Don’t overlook carpet padding—your kids, pets, and guests will thank you
When most people shop for new carpet, their eyes are on color, texture, and style. But here’s the secret: the real key to the life of your carpet is what’s underneath. Carpet padding (also called carpet cushion or underlayment) can mean the difference between a plush, comfortable floor that lasts for years and one that wears out too soon. At Carpet Weaver’s, we want to help you choose the right carpet padding so your investment in quality carpet pays off for the long haul.
Imagine getting up in the middle of the night and stepping on your bedroom carpet to tiptoe to the bathroom. Picture your grand babies learning to crawl on your family room carpet. Think about the ping pong tournaments in your basement when your teenagers have friends over. Visualize the spots in the carpet as your new puppy learns about house training! All of these situations may call for a different style of padding.
What Is Carpet Padding?
Carpet padding is the layer of material between your carpet and the subfloor. Each type of padding has its own strengths, whether you want better support in high-traffic areas or a luxurious feel in the living room. The density of the carpet pad you choose, measured in pounds per cubic foot, affects both comfort and durability.
Comfort You Can Feel Every Day
The right padding changes the comfort level of your carpet, just like couch cushions make a sofa more inviting. Thicker or denser carpet pad offers more cushioning, which can reduce heat loss in winter and add sound insulation or noise reduction in busy rooms. This is especially important for commercial spaces where airborne sound control matters, or for homes with concrete subfloors that tend to feel cold.
Protection for Your Carpet and Your Home
Padding does more than feel good underfoot, it protects the performance of your carpet. It absorbs impact from heavy foot traffic, preventing premature wear in high-traffic situations like hallways or stairs. In berber carpets and low pile styles, the right pad prevents the carpet backing from rubbing against the subfloor, which can damage fibers and cause carpet replacement sooner than necessary.
Some pads come with a moisture barrier for added moisture resistance, a great choice for families with kids or pets. These help protect against spills, accidents, and bacterial growth that can occur with untreated old floors or concrete subfloors.
Choosing the Right Pad for Different Carpet Types
Different types of carpet need different support. For example:
- Berber carpets often need thinner pads to maintain stability.
- Thick carpet pad or thicker padding might be ideal for plush residential carpet.
- Synthetic fiber carpet pad can be a great option for durability in commercial carpet installations.
- Memory foam padding offers the luxurious feel some homeowners want in a living room or bedroom.
The thickness of your carpet padding also plays a role in warranty coverage. Many carpet manufacturers require a specific square foot density or pile height match between the pad and the carpet to keep the warranty intact.
Special Situations to Consider
Padding isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some types of flooring, like hardwood floors in rooms with heavy furniture, require padding that offers both support and protection against dents or scratches. In commercial spaces, carpet tiles are a great option and have a backing (think attached pad) and are glued directly to the subfloor without pad. Flat rubber for commercial products is commonly used with broadloom products stretched in, or in a double glue installation.
Foam underlayment or prime foam might be better for flooring installations over concrete subfloors where extra insulation is needed.
Cost vs. Long-Term Value
While it may be tempting to cut corners, a good carpet pad is one of the best options for protecting your investment. Quality padding improves the performance of your carpet, provides better support, helps maintain the carpet pile, and extends the life of your carpet, all for a relatively small portion of your total flooring budget.
Let Carpet Weavers Help You Choose
At Carpet Weaver’s, our flooring experts will help you navigate the most popular types of carpet paddings, explain their common uses, and match the perfect pad to your personal preference, room use, type of carpet, and type of flooring. Whether you’re updating old floors with thin, utilitarian carpet or outfitting a high-traffic area with commercial carpet, we’ll guide you to a great choice that fits your lifestyle and budget.
Visit your nearest Carpet Weaver’s showroom to see, touch, and compare carpet padding options in person. Or contact us directly to talk about your next carpet project.
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