Carpet Advice

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networkn

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Topic # 129434 15-Sep-2013 22:20

We have decided to replace our carpet. We were at the home show and saw a dizzying array of carpets and outfits offering in some cases completely conflicting advice.

I did jump onto consumer.org.nz and read up there. Carpet Court have a carpet with a 25 year warranty, their claim is that if we spill something on it, and it can't be removed by a commercial carpet cleaner, the manafacturer will replace it no charge.

I am wondering if anyone has ever made use of such warranties and found them worth while?

Key is that we want the following things in order:

Comfortable to sit and walk on
lasts at least 10 years
Suitable for pets and smallish children (currently 4 and 18 months)
Less likely to fade.

We have wool at the moment and both our babies were quite spilly and our dog peed a couple of times on the carpet and now the carpet has changed colour in some places.

We also intend to do the downstairs living areas now and the rest of the house in 12 months.

Price isn't a primary factor.

Any advice appreciated.

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Reply # 896118 16-Sep-2013 00:50

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Is your carpet really worn out? With such young children, and pets, the chances of a new carpet being stained are high. If your existing carpet still has a couple of years left in it it could be an idea to get quotes for dyeing it to freshen it up and remove the colour inconsistencies. If that buys you a year or two longer with the existing carpet while the kids get a bit older it would leave you open to wider choices later. Just a thought...

insane

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Reply # 896122 16-Sep-2013 01:33

Our previous home owner tried to dye what was a green/teal carpet black.... Two years on and it looks terrible, dark in places and the original colour where people frequently walk.

I'm also interested in those stain free warranties, I suspect the carpet will stain over time and you'll have a patchwork of areas where it needed replacing, hopefully the colors will match.

I'd love a light coloured carpet, but at our previous place that got left with stains which couldn't be removed, so for me a darker color will be what I get next.(does show dirt more)

I'd go cheaper and just replace it every 10 years, in 25 years your colour preference may have changed, and unless its made of kevlar, it will wear in places.

networkn

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Reply # 896197 16-Sep-2013 09:22

Elpie: Is your carpet really worn out? With such young children, and pets, the chances of a new carpet being stained are high. If your existing carpet still has a couple of years left in it it could be an idea to get quotes for dyeing it to freshen it up and remove the colour inconsistencies. If that buys you a year or two longer with the existing carpet while the kids get a bit older it would leave you open to wider choices later. Just a thought...

It's actually less about wear/tear though this is a concern, but more on plain comfort, it's hard carpet, perhaps cheap underlay and therefore like sitting on comfort.

Inphinity

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Reply # 896204 16-Sep-2013 09:48

networkn: a carpet with a 25 year warranty, their claim is that if we spill something on it, and it can't be removed by a commercial carpet cleaner, the manafacturer will replace it no charge.

I am wondering if anyone has ever made use of such warranties and found them worth while?

When we were getting carpet redone a couple years back, most of these warrantys excluded so much stuff you could almost never claim. Many we looked at required you to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least every 1 or 2 years, excluded stains caused by anything with colouring substances including coffee, wine, juice, or mud / vomit etc, or wear and tear caused by having furniture on the carpet or walking on it. Have a really good look through the exclusion list for the warranty and you'll see that in many cases, very little really is actually covered.

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networkn

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Reply # 896242 16-Sep-2013 11:03

Inphinity:
networkn: a carpet with a 25 year warranty, their claim is that if we spill something on it, and it can't be removed by a commercial carpet cleaner, the manafacturer will replace it no charge.

I am wondering if anyone has ever made use of such warranties and found them worth while?

When we were getting carpet redone a couple years back, most of these warrantys excluded so much stuff you could almost never claim. Many we looked at required you to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least every 1 or 2 years, excluded stains caused by anything with colouring substances including coffee, wine, juice, or mud / vomit etc, or wear and tear caused by having furniture on the carpet or walking on it. Have a really good look through the exclusion list for the warranty and you'll see that in many cases, very little really is actually covered.

Well I'll check for sure, but they are pretty adamant at Carpet Court that if you spill something on it (Includes bleach), so long as you get a commercial carpet cleaning company to come and clean it, they will replace the carpet. I'll pay more attention to the fine print.

linw

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Reply # 896259 16-Sep-2013 11:18

But what is the carpet? Wool or Nylon?

Our current carpet (about 4 yrs old) is nylon. I wouldn't buy wool anymore as nylon is so much easier to clean spills from and doesn't felt up if you rub it. It's probably safer if you have to use stain removers as well. Just my experience.

Good luck with your next purchase.

networkn

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Reply # 896301 16-Sep-2013 11:54

linw: But what is the carpet? Wool or Nylon?

Our current carpet (about 4 yrs old) is nylon. I wouldn't buy wool anymore as nylon is so much easier to clean spills from and doesn't felt up if you rub it. It's probably safer if you have to use stain removers as well. Just my experience.

Good luck with your next purchase.

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Reply # 896309 16-Sep-2013 12:09

personally I dislike carpet, it is I believe unhealthy. We have a combination of polished wood floors and slate tiles. Easy to clean and the house is just about dust free. If I need to use my wheelchair inside it is way more easier to propel and manoeuvre.

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Reply # 896327 16-Sep-2013 12:26

KiwiNZ: personally I dislike carpet, it is I believe unhealthy. We have a combination of polished wood floors and slate tiles. Easy to clean and the house is just about dust free. If I need to use my wheelchair inside it is way more easier to propel and manoeuvre.

I'm all for personal preference and sounds totally valid in your case, but how is carpet unhealthy?

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Reply # 896344 16-Sep-2013 13:30

wasabi2k:
KiwiNZ: personally I dislike carpet, it is I believe unhealthy. We have a combination of polished wood floors and slate tiles. Easy to clean and the house is just about dust free. If I need to use my wheelchair inside it is way more easier to propel and manoeuvre.

I'm all for personal preference and sounds totally valid in your case, but how is carpet unhealthy?

Carpet is very hard to keep clean and sanitised, they collect all manner of "nasty" things, they are full of dust and dust mites and other creatures. Very bad for respiratory conditions and autoimmune conditions.

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Inphinity

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Reply # 896346 16-Sep-2013 13:33

wasabi2k:
KiwiNZ: personally I dislike carpet, it is I believe unhealthy. We have a combination of polished wood floors and slate tiles. Easy to clean and the house is just about dust free. If I need to use my wheelchair inside it is way more easier to propel and manoeuvre.

I'm all for personal preference and sounds totally valid in your case, but how is carpet unhealthy?

It takes a lot more effort to keep it clean, compared to less porous surfaces like wood and tile. It's not innately unhealthy, it just is more likely to collect mites and germs and whatnot. It's not a significant issue for the majority of people (especially if you vacuum regularly with a decent vacuum), but for some with respiratory illnesses or problems it can have an impact.

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Reply # 896812 17-Sep-2013 10:59

Solution dyed nylon is the way to go these days IMO.
Be aware that if talked up to a higher density/quality underlay (good idea in many cases), that unscrupulous companies might charge you for the higher density, but lay the cheaper lower density stuff. The samples they show you might be in different colours for different densities. I arrived home when carpet-layers were there, they had the underlay down in half of the house, it was the same colour as the high density sample that they'd supplied, seemed fine, there was no marking on the underlay itself, but there was a small sticker on the plastic bags on the rolls on the back of the truck - and they were laying the cheaper grade. Without feeling the samples side by side, it's practically impossible to tell what you're getting.
Quick phone call to carpet company, and their sales rep's response didn't come across as straight-up to me, commencing first with an attempt at a BS story that the bags may have been mislabeled. Only when they knew I was seriously p*ssed, they agreed to pull it all up and start again - and gave me a half-@rsed apology.
I won't name the well-known company, as I don't have proof that it wasn't just a mistake - but I smell a rat.
It's a competitive business, and a small cheat like that represented about $1500 extra profit for the job.

timmmay

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Reply # 896996 17-Sep-2013 15:01

I got my carpet replaced recently, it made the whole place look better. Some thoughts/tips:
- We went for something that's not wool. Priced around the same, no fades, more stain resistant.
- I spilled printer ink on it that wouldn't come out. The manufacturer guarantee didn't cover that.
- Investigate rubber underlay instead of foam
- Carpet comes in at least 3 different thicknesses - standard thin, thicker, and really thick. We got thin for a few room when we did it a couple of years ago, then got the medium for the rest of the house. It's really nice having the thicker carpet, would probably get super thick next time. It's more difficult to vacume, but it's lovely to walk on, and warm. It does get footprints in it though.

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pctek

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Reply # 897029 17-Sep-2013 15:27

Carpet Court have a carpet with a 25 year warranty, their claim is that if we spill something on it, and it can't be removed by a commercial carpet cleaner, the manafacturer will replace it no charge.

both our babies were quite spilly and our dog peed a couple of times on the carpet

I doubt it...read the small print...bet it has a bunch of exclusions.

With anything spilled - clean it IMMEDIATELY. Not later in the day, not tomorrow, straight away.

Soak in cold water and depending on the substance some kind of cleaner or just soap....

Once you have a set stain, even commercial cleaners can't always remove it.

As for the dog....seriouslY You allow it inside? With babies?

Gross.

timmmay

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Reply # 897034 17-Sep-2013 15:32

Also make sure you use the carpet cleaner recommended by the people who sell your carpet. My old carpet had a bunch of lighter spots on it from using the wrong cleaner. I don't even know if I'd clean anything myself any more, I'd just bring in a professional as sometimes you can make it worse.

I know my advise conflicts with pctek... ask a professional.

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