About Carpet Captain
At Carpet Captain, our mission is to provide you with floor buying advice without a sales pitch.
You can’t buy flooring here, but you’ll learn how to buy it.
And we believe learning from someone who’s not selling to you is important. It’s hard for even a perfectly honest salesman to not be biased toward the flooring products that put more money in their bank account.
Plus, it’s just less stressful learning online in your own home.
We can’t count how many times I’ve been helped for free on the internet, and this content will be no different. We don’t offer “premium advice” for an upcharge. Never ask for your credit card. The site is 100% advertisement-supported, and all of Carpet Captain’s knowledge is free to you.
How does Carpet Captain plan to help you shop for flooring?
Carpet Captain will help you research before you step foot in a store.
It starts by helping you choose which floor you should buy.
Already know which type of floor you want?
Then, you can move on to our unbiased flooring guides. Here you’ll select the type of floor you’re buying, and it’ll take you to a step-by-step guide on Carpet Captain’s years of experience on how to best buy that floor. You’ll learn:
- what floor features make the most sense in your situation (eg. stain protectors, coatings, moisture barriers, pet protection, whether or not specific quality “certifications” make any difference, etc)
- interior design tips (not my expertise, but I get help from others)
- what specifications have the biggest impact on the floor’s durability
- how to get the best deal
All of this will get you up to speed exactly what you need quickly, hopefully leading got smart, regret-free buying decisions.
Who is the Carpet Captain?
Here’s the short story of how Carpet Captain evolved:
In 1986 [the roots/pre-story]: Carpetech is born in Indianapolis. Ron launched this full-service carpet cleaning company with a mission to build his business by word of mouth between homeowners. The goal wasn’t to be the biggest business through advertising and marketing, it was to be his customer’s go-to source when they had any questions about flooring.
In 2012 [Carpet Captain is born]: Ron enlisted his son Brandon to start a website helping people like his customers buy carpet. Brandon chose the name Carpet Captain—it seemed easy to remember and is a tribute to Ron’s service in the Navy. The new website was created with a few founding principles: always be for the “little guy” (the shopper and not the big businesses selling to the shopper), always be unbiased, and keep learning.
In 2022 [where we are today and new owners]: Carpet Captain outgrew Brandon, and at the end of 2020, Carpet Captain was sold to new ownership. The ownership may be different, but the plan for Carpet Captain is the same: provide unbiased advice to help you buy flooring.
If you ever have questions for me, I make every effort to respond to all emails. You can contact me here.
Best of luck on your floor shopping journey,
The Carpet Captain
Will commercial carpet hold up better than residential carpets, (stain, wear)? Are there any commercial carpets that ‘feel’ similar on the feet as residential carpets? We have used a commercial product in the past but it was a darker color and in a small area (20×20) and now we need a lighter beige product.
I’m installing a UCL tufted 100% wool carpet in the living room and was wondering if you had an opinion on the padding that is being recommended. The padding is the Leggett and Platt Valencia Rubber XD pad.
Thanks, I appreciate your help.
We recently bought a townhouse which has carpet and 3mm cork underlayment under it (But this is easily 10 yrs old) in upstairs bedrooms. We do have two small kids which makes impact noise very loud. We are looking for options to change our flooring because it is pretty old . But while we are there, we want to pick the right flooring and underlayment options that would give us the best soundproofing so we don’t constantly tell our kids, DONT RUN or JUMP ! I have been leaning towards cork flooring with a 3 or 6 mm cork underlayment… Read more »
No kids might be your best options 🙂 You’re on to something with cork. I have a page on soundproof flooring. Check that out and let me know if you have any questions there.
I am replacing carpet in a music room with a drum kit. I would like to get a high density flat rubber pad to help absorb pad. Most carpet stores will not use the 22 lb pad because it will void the warranty on carpet. Some store recommend against 22 lb pad that does not have a moisture barrier. Do you think a 22 lb pad would help reduce noise over a 8 lb pad on a concrete slab? What is the best kind of carpet to install on a 22 lb flat rubber pad?
Yeah, I think it would. I have a page on sound proof flooring. Basically, heavier will help “air noise,” which I think is what you want. I’d go with a heavier weight carpet which will also help some. At the end of the day, if you’re jamming out, it’s going to be heard downstairs. If you really need sound dampening, insulation can be put between walls.
Hi Carpet Captain, My name is Cristina and I work at a flooring store in Seattle, WA. I’ve read almost every article on this site, and I just wanted to say I am blown away by the amount of information on here. I feel much more confident, now, when talking to homeowners and helping them make selections for their projects. I’ve used information on this forum to educate homeowners (I emailed your vacuum guide to a homeowner considering a wool Berber) and I also use the information on here to keep our sales reps in line! I asked a Stanton… Read more »
Hi Cristina – glad you’ve found Carpet Captain helpful, and appreciate you passing the site on to help others! Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you or your shoppers (I can be emailed here). And always feel free to contribute to the site if you feel something is missing!