Cathy Buchanan one of the experts at Independent Nylon Carpet F

  • While Phenix on Main specializes in broadloom and carpet tile, Mannington on Main provides a comprehensive selection of flex and rigid LVT, glass-backed and felt-backed sheet goods, rubber products, wall base, and other hard surface materials. According to the most recent information available, Mannington has no plans to merge the two mainstreet businesses.

    If you're looking for carpet, Philadelphia's face fibers include solution-dyed nylon 6, PET, and polypropylene (PP), and the two primary backings are StrataWorx and EcoWorx, which are both environmentally friendly. Polypropylene, which is only used on broadloom and is declining as a result of the general decline in the industry, with a large portion of that volume going to PET for both tile and broadloom applications. PP is also gaining in popularity, but the price differential between Cement raised floor and nylon is narrowing. As a result, it is only a small step up to obtain the superior look and performance of a nylon carpet.

    Historically, polypropylene was a popular face fiber for mainstreet carpets because its characteristics--low cost and short lifecycle--tended to meet the needs of mainstreet clients. Today, polypropylene is becoming less popular as a mainstreet face fiber. By the time the product had become tarnished as a result of soiling and crushing, leases would have expired or the client would be ready to invest in a renovation. Polypropylene face fiber, on the other hand, has fallen out of favor in recent years. Polypropylene has been replaced by other fibers in mainstreet carpet because of its lower melting point than PET and nylon, as well as its oleophilic nature, which makes it more susceptible to soiling. PET carpet is being used by many of the larger manufacturers to lower their entry-level prices, and nylon 6 is also being used extensively.

    Vice president of Aladdin Robb Myer describes the offering as a “curated package of coordinated products,” akin to a “one-stop shop.”Carpet tile and broadloom constructions by Aladdin have shifted away from polypropylene, which was once a mainstay of mainstreet carpet, and toward polyester and nylon instead. Despite the fact that mainstreet carpet tile is approximately three times the size of mainstreet broadloom, broadloom continues to hold its own, in part because there are still a variety of applications where carpet tile does not work (such as stairs), and also because, despite the increasing affordability of carpet tile, broadloom is still the more cost-effective alternative.

    In addition to broadloom, carpet tile, vinyl flooring (sheet goods, flex LVT, rigid LVT), and even laminates, Mohawk Industries' Aladdin Commercial brand offers a wide range of accessories and sundries. Aladdin has been in operation since 1957, when it was first known as Aladdin Mills. Aladdin was purchased by Mohawk in 1994.

    Historically, broadloom carpet accounted for the majority of mainstreet carpet sales, but in recent years the market has shifted heavily to carpet tile, despite the fact that broadloom continues to offer a cost advantage that makes it a compelling choice.

    In addition, Shaw's soft surface sales force visits retailers with its Philadelphia Commercial program, which consists primarily of carpet with some hard surface flooring, and Shaw's hard surface sales force visits retailers with its 5th & Main brand, which consists primarily of hard surface programs. All of these hard and soft surface products are marketed and sold under the Philadelphia Commercial brand name by retailers.