Padding
Cushion or padding is a critical flooring component. It's the
foundation for your carpet, responsible for enhancing both comfort and
durability.
Padding is constructed of several different materials, including sponge rubber, foam rubber,
urethane foam, bonded urethane and felted combinations of hair and jute. Learn more about types of
carpet pads from your Luna Carpet Expert.
Most manufacturers' warranties require that you select padding with appropriate thickness and
density to handle the traffic on the carpet. In a bedroom, a thick, soft cushion works well, but in a
family room with lots of coming and going, a thin cushion is better.
The right padding will:
- Make carpet feel better by absorbing the constant pressure of foot traffic
- Keep your room quieter and warmer through sound-absorption and thermal insulation
- Keep the carpet from matting down and looking worn: no more ugly carpet
- Keep your carpet cleaner by providing air space allowing the carpet to "breathe".
The wrong padding can:
- Cause wrinkling and buckling
- Trigger the carpet to separate from the backing or pull apart at the seams
- Break down the carpet
- Invalidate the warranty
Testimonial:
"Having the right padding make all the difference. Not only does it maintain its pile better but it
is easier to clean!"
Types of Carpet Pad (new page; link from above)
Carpet cushion, or "pad," is available in three basic types: foam, fiber, and rubber.
Each type of carpet pad has several different varieties and
constructions. The type and thickness of cushion you need varies
according to traffic levels and carpet patterns. Bedrooms and other
areas with light or moderate traffic, for example, can use thicker and
softer carpet cushion. Living rooms, family rooms, hallways, stairs and
other heavy traffic areas require thinner and firmer cushion.
Consult your Luna Flooring Expert to help you decide the best carpet cushion for you.
The Carpet Cushion Council describes the three different types as follows:
Foam Carpet Cushion
Generally speaking, foam carpet 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 a 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, in different 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 from 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.
Froth
polyurethane foam is made with carpet backing machinery. Liquid
ingredients are applied, either directly to the backs of some carpet
styles, or to a non-woven material (for making separate cushion). They
reach and form a thin, dense foam which is particularly useful in
commercial applications with wide expanses of carpet.
Rubber Carpet Cushion
There are two basic types of sponge rubber carpet cushion:
Waffled
rubber carpet 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 carpet
cushion which has a flat surface and is normally used in large-scale
commercial applications and with loop type (or Berber) carpet.
Rubber
carpet 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 Carpet Cushion
Foam and rubber carpet cushions are
produced from new and recycled materials. Fiber carpet 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 felt. There are two distinct varieties of fiber carpet 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 carpet 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 Note
Berber carpet is becoming increasingly popular, and needs a thin,
firm carpet cushion. When buying this type of carpet, be sure that the
accompanying cushion has been specified by the manufacturer as suitable
for Berber carpet.
Radiant heating is becoming more widely used in certain sections of
the country. In the case of radiant heating, you do not want a carpet
cushion which is an exceptionally effective insulator, but one which
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 carpet cushion works well under these circumstances.