Thickness Of Carpet And Pad

Together they are key factors in your carpet s look and feel and they also influence its resilience and durability.

Thickness of carpet and pad.

The right thickness for a given room largely depends on the traffic and the type of carpet that is installed. For most residential carpets the carpet pad should be between 1 4 and 7 16 inch thick and should have a density of 6 to 8 pounds per cubic foot. In higher traffic areas such as hallways and stairwells it is usually recommend by the carpet manufacturer that you use thin dense carpet padding no thicker than 3 8. Let s take a look at how thickness affects certain uses and types of carpet.

Carpet padding can come in thicknesses anywhere from under 1 4 up to 1 2. On stairs i recommend a carpet pile height of 1 2 or less and a carpet padding thickness of 7 16 or less and a pile density rating of at least 8 pounds. However this isn t always the case. Don t choose a carpet pad that s too thick or you risk unsightly folds and wrinkles developing in and beneath.

Something around 0 25 inch 0 6 cm or 0 375 inch 1 cm thick will respond better. The pile height measurement is not usually shown on the carpet sample however all you need is a tape measure. People who have chosen a cut pile or cut and loop carpet will often find that investing in slightly thicker padding will be worth the money. For berber carpets the carpet and rug institute recommends a carpet padding no thicker than.

Thinner loop and cut pile carpets require a more. Padding is available in several materials with a thickness ranging from 1 4 inch to 9 16 inch. Thick padding can impair the carpet from properly stretching upon installation. Padding should not be too thick in rooms that get a lot of use.

Carpet density is basically a combination of height and thickness. Thick padding may not be as durable and anything over 8 16 will cause installation problems. Get to know the basics below to decide which options are best for your home and lifestyle. Most flooring manufacturers recommend eight pound padding with no more than 3 8 inches thick.

The good news is most retailers know the padding thickness you need. It s usually pretty simple because most carpets call for 7 16 pad. Thickness a general rule of thumb when choosing a residential carpet padding is to select a thickness that is not greater than 7 16 inches and no less than 1 4 inches. According to abccarpets most residential carpet pads have a thickness of 7 16 inch.