Welcome to our blog! Whether you’re a faithful follower or this is your first time, we’re glad you’re here. One of our main focuses here at Mouery’s is flooring education; we believe that when you understand everything that goes into your future flooring purchase you’re able to make an informed decision on what products are best for you and your family. When choosing carpet we encourage you to shop by fiber type (which can all be explained here if you need a refresher), but what you may not realize is the unseen cushion underneath the carpet is equally as important.
The Purpose of pad
Often times, we hear people say they want a pad with a lot of “squish” to it. While comfort under foot is a benefit of carpet padding, it is not the main purpose of the padding. Carpet pad has several benefits, but it’s greatest purpose is to protect the carpet itself from the subfloor, and the abrasive damage that can happen without a barrier between the carpet backing and subfloor.
We carry five carpet pads here, in-stock in our warehouse, and we’re going to dissect them today to help educate you on the right pad for you and your family, but before we do there’s some terms to know.
Terms to know
Rebond is one of the most popular carpet padding constructions, where high density foam is recycled shredded and bonded back together through the use of adhesives giving it a repurposed use under carpets.
When shopping for pad you may hear terms such as “8 pound”. The density of carpet padding is measured in pounds, and then calculated by measuring the total weight of one cubic foot of carpet padding. In general, denser or heavier carpet padding can handle heavier traffic than those that are less dense.
Pad Options
Cobalt is our entry level pad. it is a 6 pound rebond that is 7/16” thick. Cobalt would be best suited for rental homes or places where the carpet is changed out very often.
Cobalt Pad
Varsity is an upgrade to Cobalt. It is also a 7/16” thick rebond, but is an 8 pound pad. Varsity would be best suited for higher trafficked areas of homes where carpet is changed out every 3-5 years. ($0.05/sf price increase from Cobalt)
Varsity Pad
SmartCushion is a pad manufactured by Mohawk Flooring. While it is also an 8 pound, 7/16” thick, rebond pad there are a few things that set it apart from Varsity. ($0.30/sf price increase from Varsity)
Our SmartCushion pad is pink because they donate a portion of sales to breast cancer research.
The foam in our SmartCushion pad is recycled memory foam, a more elastic material than the foam used in Varsity. Another feature that sets it apart is it’s maintenance barrier on top: keeping spills, dirt and allergens from penetrating the padding. This barrier is especially beneficial for those with kids, pets that may have accidents, and those that suffer from allergies.
Having SmartCushion pad installed under most Mohawk carpets will increase the warranty and life expectancy of the carpet.
($0.30/sf price increase from Varsity)
Our next in-stock carpet padding option is our 8.2 pound Synthetic pad. This pad is just what it sounds like; a pad made of 100% recycled synthetic material. We would recommend synthetic pad for a budget friendly option to Karastep (our premium carpet pad- keep reading!) for wool carpet installations. There is not a maintenance barrier on our Synthetic pad.
($0.30/sf price increase from Varsity)
Synthetic Pad
Karastep is our premium carpet padding option, manufactured by Karastan carpets. If you are unfamiliar with Karastan, they are Mohawk Flooring’s premium residential carpet brand. Karastep is a 9 pound, 7/16” thick, virgin frothed polyurethane cushion with the same maintenance barrier as SmartCushion. It’s dense memory foam construction absorbs every step for superior sound absorption. Karastep is the premium pad choice for wool and premium carpet installations.
Karastep premium carpet padding
Having Karastep pad installed under any Karastan or Mohawk carpet will enhance the life of the carpet warranty including installation on stairs and is transferable to future home owners.
($0.80/sf price increase from SmartCushion)
Final Thoughts
We have both our SmartCushion pad and Karastep pad installed here in our showroom so you can feel the difference (installed) for yourself. If you have any further questions about carpet padding we would love to talk to you! Feel free to give us a call at (417) 883-4710, email us at flooring417@gmail.com, or visit our showroom located at 2516 W Battlefield Rd, in Springfield, Mo.
We are a full service floor retailer, we offer free in home estimates and design consultations, you can get set up for an appointment here. We also post weekly rug sales, new arrivals, design inspiration, completed job site photos and more on our social media platforms, so be sure to follow us where you can!
