Triexta Carpet vs Polyester Carpet

When it comes to synthetic carpet fibres, just about everyone has heard about nylon carpets and polyester carpets, but only now there’s new buzz surrounding the recent synthetic triexta carpets. That’s why we’re going to have a head-on comparison between these two synthetic carpets.

As you might expect, they each have their pros and cons so deciding which one will be the best option for your will take just a bit of understanding their unique characteristics.

What is Triexta Carpet?

Triexta is the newest available form of synthetic fibre carpets. They are manufactured exclusively by the company DuPont.

While polyester is the closest comparable synthetic fibre type, triexta is made out of different components, most notably Polytrimethylene Terephthalate, also known as PTT. This is sourced from 37% corn sugar as opposed to petroleum derived plastics like polyester carpet.

What makes triexta special it is that it offers three benefits over polyester:

1) Softness – Triexta is significantly more soft and comfortable underfoot compared to traditional polyester carpets.

2) Durability – Usually increasing the durability of a carpet reduces it’s softness, however triexta exceeds expectations by outperforming polyester despite being softer.

3) Stain Resistant – Triexta outperforms all other carpet types when it comes to ease of maintenance. The triexta fibres offer even more stain resistance than solution dyed nylon carpets.

What is Polyester Carpet?

For many years, polyester fibres have been considered some of the softest and most durable synthetic carpets on the market. These are also incredibly affordable compared to other carpet materials because polyester is readily available and easier to produce compared to nylon carpet or the newer triexta.

Unlike their triexta counterparts, the main component in polyester is Polyethylene Terephthalate, or PET for short which is a type of plastic. Polyester carpets are often made of recycled materials, including plastic bottles. As a result, they’re often considered a green or environmentally friendly carpet option.

Triexta Carpeting vs Polyester Carpeting

Durability

Arguably the main reason why people opt for these synthetic options, both polyester and triexta are known for their durability.

Polyester carpets are tried and tested when it comes to their resilience. They are great at fighting of mildew, sun damage, but they don’t have the best crush resistance. This makes them a poor choice for commercial use or any areas with a lot of foot traffic, so polyester carpets are best installed in living rooms or bedrooms.

Despite all this, triexta is actually considered a better option when it comes to durability. The fibres that make up triexta tend to be much stronger. Triexta carpets have more bounce back after being weighed down by furniture. This means they perform better at keeping their original shape after years and years of use.

Winner: Triexta carpet is more durable and resilient than polyester.

Stain Resistance and Absorption

It may be fun to buy carpets, however stains are never fun. When it comes to stain resistance, triexta carpet will outperform polyester many times over because triexta fibres are naturally hydrophilic, meaning they repel water.

Triexta is the most stain resistant material when it comes to all types of spills. This means you can spend more time enjoying life and less time cleaning when you purchase a triexta carpet. Stain resistance is actually one of the key selling features of triexta carpets, with some ranges offering up to 7 days of stain protection from most spills. This exceeds the performance of even nylon carpets which previously held the championship against stains.

Winner: Triexta carpet is much more stain resistant than polyester.

Comfort and Softness

As far as synthetic carpets go, polyester has often been considered the softest and the most luxurious. For people who don’t want to go down the route of natural wool carpets but still want an elegant look, polyester has usually been historically a very popular option.

However, with the recent introduction of extremely soft triexta carpets, polyester has been dethroned. Triexta is much softer than polyester. In the thicker and plushier options they can feel like a cloud underfoot.

Winner: When it comes to comfort beneath your feet, triexta is definitely the way to go.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Synthetic carpet fibres are known for being relatively simple to clean as well as being highly stain resistant, and that’s generally true for both triexta and polyester as well. As triexta is more stain resistant, it is easier to keep clean than polyester overall.

However, triexta is still the new carpet on the block so there are a few caveats that owners of this fibre should be aware of. Carpeting and cleaning professionals are optimistic about triexta’s long-term capabilities, so there’s no reason to panic over anything.

While simple scrubbing and vacuuming will do the trick, many cleaning professionals actually recommend that triexta carpets be cleaned with hotter water and with vacuum cleaners that have softer bristles

Winner: Triexta is easier to keep clean, however it can be a “bleeding edge” technology.

Environmental Impact

One of the nicest benefits of triexta is that it is now made in a highly environmentally friendly variant. Originally, triexta was made out of petroleum but it is now processed using a form of fermented corn glucose. This makes it both cheaper and more sustainable to produce.

This also heavily cuts down on the use of chemicals that are used to produce and treat triexta, whereas to this day polyester is still made and sprayed with chemicals to give it its stain resistant properties.

Winner: Triexta is definitely a more environmentally friendly option than polyester.

Cost and Budgeting

With all the benefits that triexta carpets have over polyester, it does make sense for it to be more expensive. In fact, triexta fibres are the most expensive of all synthetic carpet options. Polyester carpet on the other hand sits on the most affordable end of the spectrum.

Polyester carpets are much more affordable and cost around $40 – $60 per square metre fully installed. This is because polyester is a cheaper material and more commonly available.

Triexta carpet commands a higher price, typically costing you between $70 – $120 per square metre fully installed. Triexta is not only more expensive to manufacture but has its supply controlled entirely by one manufacturer which tends to increase the price.

You can explore the complete cost of installing carpets in our ultimate cost guide.

Conclusion – Should You Go for Triexta or Polyester?

If the extra durability, softness, easy cleaning, and green-friendly manufacturing are important to you, you will definitely feel at home opting for a triexta carpet. Overall, triexta is the more premium option with a fair share of benefits over polyester fibres.

If you wish to learn more about triexta carpets, check out our ultimate guide that covers it’s pros and cons in depth.

But if triexta still feels too experimental for you and you want something that is more tried and true, plus something that’s also a little bit cheaper, then by all means get yourself a polyester carpet instead.

To discover the advantages and disadvantages of polyester to determine whether it suits you, we have an up-to-date complete guide as well.

Contact us at Floor Venue for any Carpeting Needs

IF you have any more questions or concerns about the benefits of owning a triexta carpet or owning a polyester carpet, feel free to get in touch with us at any time for some simple advice or a more in-depth consultation.

FloorVenue stocks a huge range of carpets with over a thousand different colours, materials and fibre structures.