People always ask what carpet they should buy if they have pets, and there?s a lot of confusion around SmartStrand and polyester.
Should I go with SmartStrand flooring or polyester? That comparison kind of makes sense, since SmartStrand, made from DuPont Sorona Triexta fiber, has some similarities to polyester; for example, polyester has excellent stain resistant qualities, but Triexta has the stain protection built right into the fiber. That means it?s permanent.
Of course, they?re also both synthetics.
Durability is a big difference; polyester and its cousin, nylon, are two of the most popular synthetics. Because the two always seem to be mentioned together, they most likely are thought of as having the same strength. The fact is, however, that polyester has nowhere near the durability of nylon.
The SmartStrand fiber, Sorona/Triexta, was invented by DuPont who are the same people who brought us nylon. Many say Triexta is just as strong as nylon.
SmartStrand
Triexta is relatively new, so while many claims say it's as strong, if not stronger, than nylon it hasn't been on the market nearly as long.
As your flooring retailer will explain, that may not be enough time to really test.
Like the DNA in our cells, the stain resistance is permanent. Don't worry about spills, and we can prove this. When manufacturer Mohawk was developing this product, one of their tests included using it to line the cage of a 5400-pound rhinoceros, who walked and stomped around and messed it up for two weeks. All it took was a warm-water hose-down to bring it back to the original state.
You'll see a lot of colors, patterns, designs, and styles when you check out the SmartStrand samples in a flooring store.
As for being good to the environment, Triexta (also called Sorona) is referred to as the ?corn carpet,? taking 30 percent less energy to produce with over 60 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than nylon.
Now about Polyester flooring
Polyester doesn?t have the kind of resilience or ?bounce back? that nylon has, so it isn?t particularly durable.
PET, a type of polyester, is often made from plastic bottles and food containers, adding to eco-friendliness.
For more information, and to learn about our free in-home measurements and design consultations, visit the Diverse Flooring showroom in Maple Ridge, BC, Canada. We service Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Walnut Grove/Langley North, and the Tri-Cities Area.
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