by D.B. Uhlman

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 18, 2008

You have gone shopping and found a good quality carpet to put in your home. Picking the color was a bit of a chore but now the salesperson asks you which type of carpet pad you would like. Oftentimes the thought of padding has not entered your mind. Good question, now what? You ask what the differences are between the few choices you have been shown. The answer is really quite simple in your mind. Thickness is the most obvious difference. Then there is price; the thicker the product the more you will pay. Your budget may not have allowed for the more expensive padding, so your first thought is to purchase the least expensive or go middle of the road.

If you choose a thin size, usually 3/8 thickness, the carpet padding will wear out quickly if the density is too low and will feel as though you are walking on the hard floor. All that money you are spending on your home to walk around on a cloud and your floors will still feel like cement. What is worse is that the low-density padding will break apart in high traffic areas causing you to have to replace in a year or so. There is thick padding available that has special enzymes built in with odor and stain technology that helps remove tough stains such as; fruit punch, coffee, grape juice, mustard, animal stains, and others. Some carpet pad companies have teamed up with Arm & Hammer to create this that when used with Arm & Hammer Odor and Stain Remover for Carpets will get out hard-to-clean stains. I know, like all parents, how difficult it can be to remove stains made by our children. A pad with enzymes will stop liquid from going through to the floor underneath, which can cause nasty odors and mold spores to grow that can make you and your family ill. With this type of carpet pad you will be able to get rid of stains as they occur reducing the need to have a professional cleaner come in to clean your rugs.

If you are having stairs carpeted a thicker carpet padding will not do. Accidents can easily occur when walking up and down stairs with extra bulk. Felt is sometimes used for the stairs to give you a more balanced and flat-footed feeling when walking up and down. High density thinner padding can also be used on stairs. Since stairs are a high-traffic area the density of the carpet should weigh more so that it does not break up underneath and cause ripples. Office buildings using commercial broadloom would use thin carpet padding with a higher density for due to the excessive traffic they incur.

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