When the men in white coats come to put me in a padded cell — and if I keep remodeling like this that day will be soon — I want it on the record that I expect density. Got that? Turns out density — not thickness — in padding counts most. And in my padded cell, I want the best.
Terry Hoppe, my carpet installer, is explaining this as he installs new pad in our new pad. (Sorry.)
"Regardless of thickness, an 8-pound pad is always better than a 6-pound pad," says Hoppe, who's been doing this for 18 years. "If the pad is thick but not dense, the carpet will flex too much underfoot and break down faster."
I'm trying to process this, but get hung up figuring how you weigh carpet pad, which comes in rolls big as golf greens. Turns out, if you chop up a 6-pound carpet pad and stuff it into a box that measures a cubic square foot, the contents will weigh six pounds. The same wonks who came up with that wrote the tax code.
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"But you wouldn't believe how many people put expensive carpet over cheap pad," he continues.
"Not me!" We know my carpet wasn't expensive. Given what I had left in my basement budget, I bought carpet a notch above repurposed towel scraps. But since I was focused on color, texture and price, I don't remember ordering pad. I nervously ask, "Did I buy a cheap pad?"
"You're good," he assures. "You're on half-inch 8-pound."
I sit up a little straighter. "Good thing I knew what I was doing."
"I picked your pad. You forgot to."
"Oh," I say, feeling dense and thick, which I often do as I blunder my way through remodeling. "So let me get this straight: My cheap carpet on this dense pad will wear better than any carpet on a lighter pad."
"Right."
Besides investing in a good carpet pad, be sure to get a good installation. Here are some tips Hoppe recommends for both:
● Don't get hung up on how plush a carpet feels. Ninety percent of foot feel comes from the pad.
● Ask the installer whether he uses a power stretcher, which makes carpet lie more nicely. The stretcher should have poles for leverage, not spikes, which can damage carpet.
● Ask for a layout of your job and note where the installer plans to place seams. Good installers make seams run perpendicular to windows when possible. Seams running parallel to a window show up more because of the way the light hits.
● Get more than one bid to compare yardage. Getting a layout also lets you calculate whether someone is selling you too much carpet. When we were buying carpet for this home, the builder's carpet supplier said we would need 410 yards. We re-calculated and found we only needed 350.
● Check tightness. A good job should have no visible ripples or bubbles, and should pass the pluck test: When you pinch and pull the carpet in the middle of the room, it should lift no more than an inch.
● Inspect seams. Even the best installers can't make seams invisible, but they can make them less noticeable. Seams should be flat and not look frayed.
● Contact Marni Jameson through www.marnijameson.com.
Designer's Choice
By Marni Jameson