| When
you choose your carpeting, you will be asked about
the padding you prefer. How do you know? Padding
materials and manufacturing processes differ greatly.
How do you choose the padding that will best suit
your situation and use of the carpet?
Three types of cushion
There are three types of cushion used for carpet
padding. They are: foam, rubber, and fiber.
Foam
Foam is short for "polyurethane foam".
Foam pads come in three different varieties: prime,
bonded and froth.
Prime polyurethane foam - like the mattress,
car seats and furniture cushions, only firmer.
Bonded polyurethane foam - Multi-colored cushion
made of chopped and shredded pieces of foam.
Made of recycled materials & recyclable
itself.
Froth polyurethane foam is a thin, dense foam
used primarily in commercial applications.
Rubber
Rubber is short for "sponge rubber".
Rubber pads come in two varieties distinguished
by their surfaces: waffled and flat.
Waffled sponge rubber pads are soft, resilient
cushions ideal for use in residences.
Flat sponge rubber is a firm, dense cushion
ideal for large commercial applications of loop-type
carpet.
Fiber
Fiber is short for "felted fiber." New
and recycled fibers are interlocked to form a
sheet of felt. Natural or synthetic fibers are
used.
Natural fibers include felt, hair and jute.
Synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester,
polypropylene and acrylics. These make dense
pads with a firm feel.
If you are installing Berber carpeting or (any)
carpeting over radiant heating, selection of the
appropriate padding is critical to your full enjoyment
of your carpeting. Work with your salesperson
to choose the padding appropriate for these circumstances.
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