Choosing carpet.....nylon vs. polyester

I always have thought 100% nylon continuous filament nylon to be best
carpet for wear, cleaning, etc..........
Am choosing for new build home.......and a lot of dealers are trying to
push polyester. they said with price of oil.....nylon costing more and
that the NEW POLYESTER is improved and just as good as nylon.....
that the nylon is an old thing and not necessarily best anymore....

Any truth to this? It will be the last carpet I choose as we are retired
and possibly carpet will outwear us....Ha! so want something that
will wear fine, not a lot of guests but have great grandbaby that somes
several times a week....and more on the way. so want it comfy for
their little knees when they crawl, but servicable.......it will be in living
room with hardwood entry and dining area adjoining it......
What do you suggest?
Any help gratefully appreicated!
thanks so much,
CGGMA

[twelvepole]

Over 50% of carpet sold is nylon. It is preferred because of its excellent resilience (the ability of a fiber to “spring back” to its original configuration), abrasion resistance, mildew resistance, and very good color retention. It can be acid dyed or solution dyed. Solution dyed is best because dyes are added while nylon is in molten state and tend not to fade or subject to color loss if a little bleach happens to splatter on it. Topically applied dyes to 'greige' goods (carpet is tufted first and dyed later) tend to be more subject to fading and color loss from inappropriate cleaning products such as bleach products.

Polyester carpet (PET) is no longer gaining market share (only 8% of market). It is not made from continuous filament yarns and, thus, tends to shed. Like olefin, it has poor resilience and tends to readily attract oily stains. It can also degrade from prolonged exposure to sunlight. It tends to be made from recycled plastic soda bottles, thus making for a lower price point than nylon.

If you wish to learn more about selecting carpet, go to www.carpet-rug.com for the Carpet Rug Institute's website.

thanks so very much........You confirmed that I am right in selecting Nylon....
I figured I'd get the truth on this site........vs. what the stores want to push....for reasons of cost, supply, what the market wants us to go to, etc.
They were probably trying to help, and it would last as long as we might need in our lifetime...
thanks again, appreicate it so much,
CGGma

[Angela]

I am wanting to purchase new carpet for my home. I want to get the best bang for my buck. I know that I want frieze. I have found some that is polyester that I like but I am concerned that it will not wear well. Is nylon frieze that much better than polyester frieze? Or is it possible to get a good quality polyester frieze?
Thanks

[Docduck]

olefin and polyester carpets are basicly plastic....it will collect oily soils, but not easy to stain...it will start showing wear within 6 months or so and once its crushed thats it

nylon will wear much slower, doesnt attract oily soils, but will stain...it will hold up much better...this is usually the more expensive carpeting

[carpetdepot]

Originally Posted by richardlarry

I have a choice between 4600 density, 90 ounce, PET polyester at $3.00 sq ft and 3600 density 70 ounce stainmaster nylon at 5.00 sq ft. No kids or pets, two adults, little traffic, about 700 sq ft to carpet.

What is your recomendation gurus? I've heard you say nylon over and over, but I've also heard that density is the most important factor.

Thanks for your help.

both carpets are overpriced keep shopping hit some little stores... nylon will last as long as you would want it to last.... especilly a stainmaster of the quality. if taken care of properly ie. vacumed in the traffic areas 2 or so times a week and get any spill up in moderate time can last you 25 to thirty years and still not look bad or wore out.. polys only look good for at most only half as long as nylon... pull on the carpet fibers and if any come off avoid that carpet.. it will shed for the life of the carpet filling vacume bags in one use and clinging to all your black clothing..

[carpetdepot]

Originally Posted by Angela

I am wanting to purchase new carpet for my home. I want to get the best bang for my buck. I know that I want frieze. I have found some that is polyester that I like but I am concerned that it will not wear well. Is nylon frieze that much better than polyester frieze? Or is it possible to get a good quality polyester frieze?
Thanks

a good quality nylor frieze is at least 2 times the carpet a poly is.. you will change a nylon because your tired of looking at it where a poly will start to show signs of wear within the first year and
eventually look so bad you have change it. people buy poly because it is cheaper than nylon. rember you always get what you pay for..

[089909]

Now that I see I should buy nylon how do I decide which weight is best? Lowe's told me that between 45-50 is good. Is this correct?

[Shai1]

I don't know if they have come out with a better process for making the PET carpet or not, but I have been doing a lot of carpet shopping/comparing lately and the PET carpet that I have seen had longer warranties than similar nylon carpets. It seems silly to say that they start breaking down in 6 months when they have a 7 years texture retention warranty, and, of course, the wear warranty is even longer. Most of the nylon carpet in the same price range only have a 5 year texture retention warranty. Sure, you can find nylon carpet that has a longer warranty, but at twice the price.

[DeonCarpenter]

The Good: I installed polyester carpet in my own home over ten years ago and it still looks new. My home is small, only 1400 square feet, so all of the carpet gets plenty of traffic and child abuse.

The Bad: The first year we thought we were going to vacuum all the carpet up from the shedding but that eventually stopped. Heavy furniture will leave a permanent dents that none of the “tricks” will remove.

Overall: It was worth paying the lower price. We are getting ready to replace carpet that still looks almost as good as the day it was installed because we are tired of the color.

[gqlefty]

I bought a Poly/nylon blend and am still happy with it.