Carpeting your home is a highly personal interior decoration task. Like other design choices in your home, the carpet reflects your style and personality. Therefore, choosing a carpet is as important as other decor items.
Many carpet options have different carpet styles. Making a choice isn’t always easy since they all strive for quality. However, some of these carpet brands need a second thought before buying.
We’ve selected these carpet brands to avoid based on stain retention, customer expectations versus actual performance, and availability. Be extra careful when buying these brands:
- Shaw Carpet Brand
- StainMaster Carpet Brand
- Capel Carpet Brand
- Atlas Carpet Brand
- Karastan Carpet Brand
- Mohawk Carpet Brand
Before you make your final call on the carpet brand you want to buy, allow yourself time to look for the personal qualities you’d like in your home. We’ve created a guide you can use to choose whether you’re a new homeowner looking to deck out your house or replace your existing carpet.
Carpet Brands to Avoid
1. Shaw Carpet Brand
Shaw carpet brand is another brand that homeowners and home decor specialists know. The brand has an impressive range of carpets to suit everyone, from house flippers to luxury homeowners.
They incorporate technology such as All Nylon and All Polyester, Anso Nylon, ClearTouch Polyester, R2X Nylon, and Stainmaster Nylon.
The Bellera collection is a hot cake in their carpet market. With its anti-stain protection and day product replacement guarantee, the Bellera is a great crowd puller.
Shaw has separated each of its collections to cater to specific tastes. For example, the Colorwall collection targets homeowners who want to give their homes a uniform yet classy feel.
Ironically, their Simple The Best collection doesn’t match up to the Shaw carpet brand’s high profile. The collection does poorly in durability scores and design diversity. Here are other reasons to consider other options before settling on Shaw.
They Are Costly
Shaw carpets have a 3-tier model when it comes to pricing. The normal quality carpet cost $15 and $25 per yard. The Colorwall carpet line in the mid-grade tier costs between $35 and $45 per yard. You’ll pay between $65 and $100 per yard for the high-end Caress line—extra padding to protect the carpet costs more.
Vacuuming Leaves Visible Marks
Vacuuming the carpet is a daily task for some people. However, most of the negative critique of the Shaw carpet brand comes from people saying daily vacuuming — which the manufacturer recommends, ruins the carpet too quickly. Homeowners saw track marks and signs of foot traffic after only using the carpet for a year.
Delayed Customer Service Feedback
In some instances, the Shaw Carpet brand team took two months to respond to a complaint. When they responded, they placed the blame on the customer.
Read Shaw carpet reviews here.
2. Stainmaster Carpet Brand
Stainmaster is one of the most respected carpet brands in the market. They won the hearts of many homeowners with their standout fiber, Nylon 6.6. This fiber has a string-like consistency that prevents it from fraying. Of course, using Nylon 6.6 put Stainmaster at the top of order lists for high-traffic areas.
Also, Stainmaster excelled in cornering several niche markets.
They took the households with kids using their Active Family Carpet line. They made a name for themselves in the best-for-pets niche with the PetProtect carpet line. Their Livewell line appealed to people who react to allergens. And finally, they satisfied the Luxury market with their Trusoft Carpet line.
So why would you want to avoid the Stainmaster Carpet brand?
The Budget-Friendly Line Isn’t Good for High-Traffic Areas
Stainmaster has its name on so many carpets that it’s easy to assume they deal with premium-only carpets. Yet, they have a budget-friendly line, Essentials. Essentials is a carpet collection for first-time owners who want to deck out the home.
However, getting the Essential line of carpets limits how you use the carpet. You can’t use it in high-traffic areas.
Their Polyester Carpets Aren’t Durable.
Other than Nylon 6.6, Stainmaster has Polyester carpets. These don’t do so well in high-traffic areas since they wear out too quickly. You’ll have to use them in low-traffic areas.
Read Stainmaster carpet reviews here.
3. Capel Carpet Brand
Capel has arguably the broadest range of carpets of any company on this list. Their catalog boasts of about 10000 products. The brand has stayed relevant in the carpeting space for over 100 years while being a family business.
The brand uses all sorts of materials, including a secret material. The unique blend of materials allows the brand to develop designs and carpet concepts that cater to a segment of customers with very particular preferences.
With such a wide selection of carpets available with different price points, you’d be hard-pressed to find a reason to avoid the brand.
They Have One Year Warranty Only
Some carpets don’t fare well in foot traffic-heavy areas such as stairs. If your carpet sustains damage within the warranty period, you might get some assistance. However, your only option is to get a new one after one year. You might want to avoid the brand if short warranties are one of your deal-breakers.
They Require Detailed Cleaning
Capel carpets don’t come cheap, especially for the luxury line. Some of them are made with premium New Zealand wood. You’ll need to get specialty cleaning products and be careful about spills and cleanup. Avoid the brand if you have a household with playful kids.
4. Atlas Carpet Brand
If you have a taste for the exotic and extraordinary, you know a thing or two about the Atlas Carpet Brand. They give you a host of collections to choose from with plenty of color options. These are some of the collections.
- Metáfora Collections
- Shibori Collection
- Ville Des Lumieres collection
- Momentum collections
- Dreamology Collection
- Metropolitan collection
- Bellissimo collection
Atlas has cornered the market segment that wants customizable options for their home. Of course, custom preferences come with higher price tags. And this is why you might want to avoid the Atlas Carpet brand.
Atlas Carpets Are Costly
Some of the collections in the Atlas Carpet Brand are user-specific. You’ll need to pay more to get the best quality of a customized carpet. For example, the Shibori Collection is a Japanese-inspired carpet with enhanced visual appeal.
Normal prices for the carpets range from $8.40 and $16.50 per square foot. You’re looking at about $70 to $150 per square yard.
5. Karastan Carpet Brand
Karastan Carpets aren’t a new brand in the market. They’ve commanded the carpet space since the 1920s. They were even called the ‘Wonder Rug of America.’ Karastan carpet brand has massive brand appeal across the globe.
In the beginning, they were handmade. The carpets featured intricate designs that blended art and interior functionality. However, they incorporated machine design and manufacturing, which boosted sales.
Karastan has options to satisfy seemingly every homeowner. You can choose carpets made from nylon, wool, polyester, and Triexta yarn.
Choosing Karastan Carpet brands sounds like choosing luxury. Their SmartStrand carpet line features built-in stain and soil protection. And with options ranging from wall-to-wall carpets to New Zealand wool carpets, it’s hard to see why any shopper would want to avoid this brand.
Here’s what we don’t like about Karastan Carpet Brand
News About The Brand Shutting Down
The news has been out for a while now that Mohawk is closing its Eden, North Carolina manufacturing facility. The facility manufactured the Karastan Carpet Brand. Sure, the carpet might have a long life expectancy. But with the plant’s closure, it wouldn’t be advisable to get a new one, as you never know whether you’ll need a replacement.
Price Issues
If you’re keen on saving a buck, avoid Karastan carpets. They are right up there with the creme de la creme of carpets at between $2.90 and $15 per square foot.
It May Require Specialized Cleaning
Karastan carpets come with specialized cleaning instructions. For someone who’s on the move and not very particular with carpet cleaning, this may not be the carpet for you. A small cleaning mistake may ruin your carpet.
It’s Sold Exclusively
Karastan Carpets has a strict policy on who stocks its product. You can only access vendor information on their website.
6. Mohawk Carpet Brand
When you think about the durability of a carpet, Mohawk is often at the top of your list. Mohawk uses DuPont’s SmartStrand made from Triexta. SmartStrand is primarily for enhancing durability.
Mohawk’s use of SmartStrand is so significant that it influences their decision to back their product with long-term warranties of up to 25 years against wear and tear. In one marketing campaign, Mohawk used one of their SmartStrand carpets in an animal enclosure. The campaign was to show two crucial things on which Mohawk has pinned its credibility. They have long-lasting carpets, and the carpets clean easily.
One of Mohawk’s most popular options is the Wear-Dated line. The Wear-Dated carpet is purported to be super long-lasting. (probably why they offer such a great warranty). Alternatively, you can get a more cost-effective option, Mohawk UltraStrand.
What We Don’t Like About Mohawk Carpet Brand
The negative reviews outweigh the positive reviews by nearly 4 to 1. We read the most positive reviews early on in the carpet’s life. As the carpet ages, the contentment with the carpet seems to wane.
While Mohawk uses DuPont’s SmartStrand materials, many owners cite color, stain resistance, and durability problems. Some of these negative reviews focus on poor installation and warranty replacements.
Read Mohawk carpet reviews here.
Should You Buy Carpet from Home Depot or Empire
We suggest you shop at a local business specializing in carpet and carpet installation. Most local businesses pride themselves on selling and installing quality products. For local businesses, reputation is everything and this is often reflected in their customer service.
Home Depot
Big box stores like Home Depot use freelance contractors who agree to low installation rates for installation volume. Many of the problems with carpeting from Home Depot are related to installation, and you get little say in who the company sends out to install the carpet.
Read Home Depot carpet reviews here.
Empire
Empire is a national flooring franchise. You may have seen their catchy jingles on TV commercials.
Empire is available in many larger cities of the US. Their TV commercials offer low installation prices per room as a lure to capture leads. A salesman comes to your house for a sales presentation, takes measurements, and writes the order.
Many reviews of Empire cite poor installation and customer service after the sale as their primary complaint.
One customer cites waiting two months to install the carpet because the materials were never on the delivery truck. Another notes the installer never showed up, and calls went unanswered.
Yet another cited “Empire sent one man to do install, leaving me a 75-year-old disabled Vet to help move furniture.”
Read Empire reviews here.
What Are The Most Durable Carpet Brands?
1. Dupont Sorona Carpet Brand
Dupont was at one point the world’s 4th largest chemical company. Their vast global presence hasn’t stopped them from sustainably developing innovations that produce long-lasting carpets.
As such, they are credited with developing Sorona. Like most carpet fiber innovations, Sorona is Dupont’s stain-resistant, high-strength yet soft polymer.
Sorona has such an excellent reputation that other big-name carpet brands use it in their carpets, too.
Surprisingly, Sorona is plant-based. That makes the carpet more appealing to the eco-conscious crowd. It also makes the carpet brand affordable for homeowners shopping on a budget.
Dupont’s high-strength material makes it a durable option. Customers report it holds up well in high-traffic areas. Still, you’ll have to take care of it to maintain its above-par durability. You can also go for good old nylon if Sorona does not appeal to you. Nylon is a tried-and-tested material in many durable carpets.
2. Fabrica Carpet Brand
Fabrics is a well-known carpet; for a good reason. Fabrica goes out of its way to create carpets that catch your eye and promise comfort.
They are unique in their offering. Fabrica limited their fiber options to nylon and wool. Nylon and wool are some of the most durable fibers in carpets. However, wool needs plenty of special care to stay durable.
It doesn’t mean the Fabrica brand has no options. They have a wide range of colors, textures, and carpet types that you can lay in your home. Their dyeing process gives them an edge over other brands.
It uses Beck Dyeing, a process through which the fiber is immersed in the dye for extended periods to make the colors pop more. The result is a vividly colored carpet that retains color for years.
It’s one of the industry’s most durable carpet brands partly because of its innovative latex backing. The backing and the tighter-than-most fiber twisting give it a lasting structure suitable for high-traffic areas.
All this innovation comes at a cost. You’ll pay between $8.00 and $13.00 per square foot. If your Fabrica luxury carpet gets ruined, you can still make good from their 2-year warranty. The warranty period is shorter than other brands, especially with those prices.
3. Masland Carpet Brand
If you are still on the lookout for luxury and a wide range of color options, take a look at the Masland carpet brand. Masland is the poster child for sustainable raw materials. It uses wool from ethically raised New Zealand wool to produce environmentally friendly and naturally biodegradable wool carpets.
Pet lovers and commercial building owners will love Masland’s carpets. It has a line dedicated to both those areas. The pet-friendly carpet, Pet Protection Carpet, doesn’t stain easily or retain odors.
The commercial-friendly version withstands heavy foot traffic common in commercial buildings.
Masland carpets also incorporate Stainmaster technology to increase its carpets durability.
Like most durable carpets, you can expect costs starting from $4 per square foot. The best thing about owning a Masland carpet is having one of the best warranties possible. You’ll need to confirm whether it’s a 10-year, 20-year, or lifetime warranty. Now that’s some real confidence in your product!
4. Anderson Tuftex Carpet Brand
Outstanding quality isn’t just a preserve for homeowners looking to splurge. Anderson Tuftex carpet brand offers a broad set of carpets with many color options. Their collections use Stainmaster technology to extend the brand to pet owners and homeowners with large families.
The only drawback you might find with the Anderson Tuftex range of carpets is that they don’t have any wool offerings. However, the Stainmaster Tactesse BCF Nylon and polyester material provide safe, durable options for most people.
Although they have taken a neutral approach with their carpet colors, their collections look great in classical homes or homes that want to achieve a laidback aesthetic. The neutral look is excellent for hiding stains, especially since their carpet lineup is for family homes and pet-friendly households.
Price-wise, Anderson Tuftex Carpet Brand is one of the most affordable at about $2 per square foot for the low-priced options. Also, they stand behind their product with a 10-year warranty.
5. Tigressa Carpet Brand
Tigressa Soft Style is one of the newest carpets brands to hit the marketplace. Tigressa Soft Style is luxuriously soft yet strong and durable while maintaining a deep rich color.
The carpet features precision-engineered high-tensile denier filament fibers that are one-half the size of human hair. The fibers are tightly placed with more fibers per square inch than other carpets for an ultra-soft feel that is family-friendly.
Tigressa Soft Style carpet maintains a freshly vacuumed look even when you’ve not vacuumed. The carpet design features less matting and crushing, meaning it can withstand the daily traffic of an active household.
As people become more eco-conscious, Tigressa listened and created carpet fibers that can be recycled repeatedly, meaning the carpet is eco-friendly and doesn’t end up in landfills like ordinary carpets.
Reviews of Tigressa are somewhat mixed. Those who love it brag about the features outlined above. The negative reviews often centered around the special care that the carpet required.
One customer wrote that Tigressa requires special cleaning products that are expensive, hard to find, and inferior at cleaning to maintain the warranty. Another cited the carpet was challenging to vacuum.
Read Tigressa carpet reviews here.
What Is The Best Grade Of Carpet?
You can know high-grade carpet using four measurement factors.
- Fiber
- Twist
- Density
- Face weight
Fiber
The highest grade fibers are wool and nylon. These two fibers are the benchmarks for durability. Nylon 6.6 is typically the highest nylon grade to withstand heavy traffic and clean up well after use.
Twist
A carpet with a high twist means it’s a better grade than one with a low twist. Twist means the number of times the fiber is twisted. If your carpet indicated anything above a 4 to 6 twist count, you have a good product in your hands.
Density
Most high-grade carpets have tightly packed fibers. Tight density makes it easier to clean and harder to mat. High-density grading ranges from 4000 to 7000.
Face Weight
Face weight is how many ounces of fiber are in a square yard of the carpet. Heavy face weight means it’s an excellent grade. High-quality carpets have a face weight of up to 38 ounces.
What Type Of Carpet Is The Most Durable?
Going by material, nylon and wool carpets are the most durable. However, we can also gauge durability by these factors.
Twist pile
Twist Pile carpets have a higher twist but also have a cut pile. The strands lean one way, but the length makes it less susceptible to wear.
Textured
Textured carpets are one of the most preferred carpet types. The texture is how the carpet strands have been sewn into the packing and cut. Textured carpets are easy to clean and can withstand heavy foot traffic over long periods.
Multi-level Loop Pile
A multi-level loop pile carpet is an enhanced version of a level loop where the loops in the backing are not the same size. The size variation adds texture, gives it some protection, and makes it strong.
Closing Thoughts
Carpets are a personal choice that you hope will last years. You can get overwhelmed choosing just one perfect carpet when you have hundreds of options. Shop around and get a feel of the carpets you like. Most importantly, avoid any problems by getting a master carpet installer.
