Looking For New Flooring In Fort Wayne?

New flooring can be a sizeable investment so its worth spending some time educating yourself.  Since 1977 we have maintained floors and know which ones last and which don’t.

Carpet Fibers


The color and style of the carpet is your preference-plush, berber, frieze, shag etc.  The biggest factor that determines how well the carpet cleans and wears is the type of fiber.

Nylon: From our experience Nylon carpet fibers are the best.  They are resilient which means they won’t permanently mat or crush.  Nylon also cleans well.  The only downside is they can loose color or be bleached out and some stains may be permanent.

Olefin: Many berber style carpets are made from olefin.  It doesn’t absorb so it is virtually stain proof.  The down side is it can attract oily soils quicker, has a low melting point which can result in friction/burn marks, and permanently mats/crushes in traffic areas and from furniture legs.  Berber style carpet is difficult to seam and yarn pulls/runs can occur.

Carpet - Pooling - Shading - Watermarking on polyster carpet looking down the hall from kitchenPolyester: When carpet is new polyester and nylon look similar.
However as time goes on polyester “uglies out.”  It can permanently mat/crush in traffic areas and from furniture legs.  Pooling/Shading/Watermarking can occur where carpet fibers lay in different directions causing light to reflect differently which can appear as dirt but is not. (See Photo)  On the plus side polyester is hard to permanently stain.

Wool: Wool cleans well.  It is resilient which means it won’t permanently mat or crush.  However over time wool fibers can shed.  Being a natural fiber, wool is more absorbent, therefore some stains may be more difficult to remove or could be permanent.


Carpet Styles/Textures


Different Carpet Textures

Click here to learn more from the CRI about the differences between plush/velvet, berber, frieze, and shag carpet styles/construction.

 


Carpet / Flooring Manufacturers Links


Shaw Floors

StainMaster Carpet

Mohawk Carpet

Carpet Buying Guide & Resource Links


Independent Carpet Inspectors

Carpet Information Center

Carpet Professor

World Floor Covering Association

Carpet Buyers Handbook

Carpet Guru Carpet College

How To Buy Carpet

How Carpet Is Made


Carpet Installation


Certified Floorcovering Installers

What do I need to prepare before my new flooring is installed?