a

How to Choose the Right Carpet Padding

Carpet has been a popular flooring choice for years. It’s soft, it feels good underfoot and it’s available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. You put a lot of thought into picking out the right carpeting for your home, but what about the carpet padding? Here are few things to keep in mind […]

Carpet has been a popular flooring choice for years. It’s soft, it feels good underfoot and it’s available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. You put a lot of thought into picking out the right carpeting for your home, but what about the carpet padding? Here are few things to keep in mind when choosing the right carpet padding.

Why Have Carpet Padding?

Carpets are plush, so why would you even need carpet padding in the first place? The right carpet padding serves a variety of useful purposes. First, it gives your carpet a little extra cushion. Padding helps to extend the life of your carpet by absorbing most of the impact from all of the foot traffic in your home. Many pads have an additional barrier that protects your subfloor from spills. And finally, padding acts as an additional insulator for your home, which means that you can save money on your energy bills.

Avoid Thick Padding

It would make sense that thicker would be better, but in the case of carpet padding, this just isn’t true. Thicker padding isn’t as durable. It can also cause wrinkles in your carpet, which just don’t look very aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention wrinkles can become a serious tripping hazard or ruin your carpet completely.

The right carpet padding is usually 7/16” thick for most types of carpet. Shorter pile carpets and Berber carpets require a thinner pad, as a thick pad can actually cause harm to these types of carpets. Check with your flooring rep to make sure you’re getting the right thickness for the type of carpet you’re thinking of purchasing.

Choose between 6-8 pounds

The density of a carpet pad refers to its weight in pounds per cubic foot. The typical range for most carpet pads is between 3 and 10 pounds per cubic foot. The density you choose depends upon your specific needs. The two most popular choices are 6 pounds and 8 pounds. A 6-pound carpet pad is going to be softer underfoot while an 8-pound carpet pad is more durable, and can extend the life of your carpet. An 8-pound carpet pad is also preferable for higher traffic areas of your home.

Know Your Carpet Padding Options

There are a few different types of carpet padding from which to choose. The rebond pad is the most frequently used padding in homes. Made from recycled materials, it is available in a wide variety of thicknesses and densities. It is also available in different grades, which represent quality, and, clearly, the higher the quality the better the padding will be. Of course, you will pay more for higher quality rebond padding, but it may just be worth it.

Foam padding is a lightweight, inexpensive option for carpet padding. It does not hold up well underfoot, and quickly flattens, making your carpet uncomfortable. A better foam padding known as frothed foam is available, but it tends to be pricier than rebond.

Rubber padding is a durable option, and can often outlive the carpet itself. It’s a good choice for high traffic areas and is often considered a luxury since it is quite expensive.

There are also specialty carpet pads available, such as those marketed to resist odor, moisture or pet stains, but they may not be worth the extra cost. No matter what type of carpet padding you choose, you need to make sure you choose a grade that matches the grade of your carpet.


Choosing the right carpet padding is important to the life of your carpet and your ability to enjoy it. For help making your decision, contact Windows Floors & Decor today. Your carpet rep can help you determine between the many types of carpet padding available and which one will be best for the type of carpet you’re buying. Happy hunting!