The PAR Carpet Rating
System
Alan
Fletcher - Carpet Expert & Consumer Advocate
Understanding
The P.A.R. Carpet Rating System
One
of the ways carpet manufacturers have attempted to help consumers select a
suitable carpet is with the P.A.R. Rating System, which stands for
Performance, Appearance, Retention. These are three big words that mean very
little to most carpet-buying consumers.
I get emails every day from people who want to
know what the PAR rating system is and how it works. Sadly, it is a very
confusing carpet durability rating system that doesn’t really help most consumers make the right
carpet choice. Even carpet salespeople are confused about what the PAR numbers
really
mean.
If I were going to design a simple system to rate
carpet quality I would call it something more understandable like: "The
C.A.T. Carpet Rating System". It would help consumers choose the right
carpet based on their number of Children, Animals and
Teens! These are three real-life factors that need to be
considered when choosing the right carpet for you!
The PAR carpet
rating system, created by Shaw Industries, designates a number from one-to-five,
rating carpet durability based on a typical "family-of-four"
scenario. The consumer is expected to understand that the higher the number
the more durable the carpet is. But will a carpet with a rating of 4 be
durable enough for your home? How would you know unless you understand the
rating process. Who's got time for that?
While I'm sure they go through a lot of trouble and expense to
provide this rating system, I personally think it falls short of being a
trustworthy gauge for consumers. I think the PAR Rating System is
not a trustworthy gauge of "real life" carpet durability, the
parameters are too narrow and inconsistent across the board with various
styles of carpet. What does this mean? After 30 years in the carpet business I
know one thing for sure, there is no such thing as a typical family of four!
Obviously, I do not put much faith in the PAR
rating system and do not recommend any consumer rely on any carpet rating system
solely to determine which grade of carpet can effectively meet their needs and
goals. There is a better way to select the right carpet to meet your
needs and goals.
My advice: When you are ready to buy new
carpet, you need to ask yourself many important questions before you decide on
which carpet to buy.
These questions are:
These questions are the tip of the iceberg!
You can save hundreds on your next carpet purchase!
Visit
my FREE Carpet
Buyer's Information Website.
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