What About Padding?

Cushion Those Carpets!

Carpet Padding
Why do we need it?

There are many reasons you want to pad your carpets...and it's not all for the comfort of your feet.

Carpet pads offer a number of benefits:

• Insulation-without carpet padding, the carpet itself would get cold.
  
  
• Noise Reduction-the padding offers acoustic muffling that quiets the room.
  
  
• Longer Lifespan-padding actually lengthens the life of your carpet. It does this by providing a padded barrier between the carpet and the rough flooring. Without the padding, you would have rub spots in high traffic areas.
  
  
• Tight Fit-the padding also prevents the carpet from stretching out of shape and moving.

The Three Basic Pads

Pay attention-There are HUGE differences!

There are only three basic types of padding you can choose...but what a difference this choice makes.

• The Re-Bond Pad
  
  The first choice is the lowest quality grade available. This padding is actually made of recycled materials from cars and tennis shoes. The parts are shredded and mixed with fiberglass resin then baked. The padding is then cut off in sheets which go under your carpet. The problem with this pad is the inconsistency of thickness which means a variance in pad height that can be felt by the foot. It is a very popular choice, though, because it is cheap!
  
  
• Vinyl Pads
  
  The second choice is a medium quality pad...and quite a fine choice. This pad has a vinyl front and back and is particularly good to use if you have pets-urination won't bleed through the pad! It is also a good pad to use under Berber carpets. The pad is very dense and won't allow the carpet to move...which is good with Berber since the seams in this type of carpet are hard to hide. These pads also prevent allergens from reaching down into the pad and deteriorating the indoor air quality-a concern for anyone with allergies.
  
  
• Polyurethane Pads
  
  This choice is the top-of-the-line....with a pricetag to match! The polyurethane pad is made up of chemicals that foam up to create an evenly dense pad. It is extremely soft and easy to walk on. It can even raise the quality of a low-quality carpet.

Performance Ratings

Pads aren't the only thing you need to rate...

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