Which Carpet Fiber is Right for You?

When shopping for carpet, it’s important to think about how your carpet will perform once installed. Two carpet samples may look the same, but there are many differences between the fibers that make up that carpet.

Some carpets look new for a long time, others look old within a short time. The difference is in how well they resist soiling and matting. Most carpets do not wear out. They get soiled, change surface texture, and mat, which makes them look old. Take the opportunity to review the information to help determine which carpet fiber would be best for you and your living space or work space.

FIBER OVERVIEW

Carpet Fiber	Advantages	Disadvantages
Nylon	Nylon carpet wears very well. Nylon provides great style and lots of diversity, it is also the most widely accepted and used carpet fiber. Nylon is easy to clean, extremely strong, resistant to matting as well as moths, moisture, and mildew. Third and forth generation nylon is static resistant and nylon is considered to be a very eco-friendly "green" fiber.	Nylon tends to be more expensive and can be stained by oil and grease. Nylon also degrades and fades in sunlight.
Polyester	Polyester performs and wears almost as well as nylon, and polyester resists stains better than nylon fiber. Polyester is fade resistant and a cost-effective choice for you living/work space. Polyester has a soft luxurious feel, it has excellent resistance to abrasion, and excellent resistance to mildew.	Polyester fiber traditionally does not have the same wear reputation as nylon, but has improved tremendously with new polymers in the last decade. Additionally when polyester has exposure to sunlight, the fiber weakens.
Polypropylene	Very cost-effective The most stain resistant fiber Additionally, polypropylene is colorfast, a strong fiber, soil and water resistant, has good stain resistance, no static problem resistant to moths and mildew, and can be used as an indoor or outdoor carpet.	Polypropylene is limited to mostly loop construction and does have some color limitations.Depending on the carpet construction, polypropylene can tend to mat. Ask your flooring specialist for more information regarding your polypropylene carpet selection to see if this is a factor to consider.
PTT (Triexta)	PTT performs well in high traffic and has a soft hand.	Cannot be stain treated.
Plushes (Cut Piles)	Plush carpet offers timeless style and a great value.	Not as unique as other carpet types.
Cables	Cable carpets are very stylish and have a good hand.	Cable carpet fiber is more costly than other carpet options and has some performance limitations.

Loops	Loop carpet fiber provides excellent performance in high performance areas because it minimizes the appearance of footprints.	Loop carpet does not feel as luxurious to the touch as other carpet fibers.
Friezes	Frieze carpet provides great performance and a soft hand. Frieze carpets are very trendy and offer many stylish options.	Frieze carpets tend to show more footprints than other carpets and can are more costly than other options.

Wool	Wool fiber is crush resistant, has limited pilling problems, wool is very durable, and is very eco-friendly.	Wool soils easily and must be imported because domestic fibers are finer and weaker thus making it more expensive than domestic fibers.
Acrylic	Acrylic fiber has a wool-like appearance with low moisture absorption and cleans easily. Acrylic fiber has good stain resistance and is resistant to moths and mildew as well as  to sunlight damage.	Acrylic fiber is not as strong as other synthetics produced in short fibers and crimped poor resistance to matting stained by oil and grease.

 

Don’t forget that our flooring specialists are always here to answer any questions and concerns you may have regarding your carpet choice. We are available toll free at 866-503-7827 (STAR) or on the web at www.starfloors.com. You can also submit your questions to us at www.facebook.com/starfloors or on twitter @StarFloors_