carpet for use in rental house - Nylon or wool?

[powerbuff]

I have been told that 100% wool is better.

I may be renting the house out down the track and would like the carpet to be still reasonable if sold in 5 years.

Is the story clear cut?

Some people say you can get a Nylon/ wool mix that is treated ..others say go with 100% wool.

What is best for stain resistance and wear? Anything else to consider?

Thanks
Gazza

[woodsprite]

We recently put down new plush pile carpet in our new extension, and will be replacing the rest of the carpet in the house (when I finish a couple of small reno's). We looked long and hard at carpet and the use it will get - there are 6 of us in the family, youngest daughter is 7, so we wanted a carpet that will wear well. Wound up getting 100% nylon - the general consensus was that this would be durable, easy to keep clean (from spills and stains) and it is scotch-guarded (or similar) as well. I think most carpets are these days.

However: all the dealers we spoke to said that the best way to prolong carpet is to clean it regularly and often. In our case the recommendation was to vaccuum it twice weekly!(These were the manufacturer's recommendations). It gets done one a week.....

I suggest that you get a good quality nylon number, and then hope and pray that the tenants have the decency to vaccuum it weekly. The guys told us that it only takes a couple of years of neglect for even the best of carpets to be ruined if they are not cleaned weekly. If you have doubts about how well it will be maintained get a cheap carpet.

I sold my deceased mum's house earlier this year - was going to replace the carpet (which was in pretty good nick but a little worn in spots) and the estate agent said to save my money - he reckoned that most new owners replace the floor coverings and the colour scheme within 18 months of buying anyway and we would just be wasting cash and it would not increase the value of the property.

So, get a cheapie if you are worried the carpet won't be maintained, and if it looks a bit tired in 5 years time, don;t worry too much - the new people will likely replace it anyway!

Buying carpet is sooooo difficult! If you get a good quality carpet, get the best quality underlay - the blue stuff - you can afford as this helps prolong the life of even a cheap carpet.

Good luck
Jeff

[scooter]

Agree with the underlay bit, we had "platinum" underlay laid under ours and it's great underfoot.


Cheers................Sean

[bsrlee]

You could look at the felted carpet tiles - I think some brands are 'Heuga' or 'Feltex'. If the renters put cigarette burns in the 'carpet' you can just pull up the tile & swap it for one in a less obvious spot - dito high waer areas. They use a 'tacky glue' when installing them - don't sniff it

[snowyskiesau]

I've a house that I've rented out for the last 6 years. There have been a number of tenants with varying numbers of pets and/or children.
The house has wool carpets and they have stood up to the wear very well.
I hope to move into the house in a few years time and don't expect that I'll have to replace the carpets.

[b1ueshift]

The only advantage of wool is the softness and look. Having used wool carpet myself, I would avoid it (especially if you have kids & pets & not much time to look after it). It looks nice, but being a natural material, the fibers are very fine. It's much harder to get stains out of wool.

The best carpet for surviving neglect (like rental accomodation) is nylon carpet with some random pattern. Any stain that you can't clean out 100% will not be visible. It's also a lot cheaper than wool.

[silentC]

Yep solution dyed nylon is what you want for a rental. Try this table:

http://www.carpetcourt.com.au/home/h...ts_fibres.html

[powerbuff]

Thanks for the good feedback.

Anyone used polypropelyne carpet?

I'm looking for a 4m broadloom as my main area is 3.9 m wide!

Thanks

[silentC]

Yes, we put Polypropylene carpets in our place. Capital Cord at the kids end and Catalyst II at our end. Both from Carpet Court. So far so good.

[Gumby]

get a really tough loop pile carpet. Wears really well. Nylon is good. Should cost around $100 per b/loom mtr. laid inc u/lay