Here’s an insider secret: the carpet pad is the unsung hero of flooring -- you never see it, but if it’s doing its job, you’ll be just fine with that arrangement. Great carpet padding gives your floors extra cushion, provides acoustic and thermal insulation, and extends the life of your new carpet.
Not-so-great carpet padding absorbs stains and smells and offers little in the way of absorbency and padding. It’s pretty obvious that we all want the great carpet pad, yet consumers often unknowingly end up with something less than great.
Carpet is a type of fabric that when installed across a hard subfloor can take a beating. Think about all the times your kids chase after your pets across the living room, running at full speed. Or the countless traffic from distant relatives who never turn down a free meal during the holiday gatherings. Your carpet gets walked on pretty much all day every day. This is no different than a wood or tile floor, but there’s something special about carpet that makes it different. It’s soft! Wood and tile can withstand lots of traffic without wearing out. Since carpet is soft, it needs a special layer of protection
The most common and least expensive carpet padding is called bonded foam -- it’s a recycled foam that’s been chopped up and bonded back together to form a multi-colored spongy layer, usually a little less than ½” thick. This mainstay of the flooring industry isn’t bad, but if you’re shooting for great, you will want to look at a higher quality foam carpet padding.
One of the benefits of premium (solid) foam carpet padding is that it offers considerable moisture resistance (think about spilled milk penetrating your carpet backing and soaking into your carpet pad...now add a few weeks’ time. Yep! Gross.) without adding a moisture-repellent chemical coating. Also, the solid foam pad won’t crumble and break apart with age, and it offers superior sound insulation (quiets footsteps, voices, and music), all while limiting heated or air-conditioned air from escaping.
A high-quality carpet pad will absorb the impact evenly and will maintain its integrity for the life of your carpet – sometimes as long as 20 years!
A low-quality pad will fail only after a year and your carpet will experience excessive wear – like a vehicle off-roading in the mountains without shocks!
Often people think the thickness of the carpet determines how plush it feels when you walk on it. Although thicker carpet often wears better and feels softer, it’s the carpet pad that gives the plush feel when walking on your carpet.
Some carpet pads include a moisture barrier. That means that if you spill something, the pad prevents the liquid from getting into your subfloor, which can hold odor, grow mold and become damaged when wet.
When you purchase carpet from MyFlooring, you’ll automatically get premium foam carpet padding with your purchase. All of our carpets are installed on 100% premium new foam carpet pad with a double-sided moisture barrier for maximum comfort and protection. It’s durable -- designed to stand up to real life, just like the carpet it supports -- and offers exactly the right amount of cushion to keep your carpet looking and feeling great for years to come.
Just because you don’t see your carpet padding doesn’t mean it’s not a critical part of your flooring purchase. Give this (literal) underdog its due and choose carpet padding that’s worthy of the amazing carpet you’re investing in. With MyFlooring, not only will you not have to worry about your carpet, but you’ll rest easy knowing the carpet padding beneath it is just as amazing.
Are you ready to purchase a new carpet and make your feet happy with a new foam carpet pad? Shop today!
P.S.All of our carpets are installed over 100% premium new foam carpet pad with a double-sided moisture barrier for maximum comfort and protection.
Masking up for hours of shopping, hunting for an available sales associate, flipping through endless carpet sample display boards, and wondering whether you’re gettingthe best deal. It’s all a foregone conclusion when you’re shopping for new carpets...isn’t it? Well, if you’re like many Americans, you’ve found that there’s not much you can’t do online, and purchasing new flooring is no exception. Let’s consider the benefits ofshopping for and buying new carpet online.
The prospect of new carpeting can be really exciting: choosing a luxurious carpet in the perfect color for your space, visualizing your room’s new look, and imagining how nice it will feel to run your toes across your soft new carpet.