Shaw carpet... please tell me all about it

simiesue

We are ready to replace all the carpet in our house. I went to Home Depot and a small mom and pop carpet store but I just not sold. On Angielist, I found someone who comes to the house with samples and is a Shaw dealer. I have never heard of this concept - no actual storefront. We are looking for nylon carpet that can withstand alot of traffic (stairs) but also looking for something softer for the family room and playroom. Bedrooms - maybe a low end nylon or high end poly. Can you recommend to me any brands of carpet? How does Shaw rank among other brands? Also, we live in a cold weather state and here we are wanting to have the entire house recarpeted. I know that new carpet/pad has an odor. Is it harmful to breathe in????

poppameth

Shaw is a very reputable company. Of all the big name companies I prefer dealing with Shaw. I've had less issues with Shaw products than most others and when there is an issue they've always been better at resolving it quickly and to the customer's satisfaction. Shaw doesn't generally sell directly to accounts that don't have a storefront. This guy could be buying to carpet from a local retailer and basically acting as an outside sales rep for the product and providing his own labor. There is nothing wrong with that. We have a few contractors that we do business with in this way. He could also be buying directly from discount chains in Dalton that get a lot of overstocks or seconds from the factories at low prices. You have to be careful what you are getting in these cases.

Shaw owns Anso now and I highly recommend Anso nylon fiber. It's extremely resilient and they pack heavy warranties on it. It also has a very soft feel to it.

The smell in new carpet is the latex adhesives they put it together with and the dyes then use to color it. There isn't anything in it that will harm you. There are strict guidelines against most of the harmful chemicals that use to be used in carpet.

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Maintenance 6

Shaw is the largest carpet producer in the world. They manufacture and private label for a lot of other carpet retailers.

sdsester

You might check with a designer showroom or another real flooring store if you are concerned. Brokers that work directly for carpet mills like Shaw (a great company although my projects did not call often for wtw carpeting) are not uncommon and they do come to your house with samples. In theory they cut out the retail middle man so should be able to offer good pricing. They can make it hard for real retailers to survive though.

Working with an interior designer would bring quality samples to your home as well and one could save you money if your interior needs, current or projected, are beyond just flooring.

If I were you one thing I would do is ask around and line up top installers. They probably do not work for the box stores and nicely stretched carpet can add a lot to its life. The Shaw broker may or may not know who they are. A high end flooring store, not a box store, will. This is one reason to work through a real flooring store.

Don't skimp on padding either. Good padding will really increase the life of carpet.

As for odors and associated VOCs? No doubt that fabrics and materials like carpeting and padding will outgas some but they will dissipate over time and there is not much you can do about them if wtw carpeting is what you need or want for flooring. Things like nice smelling household cleaners and freshly dry cleaned clothes are as dangerous or more so than carpeting though.

There are of course Stainmaster type carpets that may be worth looking into if you have kids, pets or are just plain sloppy! When I have had carpeting in my homes it has usually been more natural fiber and I treated it with a process like FibreSeal. If you follow directions, and use the kit that comes with treatment, it seems impossible for a stain to stick. Scotchguard has been around for a long time but it coats fibers rather than absorbing into them.

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