Differences Between Commercial Carpet And Home Carpet
Several years ago I sold high end carpet for homes. Several times a week we'd have shoppers wander through that were looking for commercial carpet. I remember one couple that insisted that one or our products would be just perfect for their new restaurant that they were opening near the beach. They became quite agitated when I explained to them why home carpet wouldn't be suitable in a commercial setting. Being on commission at the time I would have loved to have landed the sale, but I couldn't in good conscience sell them an unsuitable product.
Home carpet usually has higher piles, and is softer and fluffier than commercial carpet. It's usually made out of a lower weight nylon and is meant to be walked across occasionally by a small family. It's not intended to weather the footfalls of hundreds of people per day. Place home carpet in a restaurant and you'll have obvious wear patterns within months if not sooner.
Unlike the carpet installed in most homes, commercial grade carpet is usually glued down or placed over a very thin felt pad. It's usually a heavier grade product being at least 32 ounces or more. Most commercial carpet has a very low pile, berber being the most popular. The colors are usually neutral so as to blend in with dirt and stains.
Commercial carpet is made to be functional. It's not something that you'd want to skip across barefoot and flop down in front of the television on. It's meant to last and withstand a lot of abuse. Can you install it in your home? Of course. But I'm not sure why you'd want to. I far prefer a nice soft plush that pushes up in between my toes. Some people do however install it in their basements and garages with good results.
If you're looking for carpet to install in your business or office, please find a company that specializes in commercial carpet. Look in your phone book and search online. While some of the less ethical salespeople out there will sell home carpet to you if you ask, it's not a good idea.
One guy that I used to work with would tell customers looking for commercial installation that our home polypropylene products were commercial grade. They had that commercial look and feel but would not have been suitable at all. These particular products were made for home installation only (there are some commercial products available that are made from polypropylene). I think he figured that he'd be working elsewhere by the time the carpet went bad and they came back to wring his neck.
We recommend that you purchase a high weight, low pile, commercial grade berber with good stain resistance. Borrow several samples from whichever stores you're considering purchasing from. They will usually loan out samples for free. If shopping online, have them mail you some free color swatches. It's very important to see the colors in your own lighting.
Once you've got the samples, lay them out in various areas throughout your business. You want to see how the colors react in different lighting conditions and at various times during the day. The shades may look quite different at night as compared to the day.
Once you've selected a carpet be sure to go over the warranty with your salesperson. If they'll also be sending out the installers, go over the measure with them. Have them show you where the seams will be placed and examine the overage to make sure they're not measuring too heavily. There's always some extra carpet left over but you want to make sure it's not excessive.
Be sure to shop around online when searching for commercial carpet as you can find some great deals.