Well it seems we have more than just a padding issue. First off echoflooring, I agree now that the padding under berber should be no more than 3/8... Last night my wife pulled out a sample of the Karastan she had in the closet and a piece of the carpet scrap from the install. There are differents which make us think, either a substitute or a lower grade Karastan (?) has been installed. The backing on the carpet has similiar patterns as our sample, however, the threading on the back of the install scrap is significantly different and the loop on the berber is not the same...on the sample there is a "shaved" pattern on some of the piles and the pattern in the berber is pronouned. On the scrap there is no shaving, nor is the berber pattern very pronouced. Now I understand it has been in a roll and compressed, but no matter what we do to try and fluff up the scrap, brush it, rake it or whatever, it does not display like our sample. We are really upset with this and will head back to the store today. All along we have been dealing with the owner of this Carpet One store, but now don't trust them. Not only do we think there is a problem with the product, the installer cut the carpet wrong and tried to hide a patch. They have ordered replacement, but now we are concerned the whole job is flawed, from pad to carpet and install. Frustrated!

Smart Cushion is a high density pad and for there to be noticeble variations in density that you describe, some really bad things would have had to happen during manufacturing. But really bad things can happen. Other things could be causing the problem, but the only way to tell is to first pull back the carpet and begin diagnosis.

5lb? No way? We pretty much only do 6 lb for the budget builders, and most of the consumers upgrade to the 8 lb with moisture barrier. L&P does a decent pad. It would be my choice. As far as the carpet, if it's a continuous filament rather than a stapled yarn, you'll get better wear and less fuzzies ending up in your vacuum.

Tearing out carpet is very simple and could save you a couple hundred bucks if you do it yourself. Use an utility knife to cut the carpet into 4'-5' widths the length of the rooms or areas. Use a pair of pliers or your hands to grab the carpet in the corners to pull free from the tackstrip. The padding should be 6' in width and doesn't need to be cut down but the installer more than likely stapled the padding into place. Use pliers to remove staples. To remove the tackstrip you'll want to use a crow bar, a hammer and a shim to place under the crow bar so that you do not hurt your wood floors. Only use the shim on top of your wood floors...not the wood subfloor. It's a days work, good exercise and keeps your money in your pocket.