Carpet is a a good addition to your home’s comfort feel and aesthetics. But the choice of a carpet is not at all easy. It is an investment you should be willing to make. But an equally important decision is the right choice of a carpet padding. Most people has the notion that the purpose of carpet cushion is to make the carpet feel more comfortable to the feet. Although, it does serve as a cushion to your feet against the carpet, the main purpose of the padding is to serve as protective material for the carpet itself. The shock or impact that the carpet is supposed to endure, the padding absorbs it instead. Hence, it helps prolong the life or preserve a beautiful carpet. In truth, the best quality made padding may provide less comfort to the feet.
There are two common mistaken notions about a carpet cushion. This results to poor quality carpeting. Now, to help you avoid the same mistakes that most buyers fall for, these are two main things you should at all cost avoid.
Notion 1: The softer the padding is the better. This is simply not true. A carpet padding that is too soft will not be able to withstand the force of foot traffic. This will result to uneven carpeting. Instead of absorbing the impact, the padding will let the carpet take all the burden. In other words, a padding that is too soft will defeat the main purpose of protecting the carpet. When it comes to the padding’s density, there are several factors that are considered such as indentation force deflection (IFD), compression load deflection (CLD), indentation load deflection (ILD), compression force deflection (CFD). These are the methods utilized to determine the right amount of density the padding should have.
Notion 2: The thicker the padding is the better. Too much is not always better as in measuring the thickness of a carpet cushion. Like buying a padding that is too soft, buying a padding that is too thick is also a big no-no! In contrast, a thinner padding is more recommended that a thick one. First of all, thick padding can cause problems with performance. But more importantly, the lower elevation that a thinner padding provides will avoid it holding on to the tack strip. As a matter of fact, the carpet industry has set a thickness standard. Manufacturers only make padding with a maximum thickness of 7/16 inch. This thickness can provide the right amount of cushion the carpet needs and at the same time it will be elevated enough to still reach or hold on to the wall’s tack strip.
There are different types of carpet padding to choose from. The choices include waffle rubber, urethane foam, bonded urethane, flat rubber and fiber cushion. Whatever type you use, you have to make sure that it is with the right density and appropriate thickness. Both o these factors are crucial in achieving the best and the most comfortable carpeting possible for you home abode.
Comments on this entry are closed.