I got information on here how to fix my washing machine and my refrigerator so I'll go for one more .I have a rental that needs carpet .Options? It is an mid scale rental. Point me some where that I can learn about fiber and weave to educate myself
I would not worry about it too much. It going to get trashed anyways. (just a guess) Just about anything these days will hold hold pretty well and will clean decently. The big box stores all sell decent carpet at really good prices. I have family in the flooring biz and they dont get much better prices than Home depot sale prices..... And something to think about if you are doing floors, just cause there was carpet there to begin with does'nt mean you have to put carpet back! vinyl, wood, tile ect can all be used to lessen carpet wear in high traffic areas.
Rental-go cheap & assume it will get trashed...forget about fibers & weaves as it's $$$ you need to be concerned with
I'd put vinyl in, something that looks like flagstone, and let the renters use area rugs that they provide. It's easy to clean up after they leave.
TPI............Threads per inch. Count the threads in 1 square inch. That gives you your TPI number. It is common for people to pay for a high thread count and then get a lower count installed. Check what you get against what you pay for. Don't trust anyone.
Just go to a carpet store and tell them you have rental property and want something "mid level" and they will point you in the right direction. That's what I've done with all my rental stuff. Oh, and splurge for the nice carpet pad. It will make your cheap-o carpet feel so much nicer! Something I did that saved me future headaches was to put vinyl in the hallway to the bedrooms. This meant that the carpet in all the bedrooms didn't have to join up with any other carpet and it made it much easier for me to install the carpet myself. Good Luck!
In my experience, the PAD is what you want to spend money on. I put top-of-the-line pad in my home in NY, with mid-level carpet. Sold the house after living there for 15 years (with 3 kids running around) and the only place showing any wear at all was the edges of the stair treads. Just some wear... threads looked a little "frizzy", but not worn through! I have looked at 6 year old house here in Utah (where the builders put in cr@p carpet and cr@p padding), and the carpets are already thread-bare! You're looking at the backing... no carpet fibers left at all. I'd go with good pad and cheap carpet. Plan on replacing carpet every 5 years or so, and padding every 10.
Even with the best tenants, I need to replace the carpet when we change people. I've had some bad BAD ones too! With the rental laws here, its tough to charge for anything but massive deliberate abuse. It costs me a whole month's rent each time to change the carpet. Something to think about. Will the extra money spent bring you enough extra rent to justify the cost of nicer carpet? What about in 2-3 years when you have to replace it again?
We've had pretty good luck with olefin(sp?) carpet with a good grade carpet padding in rentals. Doesn't hold stains, and you can clean it with bleach and water, holds up to traffic well...YMMV
Click it laminate!!! I have some of the worst Tenants in the world and they can't wreck it!! Even the pit bull did not hurt it
I recommend one of the "new" types of polyester, AKA P.E.T. Here's Mohawk's page on the DuPont version. http://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring-products/carpet/smartstrand.aspx This is based on your description of it being a "mid-level" rental. For lower-end I recommend a cut or level-loop Olefin (office carpet). Olefin is fairly stain- & abrasion-resistant and you can clean it aggressively, BUT has one weak spot: oil-based stains. It LOVES oils. That's why restaurants and offices often have filthy-looking pathways. Worst case is a direct walk-off from a blacktop area that was sealed by a Low Bidder, or the path from the restaurant kitchen. Neither will stay standing up straight as long as nylon or wool, they will mat down sooner. But the rule of thumb is; a tenant will generally accept matting before staining, And with rentals, the best pad is one of the "piddle-proof" (moisture barrier) ones (IF it is installed correctly. No staples, all seams taped.). Even w/ a No Pet policy.