Carpet Questions & Answers for Consumers
Page 10
Question:I read your ebook this morning and went on a mission to search for carpet today. Boy, what a task that is! Your ebook is incredibly helpful though and allowed me to narrow my search immensely. I went to about 6 different places and ended up back at the first place I went. It is an owner operated store in business for 25 years and they had one particular carpet that seems reasonably priced, although it is more than I intended to spend so I wanted your opinion before I make the purchase. It is a Shaw style: Windswept Magic (Q0382), Color: Light House, 100% DuPont Tactesse Continuous Filament Nylon, Frieze (just love that style), Face-weight: 49oz, 7/yr Stainmaster Xtralife, 5/yr Texture, 10/yr Abrasive, Lifetime Anti-Static. The only thing I don't know for sure is the twist but I told them I was looking for a 5 or better and it seems to be at least a 5 from what I can see. Using your charts & forms I calculated (rough estimate) 10 yards for the stairs with risers & 45 yards for the basement and their pricing was $1970.62 total. I was given a total price for the job so I had them break it down for me: Carpet:$23.47 yd. (on sale) Pad: $4.09sy 1/2" 6lb rebond. Installation: $4.50 yd. Stair Steps: $6.00 per step (13 steps), Stringers: $45.00, Metal Door Strips: $1.50ft (9ft). I'd just like your opinion to make sure I'm not paying too much for the carpet or anything else.
Answer: Great job! You have done well grasshopper! All looks good to me, you will enjoy this carpet. Now, be sure to get a copy of the warranty. You have to have it professionally cleaned about every 2 years or less. You also need to keep a piece of leftover carpet for any needed repairs and for warranty purposes, be sure the carpet is installed with a power stretcher and don't let the installers leave until you are completely happy. The warranty will have other requirements so read it carefully. Although I don't put a lot of value into carpet warranties, I do think it is important to have you follow the guidelines they set forth. You are another success story for me and I am so pleased that you have avoided buying a carpet that would not make you happy in the long run.
Question:
Home Depot is selling a "home depot brand" carpet that is named Traffic Master. It has a nylon fiber that is solution dyed. The claim is that the color is completely through the fiber. Do you know anything about this carpet or the claims for solution dyed?
Answer: Yes solution dyed means that the strand is dyed before it is extruded. That is different than a fiber that is dyed "after" it was extruded. Solution dyed means the color is through and through, not just applied to the outside of the fiber. What this means to you is that it will hold it's color well, not fade easily and not come out of the strand due to cleaning or abrasion. Most carpets today are solution dyed so this is not such a big deal. Cheaper carpets are dyed in a vat and those carpets are usually used in apartments or "builder grade". Don't go head over heals about this home depot claim, it is like saying that a new car has an "air bag". Home depot uses private labels, which means they change the names of their carpet so you can't easily comparison shop. The same carpets they sell are available at other stores under a different name. To comparison shop, you would need to take their samples to the other stores in order to locate the same style and color.
Question:Thank you for writing such a helpful book! My husband and I are beginning our carpet buying adventure and with your help, it is not so overwhelming! Some info on our situation: Our current carpet is in bad shape...it is old, stained, wrinkled, and several seams are coming apart. We have pets and are parents of a 10-month-old, who is the main reason why we need to get new carpet ASAP. We can not keep putting off this major decision any longer because, wouldn’t you know it, she notices every separating seam and pulls at them even more…occasionally detaching several carpet fibers to snack on if we would let her. We’ve concluded we want to by carpet to last 10 years: Material: textured nylon (A sales lady told us that frieze holds dirt longer than other carpets if not vacuumed regularly. Is that correct?) Face-weight approx. 40 oz, pad- 7/16 in., 8 lb. I wish I could spend more time researching and shopping around for the best possible choice but as a starting point, we have 2 types: (1.) Mohawk: Elk Grove and (2.) Shaw: Essential Silver or Essential Gold. I like the feel of Essential Gold more than the Silver but since we have pets and will possibly have more children, I don’t know if it will be better to get the Silver. (I don’t know the type of nylon or the face weight of the Mohawk, but it was in the middle price range.) What are your thoughts about our decisions so far? Is there a benefit of choosing one over the other? Could we go with thinner, 6-lb. pad? I also would like your opinion on the backing of the carpet. The Shaw carpet has a "SoftBac Platinum" backing which is supposed to prevent wrinkling. Do you have any experience with this? The salesman said it does not scratch the walls during installation. Even though it feels soft, I thought it could possibly hold moisture and possibly start to mold or mildew over time. Does the carpet backing cause any major problems like that?
Answer: Frieze does not hold dirt any longer than any other carpet, but yes, regular vacuuming is quite necessary to keep your carpet looking new. A textured nylon is a good choice for you. Here are the numbers you want to look for: Face-weight 36 to 45, Fiber: 100% continuous filament Nylon (CF or BCF) Density: at least 2500 Pile thickness: no thicker than 3/4 inch Tuft Twist: at least 5 twists per inch. As far as soft-bac goes, it is not something you really need. The benefit of not scratching your woodwork is only an issue if the installers are careless, the feature of non-wrinkling is only an issue if the installers don't use a power stretcher. So... while Soft-Bac is good for installers, it is an extra cost for you. I wouldn't buy it, I’d rather just make sure the installers were careful with my walls and woodwork and be sure they use a power-stretcher.
Is there a carpet for people that have allergies can use in the house. I have dogs and I try to keep the fur up. We put laminate in our living room, but I really would like to go back to carpet.
Reply: Visit www.carpet-rug.org and check out the allergies link.
I just purchased your ebook the other day and am thankful I did. However, my wife and I went to a couple of retailers yesterday and are now in awe of the prices for Frieze carpets. Either your price estimates are years out of date or the info from your ebook will probably save us over $600 for a 32 square yard family room carpet. I was expecting to pay ~ $40/square yard for a top-quality nylon Frieze carpet, 8 pound pad, and carpet removal and installation. As you mentioned in your book, many retailers use the square foot method (we went to 3 and they all use square foot measurements). The best price we found for carpets we liked is $6.25/sq ft to $7.60/sq ft. This includes delivery, pad, install, and lift/removal of existing carpet. Transition bars are included with the $7.60 carpet and we need 14 feet. The carpets we looked at (I have samples in my hands now) are; Queen Carpet (Shaw), Style: San Giovanni (S) Q0801, 100% Anso Caress Continuous Filament Nylon, R2X stain and soil resistance, SoftBac Platinum backing, and 10 year Texturegard warranty. Cost ~$7.00/sq ft. That’s $63.00/sq yd!! Masland Carpets and Rugs (Belize), 9380-613 Native, 100% DuPont Continuous Filament Tactesse nylon, Stainmaster Xtralife carpet, Textured cut pile. $7.60/sq ft or a whopping $68.40/sq yd. Anyway, you get the idea. We really like the carpets above, but can you clarify if the prices above are exorbitant or normal for the brand and style? Your ebook states we really shouldn’t pay more than ~$40/ sq. yd for a very good quality nylon carpet. Are the carpets above top-of-the-line or are your quotes a few years old? You highly recommend finding a carpet installer, but we’re new to the area and don’t know enough people to ask for references and the yellow pages only had one name. Do you have any other ideas on how to find a good installer? Again, your ebook is great!! I never knew the carpet industry was so complex and I’ve learned much. I just wasn’t prepared for the price quotes from yesterday. Thanks for your time and any feedback you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Here is a link to the super pages for carpet installers. They are from the
Pittsburgh area and this may be the best way to insure a good install. They may
charge a small trip fee to come to your township but a good installer is
critical. Be sure they use a power stretcher. A frieze is a higher priced carpet
for sure, but the price you have been quoted is high. You could buy wool carpet
for that amount. I found the Queen San Giovanni online (for
less than $30 per yard, so your price of $63 is out of line. I would think you
could find it for less than $35 at a retail store. The choice is yours, assuming
you want to find these same carpets or similar carpets for a better price, you
will need to comparison shop at some other stores. Yes, you have picked
top-of-the-line goods but you could save money by not choosing Tactesse or
Caress (soft nylon) and avoid Soft-Bac. Yes Tactesse or Caress is soft, and are
priced higher for that reason. A standard nylon is more durable and less money.
Soft-Bac is not something you really need. If your carpet is installed properly
by an experienced installer the Soft-Bac features are pointless. I figure the
installation (including tear out and transitions) and padding (8-pound
7/16" Rebond pad) should cost you less than $10 per yard total, so I think
you could do the whole job for about $45 per yard if you shop around. Or you
could do it all for a lot less if you just steer clear of the soft nylons.
Prices have been rising, but there are a lot of high priced retailers who simply
charge too much for their products and installation.
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