Q. DuPont claims to have developed a new fiber that
is as resilient as Nylon but has the cleaning properties of polyester. It is
known as Sorona or Smartstrand. It is not the same as PET polyester. Mohawk
manufactures the carpet. Do you have any experience with this new carpet fiber?
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 carpet 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.
Q. 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.
Empire Today sells carpet to those who want super fast carpet installation. I
think they are way overpriced. I hear they tend to push polyester. If you want a fair deal on new carpet I suggest you visit a
carpet store with experienced
salespeople. I reveal the best places to buy carpet in my Preferred
Carpet Dealer Directory
Q. We are re-carpeting our 14 x 32-foot living room. We have teens, dogs and two
adults. I have gotten a reasonable price, I hope, of $1400 from Carpet One for
carpet, install and upgraded pad. The carpet I chose is the Carpet-One gold
series 100% Nylon Zwerlon with a 15-year wear warranty, 7 year stain resistance
warranty and 5 years texture retention. From this info, can you tell me if this
is a quality carpet? I need one that will wear and resist traffic patterns.
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.
Q. 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?
The
fact is, the top three big mills, Mohawk, Shaw and Beaulieu have bought up most
of the smaller carpet mills. I bet that Bedford is a subsidiary of one of these
three. Anymore, most larger carpet stores use "private labels" for
their products and because of this, you have no way to shop around since the
brand name and style names are made up by that store. The exact same carpet may
be at the store down the street but it also has a different name, style number
and color name. It makes it very hard for buyers to comparison shop. That is why
I have my website and informative e-book, consumers need to have a fair shake
and I want to help whenever I can. Now, 8-pound rebond padding is nice and I do
think it is a good choice in most circumstances. Lots of dealers sell 6-pound
pad and call it 8-pound pad. They know you would never know the difference. An
8-pound pad should sell for less than $4 per yard. A 6-pound pad should sell for
about $3.50 or less. What type of carpet you choose will dictate what pad you
should use. Don't fall for the fancy pads that offer special benefits like
moisture barrier or odor eating pads. They are not worth the extra cost, and I
do not think they do any good. I suggest you shop around a little more, just to
be sure you are getting the best deal!
Q. 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 makes 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 of unsuspecting consumers. Glad I could help.
Read More
Best carpet deals, cheap carpet prices, polyester carpet, Sorona,
Smartstrand, Lowe's carpet, Home Depot carpet, best buy carpet.
Looking
for a Reputable Carpet Retailer?
Looking
for a Reputable carpet retailer? I've
been compiling a list of Reputable Carpet Dealers for a long time. The list
is grows every week. If you do not find a carpet dealer listed near you, I
invite you to trust me to locate a reputable dealer near you. It may take me
a few days to find a retailer that meets my requirements. If you want to
suggest a carpet retailer for my list, I would like to know the name and
address of the carpet dealer and a contact name if possible.
Alan's
Preferred
Carpet
Dealer Directory
