Back
About
Carpet
Fibers (page 2 of 2)
Alan
J. Fletcher - Carpet Expert & Consumer Advocate
How to Compare Carpet Fibers - Nylon or
Smartstrand?
POLYESTER (also
called P.E.T.)
(May be
manufactured from recycled soda pop containers)
Don't be fooled by
the softness of this fiber. This is a very soft synthetic fiber that holds its
color well; however it is difficult to keep clean and has very poor
resiliency. Traffic areas will usually mat down quickly and soon afterwards
may never return to its original appearance. When new, polyester looks great
and feels so soft and wonderful, but it won’t be too long before it
doesn’t.
Sales people often
recommend this type of carpet to consumers without sufficient fiber knowledge
or experience. Because polyester is so inexpensive to manufacture and
higher profits using this fiber, carpet manufacturers continually try to
enhance carpets made with polyester hoping that they can create a carpet that
wears well. So far they have had limited success.
Because prices are
lower for polyester carpets you may be tempted to buy a carpet made from
polyester, just be sure that your expectations are not very high. Generally, I
do not recommend buying carpets made from polyester fibers to those who need a
carpet that wears well and resists matting and crushing. It does work well in
low traffic applications.
Sorona® Polymer (PTT)
by DuPont™or
Smartstrand® by
Mohawk™
A relatively
new fiber on the market (about 8 years) is called Sorona®, or Smartstrand®
by Mohawk™, and is a
polymer made from corn (Actually it was originally invented back in the 1940's). Invented
by Dupont™, they claim this new fiber has great anti-stain properties and is
very durable and so far it seems like a
great product worthy of your consideration.
Should you buy
carpet made with this new fiber? If you want a carpet that resists stains
better than any other carpet on the market today, the perhaps you might want
to consider buying this product. If you want your carpet to last as long as
possible and still resists stains and cleans easily then I suggest you buy a
carpet made from Nylon. Learn more about Nylon
Fibers
There is more you
need to learn about Carpet Fibers before you make your selection. Your Carpet
Fiber choice must be made based on your needs, goals, expectations
and your lifestyle. If you have kids or pets that needs to be considered too.
If you choose a carpet that cannot handle the amount of foot traffic you have,
your new carpet will wear out much sooner than you might expect. My
money-saving Carpet Buying
Guide can help you with all that and more. It's an instant download ebook,
PDF file format and a smart investment.
More
Carpet
Information:
-
The
History of Carpet
-
In-Home
Carpet Scams
-
The
Bait and Switch Scam
-
Measuring
Scams
-
How
to Choose Carpet
-
Determine
Your Level of Foot Traffic
-
Carpet
Fibers 1 Nylon
and Olefin
-
Carpet
Fibers
Polyester and Sorona®
(You
are here)
-
Alan's
Preferred
Carpet Dealer Directory
-
The
2011 Complete Carpet Buying Guide
Looking
for a Reputable Carpet Retailer?
