Carpet Buyers Guide
Investing in a new carpet, either for one particular room or for your entire home, can have the ability to refresh and restore your property to its original glory and help to give it a new lease of life. However, without consulting a carpet buyers guide, you could make some costly mistakes.
Our guide to buying carpet will provide you with everything you need to know, from what style of carpets are available to which room a particular carpet is suited to. We will even explore which carpets are the best for children and pets, as there’s lots of different important things to consider when it comes to buying carpet for a particular purpose.
What are the different styles of carpets I can choose from?
Some people think that all carpets only come in one style and you only have to choose your preferred colour, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are several different styles of carpets that you can choose from, with each having a unique way to enhance your home and suit different rooms.
- Twist pile carpet - An extremely popular style, a twist pile carpet is versatile, practical, and hard-wearing. Made from yarn that has been twisted tightly together, this style of carpet is ideal for high traffic areas.
- Berber loop carpet - This style of carpet is created when the yarn is sewn or tufted into the backing and left uncut. The lower the loop height, the more hard-wearing the carpet. This option is incredibly stylish as well as being long-lasting, making it ideal for a hectic family home.
- Deep pile Saxony carpet - If you are looking for a carpet that feels soft and luxurious underfoot, then this is the carpet style for you. Made of twisted carpet fibres that are typically woven very densely, this style of carpet is as stunning as it is smooth.
- Cut pile carpet - Cut pile carpets are made by cutting the yarn loops, which creates an upright pile that is both luxurious and stylish. This type of carpet is durable and has the ability to hide stubborn stains.
- Cord carpet - This budget-busting style of carpet is made of a polypropylene material, meaning that it is stain-resistant and easy to clean. The colour of your cord carpet won’t fade regardless of how many times it is walked on.
- Velvet carpetIf you are looking for a style of carpet that has the wow factor, then velvet could be the way to go. A short and dense pile carpet, the velvet material will result in a highly comfortable and aesthetically pleasing flooring choice.
How to choose the right carpet for each room in your home
Don’t be tempted to choose one type of carpet and have it fitted in every room in your home, as there are certain styles that are specifically designed for high traffic areas such as the hallway or stairs, and others that are better suited to living rooms and bedrooms.
When choosing the carpet for living rooms, you need to pick one that is fairly hardwearing, but at the same time, feels soft underfoot, such as a Berber loop or cut pile carpet. Living rooms are typically higher traffic areas that need to withstand more people walking over it without fading the colour of the carpet.
For carpets for bedrooms, you want a more luxurious style such as velvet or deep pile Saxony. These can provide a sophisticated feel to a room and warmth underfoot, perfect for bedroom carpets that won’t get as dirty as other areas of the house.
Finally, for high traffic areas, you will want a hard wearing carpet such as a twist pile or cord carpet. These are perfect for hallways, as they’ll get dirty quite a lot and most of these carpets are easy to clean whilst also having enough longevity to last a lifetime.
What else do I need to take into consideration when choosing carpets for families?
If you have children and/or pets in your home, then you need to make sure you take this into consideration when choosing the style and material of carpet for your home.
Arguably the best carpet for children will be durable and have the ability to hide stains, but also to be soft to touch, such as the Berber loop carpet. It can also be a good idea to choose colours that are slightly darker to help hide any spillages or stubborn stains.
Carpets for pets need to have similar properties, including being durable, stain-resistant, and hard-wearing. Carpeting made from nylon fibres is the most popular choice for homeowners with pets.
When you’ve decided on the perfect carpet to buy for your new project, the next step is researching how to lay carpet to make sure you get it right first time - you can always hire a professional carpet fitter to do the job for you, but this can often be expensive and you might be able to make some progress yourself! With the right tools and a step by step guide, you’ll have your carpet fitted in no time.
If you’ve already installed your carpet and you’re worried about upkeeping and maintaining your carpet, it’s important you know how to clean carpet so you can get rid of any stains or dirt that happens to befall it. Different types of stain and type of carpet require different methods to clean, so make sure to research your style of carpet and different carpet cleaners to make sure your carpet stays at its best for years to come!