Polypropylene vs nylon carpets

Hi everyone

About to re-carpet an IP (rented for $300/week) and am getting carpet quotes. Some carpet distributors are advising us away from poly carpets, others say it is much of a muchness (everyone agrees that nylon carpets are more stain resistant and hold their form better).

Cost difference is poly - $120/linear metre, nylon $145-150/linear metre. In a rental that I would be looking to hold for another 3 years or so before a reno and sell, what are your experiences with polypropylene and nylon carpets? Worth the extra cost for nylon?

Cheers
 
Seeing as you haven't had any answers:-

Carpet Fibres Explained
Each fibre has strengths and weaknesses that must be recognised. This will influence how carpet is to be used and how carpet is constructed. It should be emphasised that there is no perfect fibre and carpet is a fabric that is subjected to incredible abuse through foot traffic, accidental spills, environmental contaminants, and other abuses.

The majority of the carpet sold in Australia is one of the following four pile fibres:

Nylon
Polyester / Chromolon
Wool
Polypropylene (olefin)

Nylon

Nylon is a very durable fibre with excellent performance characteristics.

It?s strengths include:

resiliency
yarn memory to hold twist
carpet cleaning efficiency
stain resistance with stain treatment applied
soil hiding ability
mould and mildew resistance
abrasion resistance
available in both solution dyed and various yarn dyed methods

Nylon is the strongest fibre, making it an excellent choice for the heavy traffic of an active household or commercial facility. It is also the most durable of the synthetics. Most nylon is treated with an anti-static treatment to reduce static. Continuous filament fibres minimise pilling and shedding concerns.

Polyester/Chromolon

Polyester fibre produces some of the most beautiful colorations available. It also is extremely fade resistant and provides excellent resistance to stains. It is not as resilient as nylon however polyester is quite durable and has a strong resistance to wear.

Its strengths include:

non-allergenic
sheds moisture
resists moths and mildew
a lower cost than wool or nylon
polyester fibres can be made from recycled PET bottles
very environmentally sustainable

Polyester is an all-round good choice for residential carpet offering performance and value for money.

Wool

This traditional favourite offers a deep, rich look and feel. It has very good resilience and durability, but is very expensive often twice as much per metre as nylon.

It?s strengths are:

soft to touch
natural looking colours
luxurious look
good resilience

Other synthetic fibres have done an excellent job of duplicating the characteristics of wool. Special care should be used in cleaning wool carpet. Wool is naturally a staple fibre. Although it is naturally stain resistant, it requires a high level of maintenance including mothproofing. Since wool can hold 4-10 times its weight in moisture, it is susceptible to shrinking and mould and mildew growth.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene, also called olefin, and is a fast growing fibre segment. It is a relatively inexpensive fibre, which is easily extruded by most carpet manufacturers.

It?s strengths include:

resistant to moisture
superior stain resistance, with the exception of oil-based stains
superior resistance to sunlight fading
solution dyed construction means it is colour fast
low cost

Polypropylene is great when used in a needlepunch carpet as each layer of staple yarn is needled into each other providing an extremely durable construction. Polypropylene as a tufted carpet has poor resiliency, which can lead to crushing/matting.

Polypropylene cleans very well and most staining is non-existent. It is favoured for outdoor carpeting and basements due to its resistance to moisture, mildew, water damage, staining, pilling, shedding and static.


I tend to steer away from the cheapest now as they are hard and look cheap. If you are only doing the bedrooms the extra cost is not that much. I do agree with the poor resilience of Poly. That drives me mad.
 
Hi everyone

About to re-carpet an IP (rented for $300/week) and am getting carpet quotes. Some carpet distributors are advising us away from poly carpets, others say it is much of a muchness (everyone agrees that nylon carpets are more stain resistant and hold their form better).

Cost difference is poly - $120/linear metre, nylon $145-150/linear metre. In a rental that I would be looking to hold for another 3 years or so before a reno and sell, what are your experiences with polypropylene and nylon carpets? Worth the extra cost for nylon?

Cheers

Have had good wear out of my polypropylene carpet. Its been down for 13 years and only changing now as I want hardwood floor.
 
I recarpeted recently.
Chose Canadian bay' nylon carpet.
Google it, cheap and popular.
Feels ok. Lacks luxury feel of wool, but ok for kids or IP.
For PPOR I'd stump up for wool, but it's your personal decision.
There is another nylon carpet whose name i don't know (ask your carpet shop). Recommended for properties that are to be sold only as carpet looks and feels good when new but flattens fast.
 
Thanks everyone

Good to get some views from on the ground. I'll also ask the carpet layers quoting about which carpets they find they are replacing the most and report back.

Cheers,
 
Has anybody tried "Triexta" carpets? I hear they are good for those with allergies..

They have less outgassing (les petroleum product) apparently, so for those like me they should be better for chemical sensitivity. I also have allergies so I would be interested to know.
 
Just hope that you don't get a stampede of people through the opens. :rolleyes:

:D

not to worry, they are a little bit more hard-wearing than that.
to be frank, that carpet looked cheap though. Cheaper than the canadian bay I chose in the end.
Good choice for an IP I think. I chose a dark colour too. Hoping to save on steaming down the track.
 
I almost always recommend a solution dyed nylon to my clients renovating investment properties. This is because it has the durability/stain resistance of nylon but with a softer under-foot feeling. You will also need an underlay (I usually recommend medium quality from the 3 that are generally available at most carpet stores).

A loop pile carpet is always better for a rental. It tends to look better for longer. I'd also go for a mid-strength colour to maximise light in the house without compromising on the practicality of the carpet (too light shows marks and too dark shows fluff/dirt etc).

I absolutely recommend spending a bit extra on a slightly better carpet unless your property is really bargain basement with crappy tenants.

For an extra $500-$700 (depending on size of house) it'll be worth it.

Hope that helps.
 
I think the "Canadian Bay" range is looped pile.
I also recommend dark colours as steaming can cost $50-80/bedroom.
The colours won't hide smells though...
I didn't choose the underlay - it was chosen for me by my carpeters.
It feels pretty thick though.
There is another type of 'looping' for carpets. Don't know the exact name, but the fibres seem to stand up and are cut off at the top, like a toothbrush.
The low-end stuff in this looks and feels cheap and probably flattens easily.
The high end stuff in this feels so luxurious.
The looped carpet, I think, has each thread looped over at the top and sewn down again. So each thread becomes a 'circle'. Multiply that by millions for each thread in the carpet.
Some carpets are available in another type of looping (or maybe it's just another type of looped carpet) - the threads are sewn in a fashion that is parallel to the floor. Imagine if you put a shirt on the floor.
This gives the carpet a smooth feel as your feet glide over the carpet.

Clumsy explanations perhaps, best I could do to desribe them!
 
Been speaking with carpet retailers. They're happy to quote on anything but their opinion is that Poly. is just as fine and has a similar longevity (they said that they have just as many nylon carpets coming back as the polys - it all depends on tenant but there isn't a difference between the two, apart from the cost), unless it's a top range rental. They also have the poly in stock, which helps as we don't have a long turnaround.

I'll post back with price differences and comments.
 
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