Which carpet pad is best

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. For the best bang for your buck, we recommend at least a 6-lb.

For the best in durability and comfort, an 8lb pad will do the trick. Two liquid ingredients are combined to form a block of foam, which is then sliced into sheets for use as carpet cushion. In this category, you'll find Courage By Shaw carpet cushion.

Courage Ultimate Carpet Cushion. Berber and many loop pile carpet require a thin, firm cushion. When using this type of carpet, be sure that the accompanying cushion has been specified by the manufacturer as suitable for Berber and loop pile carpet.

Radiant heating is becoming more widely used in some areas of the country. In the case of radiant heating, avoid using a cushion that is an exceptionally effective insulator. Choose a cushion that allows the heat from the subflooring to penetrate the carpet system and heat the room. A relatively thin, flat cellular sponge rubber or synthetic fiber cushion works well under these circumstances.

Designed for Berbers, woven loop pile and commercial carpets, synthetic felt carpet cushion is extremely dense, breathes well and isn't spongy at all. It's made from recycled or shredded fabrics or natural wool, and is designed to allow Berbers and loop pile carpets to wear well in heavy traffic situations. Synthetic carpet cushion is also a great choice for concrete floors as it breathes well, resists mold and mildew and has anti-microbial properties.

Eco Fiber Touch is a premium recycled synthetic fiber cushion that provides underfoot comfort and exceptional stability to broadloom carpet.

It offers the following features:. Eco Fiber Touch Cushion. Three factors come into play:. Fortunately, modern floor padding comes with a vapor barrier, which is essentially a protective layer that prevents liquids from soaking into the cushioning.

Still, you should clean a spill quickly after it happens to prevent floor damage. Installing carpet rolls can be a challenge, especially when doing so over a layer of padding.

This reduces the time it takes to shop for the correct padding and to install it before layering your carpets over the foundation. There are four types of padding to pick from and all of them have different features, pros, and cons. This section will help you decide which padded flooring material will be ideal for your home.

Prime foam carpet padding is made with virgin polyurethane rather than from recycled materials. On the other hand, it has air pockets to allow for a softer step. Memory foam also tends to constantly stretch your carpet backing, which causes wear and tear over time.

This floor cushioning is suitable for areas that have low foot traffic such as bedrooms or dining rooms. Memory foam also comes with a high price tag, so only use it for certain parts of your home such as in the bedroom to save on cash. Fiber padding is made from a combination of various synthetic fibers such as felt, polyester and nylon.

The downside to fiber padding is that there have been traces of natural fibers found in the cushioning, which can cause allergies. Unfortunately, fiber padding is also prone to mold. Rebonded padding is the most popular choice because most of the underlayment products in the United States are rebonded.

Additionally, bonded padding is highly durable and provides the best value for money. This type of underlayment is ideal for commercial and residential areas which makes it versatile. The carpet underlayment will stand up to low or high foot traffic areas and it will protect your carpets from wear and tear.

The best carpet padding to use in residential, lower-traffic areas is memory foam, also known as frothed foam. This floor underlayment is incredibly durable and it has a higher density rating than other types of foam. When weight is placed on memory foam, it depresses but then returns to its original form when the weight is lifted. Memory foam is considered the best choice for carpet underlayment because of the comfort it provides. It pairs well with broadloom carpeting. Memory foam has been injected with a gel that gives it that cushy feeling.

Selecting padding with the features you want is all good and well, but what about carpet padding costs? Floor cushioning can be relatively cheap, but cost depends on the quality and the brand you pick.

This will save you a lot of time and ensure that your flooring is even. If you do need equipment to install your carpets on top of your padding, you can rent tools instead of buying them to help save on costs. The main difference between types of carpet padding is the type of recycled materials used to manufacture the underlayment.

Another difference is the density of the padding. The rebond pad is the most frequently used padding in homes. Made from recycled materials, it is available in a wide variety of thicknesses and densities. It is also available in different grades, which represent quality, and, clearly, the higher the quality the better the padding will be.

Of course, you will pay more for higher quality rebond padding, but it may just be worth it. Foam padding is a lightweight, inexpensive option for carpet padding. It does not hold up well underfoot, and quickly flattens, making your carpet uncomfortable. A better foam padding known as frothed foam is available, but it tends to be pricier than rebond.

Rubber padding is a durable option, and can often outlive the carpet itself. There are also specialty carpet pads available, such as those marketed to resist odor, moisture or pet stains, but they may not be worth the extra cost.

No matter what type of carpet padding you choose, you need to make sure you choose a grade that matches the grade of your carpet.