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TIL carpet padding thickness matters way more than I thought
I was at a supply shop in Denver last week and the guy there told me that 7/16 inch padding is actually worse for most carpets than 3/8 inch. Found out the 7/16 can cause ripples and seams to show after a year. Anyone else learn this the hard way or am I the only one who didn't know?
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maxm631mo ago
Man, you're not wrong at all. That 7/16 inch padding is a trap for sure. I've seen it cause waves in carpet after just a few months because it's too thick and soft for most residential carpets to stay tight. The carpet can't grip the tack strip right when the padding is that tall, so it shifts and shows seams over time. Stick with 3/8 inch medium density foam and you'll be set, it's the sweet spot for holding shape and feeling good underfoot. Save the thicker stuff for commercial grade carpet that's built to handle it.
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gavinperez1mo agoTop Commenter
That "sweet spot" really is key, most people don't realize how much a little too much padding messes up the whole job. What's the worst padding mistake you've seen?
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