Do I pick Carpet by warranty, twist and density, or wear rating?

16 years ago

Please help, we have spent hours going all over town and are SO confused! How do we pick the carpet that will last the longest without matting, frizzing, or showing all sorts of spots like our current carpet.

One store told us to pick carpet by twist, face weight and density, that the wear rating is totally subjective and dosen't matter and neither does the warranty. I noticed on the shaw carpets that the ones with the really high wear ratings have low density... that really confused me.

Another store said to look only at the wear rating, the twist and density don't indicate if the carpet will wear well and neither does the warranty because companies don't honor them.

The 3rd store said to only go by the warranty, that wear rating, twist, and density didn't make any difference as long as we select a stainmaster ultra carpet that has a great 15 year warranty and then it would be replaced for free in 15 years if anything goes wrong at all?

SO... we are so confused and can't find anything online that answers our questions either. I called the manufacturers and nobody would or could answer our questions.

So - how do we pick? We were looking at a few frieze styles by shaw, karastan, and gulistan. None of those are very dense at all and I worry about that - the only reason we were looking at friezes was we were told they wear the best?

The Frieze are all made with tactesse and have a face weight of 58.5, twist of 6.6, and a density of 1755, wear rating about 3.8 to 4.5. These all have the great stainmaster ultralife warranty.

We are also looking at a textured carpet by shaw that has a face weight of 63.4, twist of 7.7 and 5.8 (2 different fibers) and a density of 2153. This has the normal shaw warranty and a wear rating of 4.25.

So - any of you who know the truth about picking carpet PLEASE help us out because my head is swimming and we have to make a decision this week!

PS- we are also installing Pergo World traveler KOA flooring... I am hoping this is good because when we ask which one is good everyone just says "all of them are good"

THanks so much in advance for any help!

Featured Answer

boxers

16 years ago

ok I'll give this a try. I was a carpet rep for 20yrs and worked for major mills (Mohawk etc.) First problem is asking about 'wear'. To a mill wear is the abrasive reduction of yarn. To you it when its starts to look matted down etc. When you complain I guarantee you haven't lost any 'face' wt but the carpet looks like hell. To a cpt guy frieze does the job. I wouldn't worry about all about face wt except when comparing two qualities. Since your walking on the sides of the yarn it worn't look bad and if there is a spill or a stain you won't see it as easily as a cut pile. Some mills used to give a 'texture retention warranty'. That does mean something but the wear warranties are pretty useless when comparing. If you find something with a good twist level, and its a texture or a frieze that should give you good 'wear'.

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Comments (7)

tiledepotus
16 years ago
I am a Shaw dealer for over 16 years now, I wouldnÂt count on warranty in 15 years from now, 1st, most likely you would change the carpet for other reasons, 2nd do you really think you can have a new carpet after 15 years? Even Shaw with their great customer service, would find many good reason in 15 years to not issue a replacement.

"The Frieze are all made with tactless and have a face weight of 58.5, twist of 6.6, and a density of 1755, wear rating about 3.8 to 4.5. These all have the great stain master ultra life warranty." This is a great choice.

If you want to eliminate seeing the spot ( the still be there)and have the carpet look almost as day one even after 7 years or so, try get multi color high and low carpet with face weight of at least 50 or higher

In regard to pergo, mostly are all the same, this specific one look like great product and 8mm thickness
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qualitycarpets
9 years ago
With so much choice getting the right carpet for the right place in your home or contract location can be an extremely daunting prospect. Luckily for us however, the way carpet is made today means there are very few really poor carpets. Improvements in fibre technology and carpet construction techniques thankfully mean that even the less expensive carpets will wear well if they are put in the right place.

Of course, different fibres and constructions will lend a carpet certain properties - wool carpets, polypropylene carpets, nylon carpets or a blend of fibres will each react differently within the same location Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã¯Â¿Â½" but this is by no means the end of the story.

The length of time a carpet will last depends on several factors and each must be considered at the purchasing stage: the carpet pile itself, the fibre, the weight of the fibre and the density of the pile will all contribute or detract from a carpetÃ¢ÂÂs suitability for your chosen location.

The rule of thumb in selecting a carpet is location, location, location. You will find that it pays dividends to spend slightly more for higher quality carpets for areas of high wear such as hallways and living areas, but you may well be able to save some hard earned cash where those feet arenÃ¢ÂÂt quite as frequent.

All carpets have suggested end use locations, but you should always seek the expert advice of you retailer before making that final decision.

You could try us at Quality Carpets

Here is a link that might be useful: Quality Carpets
millworkman
9 years ago
Spam!!!
PRO
Carpet One Columbia
9 years ago
The best way to pick a quality carpet is to go to a retailer and ask to see Fabrica or Masland carpet. This will give you an idea of how the best carpets are supposed to be made. These companies don't make cheap carpet and cut no corners in quality. After you see the attributes of what finely made carpet should be, then try to translate those attributes to a carpet that fits your money. Retailers love selling soft carpet, not because it is the best value or return for their customers, but because it is an easier sell to a customer who runs their hand through it and goes, "Ewww, it's soooo soft!". Unless you walk on your hands, that is the only benefit. Read the written warranties and if you can't understand them, then they are probably not as valuable as one may believe. Twist, fiber, and density are all important - face weight not so much. The most durable carpets have a 26oz. face weight and densities over 8,000. Whatever you purchase - maintain it by vacuuming and having it professionally cleaned at least once per every 18 months and keep the receipt. You will need it in the event you ever have a performance related claim.
millworkman
9 years ago
mrobvious, obviously you did not look at the prior postings as this was from 2008 and dug up only because some asshat decided to spam.....
PRO
Carpet One Columbia
9 years ago
millworkman - I bet a competitor for Quality Carpet posted that on their behalf. That would be classic!