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Carpet Cushion: An essential part of the flooring system

Andrew Stafford • Feb 08, 2021

Understanding the overall flooring system and why it matters.

Imagine getting in your car without the springs and shock absorbers in proper working order. Driving to the grocery store would be a very different experience, indeed.

That’s what a carpeted floor would feel like without proper suspension. The experience would be rocky, hard and uncomfortable. And yet, many think that a carpeted floor doesn’t really require a good carpet cushion to suspend, distribute and cushion the weight of walking on it. They believe that just because the face of the carpet is soft and luxurious, whatever they put (or don’t put) underneath it doesn’t really matter that much. That’s like buying a car with plush, comfortable seats but with lousy leaf springs on the axles.

For a floor to be correctly installed, perform at its best and look beautiful for years, think of the entire floorcovering surface as a total “flooring system.” For example, a floor isn’t just the carpet roll or tiles of carpet you see on the surface. It’s also the subfloor (the concrete slab or OSB or plywood deck), the proper adhesive (in some cases), the correct suspension (the carpet cushion matched to the carpet type), and the quality engineering of the carpet itself (the primary and secondary backings, the synthetic or natural yarn and any treatment additives such as stain resistance or odor-retarders). 

The entire flooring system must be carefully considered not just for the particular aesthetics it brings to a space, but also the resiliency and performance characteristics that have been correctly aligned to the needs and conditions it will be subjected to, day-to-day. For instance, is it a high-traffic area? Will kids and pets play on it constantly? Is it a home office set-up that receives concentrated wear from equipment and roller chairs? Note that if anyone of the components fail because it is miss-matched to its conditions, then the entire flooring system fails to deliver on any or all of the expectations for beauty, safety, comfort, performance, wear, or maintenance.

Poor or inadequate carpet cushion will have an adverse ripple effect to the entire flooring system. A cheap carpet pad product (while providing some “suspension” quality in the beginning) will quickly breakdown under the normal stress and impact from high levels of foot traffic and family activity. This, in turn, will compromise the carpet installation effectiveness; the potential for wrinkles and lumps in stretched carpet and accelerated wear areas. Cheap carpet padding will also lack antimicrobial protection, so mold and mildew growth can go completely unchecked from beneath, in a subfloor with moisture mitigation issues. The life and comfort of the carpet, as well as the health of the home’s occupants, are needlessly compromised. 

The best suspension for a beautiful, well-functioning carpet flooring system is a genuine carpet cushion—not a carpet pad. The difference is readily apparent. Rather than gluing chunks of reclaimed foam together, the Healthier Choice® carpet cushion is made with visco-elastic frothed polyurethane foam. This is a patented process that provides a uniform level of comfort underneath the entire carpeted surface. It also resists crushing and mold and mildew growth. Plus, homeowners and installers can custom-match the right thickness of the cushion to the carpet, thanks to the Healthier Choice range of sizes.

Installing the right carpet for your home is easy once you understand the system. And the right flooring system always has the best suspension. Otherwise, you could be in for a rough ride.

 



By Paul Friederichson 24 Sep, 2021
Fire is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. So, it’s only natural to desire that the inside of the home to be as fire-retardant as possible. All flammable materials used in home décor and building materials, such as synthetic foam cushioning used in furniture upholstery or in carpet padding, are of concern for releasing toxic gases when burned or smoldering. California led the way in 2000 by setting fire retardant standards for furniture and carpet padding by allowing the use of retardants such as polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) or also known as “brominated fire retardants.” This particular chemical had been around since the 1970’s and has been widely used in all sorts of foam products. Many of these products wind up as pieces of the recycled waste used in creating those rebond multi-colored carpet pads sold today. As these rebond carpet pads age and breakdown, they become dusty, which in turn, releases PBDE up through the carpet backing and into face fibers over time. Small children are at a particular risk because they play on these contaminated carpets and inhale the dust. Studies have shown a direct connection of exposure to PBDE found in this dust and all sorts of health conditions, including higher rates of hyperactivity and lower IQ scores in children. PBDE can even find its way into breast milk or accumulate in body fat, affecting tissue function. In the case of carpet padding, if it isn’t labeled as having a PBDE fire retardant, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not there. It could be part of the recycled components that make up the padding. Who knows for sure? It’s hidden and it’s unknown. PBDE was taken off the market between 2004 and 2006, but unfortunately it lives on underneath many carpeted floors. Maybe even yours. The best way to avoid this issue entirely is to go with a quality carpet cushion instead of a cheap rebond carpet pad. Unlike those rebond pads, Healthier Choice is a continuous memory foam cushion made from virgin materials and has passed all fire codes for residential and commercial carpet cushioning. And it contains absolutely no brominated fire retardants. In fact, carpet cushions made by Healthier Choice contain a high percentage of calcium carbonate in the foam that naturally and safely prevents fire from spreading and extinguishes it. No one wants a fire in the home, or the toxic smoke that can be generated. But no one wants a hidden danger created by unknown chemical components finding their way through the carpet and into their family members, either. With carpet cushions by Healthier Choice, you can be safe on both counts.
By Website Editor 16 Dec, 2020
When it comes to carpet, people tend to focus on what they see and feel—that is the topside of the carpet. After all, it’s why we select carpet, right? Well, not entirely. Carpet, unlike any other type of floor covering, provides a cushiony softness under foot. But that cushiony softness is not totally attributable to the fiber, pile density or tufting style. A lot of that enjoyment of carpet actually emanates from beneath it—from the carpet cushion itself. To be sure, carpet cushions aren’t the glamor-part choosing and buying a new carpet, but they are every bit as important. However, most carpet customers (and surprisingly carpet retailers for that matter) don’t give carpet cushion its just due. To them, all carpet cushions are pretty much the same. They believe they are begrudgingly necessary but certainly not worth much attention (out of sight, out of mind). Even the term “carpet padding” still persists, just as those bizarre multi-colored recycled bits and chips of foam (and whatever else) welded together with heat, pressure and glue. Thank goodness those things are hidden under a beautiful carpet! Because of this common under-appreciation for the benefit of carpet cushions (stemming from an uninformed consumer and a retailer anxious to make a quick sale) significant opportunities are often missed. A REAL carpet cushion, like the kind made with high-density memory foam by Healthier Choice, creates a number of advantages for the carpet retailer. Here are just a few: Increased customer satisfaction. Perhaps no greater, long-lasting advantage to the retailer is a happy, satisfied customer. Memory foam carpet cushion ensures a better installation, a longer lasting and easier to clean carpet, as well as luxurious comfort your customer will brag about. Easier customer education. Most people understand the concept of memory foam and equate it with the unrivaled comfort of premium mattresses and pillows. Using the same technology for unrivaled comfort under foot is an easy “dot-connecting” moment in the sales associate’s presentation. Opportunity for customer up-sale. So the customer has already made the investment in a beautiful, quality carpet. For just a little more, that customer can now protect their enjoyment and purchase with a state-of-the-art carpet cushion worthy of their new purchase. Empathizing with customer quality concerns. As people spend more and more time in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing consciousness of the quality of flooring and other home improvements that go into the home as they relate to general health and wellbeing. A quality, U.S. made memory foam cushion like Healthier Choice is the ultimate, responsible choice. Not only does the memory foam cushion provide comfort and softness, Healthier Choice also prevents mold and mildew growth with Ultra-Fresh … and it’s even sustainable and recyclable! There are carpet pads and then there are carpet cushions like the kind made by Healthier Choice. There is a big difference. You owe it to yourself to offer this difference to your valued carpet-buying customers.
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