Guide · For the trade
Apartment carpet: specifying multifamily carpet for units, corridors and amenity spaces
Apartment carpet in a multifamily project is three specs, not one: a dense solution-dyed nylon cut pile or loop at 28 to 40 oz over a 7/16 inch 8 lb pad in the units, a Class I patterned woven or a cushion-backed carpet tile in the corridors, and a hospitality-grade Wilton, Axminster or custom rug in the lobby, lounge and model units. The unit carpet is chosen for turnover and acoustics, the corridor carpet for fire rating and the cart traffic, and the amenity carpet for the leasing walk-through. Carpet and pad are also the simplest route to the IIC 50 impact-sound rating between floors that the building code asks for.
This guide is for the designer on a multifamily or build-to-rent project, or the junior writing the finish schedule for a renovation of an existing rental property. It covers the three zones, the fiber and construction for each, the acoustic and fire numbers, the replacement cycle an owner plans for, and the questions owners and leasing teams ask.
The three zones, and what each needs
| Zone | Construction and fiber | Pad or backing | What drives the choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Units: bedrooms, living rooms | Solution-dyed nylon cut pile or textured loop, 28 to 40 oz, under 1/2 in; triexta as the alternative | 7/16 in 8 lb rebond, or a 6 lb with a moisture barrier where the owner specifies it | Turnover cleaning, stain release, IIC between floors, a 5 to 7 year replacement cycle |
| Corridors and stairs | Patterned woven 80/20 wool-nylon or dense nylon, or cushion-backed carpet tile, Class I | Direct glue or cushion back; 1/4 to 3/8 in dense pad on stairs | Radiant panel rating, carts and movers, pattern that hides soil, tile replacement in sections |
| Lobby, lounge, model units | Wilton, Axminster or custom rug, wool or wool-nylon | Pad under rugs; glue or pad under broadloom by area | The leasing impression; this is where wool belongs |
What kind of carpet is used in apartments, and what should be
The default in the market is a light polyester or olefin cut pile at 20 to 25 oz, which is why renters associate carpet with matting and stains. The better spec for a unit is solution-dyed nylon, where the color is locked in the fiber so the turnover crew can clean with bleach-based products without lifting the color, at a face weight of 28 oz or more and a pile under 1/2 inch so it does not crush in the traffic lane from the door to the bedroom. Milliken, Masland and Fabrica nylon in our nylon category publish lifetime stain and anti-static warranties and 20 year texture-retention warranties, and a 13 foot 6 inch roll from Milliken cuts a typical bedroom with no seam. A textured loop is the other good answer for a unit: it hides vacuum lines and furniture dents and is the harder surface for a rolling chair. The solution dyed nylon guide explains why the dye method matters more than the fiber name.
Why apartments still use carpet: the acoustic case
Owners keep carpet in units because of the floor-ceiling assembly. The building code asks for an impact insulation class of 50 between dwelling units, and a carpet over a pad reaches it over most wood-frame and concrete assemblies without a resilient underlayment, where a hard floor needs a sound mat and still produces complaints. On a renovation where the owner wants hard floors in the living areas, keeping carpet in the bedrooms keeps the IIC complaints down where they matter most. The carpet acoustics guide covers IIC and the pad's contribution.
Corridors: fire rating and the carts
Corridors and exit stairs in a multifamily building are where the flammability rating is enforced. Specify Class I on the ASTM E648 radiant panel, 0.45 W/cm2 or more, which every Axminster and most dense nylon commercial carpets meet, and confirm the DOC FF 1-70 pill test on the spec sheet; the carpet fire rating guide has the thresholds. The corridor also takes move-in dollies and cleaning carts, so a dense all-over pattern in a mid-tone with several colors hides scuffs between cleanings. Carpet tile in a corridor allows the section outside a leaking unit to be replaced without a seam; patterned broadloom reads richer and is the choice for a luxury building. Our patterned carpet category holds 49 Axminsters and more than 700 Wiltons to choose from.
The replacement cycle and the warranty
An owner plans on replacing unit carpet every 5 to 7 years in a market-rate building and sooner in student housing; some jurisdictions and leases set an expectation between tenants. The spec should make that cycle realistic: a nylon at 28 oz or more over an 8 lb pad usually reaches it, a 20 oz polyester does not. Read the wear and texture-retention warranties on the spec sheet, note that most exclude stairs and require professional cleaning records, and have the owner keep those records; the carpet warranty guide explains what is actually covered. Ordering all units from one dye lot and having the owner hold 5 percent of the order as spares lets the maintenance team replace a bedroom without a color step.
Emissions, and the lease-up
A new carpet smell in a model unit costs leases. Specify CRI Green Label Plus carpet, a Green Label pad and a low-VOC adhesive in the corridors, and ask for installation at least a week before the walk-throughs with the units ventilated. Green Label Plus also carries the LEED and WELL credits a developer may be pursuing; the low VOC carpet guide lists what each program asks for. In the model unit and the lobby, this is where the wool goes: a wool or wool-nylon Wilton and a custom rug in the lounge set the tone the leasing team sells, and the hotel carpet guide covers the hospitality constructions that suit an amenity floor.
Questions designers ask
What kind of carpet is used in apartments?
Typically a light polyester or olefin cut pile in the units and a glue-down nylon in the corridors. The better spec is solution-dyed nylon at 28 oz or more over an 8 lb pad in the units, a Class I patterned woven or carpet tile in the corridors, and wool in the amenity spaces.
What drives the cost of replacing carpet in a unit?
The fiber and face weight, the pad, the number of units ordered from one dye lot, and whether the installer is working around tenants or in a vacant building. Net pricing is quoted to trade accounts after the measure; the per-unit quantity is usually 60 to 90 square yards for a two-bedroom plan.
How often do apartments replace carpet?
Owners plan on 5 to 7 years in market-rate buildings and 3 to 5 in student housing, with cleaning between tenants. A nylon spec reaches the cycle; a thin polyester usually does not.
Why do apartments still use carpet?
Impact sound between floors, warmth over unconditioned space, cost against a hard floor with an acoustic mat, and tenant comfort in bedrooms. The IIC 50 requirement between units is the one that keeps carpet in bedrooms even when living rooms go hard.
Can a multifamily corridor carpet be custom?
Yes. A custom-colored Axminster or Wilton on a mill program is 8 to 16 weeks and is common on larger buildings where the corridor pattern is part of the brand. Carpet tile can also be custom-colored at volume. Both are quoted to the trade account with a strike-off.
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