What Is Carpet Pad Thickness

Although carpet padding is responsible for a lot more than comfort the average person walking across his living room may imagine that thicker is better.

What is carpet pad thickness.

The density of the carpet pad foam is another factor to consider. Carpet padding can come in thicknesses anywhere from under 1 4 up to 1 2. How to choose the right carpet pad. Shop all thickness options.

The exception to 7 16 inch as the ideal thickness is short pile and berber carpeting. Some prefer a rubber pad or a synthetic fiber or wool pad for basements. These require thinner padding because the give on thick pads can damage them. Berber styles require a special padding that is more dense with a lower profile.

The good news is most retailers know the padding thickness you need. Widely looped carpets like berber do not react well to thick carpet padding. Padding that is too thick or thin can cause the carpet to wrinkle buckle separate and wear prematurely. Cut pile residential carpet such as those with textures and twists should have padding with a thickness of 1 2 inch or less.

In some instances improper pad thickness voids the carpet s warranty. That s because the thick carpet pad has too much give for a short pile carpet. Carpet density is basically a combination of height and thickness. Get to know the basics below to decide which options are best for your home and lifestyle.

Don t choose a carpet pad that s too thick or you risk unsightly folds and wrinkles developing in and beneath. Together they are key factors in your carpet s look and feel and they also influence its resilience and durability. Thick padding may not be as durable and anything over 8 16 will cause installation problems. Thick padding is generally not only not worth it but may result in buckling worn or splitting carpet.

For this reason you ll want a thinner carpet pad. In fact it might even be worse for your home. For example a good quality rebond padding 1 4 to 3 8 thickness and a density of at least 8 pounds. If you choose a low pile carpet which includes berber loop pattern carpet and commercial varieties the carpet pad thickness should be 3 8 inch or less.

A thick pad can actually damage thin carpet types such as berber. According to abccarpets most residential carpet pads have a thickness of 7 16 inch. In most cases the ideal thickness of padding is 7 16 inch. Selecting the right carpet pile density.

But with padding thicker pad isn t always the best carpet padding.