Before selecting the perfect carpet for any room, there are a couple of key questions you'll need to ask yourself:
Is there light or heavy traffic in the room? As a general rule of thumb, for heavy traffic areas such as stairways and halls you should buy the best quality carpet you can afford. For areas where traffic tends to be a little lighter, like a bedroom, a medium grade carpet might work just fine for you.
Do you have children? Carpet can be a nice, comfy choice for kids because they tend to spend a lot of time on the floor. On the other hand, children are also extremely hard on carpeting. So you'll want select something very durable. Durability is generally achieved by the type of fiber, density of tufts, and amount of yarn twist. Huh? The friendly folks at Carpet Exchange will gladly help you sort all this out.
Do you have pets? If you have a dog named "Spot "because he tends to be a little accident prone, then maybe you don't want to invest in top-of-the-line carpeting for any room he'll be spending a lot of time in. Please also keep in mind, while a looped carpet may be great fun for your cat, it's not very much fun for the carpet.
Is the room used for dining? For rooms that are used for dining, you need to consider who's going to be doing that dining. If it's mostly grownups, it's okay to go ahead and order the most expensive, formal carpet on the menu. Then again, if little ones are involved, you'll need a carpet that can stand up to stains and spills.
Is the room used for entertaining? If you're going to do a lot of adult entertaining, you need to know that there's absolutely nothing entertaining about the combination of red wine and white (or very light) carpeting.
Is there a door in the room that goes directly outside? If so, sooner or later, stuff that's not so great for carpeting is going to end up getting tracked-in from the great outdoors. Like leaves. Mud. Even slush. If that's the case, you'll want to pick a carpet that can handle that dirty work. For instance, textured carpets are well known for their soil hiding capabilities.
Is the room exposed to a lot of sunlight? For any room that gets more than it's fair share of sun, you'd be wise not to choose a color of carpet that's particularly dark. Otherwise, your love for that carpet, and its color, will fade.
How long will it be before you consider replacement? If there's a remodel in your not-so-distant future, you might want to consider a more inexpensive carpet now. On the other hand, if you're creating a classic look and you're planning to stay in your home for quite a while, buying a high quality carpet that'll last a long time makes all the sense in the world.
How can you make heads or tails of it all? Just ask the knowledgeable, personable sales people at Carpet Exchange. We know carpet inside and out—quite literally. So we can help you select the perfect carpet for any room, any style, and any budget.
Here's a quick look at all the different kinds of carpet depending upon how they're made and what they're made of.
Common construction techniques:
SAXONY - a level cut pile in which the yarn loops form a densely-packed, smooth, luxurious surface. This creates a more formal appearance.
PLUSH - the yarn is again cut level but not nearly as dense as a saxony. A little less formal in look.
TEXTURE - the yarns are curled or twisted giving a textured appearance and a decidedly less formal look. A key advantage of textured carpet is that it minimizes footprints.
CUT-LOOP - this is made up of a mixture of higher cut tufts and lower loop tufts to form a sculpted pattern in the carpet.
LEVEL LOOP - this carpeting is made up of looped tufts all of equal height. Because of its durability, this style is particularly good in high traffic areas. The berber style is characterized by larger loops.
MULTILEVEL LOOP - two or three levels of looped tufts form a random sculpted pattern.
FRIEZE - highly twisted yarns that curl at the pile surface. This style is a steady, sturdy performer in high traffic areas.
Fiber content of the carpeting:
NATURAL:
Wool - is, of course, a natural fiber. Its high bulk gives it a soft feel. Although available in a broad range of colors, bright colors are not common (ever seen a fuchsia sheep?). Generally the cost of wool is higher than synthetics.
MAN-MADE FIBERS:
Nylon - one of the most popular choices. It is wear-resistant, resilient and available in a broad range of colors -from neutrals all the way to the very brightest of hues. It is also known for its ability to resist stains and conceal soil.
Polyester - the touch is soft, but not as resilient as nylon. Better in low traffic areas.
Olefin (polypropylene) - resists wear, permanent stains, moisture, static electricity, and is easily cleaned. Used in indoor/outdoor carpeting.
Acrylic - has the appearance and feel of wool at less cost. Because of its resistance to moisture and mildew it is often used to produce bath and scatter rugs. Many level-loop carpets utilize this fiber. It's no shock: it also has a low static level.