How to Buy
Church Carpeting
Reprinted from YOUR CHURCH MAGAZINE with Author's Permission
A
Common Sense Guide for the Furnishings or Building Committee
From time to
time as a church builds a new building or remodels an older building
the need arises for the purchase of carpet. Often the committee has
little or no knowledge of carpet, carpet fibers, various
manufacturing techniques, or just to how to find the "best buy" on
carpet. Unfortunately, too many people buy carpet for the wrong
reasons ‑because it is the least expensive, or because it is the
right color.
With hundreds of different
carpet mills in the USA making carpet for the world, there's almost
an unlimited selection of styles to choose from. However, it is most
important to note that the carpet manufacturing process is very
similar, even with different styles, and that many mills can make
almost any style that any other mill can, if they have the right
equipment.
Carpet Fibers
The primary
fibers utilized in the manufacturing of carpet today in the United
States are nylon and polypropylene (also called olefin), and to a
lesser degree polyester, acrylic and wool. Some other fibers are
used, but account for less than 1% of the market. The primary fiber
used in carpet is nylon, which accounts for approximately 70‑80% of
the carpet made today. Each fiber has its individual strengths and
weaknesses, and these contribute greatly to the overall performance
of the carpet. We will examine the two which make up 95% of the
carpet manufactured today.
NYLON
Nylon is the
strongest of the fibers, and of course nylon is a man‑made product,
invented by the DuPont Corporation. Nylons are now made by
different companies, such as BASF, AMOCO, and DuPont, but generally
speaking in all circumstances a nylon fiber will behave and act like
a nylon fiber, no matter who manufacturers it. Many smaller mills
will in fact purchase end lots of the fibers sold to larger mills
(who have permission as large buyers to use trade names such as
Stainmaster, StainRelease, Masterlife, etc.,) and while the smaller
mills manufacture carpets under less popular names, it is often
carpet of equal quality. They often will, however have a much
better price on the carpet.
Nylon's
strength is in abrasion resistance (difficult to wear out), ease of
coloration or dyeing (this makes custom dyeing possible with nylon
cut pile carpets), and a very plush or finished appearance. Nylon
also has the ability to "bounce back" making it more crush resistant
than other fibers and easier to maintain. Nylon's weakness is that
it is not stain resistant by itself, which means that it must be
treated with Scotchgard or some other fiber treatment in order to
become "stain resistant" . Once treated, nylon carpets have only a
7% soil absorption rate ‑ making them a favorite! Since nylon carpet
is usually dyed after the carpet is made, a good choice of colors is
available, as well as custom dyeing.
Nylon is also
available in a new form, called Nylon 6.6. The 6.6 refer to the
number of carbon atoms used in each molecule. (The standard nylon is
nylon 6.0). The newer nylon 6.6 is slightly firmer and has fewer
pores, or open dye site. This means that it is more difficult to
dye, but also means that it is more difficult to stain with wet
stains.
OLEFIN (also
known as POLYPROPYLENE)
Olefin is the second
most popular fiber accounting for approximately 15‑20% of the market
today. Olefin is a naturally stain resistant fiber, and does not
need to be treated to be stain resistant. It's soil absorption rate
is only 3% and even lower if it has been treated. (Many
manufacturers will treat olefin simply because they know the public
likes to see "Scotchgard" on the label, even though it does not need
it). Olefin fibers also are generally solution dyed fibers, which
means the fiber is made with the color already "built in". While
this means a smaller color selection is available in olefin carpets,
at the same time the colors cannot fade out due to a strong sunlight
in exposed areas, and generally harsh detergents, chemicals and even
bleaches will not remove the color or hurt the fibers.
Unfortunately, olefin tends to mat easily if made into a cut pile or
plush carpet, and because of this one does not generally see olefin
cut pile carpets. Furthermore, olefin is heat sensitive, and one
needs to realize that dragging a table across an olefin carpet can
melt the fibers (so can a hot coffee pot placed on the floor).
Olefin fibers are usually made into level loop style carpets, and
are best utilized in education areas, food service areas, and other
areas where spills are likely to occur. Generally, level loop olefin
carpets are a little less expensive that cut pile carpets, although
the color selection, as noted above, is somewhat limited. While
olefin is not as abrasion resistant as nylon, olefin carpets are
nonetheless an excellent value for the price.
Carpet
Quality
As noted
previously, a nylon fiber will act like a nylon and an olefin will
act like an olefin whether it is a name brand or not. The
construction used in manufacturing the carpet, as well as the fiber
used and application for the carpet determine the quality of
carpet. The difference between residential carpet and commercial
carpet today is determined first by construction, then fiber.
Quality is
determined by fiber, pile height, stitch count, and needle size of
the carpet-tufting machine. A tufting machine is 12 or 15 feet long
and is the machine that sews or tufts the fiber into a backing
material, called the primary backing. As this machine operates,
there may be anywhere from 700‑1600 needles operating on a single
machine. One measurement used to determine quality is to multiply
the number of stitches per inch times the gauge of the needle to get
the number of stitches per square inch. For instance, a 1/8-gauge
needle tufting 10 stitches per linear inch gives 80 stitches per
square inch, a fairly tight construction. The tighter the stitches
are together, and the shorter the loop, the better the quality of
carpet, and the less tracking (footprints) and soiling will occur.
The best pile height for a church is about .25 ‑. 33 inches, to help
eliminate tracking and soiling problems.
OVERBUYING
CARPET
It is easy for
today's church leader to want the very best for the church, yet it
is important to realize that the best commercial carpets today are
made to go into shopping malls, hospitals, major office complexes,
and other areas where they get thousands of foot‑prints each day.
At that rate, they will last 10‑20 years before wearing out. In the
average church, the congregation will use carpet only 3‑5 hours per
week, and it is not necessary to pay for top quality when many fine,
less expensive carpets will handle the job nicely. The fact is that
the average church will build or remodel every 20 years, replacing
carpet since they are tired of the colors, while their carpet will
likely last 50 years or more. As good stewards of God's finances,
we can get good quality and good value at the same time, and have
the color we want ‑ if necessary by having the carpet dyed for
little or no extra money.
CHOOSING A
VENDOR
All carpet comes from
the same mills, which are mostly in Dalton Georgia and the
surrounding area. You can save money by buying direct, instead of
going to a store that has lots of overhead and commission
salespeople. Our company provides the same quality carpet - and you
save the money!
MEASURING
Most
reputable dealers will measure from your plans or building site at
no cost to you, however, don't expect them to give you the yardage
information. They don't want you to call every dealer in town after
they have done the hard work of measuring for you. Ask for a
complete job price, considering the removal of old carpet, moving of
furniture, timetable, etc.
While proper
carpet measuring involves a complex "take‑off" of your plans to
determine where and how the carpet can be laid, a quick way to
double check numbers is to determine the square footage of the
building as follows:
Measure
length of area x width of area
Example 30' x
50' = 1500 square feet
Add 20% to
this for measure adjustments ‑ 1500 x 120% = 1800 Sq. feet
Divide by 9
to get the square yards ‑ 1800 /9 = 200 square yards estimated.
Don't forget
that risers, stairs and other vertical areas will add to this
figure.
SUMMARY
Buying carpet
can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, as it is generally the
last "construction material" to be installed and will give a
finishing touch to your church facilities. Ask questions, compare
quality, and look for a fair price to determine your best carpet
value.
© GSI 1999 - 2008
Printable Version
