What type of carpet padding should i use

The smooth side must face upward so the carpet can easily slide over the padding. Furthermore, the shiny side is your moisture barrier that prevents liquids from soaking into the padding.

So ensure that when you install your carpet padding that the shiny, smooth surface is facing upwards. Over time your underlayment may lose its elasticity and can stretch out.

Replacing your padding instead of your carpet is a budget-friendly way to spruce up your flooring. Simply replacing the underlayment can improve the look and feel of your carpets. A general rule of thumb is to replace your carpet padding every five years. But do some inspections beforehand to ensure your underlayment is still in excellent condition.

If you notice that your floor has become uneven, and some parts of your floor are harder than others, it can be a sign of wear. An excellent carpet pad thickness is a quarter of an inch with six pounds per square foot for residential use.

But this will also depend on the type of carpet you have. A high-cut pile with lots of textures and twists should have padding of half an inch underneath. Some carpet manufacturers will let you know what thickness your underlayment must be according to the carpet type. But this will depend on the type of carpeting and padding you pick. High-density carpets are more durable and if you have the proper padding underneath with the correct thickness. In these cases your flooring can last up to 15 years.

Having the proper combined thickness of carpet and padding will reduce wear and tear and be perfect for residential and commercial areas with high foot traffic. Now that you know more about carpet padding, which type of material will you pick for your carpets? As mentioned before, rebond underlayment is the most popular choice because of its excellent durability and sustainability.

You may want to pick rebond underlayment if you suffer from allergies because this padding is made with synthetic materials that are hypoallergenic. Rebond padding comes in a variety of densities and thicknesses for you to pick from, so you can use it for any type of carpeting. This underlayment is suitable for commercial and residential use because of its durability. If you want more comfort and a more cushy flooring option, memory foam will be ideal for you.

Have you installed carpet padding in your home recently? What products did you use, and how easy was it to install?

Let us know by leaving a comment below. We always look forward to reading comments and additional suggestions from our readers. We are trying to decide to have carpet padding glued on the concrete or have the manufacture add it to the carpeting at the time it is manufactured.

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Skip to content. Are you struggling and frustrated with the floor buying process? Let us help by connecting with one our certified Floor Critic Experts! Understand the difference between value, durability and great looking flooring. Learn which types of flooring will increase the value of your home. What Is Carpet Padding?

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. This cushion of air makes your carpet feel softer, but waffle rubber is sometimes too soft for modern carpets. It doesn't provide enough support and lets the carpet's backing wear and crack as it moves. Despite its disadvantages, waffle rubber makes adequate padding if it has the proper density and thickness.

Best of all, it's usually inexpensive and widely available. This type of padding also gives carpet the soft, cushiony feel that some homeowners prefer.

Regardless of any other traits, density -- or how much weight it has for a given thickness -- is the key to a carpet pad's usefulness. If your padding isn't dense enough, it won't adequately protect your carpet -- if the pad can be completely compressed, your carpet absorbs wear with each impact. In fact, a carpet pad's density is rated according to the force needed to compress it in this way.

The U. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD has minimum standards for the various carpet pads, depending on the amount of traffic they are likely to endure. For light or moderate traffic, such as in a living room or bedroom, HUD recommends that waffle rubber be at least 0. For heavy traffic areas, like corridors or commercial lobbies, the recommendation is 0. If you decide to buy waffle rubber padding, one thing to watch out for is the binding.

Clay binders were once the norm for waffle rubber, but they have a tendency to disintegrate with normal wear.

Be sure your carpet pad doesn't have clay binding, and always ask about the longevity of a waffle rubber pad before you choose to buy one [source: The Carpet Guru ]. Does it make sense to install a separate moisture barrier between the carpet and the pad below? Many people think such a barrier will keep spills or pet accidents from reaching the pad, where they soak in and are harder to remove. Some carpet experts feel that these barriers aren't generally needed because many carpets include their own moisture barrier.

Some pads, like Stainmaster Carpet Cushion, also have built-in, breathable moisture barriers [source: International Standards and Training Alliance ]. Urethane foam is the material commonly known as foam rubber , which is produced by blowing gas into a heated, liquid chemical mixture.

When it dries, the foam rubber is porous and spongy, and the gas trapped within the urethane foam gives it great insulative properties. This same material is used as cushioning for furniture, mattresses and car seats. Manufacturers use two types of urethane foam in carpet pads: prime foam and frothed foam. The padding known as prime foam comes in different thicknesses and densities, and it's made from large pieces of foam sliced into sheets.

While this type of foam rubber padding makes your carpet soft and comfy, it's not recommended for high traffic areas like stairways or halls. Foam rubber's cushioning comes from its air pockets, but as with waffle rubber, the air doesn't always provide enough support to limit carpet movement and protect your carpet from wear.

The HUD standard for prime foam, when used in light or moderate traffic areas is 0. HUD does not recommend it for heavy traffic areas [source: CarpetInspector. Some carpets have built-in pads made from frothed urethane foam. This material is similar to prime foam, but instead of having gas blown into the chemical mixture, it's mechanically frothed while liquid. The result is a denser, firmer type of foam that can be attached directly to the carpet. Carpets with built-in padding don't need a separate pad, but the attached foam is usually too thin to stand up in high traffic areas.

In recent years, manufacturers have extended the use of frothed foam to separate padding. They apply the foam to a nonwoven fabric to make the pad. Frothed foam pads are among the best on the market because they are extremely durable and provide excellent support.

Unlike other foam pads, they contain no volatile organic compounds VOCs , so off-gassing after installation is not a problem. They can be used with all carpets, and they resist indentation from furniture, which decreases carpet wear. The HUD standards for frothed foam pads are a minimum of 0. The same thickness, but 12 pounds per cubic foot Bonded urethane foam , also known as rebond, is the most common type of carpet pad material.

About 80 percent of pads sold are made of bonded foam, which is constructed of foam scraps left over from the manufacture of furniture, mattresses and automobile components [source: Carpet Information ]. It may also come from scrap generated by the foam-making process and can include recycled , post-consumer foam. The foam scraps are chipped into small pieces and then fused using either adhesive or a heat process.

The foam is then bonded to fabric, net or plastic film to give the pad more strength and to make it easier to handle. Bonded urethane carpet pads use a great deal of foam that would otherwise go to waste, so the price tends to be low.

Of course, prices will fluctuate with scrap foam's market value. A bonded pad is versatile and can be a good choice for most situations, as long as you avoid padding that's too thick.

The Carpet and Rug Institute advises that no pad should be more than seven-sixteenths of an inch [source: Carpet and Rug Institute ]. In part, this is because a thick pad allows too much up-and-down movement of the carpet, wearing the backing as it flexes. Also, a pad that's too thick can allow the carpet to pull away from the tack strip that holds it flush with the wall.

The minimum HUD standards for bonded urethane foam are 0. Many professionals and carpet manufacturers recommend even denser foam, especially for hallways. Foam in weights from 7. Remember that bonded foam will not hold up as long as premium pads like frothed foam or rubber.

Some carpet retailers sell inferior bonded urethane foam that may lack the proper density for your specific application. Because there are higher performing carpet pads at a lower price, waffle and flat rubber pads are not a popular choice.

If the carpet you are purchasing comes with free padding, prime foam is most likely what you are getting. Memory foam pads are extremely comfortable to walk on, making them a good choice for families with toddlers or people who suffer from bad joints. When it comes to fiber, you can choose between synthetic and natural fiber carpet padding. Some carpet warranties will call specifically for fiber padding, so it is good to know the best type on the market. As with all things, the cost of carpet padding varies greatly depending on quality and kind.

Are you looking for the perfect carpet padding for your home? If you have any unanswered questions about carpet installation or different options for carpet padding, contact Carpet To Go today to speak with one of our flooring professionals. We promise to give you our honest and experienced opinion and to do our best to help you achieve the comfort and aesthetic you desire from your carpet.

April 26, How Much Is Carpet Padding?