Have you ever thought about what shocks do for a car? Most people would say it gives the passengers a smooth ride. That’s true, but shocks do more than that. Every time the vehicle goes over a bump it cushions the amount of impact on the tires. For example, if you take your hand and slam it down on a desk, your hand hurts. But, if you slam your hand on a balloon, it doesn’t. In other words, the balloon cushions the blow. If shocks did not cushion the blow of a bad bump, your tires would wear out in a month or two. This is exactly what a good carpet pad does for a carpet. It is the shock absorber that protects the carpet from the full impact of heavy footsteps.

Let me tell you about a rookie mistake I made about 15 years ago. A couple came in and the husband was in a wheelchair. They wanted top-of-the-line carpet and said the wheelchair had to roll on it so it couldn’t be too cushy. I allowed them to pick a high-end residential carpet that they insisted we glue down. In other words, no padding would be placed under the carpet

carpet flooring

Less than six months later they called and said their carpet looked absolutely horrible. They brought pictures in that I showed to the factory representative. He looked at me in horror. He asked, “You didn’t glue this down did you?” I said yes, why? He said there is no warranty on any residential carpet unless it is laid over a six-pound pad or better. I apologized to the customers profusely. I had to pay for the new carpet and pay to install it over a flatter pad for wheelchairs. It was an expensive lesson, but the point is, residential carpet has to be put over some type of pad or it will get trampled.


rebond pads

Rebond pads

memory foam pads

Memory foam pads look similar to rebond pads because they are both compressed scraps however, they are very different. Memory foam has proven to spring back better and for longer periods of time than rebond. Yes, memory foam pads cost considerably more than rebond, but they are almost as good as rubber pads, which are the very, very best. Memory foam pads usually come with moisture barriers already attached, but not always. The color of most memory foam is cream, pink, or a combination of both, and is a really high-quality cushion that can go under any carpet.

rubber pads



Carpet padding is always the best money you can spend in a carpet store! Put it this way, if you were to spend $3 more per yard on carpet, you may or may not be able to tell the difference. However, take that same $3 and spend it on an upgraded pad and it will make all the difference in the world. There are a few other pads out there that are decent. They make a Tempur-pedic® version that is very good and a few others. The ones I spoke about above are the ones most dealers carry and recommend.