|
What Makes Carpet Cushion So Important
Carpet without a good quality cushion under it is only half a package.
If you don't make a big deal out of cushion, you're shortchanging you home on quality and cheating yourself out of your best potential.
There are six facts you need to know.
LUXURY
Good quality cushion makes carpet feel richer, thicker, softer, warmer—in other words, more luxurious. Many homeowners believe this is the most important function of cushion. It isn't—we're saving that for last—but it is very important to every home-buyer. You are putting a good deal of money into quality carpet, and you want it to look and feel its best.
QUIET
Good quality cushion makes any room quieter. This is helpful in homes, essential in high-traffic areas such as halls, staircases, and very comforting in homes, especially when people are over the heads of those who don't want any extra noise.
RESILIENCE
Good quality cushion acts as a shock absorber when you walk on carpet. If there isn't a substantial cushion under the carpet—either a flimsy one or (worse yet) no cushion at all—the carpet is hard, unyielding, and uncomfortable to walk on. It's hardly softer than a towel laid on a bare floor. But a good grade of cushion keeps the heel of your foot from crashing through the carpet and hitting against the floor. The pressure of walking is much higher than most people realize. In the case of women's high heels, it can momentarily be hundreds of pounds per square foot. Without a good quality cushion, this is tough on the carpet, and tough on your feet.
CLEANING
Good quality cushion makes it easier to keep carpet clean. Very few homeowners think about this factor, but it's important all the same. The most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your carpet is to give it a good vacuum-cleaning often and regularly. Dirt grinds down carpet fiber the way sandpaper wears down wood, and thus shortens carpet life. A powerful vacuum is a carpet's best friend. And quality cushion makes cleaning more efficient, because it raises carpet off the floor and provides an air space underneath, so the carpet can "breathe." When you vacuum, good quality cushion lets more air come up through the carpet, carrying more dirt along with it. The result is more effective cleaning every time.
INSULATION
Good quality cushion makes any room feel warmer. Working in combination with the carpet, quality cushion prevents heat loss through the floor. It makes all carpet more comfortable to bare feet—and everybody walks around barefoot sometimes, particularly when getting dressed in the morning and undressed at night. It really counts on cold mornings. When there are children playing on the floor, quality cushion is very important. And when the floor is concrete, such as in finished basements or in homes built on slab foundations, the insulating properties of high-grade cushion are indispensable. Even the heaviest carpet cannot do this insulating job by itself; it needs the help of a good quality cushion to prevent that cold, clammy feeling.
LONGEVITY
We told you we saved the best for last. As impressive as those first five factors are, they're not as important as this one: Good quality cushion makes carpet last longer. People put a lot of money into their carpet, and they want it to last as long as it can. They want it to be bright, colorful, sparkling. They don't want the pile crushed with "troughs" and "valleys" which show the paths where everybody has walked. Most of all, they don't want their expensive carpet to get threadbare "bald spots" which force them to tear it all out and replace it before its time. Good quality cushion protects carpet backing, the material that holds the carpet together. A number of industry studies have shown that quality cushion can increase the useful life of carpet as much as 50%, and even more in some cases. It's life insurance for your carpet.
Most people have no idea good quality cushion is so important.
The types of carpet cushion
| FOAM |
RUBBER |
FIBER |
- Prime Polyurethane
- Bonded Polyurethane
|
|
|
There are three basic types of cushion, which are usually referred to as foam (short for "polyurethane foam"), rubber (short for "sponge rubber"), and fiber (short for "felted fiber").
Each type is further subdivided into two or three varieties. And each variety has characteristics which make it useful in particular types of carpet installation. Each variety also has grades which vary by weight (also called density), thickness, and the amount of force it takes to compress the cushion. Knowing which types of cushion will work best for a homeowner's application is one of the most valuable tools offered by BSI.
Density is one of the most important parameters of any type of cushion. Density equals weight divided by thickness, and is measured in pounds per cubic foot. All types of cushion can be made dense (more material), or light (more air), or any grade in between, so they can be soft or firm, resilient or supportive, according to the type of room and expected traffic on the carpet they support.
FOAM
Generally speaking, foam cushion comes in three recognized, clearly different varieties:
Prime polyurethane foam is a firmer version of the same cushioning used in upholstered furniture, mattresses, and automobile seats. Two liquid ingredients are combined to form a large mass of foam, which is then sliced into sheets for use as carpet cushion.
Bonded polyurethane foam (sometimes called rebond) is quite unique. You cannot mistake it when you see it, because it is formed by combining chopped and shredded pieces of foam, indifferent sizes and usually different colors, into one solid piece. It frequently has a surface net for ease of installation and improved performance.
Bonded foam is one of the most amazing recycling projects of all time. Nearly all the scrap foam in the U.S., and some form other countries as well, is utilized to make bonded cushion. This recycles waste which would otherwise be thrown out, and it eases the strain on our landfills. Moreover, bonded foam is itself recyclable.
RUBBER
There are two basic types of sponge rubber carpet cushion:
Waffled rubber cushion is made by molding natural or synthetic rubber. Heat cures the rubber and forms a waffle pattern. This variety produces a soft, resilient cushion whose luxurious feel is particularly useful for residences.
Flat sponge rubber is a firm, dense cushion which has a flat surface and is normally used in large-scale commercial applications and with loop type (or Berber) carpet.
Rubber cushion manufacturing processes can be varied to produce different levels of density and firmness. The usual measurement is the weight in ounces per square yard.
FIBER
Foam and rubber cushions are produced from new and recycled materials. Fiber cushion, on the other hand, uses existing fibers (both virgin and recycled, and either natural or man-made fibers) which are interlocked into a useful sheet of felts. There are two distinct varieties of fiber cushion:
Natural fibers include felt, animal hair, and jute (the material used to make some kinds of rope and heavy burlap bags). This is one of the oldest types of carpet cushion, dating back to the earliest days of machine-made carpet.
Synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and acrylics, which are needle-punched into relatively dense cushions which have a firm feel and, as with other types of cushion, can be made in virtually any weight, to stand up under light, medium, or heavy traffic, which is how they are usually classified.
Special Notes
Berber carpet has become increasingly popular, and needs a thin, firm cushion. When buying this type of carpet, be sure that the accompanying cushion has been specified by the manufacturer as suitable for Berber carpet. BSI recommends 3/8 inch eitht pound anti microbial.
|
Articles
|
Home
Articles
Selecting Carpet
What Makes Carpet Cushion So Important