If you are getting carpets for your new home or having your old ones replaced, it would be a good time to choose new carpet padding at the same time. Carpets give your home that distinctive appearance of luxury and comfort, as well as coziness and warmth, and it will be to your great advantage to keep your carpet looking and feeling this way. A good carpet pad will go a long way to preserving the life of your carpet, and keeping it feeling plush and luxurious underfoot for a long time to come.
While it may seem that the surface of the carpet is the only thing that matters in terms of appearance, cushioning your carpets and prolonging its extravagant look will depend on your padding. There are many types of carpet pads you can choose from, depending on your budget, and the level of cushioning you require.
These types of carpet padding include frothed foam, waffle rubber, prime pad, fiber rug padding, rebond, and foam padding. Rebond padding is the most common type of material used. It is made out of recycled material which may suit the taste of environmentalists and any other homeowner who supports the green movement. Prime pad, on the other hand, is created out of several layers of padding that are specially made to resist odor and stains.
For long-lasting pads and carpets, fiber rug padding provides prime cushioning. Waffle, on the other hand, rubber padding is made out of rubber bonded with clay. While relatively inexpensive compared to other types of carpet padding, they do not usually last very long. One of the best types of padding that most home stores recommend are the ones made of frothed foam material. Crafted from dimmed urethane, these foam pads range in thickness from 5/16th of an inch to 7/16th of an inch.
Once you have selected the type of material for your carpet padding, the next step is choosing your pad’s thickness. The commonly used carpet pad density averages at 3/8 of an inch. However, if you prefer really plush carpeting, you can opt to get a thicker pad.
The next step would be to determine how heavy your padding should be. Six pounds is the preferred weight for most homeowners. The rule of thumb is that the denser your carpet padding is, the longer its life. This may be the reason why some people choose 8-pound pads if their budget allows.