              With the rising cost of synthetic carpeting customers have been considering wool. Both synthetic and wool carpeting have great attributes, but picking one will depend on your lifestyle and application. Here are some of the important questions to ask yourself before selecting a rug for your home or business.

                  What are you using the carpeting for? If your biggest worry is staining, then a synthetic fiber would be a great choice because it offers many levels of stain-resistance. Some nylon and polyester carpets come as is, and some are taken to the next level with Teflon and other solutions. In addition, DuPont has developed a very stain resistant synthetic fiber called Triexta, which is similar to polyester but made from renewable corn sugar. Aside from Triexta being eco-friendly, it is soft to the hand, long lasting and stain resistant. No carpet is spill-proof, but if a spill was not addressed right away on a wool carpet, the liquid would eventually seep past the natural stain resistant oils inherent in wool and stain the fiber permanently. Unnoticed stains would probably come out of a synthetic carpet, with the help of a spot treatment such as Spot Shot, Capture or Zep. This is because filament fibers do not permeate like staple fibers.

                  If you are looking for a durable carpet that will last for a very longtime, or do not have young children or pets in training, then wool is hands down the best choice. The three-dimensional spiraling crimp of the fiber gives it elasticity. Wool can extend 30% further than its original length and bounce right back. The same thing happens if it is compressed by furniture or day-to-day traffic. Wool is the most resilient fiber you can walk on. At paramount we purchase rolls of popular wools styles and extend the savings to the consumer. In most cases the roll pricing is cheaper than “good” and “better” quality synthetics. There has been a shift is the market with the rising cost of petroleum making wool a direct competitor of synthetics when it comes to cost.

            Synthetic Carpet Pros and Cons:

Polyester is made of plastic water bottles, comes in vibrant colors and is stain and fade resistant. Polyester used to have a tendency to mat, pill and show oil base stains; but a lot of the polyester on the market today is 100% solution dyed and twisted with 3-ply yarn instead of 2-ply which enhances the overall performance.
Nylon is the most resilient and easy to clean synthetic that has inherent anti-microbial properties. However, is prone to static electricity, which can be treated.
Polypropylene is budget friendly and impervious to fading and non-oil base stains. Color options tend to be limited

Wool Carpet Pros and Cons:

Both wool and production of wool carpet is eco-friendly. Wool can hold up to 30% of its weight in moisture making it a natural humidifier. It is the most resilient carpet you can walk on. Inherently stain and soil resistant, hypo-allergenic and flame retardant. If not treated can sometime harbor moths. Also, wool can be damaged by some detergents with high acidity.

At Paramount Rug Company we offer an assortment of natural, synthetic and blended fiber carpeting from mills such as Dixie Home, Masland, Dream Weaver, Anderson Tuftex, Milliken, Shaw, Mohawk, Karastan, Kane Carpet, Godfrey Hirst, Couristan, Nourison, Stanton, Antrim, Craftworks and Hagaman. Whether you are looking for an area rug, runner, carpeting for a staircase, bedroom or family room regardless of your lifestyle and budget Paramount has your covered. Hope to work with you soon!

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Wool Verses Synthetic Carpet