little material to do the job.
Why should they take the extra time and effort needed to be spot-on accurate when adding a few extra yards of carpet and padding to your order will only save them time and increase their profits? How to Measure for Carpet in 4 Simple Steps
Nationally Advertised Carpet Scams and Sales Gimmicks!
Most nationally advertised Carpet specials you see on TV are not as good as they appear to be. Don't fall for those offers to sell you three rooms of carpet for the price of just one until you get a chance to read all the fine print.
I would never buy from any carpet or flooring dealer who advertises in this fashion. I truly believe you can get a much better deal buying from a local, family-run flooring dealer. Not only a better price, but better quality materials an more qualified installation too!
I never recommend buying from any nationally advertised carpet seller. You would be amazed at the number of horror stories I've heard from unsuspecting homeowners since I started my first website 22 years ago. If the price sounds too good to be true, then carefully read all the fine print. Take a gander at this... Home Depot & Lowe's Free Carpet Installation
Never Pay for Your New Carpet "In-Full" Upfront!
It is customary for any reputable carpet dealer to ask that you pay up to 50% down before they will place your order for new carpet. You will be asked to pay the balance-due upon competition and upon your complete satisfaction of a job well-done. Never pay the balance due until you are completely satisfied.
You should always do a walk-through with the installer to inspect the job before he leaves your home. Use my free Carpet Installation Inspection Checklist. Take a look at my Carpet and Pad Pricing Chart to get a good idea about how much new carpet is going to cost you.
Learn more:
