Where to buy carpet padding

Should the pile direction run down the stairs or up? Note: We are only carpeting the landing and the stairs and have no other carpet in our home. You can most likely use the pad you use for the whole house, but generally, I like dense and maybe a little thinner pad fiber pad can be great but rebond works.

Pile direction on stairs is an ongoing debate. Different installers do it different ways. I tend to like pile going down the stairs, but I actually think it running up is more common. Yeah, I think thick memory foam is the most comfortable to lay on.

You have a few options.. Some people like thinner on stairs like a dense fiber pad. Do you have any recommendations on what pad would work best for a basement concrete floor? We had a water proof pad under our carpet, but discovered that it had heavy condensation under it within two years.

Guessing it was not letting the concrete breathe. Tearing it out before mold is an issue. Thankfully the carpet is still good. You could consider a synthetic less likely to mold fiber pad. Or go with a cheaper rebond—it breathes and is cheap enough it an be replaced relatively cheaply.

Please advise. Any thicker, and too much give in carpet. Thanks, Tim. Like you said may have the slight benefit of less give with a drawback of a little less cushion and insulation.

It is usually pretty dense and uniformly cut on top. What is the best padding for sound proofing? I have an upstairs downstairs rental and I need to make it less noisy. Some of it depends on if you want to reduce airborne noise or foot traffic noise. I think foot traffic noise would be your biggest issue so more cushioned pads work best: rebond and foam; avoid: rubber, fiber. Hmmm…this is the opposite of what you say on your soundproofing page, where you recommended rubber and fiber over rebond.

They are used for 3 reasons: help protect the rug, keep the rug from slipping, and for insulation sound and temperature. Hello, I purchased commercial carpet with a rubber? Been looking at 6 rebond with a moisture barrier. I saw another question where you stated that sometimes the commercial carpet is glued to the floor. This carpet is to be in a home office with wood flooring that was built in so it is not perfectly flat like a newer home and maybe the pad would help that fact?

What about padding on top of the board, necessary or not? Your thought? I never knew there was so much information to sort out about carpet padding. It took me months to just decide on the carpeting! The carpet is a cut and loop medium thickness. On the back of the sample, it suggests using Stainmaster carpet cushion with a breathable moisture barrier. I have read pros and cons about using moisture barrier. My head is swimming.

What would you suggest? Should different padding be used on the stairs? For the area rug I was planning on having it bound with a felt backing.

It will be going over my new wood flooring. For the rug, you can check out my guide on rug padding. That may be the last place I could see benefit of it. One of the more durable options from above. Sometimes a thinner dense pad works well like fiber pad, but in general, you can use the same pad as other flooring.

Thank you for any insight you can provide. Hi Jason — I think Legette and Platt has good padding, but their options can be confusing. I live on the lower level in a two family home. I want to cut down on noise from the upstairs apartment and get a carpet that will look good for a while. I have an article on sound barriers here. Which 8-lb pad would have the highest R factor for this situation? Avoid synthetic fiber pads and most likely avoid rubber although some lower density rubbers can have high R-values.

Are you familiar with this padding and if so, would it be applicable to my situation I am especially interested in the high R-value. Would appreciate a very quick response since I am having rug installed shortly. I have a rubber, neoprene , and latex Allergy. Thank you for your insight. There are other memory foams as well, but they all have different ingredient in their manufacturing.

Any ideas??? Do you have any analysis on the safety of the different options? I have some information on this on my carpet safety page. To put it in perspective, most anything that you smell in your home has some link to cancer: candles, paint, new furniture, etc. Flame retardants are not an emissions issue. They are put into the foam and do not bond to it so they are released as dust over time from recycled foam products.

Shameless advertisement that I think will help you : A good vs bad carpet installer will not only make or break your carpet purchase, but they also can help you choose the best carpet pad for your home setup. Click here to enter your zip code and get free quotes from 3 top installers in your area. This was a great article and now I am hugely more educated about carpet padding. One thing that was left out is sound proofing. There are countless websites that sell sound proofing carpet padding.

Some of it is quite expensive and I am not clear that the sound proof padding is any different than regular carpet padding. Further except for speciality sound proofing websites, there world of carpeting seems clueless about sound proofing in your padding. Any comments or recommendations? In advance, thanks. The reason is padding is a naturally good sound insulator for both impact and air noise.

I just had carpeting installed with memory foam. Feels great but what do you do about the toxic smell it gives off? You can read this article on off-gassing and carpet for a little more.

Yeah, maybe I should include that specific to pad. I do have pages on sound barrier flooring , but I think people are interested in the padding aspect. In general, all pad will do a pretty good job and probably not much of a noticeable difference from pad to pad.

Any suggestions? It comes down to how much the rooms are used vs cost to upgrade. For instance, a guest bedroom that rarely used, 5lbs should be fine. Have begun the process of looking for carpet for most of our house. A family member uses both an electric wheelchair and a manual one.

What kind of padding would you recomend for both ease of moving the manual wheelchair and also avoid carpet wrinkling? Any suggestions on type of carpet would also be aprecciated. We have already ruled out thick plush as being too hard to push wheelchair on. I have a guide on wheelchairs and carpet you could check out.

What would you recommend? Check out this page on rug padding. We are building a new home and need to go pick out the design options carpet included. Would you recommend a different carpet for the stairs vs. We have 3 small kids and two cats. Thanks for any insight you can give us! Stairs will take 2x the beating of a main living area in my unscientific study , so I think having better carpet there can help hold off the wear.

The challenge with stairs is not just more forceful steps, but people step in the exact same spot. That said, people are less likely to notice your stair carpet as they are a living room carpet. Yes, our previous carpet was probably the worst carpet the builder could find, just to say they put carpet down. It took less than 2 years for it to look terrible. The stairs were visible right when you walked in and it was quite the eyesore.

It was given a Grade 2 of 5 5 being the most expensive , but she said it wears well given the texture. I truly appreciate your help and expertise.

You should consider making an app with the calculators and recommendations! So handy!! We have been looking at carpet and padding from home Depot. The problem I am having is deciding between the Nike brand pad or the temperpudic brand and we have a 2 story house with a couple big dogs that like to run up the stairs at the same time and turn the corners hard on the 2 landings. They recommend there high traffic pad for the stairs and landing….

For Temperpudic, you can read my thoughts on memory foam pads. Nike foam pad is specific to Home Depot. I went carpet berber shopping today to a store on your recommended list and I inquired on the rubber padding. Your article here makes it sound like rubber is till worth buying. There are different qualities of rubber, but he may be talking about waffle rubber? That can degrade quickly especially if not great quality. My thought would be the double stick might have issues with the changes in the environment.

Memory foam might do slightly better at both depending on the foam. It is pricey, but very valuable and you can advertise it if you ever sell YOUR condo as a feature. We have a living room on a slab and the kids like to wrestle and such…. Its a high traffic room we want to go all out on for comfort!

Yeah, I think padding would definitely help with the cold and soften some of the body slams. I think going with just a traditional rebond would be fine… for durability maybe 8lbs. Carpet style would matter some. Basically, you can just take every square section of your room and multiply the length by width. Then, add all of these square sections or rooms. For the conversion to square yards from feet assuming you measured in feet , divide your square footage numbers the length x width by 9.

Captain, I am looking to replace my carpet which is dense. When you rake your fingers down to the backing from the carpet side you cannot scrape your nails on this backing because the carpet is do dense. I was wondering about carpet densities. How good is 8pound?

What is considered for a 15 to 20 year warranty? I am looking for a low cut carpet. I am wondering the difference between 8lb and 12pound vs 16pound if that exists. Check out this page that covers carpet density and should give you what you want to know to find a carpet that has dense carpet fibers. Please suggest for me both padding and carpet for a double wide mobile home in MI. Would they be different than carpeting for a traditional built home? I am looking to freshen up the carpet and bathroom floor as it is almost 20 yrs old.

We will have no pets, so no to little worry there. I would like to be smart and frugal with the flooring so I can then have enough money left over to up date other areas of this new adventure.

Where do you suggest us to shop for material as well? Is 8lb rebond pad fine? I think the 8lbs rebond is fine in this case unless moisture is a big issue. I think we do. What is your recommendation? If you want it to last, the pad is certainly important.

Cheap foam can ruin an otherwise good carpet. For the exact specs, this article should be pretty helpful. If you have animals that pee a lot or plan on moving or remodeling soon, you should probably save your money and go with the cheapest. Maybe you could find pad elsewhere and see if it smells similar? Standard rebond padding actually may be your best bet. Avoid slab rubber. The thicker the better for insulation purposes. Just purchased Fabrica carpet 40 ounce pad.

It feels cold on my feet. Should I get a thicker pad? Fabrica pad or carpet? And what type of padding is it? Sometimes thicker will help. Is your subfloor really cold? Do you recommend installing a pad under a commercial grade carpet for a common area multifamily hallway?

This is a high traffic area and in other locations we have just done glue down. Is this correct? Many commercial buildings where people are tracking stuff in do direct glue down. Super helpful information. It would be very helpful if you would provide pictures of each type of padding. We are carpeting our stairs with a Karastan wool runner. What thickness and density would you recommend for stairs? Stairs are where carpet takes the biggest beating in most home because 1.

I noticed that 2 people have asked about future foam, prime elegance and prime comfort padding and I am considering it as well. Can you help me better understand? I need to make a few things more clear in this article, but to help you out in the meantime, most of the specs are relating to the most common pad: rebond padding. Most are foam infused with another product, and this other infused product can make a big difference in performance.

However, I may need to start recommending specific foam products to cut through some of the confusion. Hope to get to this soon. I have tile and hardwood floors and would like to change them to carpet.

The salesperson explained it was a lot of trouble and expense to take out the tile and hardwood floor. She suggested putting carpet over my existing floors. She recommended a product called Airo by Mohawk which has carpet and a pad combined and can go over existing floors without damaging them. They installed it yesterday. It looks nice and the carpet feels soft to the touch but when I stand on it it feels like I am standing on a hard floor.

I guess the pad is not very good. I want to change it. Is it okay to put a pad and carpet over existing hardwood floors? If the pad is good would it feel comfortable or will it still feel hard because it is going over existing tile and hardwood?

Do you have any suggestions? Whereas with cheaper pad, it may feel soft because it indents. I purchased carpet and pad from Home Depot.

After ripping out my old carpet and laying down the pad the installer realized he had the wrong carpet. Or should I go with the 8lb rebond? Took both the Stainmaster Splendor and regular 8lb padding and placed them underneath.

The Splendor felt much more comfortable than the 8lb. However I am worried about the Splendor giving out quicker than the regular 8lb. I do not want that Splendor performing like the cheap 6lb that I have now couple years down the road.

So do you think this Splendor is the good foam or is it the bad foam? So confused. I chose this carpet partly because it appears to emit less chemicals than the other options. Thanks, appreciate the help. I have an apartment building and have a tenant complaining about noise from walking from the unit above.

I happen to be replacing the carpet in the upstairs unit and want to try to dampen the footfall noise. It is expensive but says it will help with noise, do you think it will it be any better than rebond?

I think the pad would be good. Cork is also a great idea, but the problem you might run into is insulation. That would add about 0. You can also check out our article on soundproof flooring but sounds like you have a good start. Should it be less than the bedrooms being carpeted , the same or more from a durability point of view.

Good question. Technically, stairs get much more impact in the same spot than bedrooms and even get more than some higher traffic areas like a main living area.

The padding under our new carpet has hard spots in it and it feels like you are walking on carpet with small LEGO toys under it. Carpet company vp says the padding is supposed to have hard spots in it. Is he telling us the truth? I have never had this issue before. Is it rebond? Rebond is made of chunks of cushion often recycled couch cushions etc. SO, my question is, what do all these super expensive houses have carpet that melts under your feel, super nice feel when walking on it?

This padding is super super hard, almost as hard as the wood floors before it! Here is picture:. Also, all the other old carpet we have in the house feels soft to walk on, with our old padding in other areas….

I bet the plush carpet with a high density is a big part of the softness 2. Let me know if you come across any new insights. Well, yes, I did find out more. My old padding is FOAM. The new padding is 8lb rebond and hard as a rock compared to the foam….

I went to a few more carpet places today and the FOAM like I have, new generation, looked similar and was the most expensive.

Funny, the rebond is the least expensive and for high traffic areas. All our carpet is soft when you walk on it, with our foam padding.

After a long day you take your shoes off and go into your family room, walking on wood floors as you go, then your new padding is almost as hard at your wood floors. These are all low traffic areas and should feel plush if you ask me… Money is no object, I just want to comfy when walking. Thanks for the tips everyone! My original post was referring to my parents house and that new padding 8lb rebond which was horrible.

Will also try to show them the mohawk as well. Hi Carpet Captain! Do you have any advice? Fiber pad will be a little more dense, so less likely to crush under the areas of excercise equipment. Slab rubber could even be a step up. Overall, fiber is going to get the edge in this situation.

Valuable information. However , there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Today, I was told by a credible young carpet salesman that Shaw -Parade of Champions and Mohawk -trade show -nylon , berber , both looped and cut carpet were to be glued to the substrate and a pad was not intended for this type carpet. Could you offer some clarity?

These are commercial carpets, and commercial carpets are commonly glued down to the sub-floor without padding. And actually, if you use padding, the backing of commercial carpets will break down. Thanks for bringing it up. I just moved some furniture and saw that there were indentations in the carpet that I cannot get out. Is this a function of the padding that was installed. The house was purchased new 12 yrs ago. The carpet is in good condition as it is in a low traffic area.

Is there a padding that will recover or not create the indentations? How about flat rubber? Your carpet still might though.

Often indentations are the carpet fibers being crushed. You can try lifting them letting ice melt in the area, blowing drying the area, and raking the area up with something not too abrasive. Moving the furniture or using furniture pads beneath the legs might be your best defense.

Any updates on memory foam padding? Also, any guidance on what density to look for in memory foam pads? Hi, there. Can you provide more info on a felt pad? Does wool require a felt pad?

When would you recommend felt over a rebond? Thanks much! Felt is used more for rugs, but for carpet, it can provide a good dense pad. Wonderful info. It uses recycled Nike shoes and has a moisture barrier. Others have said that they feel hard materials under foot. Do you have any info on what materials are actually used in this padding?

Thanks for all the great info — it helped a lot! We had to pull up our bedroom carpet in order for a foundation company to jackhammer 2 holes for the piers, and when we did, the initial padding was disintegrating. Reading your article gave us better info on what to get. Is it just the same as regular foam padding?

If your pet pees on the carpet, you could consider a breathable moisture barrier. I talk about those some on this page but also on this page about moisture barrier padding. My condo is directly above another unit and our neighbor complains about hearing our toddler run around the house. What padding is best for sound dampening between floors? The can come in much higher densities than, say, rebond which maxes around 8lbs. You can also buy separate sound barriers made up dense materials to put under a pad like rebond.

A final option is to soundproof the ceiling below your toddler. I have a page specifically on rug padding that should answer your questions. Pads different in carpet in that sometimes you can use something as simple as a very thin rubber pad to keep it from slipping and sometimes larger rugs you want a thicker within limits of your setup and denser felt pad.

My mother purchased carpet 30 years ago for her home. She put carpet in every room including the kitchen and bathrooms. She went with a commercial plush carpet and a padding that was rubber everywhere but the basement. That was a wool or a felt of some kind that has mesh type reinforcement on it.

But her carpet is as plush and comfortable now as it was when newly installed. I do not have children nor any pets. I do however have plantar fasciitis. It is very painful to walk on hard surfaces. I want plush carpet because I like to walk barefoot and I spend a lot of time sitting on the floor. I want it to be as plush and comfortable as I can get. I am seriously considering carpeting the large master bathroom also.

Carpet Padding Guide Picking out the type of carpet you want can be fun. You get to decide on the feel, thickness, and color of the carpet. There are a ton of different options — carpet tiles, broadloom, Berber — which makes choosing carpet an exciting shopping experience! On the other hand, buying carpet padding can be a little different. Carpet padding is less about matching your style, and more about meeting your daily needs.

After all, carpet padding is responsible for keeping your new carpet durable and comfortable for years to come. With different key traits like thickness, weight, and type, there are a lot of options to pick from. Not sure which carpet padding is for you? This guide will help you choose. What is Carpet Padding? Carpet padding is usually a foam underlayment specifically designed for installation under broadloom carpet. It serves a number of uses such as insulation, acoustics, support, and comfort.

This foam offers support to your carpet, allowing it to last longer in your home. Shop Carpet Padding. Carpet padding is necessary to experience the full benefit of owning carpeting. Carpet padding does a little more than adding some squish to your step. In fact, it does a lot more.

Just how much? Carpet padding helps maintain the look of your carpet as well as its overall life. According to the Independent Textile Testing Service, carpet without a carpet pad under it resulted in a Having carpet padding helps reduce fiber crushing and keeps your carpet thicker, for longer. The truth is, no matter how thick or tall your pile height is, a carpet pad is required to make that carpet as comfortable as possible.

Carpet padding absorbs the impact of your footstep, making it comfortable to walk on. It also helps reduce walking fatigue with its shock-absorbing properties. Improves Acoustics The reason why any underlayment is important is that it helps improve the acoustics of a home. Sound-absorbing materials are necessary for apartments, condos, and two-level homes. After all, nobody wants to hear other people stomping around!

Studies have shown that using carpet padding significantly increases impact noise ratings and results in measured noise reduction.

Thermal Insulation Last, carpet padding helps provide some insulation to your home. If you live in a hot environment, carpet padding will prevent cool air from escaping. The insulating properties of carpet padding keep your energy bill down and your home well-insulated. Shop All Underlayment. The two metrics to consider when choosing a carpet padding are thickness and weight. In fact, some carpet types do better with thinner padding.

High traffic areas: For heavy traffic areas, such as commercial settings, thicker carpet padding is not ideal. Living rooms, bedrooms, and dens: These residential areas of the home are the perfect place to splurge on a thicker carpet padding. Berber carpet: A thick pad can actually damage thin carpet types, such as Berber. What is Carpet Padding Weight? Carpet padding weight, also called density, is the second most important factor you should consider when shopping for the perfect cushioning.

The weight is usually measured in pounds per cubic foot, and most carpet pads fall in between the lb. Confirm Password.

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