Carpet padding makes the carpet soft by adding cushioning effect under the carpet giving it the coveted rich and a luxurious feel. As well as increasing the life of the carpet they also help to reduce noise as they absorb sound. They have the capability to retain heat and make the interiors of homes warm. They allow effective removal of dirt from the carpet when vacuuming carpets as they allow more air to be sucked up, thereby giving you a cleaner home. There are six types of carpet padding: Waffle rubber, rebond padding, foam, frothed foam, fiber, and slab rubber padding. Carpet pads are available in a range of materials, density and thickness.

Waffle rubber padding is soft but cracks and wears out fast with use as they have clay type binders used for binding rubber. Rebond padding is extremely strong but the chemicals used in it can have adverse effect on carpets and also the gas released form the rebond carpet pad can cause yellowing on the carpet surface. Foam padding provides cushioning effect but its life is short as the cushioning effect causes the carpet to move up and down too much. Frothed foam padding is better than waffle rubber, rebond, and foam padding. It is extremely durable and can be used under all carpets. Fiber padding is made form synthetic fiber or textile fiber and also from jute, horsehair and camel hair. Out of all the materials, spun nylon fiber padding is the best.

Slab rubber padding prevents crushing of carpets and furniture indentation and is ideal for high traffic areas.

It is extremely important to have the right carpet padding under the actual carpet. All the six types of carpet pads mentioned above present good foundation to the carpet. The type of carpet padding that you choose depends on the type of flooring you have in your home. You may have a wood flooring, tile flooring or concrete flooring. One wrong decision in choosing the carpet padding will shorten the lifespan of the carpet.

It is very important to make an informed decision of buying the right carpet pad when installing your carpet. You will want choose a carpet padding that has the ability to resist soiling and prevents moisture from getting stick to the carpet. You must remember that different areas in the house require different padding. You will need heavy carpet padding for areas such as living rooms which witness heavy traffic. You may like to have light carpet padding for your bedroom so chose one. The most popular type of carpet padding among masses that is available in the market today is the fiber padding. Fiber padding is also made from different materials like nylon, acrylic, olefin, polyester and wool. Among these Acrylic is resistant to stain and sunlight and is also easy to clean. Nylon, on the other hand, is available in wide range of prices, is resistant to abrasion and its fibers are altered to hide soiling. They, however, can easily fade when exposed to sunlight. Polyester also has the same disadvantage.

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