Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Sep 26, 2009 2:50 pm We are putting carpets down in our hallway and bedrooms over polished wooden floors. We have a toddler, baby on the way and want a quieter cosier bedroom end of the house and I've always preferred carpet, especially in the bedrooms. The one we have chosen is outlined below. Just wondered whether we have made a good call? I want it to be A. Easy to clean. B. Soft underfoot. C. Good for a young family. Complexity Plus. Fibre: solution dyed nylon (SDN) Program: Magic Fresh Rating: Residential Heavy Duty I LOVE the colour we have chosen, the feel and the look. Just wonder how to compares to wool. I read and hear such conflicting views!!! Re: Advice on SDN carpet 4Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm Thanks. That gave me a bit more info, although info on the sellers' sites is limited. Its a modulated loop pile tufted carpet, made with SDN pile. It doesn't say what secondary backing material it has, or its weight?? Its likely to give quite good service, as long as its looked after quite well. Being synthetic, it will show you when it needs attention. That is, it won't hide soil that well. Vacuum it regularly, clean up spots quickly and have it professionally cleaned by a trained and reputable technician about yearly. It should keep looking quite good for probably 10-15 years. It is a loop pile, so it is essential that all seams and joins are SEAM-SEALED. A lot of layers short cut this practice. With loop pile, if there's a loose thread can pull rows of yarn out. Many carpets of this style end up ratty and frayed at edges, unless it is very well laid and looked after. So look carefully at the warranty terms for the installation. Carpet Court (like lots of franchises) like to shroud their products with mystery and put a positive spin on everything, so its hard to compare. Their underlay info is typically so. You can bet their standard underlay choices are far from the best you can get. I'd look at other stores if I were you. Smaller, family owned stores, with their own installers, who give more personalised service. Myself, I'm not a great fan of most SDN carpets that are sold these days. I prefer quality wool carpets. But wool may well cost about double. Well chosen wool carpets maintain their appearance better in most cases, and may last much longer. There are trade-offs though, and wool is more sensitive to chemical damage, insect attack and stuff. But they are just more beautiful and luxurious in many ways. So sorry, but there's no clear choice. Ultimately its YOUR choice. Whatever you choose, its mostly a matter of how you look after it that determines what service it gives, and how it looks. Ash. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 6Sep 26, 2009 7:18 pm Like you we have chosen a SDN carpet (also from Carpet Court). We had 100% wool in our previous home and would *never* have it again. The carpet we selected then was very good quality with a good quality underlay however, it did not wear well with two small children and a cat. I am very particular about cleaning and looked after it well but that did not make a difference IMHO. That being said, when we sold the home all the r/estate agents we interviewed commented on the great condition of the carpet! Perhaps I'm just fussy. We've selected SDN after a great deal of research and comparision of products. I suppose only time will tell Pix Built a (highly) modified Allcastle Maxworth 38.7 in Sydney. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 7Sep 26, 2009 8:32 pm Hi Pix, Wool is a STAPLE FIBRE. That is, it is a hair that has finite length, which is spun into a yarn. So, yes it does wear. Depending on the style of carpet, and a number of factors, it will thin out in traffic ways. That is normal to a point. But the wool carpet generally maintains its good looks even as it wears. It "grows old gracefully". I have seen 40 year old wool carpets that are worn right through to the underlay, yet the same carpet 1 metre away looks brand new! On the other hand, most synthetic carpets are made from a CONTINUOUS FILAMENT fibre. It does not wear out. Many such carpets have 15 or 20 year wear warranties, because they know they could test the carpet, and in a lab, it weighs the same as a new carpet. All the yarn is still there. The difference is the synthetic fibres can become UGLY as they are exposed to abrasion in traffic ways. Often after a while, the traffic ways look trashed out, grey and discoloured, but technically, they are not worn out. In all this, there are still lots of variations from carpet to carpet. Its not just a matter of wool vs SDN or other fibres. Colour, style, density etc etc all play a part in performance. So the dissapointment you had with your wool carpet should not be attributed just to it being wool. And jumping to extremes, saying you won't have wool again is not learning what's what. Could be overreacting, and then you have another set of dissapointments. Its a matter of personal choice which characteristics and qualities we think are important. After that, its a matter of taking care of what we have chosen. Ash. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 9Sep 27, 2009 3:49 pm Framboise, I know it can be confusing. You will always hear contradictory info. It can be a matter of cutting through the crap, and filtering the feedback and info til you arrive at the right carpets for YOU. There are rules of thumb, but they aren't hard and fast, and there are exceptions. You should also consider that not all info is equal. Carpets sales people are notorious for knowing little. Their info is usually quite unreliable. I (on the other hand) have been speaking to consumers for many years specifically about all sorts of concerns they have with their carpets. I understand carpets, and understand their strengths and weaknesses. I clean carpets and fix problems on a daily basis, so I have an intimate and vast knowledge of the subject. Let me give you a general overview... Almost all the cases where people have complaints is because (a) they have chosen carpets that are not the best choice for their purpose, or (b) they have not maintained the carpet correctly. Also (c) cheaper underlays and poor laying leads to poor carpet performance as well, affecting their lifespan. People commonly choose carpets that are fairly light, plain and uniform is design. Linear designs such as sisal style carpets have been most popular. These are obviously going to show any spots, damage or contamination unless they are cared for very well. So I recommend choosing a carpet that has a slightly diffused finish. A subtle pattern, in either or both colour or texture will make it much more forgiving. And wool carpet is better at hiding soil and maintaining good appearance. Carpets that are more mid-tone will generally keep better than very light or very dark tones too. More dense, low profile carpets perform better. Getting up spots and stains is quite easy if you do so promptly and correctly. How you look after the carpet has far more impact on stains than which fibre its made from. Carpets boasting the best stain resistance and wear warranties are usually the ones which may have other issues that affect its appearance (such as resilience). Generally I find carpet owners are happier with wool rich carpets, because they maintain their overall appearance better. But wool requires respect and care, and is more sensitive to chemicals and damage. If the carpet is going to be neglected, nylons will be more forgiving, and cost less, so may be a better choice. Solution dyed nylons vary in performance. There are a number of variaties of SDN yarns. Generally, they are a better choice than other nylons if fading is a big factor (if you have a lot of sunlight on the carpet, or if you are in Qld). Otherwise, other quality nylon yarns perform as well or better than SDN yarns. At the end of the day, you must choose a carpet that YOU LIKE. You say you "love the Complexity Plus" so it may well be the best carpet for YOU. I'd suggest to get the best from it, get it laid on Dunlop Excellay or Bridgestone Prime underlay, and be sure that it is laid well, all seams sealed before heat seaming, and carpets power-stretched and laid according to Australian Standard 2455.1:2007 by an experienced carpet installer. Look after it well, and you will be very happy with the carpet! Re: Advice on SDN carpet 10Sep 27, 2009 5:34 pm Just to add a bit to Ash's comments. The SDNs are usually in continuous filament form which has advantages and disadvantages. In a loop pile configuration this means that each and every fibre runs the complete length of the loop and beyond so there is no fluffing and does not lose short unattached fibres like in a staple yarn. but one thing you have to be careful with, especially with young children is the loops can be easily pulled by sharp edges on toys, shoes or even cat claws. Nylons are sometimes cut into staple lengths and then spun like wool. This is to give it some of the texture characteristics of wool. So a staple spun nylon can lose some fibres like a wool carpet. This is not such a huge problem as the manufacturers take this into consideration when manufacturing the carpet and usually twist it a bit more and add more fibre in the first place to allow for this loss of fibre. The annoying thing is that when you first start to vacuum a staple yarn, cut pile carpet, either wool or synthetic, it will 'shed' for quite a while until the excess loose fibre is removed. This means you fill your vaccuum with this excess fibre for the first few months until it all settles down. cheers Col Nation For information on caring for wool and other carpet and upholstery go to www.woolsafe.com.au Re: Advice on SDN carpet 11Sep 27, 2009 5:41 pm You can always upgrade your underlay….Carpet Court will do that no problem. Unless you are buying top of the range carpet, you will always…in my opinion need to upgrade the underlay. I’m sure the 2 flooring gurus in her will agree with me, the underlay is very important to the wear and performance of the carpet. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Advice on SDN carpet 13Sep 30, 2009 11:10 am A bit more info: http://www.beaulieu.com.au/bolyu_produc ... l_MD&id=15 The carpet is a Bolyu product made my Beaulieu in QLD. Is their 'Cottage View' product. Comes with a 15 yr warranty - so can't see how I can go too wrong? Have been out and about the past few days....still can't go past it for looks, feel etc. I *know* isn't wool, but I have a sick baby right now and can't imagine cleaning vomit out of woolen carpet 4 nights running I think I'm going to go for it - will give a performance update in time. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 14Sep 30, 2009 9:15 pm They do make quite a good product and are one of the companies that at least do honour their warranties. I've been through thier state of the art factory and have done warranty work for them in the past through my own cleaning consulting service. I don't think you will be disapointed in your choice for your purpose. cheers Col Nation For information on caring for wool and other carpet and upholstery go to www.woolsafe.com.au Re: Advice on SDN carpet 15Oct 01, 2009 1:10 am Framboise, Knowing its a Beaulieu carpet, I can agree that it should give you very good service. The specs provided on their site give much more info that helps to evaluate the carpet's qualities. So it seems you have good taste and have chosen a nice carpet. Note on the site, they specifically state that the carpet should have a heavy duty underlay, seams sealed, and laid to AS 2455.1:2007. So make sure you see that thses things are followed. Heavy duty underlay in my book = Dunlop Excellay or Bridgestone Prime. Have I said that before? Cheers! Ash. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 17Oct 03, 2009 6:59 pm Framboise Have Bridgestone prime underlay...... getting laid next Friday Cool Is it replacing existing carpets, or a new installation altogether? In either case, be sure that the smoothedge is all in good condition, and very well secured. Architectural (wider, 3 pin) smoothedge is advised. And ask the layers to show you the seam sealer being applied to the cut edges before they heat seam them, and ensure its powerstretched. Ash. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 18Oct 10, 2009 2:09 pm Hi Framboise, Just wondering how the carpet is going? We are going to have a similar product - SDN twist pile, magic fresh carpet, was just after some feedback on how it is looking in the house? Thanks, Beans. Re: Advice on SDN carpet 19Oct 10, 2009 5:01 pm Framboise A bit more info: http://www.beaulieu.com.au/bolyu_produc ... l_MD&id=15 The carpet is a Bolyu product made my Beaulieu in QLD. Is their 'Cottage View' product. Comes with a 15 yr warranty - so can't see how I can go too wrong? Have been out and about the past few days....still can't go past it for looks, feel etc. I *know* isn't wool, but I have a sick baby right now and can't imagine cleaning vomit out of woolen carpet 4 nights running I think I'm going to go for it - will give a performance update in time. I think you'll be more than happy with your Beaulieu carpet We had Beaulieu installed almost 10 months ago and I love it. http://www.beaulieu.com.au/bolyu_produc ... tial&id=70 Softness is lovely, easy to vac and care for. I have a large playroom with three kids and a few extra kids that come and play from the neighbour-hood and it looks fantastic. I'm one of a few people who don't like Wool carpet and I searched high and low for a nice SDN. I did have some funny seams a few weeks after is was laid. A Beaulieu Rep came and fixed them up for me. Good luck Happy at Home Re: Advice on SDN carpet 20Oct 11, 2009 4:50 pm Hi Ash, Can you please tell me if there should be special laying considerations with wool carpets also? I saw some carpet on the weekend that I really liked but from Victoria Carpets. I don't know if they are a top quality manufacturer or not. I would really appreciate any comments on the following 2: http://www.victoriacarpets.com.au/product.asp?ID=50 http://www.victoriacarpets.com.au/product.asp?ID=71 Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 15669 1 10997 1 15729 |