Softest hand and best value — with a resilience trade-off. Typical installed cost, durability, where it works and how to care for it.
PET polyester, much of it made from recycled beverage bottles, is inherently stain-resistant because the fiber is hydrophobic: water-based spills sit on the surface instead of soaking in. It also takes color beautifully and feels notably softer than nylon. The catch is resilience — polyester fibers do not spring back from compression the way nylon does, so traffic lanes flatten sooner. Triexta (PTT), sold under names like SmartStrand, is a related polymer that closes much of the resilience gap.
Standard PET is the value play. Triexta adds a permanent, built-in stain barrier and roughly nylon-adjacent resilience — expect a 20–40% premium over PET but far better traffic-lane performance.
Most PET carpet contains 25–100% post-consumer recycled bottle content, which is a real embodied-carbon advantage and a common green-building credit.
Because the fiber is oil-loving, greasy soils bond to PET more stubbornly than to nylon. Kitchens and pet areas need prompt treatment with a solvent-safe spotter.
Ultra-soft PET uses very fine filaments for a luxurious hand, but finer filaments mat faster. Ask for the density number, not just "soft."
| Typical face weight | 30–60 oz/yd² |
|---|---|
| Warranty range | 5–15 yrs |
| Recycled content | Up to 100% post-consumer |
| Best sub-type | Triexta / PTT for durability |
PET is the right answer for bedrooms and the wrong answer for stairs. Mixing fibers by room is a legitimate, cost-effective strategy.
Each feature paired with the benefit it delivers. A spec on its own tells you nothing about whether it is worth paying for.
Water-based spills bead on the surface instead of wicking in, so wine, juice and coffee blot up with far less drama than on an untreated fiber.
Real embodied-carbon reduction and an easy green-building credit, at no performance cost versus virgin PET.
A genuinely softer hand than nylon at the same price. In a bedroom, where traffic is light, that softness is the point.
Color options and clarity that nylon struggles to match, which is why the most fashion-forward carpet styles tend to be polyester.
Puts a full house of new carpet within reach on a rental or flip budget, provided you keep it off the stairs.
Drawn from the same ratings used everywhere else on this site, so this cannot flatter the product beyond what the comparison table says.
The specifications below decide how this floor performs. Ask for them in writing — a sample board and a price per square foot do not tell you any of it.
Polyester / PET Carpet runs $3.00–$7.50 per square foot installed in 2026 — $1.50 to $4.50 for material and $1.50 to $3.00 for professional labor. Spread across an expected 5 to 12 year service life that works out near $0.62 per square foot per year. Regional variation of 20 to 40% is normal, and demolition, subfloor prep and trim are extra.
5 to 12 years, assuming it went into an appropriate room over a properly prepared substrate and gets the maintenance it needs. PET is the right answer for bedrooms and the wrong answer for stairs. Mixing fibers by room is a legitimate, cost-effective strategy.
Bedroom. Bedrooms and low-traffic living areas. Rental and flip properties.
Stairs, Entry / Mudroom, Home Office. Stairs and main hallways. Commercial corridors.
No. Standing water causes permanent damage. Keep it out of wet areas.
Vacuum weekly; use suction-only or a gentle brush on ultra-soft styles to avoid fuzzing. Treat oil-based spills fast with a solvent spotter, then rinse. Critically: never use a high-pile beater-bar setting on ultra-soft pet.
Same family first, then products with a similar look from other families.
The performance benchmark for cut-pile carpet.
The natural luxury fiber — beautiful, breathable, expensive.
Commercial workhorse now common in basements and playrooms.