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Carpet Padding Benefits of Quality Padding Good carpet padding helps to muffle noise throughout your home. A thinner padding may be incapable of dampening the sounds of foot traffic and other unnecessary noise. A substantial cushion will soften footsteps and muffle echoes. Padding acts as a shock absorber. Without a substantial cushion underfoot either a flimsy one or worse yet, no cushion at all. Carpet is hard, unyielding and uncomfortable to walk on. A good grade of padding keeps the heel of your foot from hitting against a hard floor or slab. Quality padding will also extend the life of your carpet and make it easier to clean. Dirt grinds down carpet fiber and shortens a carpet’s lifespan. A quality cushion makes cleaning more efficient because it raises carpet off the floor and provides an air space so carpet can breathe. Quality cushioning lets more air come up through the carpet, thus carrying more dirt along with it. Padding will also help insulate your home and prevent heat loss through your floor. It may even lower your utility bills! Good quality padding also protects carpet backing, the material that holds the carpet together. Industry studies have shown that a quality cushion can increase the useful life of a carpet as much as 50% or more. Types of Padding There are three basic types of padding - foam, rubber and fiber. Each type is further subdivided into two or three varieties. Each variety has characteristics which make it useful for particular types of carpet. Each variety also has grades that vary by density, thickness and the amount of force it takes to compress the cushion. Density is one of the most important parameters of any type of padding. Density equals the weight divided by thickness and is measured in pounds per cubic foot. All types of padding can be made dense (more material) or light (more air), or any grade in-between. They can be soft, firm, resilient or supportive according to the type of room and expected traffic on the carpet they support. Other Points to Consider: DURABILITY When selecting your padding, its a good idea to factor in the durability required of your carpet. Will there be a lot of two or four legged foot traffic? These factors affect the quality of the cushion that will work best for you. TOUCH Do you prefer a firm or a soft feel underfoot? The grade of the carpet cushion you choose will affect whether the carpet gives under weight or remains stable. CHEMICAL EMISSIONS Consider that many home furnishing are produced from chemical synthetics. The Carpet and Rug Institute and the Carpet Cushion Council entered into an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to initiate a program to lower volatile chemical emissions from carpet and padding. Emissions are very low to begin with, but with this program in place, every possible technological step is taken to reduce them still further and reduce the irritation to even the most sensitive customers. To be sure you are getting products with low emissions, select carpets and cushions which display the Green Label. This is your assurance that the product you purchase is monitored by the Air Quality Testing Program.
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