Now many of the carpets that we carry have wear ratings. That means that a study was done to determine how a particular carpet looked after so many hours of foot traffic. Better wearing carpets will have a wear rating of 3.5 or higher; also look for wear warranties, which may cover periods as long as ten years. Particularly in high traffic areas you need to be concerned about checking wear ratings before you purchase a particular piece of carpet. Also be careful of polyester products because they tend to mat down more easily even though they don't wear, and it won't look good in that condition.



In this day of quickly rising prices there has been a tendency to offer carpets of lower quality in thickness of pile and density or lower quality material and just because it looks great the day it is installed it doesn't mean that it's going to stay that way. However, some of the new quality polyesters are much improved over those previously used, in particular P.E.T. polyester, which you may want to consider as a cost effective alternative to nylon. Make sure it says P.E.T. before you buy it for high traffic areas.

But nylon also has the best stain and soil release characteristics so again you'll want to check warranties. As you may know, some carpets are treated with Scotchgard and some are not. Also there are 2 different qualities of Scotchgard treatment. One method is prayed on. With this method it is recommended, to maintain your 5 year warranty, that you have the Scotchgard re-applied every 2 years. Even without the maintenance topical Scotchgard has been shown to be effect in preventing stains. But now there is another process that builds the stain resistance right into the fiber (R2X). This is the best stain protection you can buy.

When choosing padding it is better to get a lower pad that has a higher density. One half inch is considered the upper limit on thickness of padding. If the pad is any thicker the carpet backing gets repeatedly stretched as often as you walk on it. This stretching and movement will eventually break down the back and cause lumps in the floor and the carpet will require re-stretching. Most plush carpets don't require any more than 7/16 inch padding with a density of “6 pounds”, and Berber carpets, commercial and any loop carpeting generally require a little thinner pad, 3/8 inch, at most. A lower height with a higher density is worth a little extra money ,but follow these guidelines and you won't go wrong.

Of course you also want to consider what area of your home the carpet will be used in and whether it is a high traffic area such as steps and center halls or a less used room.