Smartstrand is also called Sorona. It is made of a polymer derived from corn. It has great anti-stain properties and cleans better than any other fiber, so they say. This is not a new fiber, it was invented back in the 40's and was too expensive to make at that time to compete with other fibers. Now that oil is so expensive carpet prices have increased enough to allow Sorona to be offered at a comparable cost. While Sorona is easy to clean it is not as durable as nylon. Nylon is also easy to clean, so buying Sorona instead of nylon may not be your best choice. In your case, I suggest you determine what matters most to you, best cleanability or best wearability. Personally, until I have more hard data on Sorona I would never consider buying anything other than nylon. Nylon has stood the test of time and keeps looking new longer than any other fiber. Dollar for dollar, I think that if you care for your new carpet properly, nylon would outperform Sorona in high traffic applications. No carpet is stain proof. The key to having your carpet last is maintenance. That means professional cleanings at least every other year, spot cleaning, as needed and frequent vacuuming. I think Sorona has yet to prove itself as durable as they claim. You may want to notice that the Sorona warranty may not cover matting or crushing, a common problem in carpets not made from nylon.

Do you know anything about Empire Today carpeting. They come to your home, no showroom. I’m not sure about quality of carpet or installation.

I do not recommend buying from any carpet seller that has  "in home" commissioned salespeople. Empire Today sells carpet to those who want super fast carpet installation. I think they are way overpriced. If you want a fair deal on new carpet I suggest you visit a carpet store with experienced salespeople. I reveal many more great places to buy carpet in my  ebook.

Here is what I think.... Carpet One is a franchise operation, anyone can buy a franchise and begin selling carpet through them. All their carpets are private labeled. This means you can't easily shop around to find similarly named carpet to compare prices. Here's the catch, Carpet One buys from the mill, they in turn sell it to the franchise holder, who then sells it to you. The mill makes money, carpet one makes money, and the franchise holder makes money. I tell you this because when its all said and done, you are not really getting a great deal. Everybody's got his or her finger in your wallet. The breakdown. The carpet installer makes about $4 per yard and the pad costs about the same. That's a total of $8 for pad and install. Your price is $28 total per yard and you need about 50 yards. That's $1400. Subtract the pad and labor and you have $20 for the carpet alone. The franchise holder makes at least $2-3 per yard, Carpet one probably takes $3-4 per yard profit. Now you are down to $12- 15.00 carpet at best. You have teenagers, dogs and 2 adults using that living room, and you want it to last at least 10 years, resist wear and traffic patterns? You need a better grade carpet if you want it to perform well. My advice: Check around some more. Go to some local carpet stores. You want a nylon yes, but you want Continuous Filament nylon. Also called BCF or CF. You want a shorter pile more than a taller pile, a shorter pile wears better. Now for some numbers. The carpet you buy should have a tuft-twist of at least 5 or more, a density of at least 2500 or more, a face weight of at least 35, 40 would be better. If the retailer does not provide these numbers to you then shop somewhere that does. These numbers are critical if you want a carpet that will last. Do not buy a looped carpet, no Berbers. You want textured plush or a frieze if you can afford it. Frieze styles have high tuft twist that makes them wear like iron.

We are looking to replace 17+ year old nylon plush carpeting in our living room with another good quality plush carpet. When we find a carpet that we like, the colors aren't right. We went to Prizant's Carpeting (flooring America) and found a Bedford Mills carpet (Olde Beau) that we truly like. We are carpeting over cement (dry, no water concerns). I have never heard of this brand before and was wondering if you had any information on this manufacturer. Also, it was recommended to go with the 8lb padding, is this correct?

I started shopping around and have found a higher quality of carpet, I believe. Have you ever heard of Gulistan carpet? I have narrowed my choices to a textured Gulistan and a Saxony Mohawk I found at Lowe’s. I like the appearance of the Gulistan but the warranty of the Mohawk. Is Gulistan a high quality product?

Gulistan make a wonderful carpet. But they like most mills have high and low end goods. Don't base your choice on the warranty, They are worded in such a way as to rarely come into play. Choose based on the facts. (Now for some numbers. The carpet you buy should have a tuft-twist of at least 5 or more, a density of at least 2500 or more, a face weight of at least 35, 40 would be better.) Beyond these numbers, choose the carpet you like the best. Follow-up: The Gulistan carpet exceeds all those figures. The density was 3800, the twist 6.5 and a face weight over 50. So it sounds like this is a good carpet. All for about the same price Carpet One quoted me for a much inferior rug. I thank you very much. We are budget conscious folks by necessity so it means a lot to me to get the most for my money. Another success story... It always makes me happy to see consumers get a fair shake. There are too many carpet retailers out there trying to take advantage. Glad I could help.

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