How to choose the right carpet fiber?
I have four kids and three dogs. I need a carpet that
is able to take a beating. My question: I am confused about carpet
specifications. What is BCF? I see these initials on the back of
some carpet samples but not others? What does this mean?
BCF stands for Bulked Continuous
Filament. You want to buy a carpet made from a continuous filament
fiber. The work "Bulked" refers to a process where the
manufacturer makes the strand of fiber beefed up, or bulked to create a
fatter and more beefy feel. Think of it like using a volumizer on your
hair. It makes it feel thicker and fuller. The "CF"
means the strand is formed in one long strand. When they make
carpet from a CF fiber is virtually eliminates the shedding and fuzzing
that you experience with a carpet made of a staple fiber.
A staple fiber is short lengths of
fiber, usually 3 to 10 inches long, that are spun together. When carpet
is made from a staple fiber, the carpet will shed and fuzz for up to a
year after installation. Unless you like vacuuming three times a day, I
suggest you be sure to buy a carpet made from a Continuous Filament
Fiber.
If the carpet sample does not indicate that the fiber is made
from a continuous filament strand, then you can assume that the carpet
pile is made from staple fibers and therefore will shed and fuzz for a
period of time after installation. The amount and duration of shedding
and fuzzing is determined by the quality of the carpet and the length of
the staple fibers used in construction.
There is no way to know for sure
how long the carpet will shed. Some carpet samples might use the
abbreviation of CF, for Continuous Filament, or CFN for Continuous
Filament Nylon. If a carpet sample is marked "100% nylon" you
can assume it is NOT a continuous filament product.
Is a looped Berber a good choice for children?
How well does Berber withstand high traffic areas? Is
it easy to keep clean and what kind of padding is the best? I am going
crazy trying to decide if I want a plush carpet or Berber. I have a
newborn son and know I will soon have lots of messes to clean up! Thank
you for responding at your earliest convenience.
Don't spend a lot on carpet if
you have small children!
Children are very hard on carpets.
They spill everything imaginable and parents are often too tired to
clean up messes quickly enough to keep up with the demand. For this
reason and many others, looped Berbers are not recommended for folks
with small children or accident prone pets.
For folks without children or accident prone pets:
Berber may be a good choice.
Most Berber styles are made with
loops. Some have loops and cut loops, Some have patterns and some do
not, while other Berber styles have no loops at all and are called
"Cut-Berbers" (also known as California Berber) Berber carpet is often made from Nylon
or Olefin, and of the two, Nylon would be the better choice and lasts
much longer than those made from Olefin.
The Olefin fiber (polypropylene) attracts dirt and
is hard to keep clean.
Berber styles are elegant, uniform and
nice-looking, it can be quite reasonably priced too when made from
Olefin. The problem with inexpensive Berber carpet is...The Olefin fiber tends to attract dirt and is
very hard to
keep clean. Within a week or two after a professional cleaning, previous stains and spots
tend to return and high
traffic areas soon look like they were never cleaned at all. This is
because the Olefin fiber is inherently oily and is hard to clean and
attracts dirt like a magnet. It is a manufacturing
issue. It is the nature of the fiber to be oily. But there is a way to
combat this....
Why do Olefin fibers attract dirt?
Here's why... When manufactured, the
Olefin fiber is naturally oily. Fiber manufacturers use a process to clean the Olefin
fibers to try to remove these oils, but often fall short in order to
save money. Some manufacturers put
their Olefin fibers through a three-phase cleaning process to try to
remove some of these oils. To make a better product, Some Olefin fiber makers use a
five-phase cleaning process to remove more of these oils from the fiber.
This is significantly more effective.
Removing excess oils from Olefin is a
costly procedure and manufacturers obviously will charge more for these
premium fibers and therefore you will pay more to get this product. This is
a more thorough process and makes for a much better fiber for the
consumer. Unfortunately
consumers have no way of knowing which Olefin fibers have been cleaned
sufficiently and those that have not.
Nylon fibers are not inherently oily
like Olefin and therefore do not have the problem of attracting dirt.
Berber carpets made of Nylon are more expensive but offer a longer
lifespan, look like new longer and have ease of cleaning when treated
with an anti-stain treatment.
Fact: Cheap Berber carpets snag easily and wear out
quickly.
Inexpensive Berbers also snag easily.
Don't fall for those cheap Berber prices and thing that this carpet will
last for you. It surely won't. If a Berber carpet is priced under $10
per yard, then it is a cheaply made carpet only designed to last a
couple of years at best. You'll be plagued with lots of snags, runs and
stains that will not be cleanable. Berber is not the best choice for
folks with kids or pets. Good quality Nylon plush would clean easier,
wear better, and retain its new appearance much longer than would an
Olefin Berber.
If you decide buy a Berber carpet and
want it to last, be sure to select one with smaller loops, as the big
loops tend fall over quickly and look bad sooner. As far as pad goes, an
8-pound minimum density, and a 1/4" to 3/8" thickness is
required for Berber styles. Berbers are also made from wool, which is an
excellent natural fiber, but is very costly. For this reason, I do not
recommend wool carpets for folks with children or pets.
What if they deliver a different carpet quality
than I ordered?
I just purchased some nylon Berber carpet. However,
the weave or loop is much larger than the sample and I have concerns
about the nylon pulling. I like the smaller loop. The larger looks like
the yarns have been snagged or pulled. I found your website very
helpful. What happens when the carpet comes in and it does not
appear to be the same weave, or loop. Can you help?
You need to read your carpet
warranty and get your hands on the original carpet sample that you
ordered from. If you have ordered carpet from a carpet retailer and the
carpet does not closely match the carpet sample, you have every right to
refuse the carpet. You should get exactly what you ordered, so contact
the retailer and ask them to look into it. If there is a noticeable
difference they should reorder the carpet and there should not be any
additional cost to you. With any Berber carpet, a smaller loop size is
always preferable to larger loops, as the smaller loops will retain
their new appearance longer. Large loops tend to fall over and lose the
new appearance quicker.
However, if the difference between the
sample and the carpet you received is within reasonable tolerances, then
you may not have a valid claim. The manufacturer's warranty typically
says that there will be normal variances between the sample and the
actual carpet that is delivered. You have to prove that the carpet is
significantly different than the original carpet sample in order to
prove your claim. This can be very difficult and time consuming. This is
one of those common carpet scams I talk about in my carpet buying
guide.
What would be a good carpet choice for kids and
pets?
I am looking for a good quality carpet that can
withstand kids cats dogs and traffic. I have a somewhat formal living
room that you land in upon entering my house. To get to any other part
of the house at that point, one needs to walk through that living room.
My biggest problem is the traffic marks from the front door, across the
living room and down the hallway to the bedrooms. This gets dirty fast.
Any help would be appreciated.
A Nylon Frieze is one of the most
durable and best-wearing carpet styles.
There is only one type of carpet fiber
that can withstand kids, pets, and high traffic, it's a Nylon Frieze.
Depending on how long you want your carpet to last, you need to choose
accordingly. I suggest you take my Carpet
Traffic Test and follow the prompts until you determine exactly what
face-weight and pile density will meet your needs and goals.
For example: A frieze carpet style
with at least 40-oz. face weight, a pile density of at least 2200 will
withstand 10 years of hard traffic. Frieze style have a higher
tuft-twist than other styles. You will need to vacuum regularly at least
every other day, and have the carpet cleaned when it gets dirty, at
least once a year. You might want to consider laying down a plastic
runner in the heavy traffic areas.
What is the PAR
Carpet Rating System? Should I rely on the P.A.R. Rating to select
the right carpet?
