tonyandkaren said:
Grant - thanks for the comprehensive post! Since you have a lot of experience I have a question about carpeting. We bought a fairly inexpensive area rug and cut it to fit the living area. The main problem is that I use a wheelchair and tight turns of the wheels pull fibers out and also cause matting. We would like to buy a better quality carpeting but aren't sure what we should be looking for. I've noticed that commercial carpeting in hotel lobbies and casinos holds up really well to all of the traffic. What type of carpet is used and could we buy it? A scrap or end of the roll would be fine since we don't need a very large piece.
Tony and Karen,
I can truly empathize with you and your needs.
We are currently in the process of raising money and donations for my Uncle, who is paralyzed from his shoulders down. He was injured playing football for the Big Red at the University of Nebraska in the 1970s. Now, as his medical bills have piled up, his friends have grouped their efforts together to build him and his family a boundary-free home in Omaha, NE. For more info on him, check out his website,
http://www.budgeporter.com.
Anyway, as for your issue in your RV...
Most cheap area rugs are made with less expensive and more volatile fibers to keep the cost of the area rug down.
The carpets used in hotel lobbies are a little more unique than most carpet. Manufacturers like Stanton Carpets and Kane Carpets, who make much of the carpet used in Vegas, are generally using a very short and very densely twisted, "Royaltron" or "Eurolon" fiber to manufacturer their carpets. These fibers are similar in that they both are synthetic fibers which use high heat to "heatset" the tight twist used in their carpet, as well as a dyeing process called "solution dyeing", which is where the color of the carpet is engrained in the fiber rather than topically added after the carpet has been made. As such, you have a stronger twist combined with a carpet dye that is engrained into the fiber, thus making it less prone to stain, show dirt / traction, or fade under direct sunlight. While we offer both of these fibers from Stanton and Kane, the cost of their products is generally a little steep, generally ranging from $5.00 - $18.00 s.f. With that being said, Kane has a program where any carpet they offer in that fiber is available for $14.99 sf if made into an Area Rug, patterned centered and bound. I don't want to take this pricing thing any further as I am not supposed to advertise on here, but my intent is simply to give you an idea of where pricing falls for that style of carpet.
If you are looking for better performance in common carpet lines, much of that is contingent on the quality of the fiber selected, the density of the carpet, and the style of twist used to create the carpet.
As for quality, I'd look at nylon, particularly, Stainmaster's Type 6-6 Nylon or Anso Nylon from Shaw. Stainmaster's products are made of a form of nylon, called Type 6-6, which have the ability to twist tighter and set under higher heat than most traditional nylons. Anso uses a "crossbond technology" to make their carpet, which basically used fine fibers as the core of the twist, only to be reinforced by a stronger twisted fiber that wraps around the soft, fine fibers to create a more rigid twist. As a result, both of these styles of nylon are twisted tightly and less apt to open / fray in high traffic areas.
With that being said, you want to focus on thicker, low cut carpets for more durability. Figure, with less height, there is less gravitational pull, and thus, less propensity to fall over, open up, and fray.
Lastly, with a wheel chair, I would also avoid loosely looped carpets, which can snag and run the width of the carpet. If you go with a "berber" style, or a looped style of carpet, choose one that is tight, and tough to get you finger nails under. You will be better served.
Keep in mind that these styles of nylon are generally topically dyed, and while nylon carpets are better for durability, they are a little more prone to staining than some other synthetic fibers. At the same time, most "stain-proof" synthetic fibers fall short on durability. It's a Catch-22, but knowing what is most important for your needs will better serve you down the line.