How To Choose Carpet
At Conklin Bros., we enjoy helping people pick out the perfect carpet for their home or business, lifestyle, and needs. The problem is many people don’t even know where to begin to select the right carpet.
This can add unnecessary time and stress to getting your home carpeted, and can result in making a poor choice that requires undue upkeep. Because of this, we decided it would be a good idea to create a list of things you should consider when selecting carpet. These things will make your home or business look better and more inviting, without compromising on quality!
1) Indoor or Outdoor?
This may seem like a silly question, but outdoor carpeting is becoming a popular trend for patios, gazebos, and other exterior structures. Outdoor carpeting is designed to give a similar feel to indoor carpeting, but to be more durable and weather-resistant. Deciding what applications you need the carpet for is the first step to choosing a carpet that works with your needs. Outdoor carpet is designed to be more resistant to the elements while cushioning one’s feet from concrete, rocks, and other hard surfaces. The earth tones outdoor carpet typically comes in make it ideal for blending into landscaping.
2) High traffic or low traffic?
Not all carpets are created equal when it comes to traffic resistance and durability. For indoor carpets, rooms such as bedrooms and home offices typically require low-traffic carpeting. Hallways, dens, living rooms, and children’s play areas usually require high-traffic carpet. The difference between these is the nap, or visible pile surface, and the way in which the pile is woven together in the carpet. A shaggier, softer, deeper pile is generally considered to be better for low-traffic areas, while a lower pile that doesn’t feature a lot of twists or loops is frequently recommended for high-traffic areas.
3) Stain resistance/pet waste resistance?
Homeowners with young children know that stain-resistant carpets can be a lifesaver, especially in the case of toddlers. These carpets are specially treated to help prevent stains from setting into the carpet and keep the carpets looking like new. Of course, pets, especially young ones who aren’t completely housebroken can also pose a problem. Stain resistant carpets like Karastan’s SmartStrand® carpets can help ameliorate damage to carpet caused by pets and young children. A Karastan’s SmartStrand® carpets is usually a good choice for homes with pets and children because of the lower pile and its natural tendency not to show stains. To learn more about Smartstrand please visit http://www.karastan.com/carpet/smartstrand.aspx
4) Texture?
There are five common kinds of carpet texture:
- Frieze: Cut-pile carpet with a low nap and a plush feel, less likely to show stains, wear, or matting than plush or textured.
- Plush: Made from tightly twisted pile loops. This is typically one of the softest carpets, but it shows wear and vacuum tracks more than most because of the deeper pile and the longer nap.
- Saxony: Tends to be the most popular type of carpet and is similar to plush in its characteristics. Better for low-traffic areas like bedrooms.
- Berber: Made from continuous loops of carpet fiber, Berber has a low nap and a flat profile which makes it resistant to showing stains or wear. This makes Berber ideal for high-traffic areas, as well as places pets and/or kids frequent.
- Textured:The fibers in textured carpeting are cut at different heights, which makes them appear “brighter” because of their light-reflecting characteristics. This also makes them a good choice for high-traffic areas. Some Berber styles are also textured.
5) Color/Pattern?
This can be one of the most difficult parts about choosing carpet. Here, the big questions what colors you use in your house and where do you want the room’s focal point to be. For a room that’s intended to showcase awards, artwork, and so on, choosing a neutral-colored carpet without a heavy texture pattern is a better choice, because it blends into the background and helps direct the viewer’s eye where you want it to go. On the other hand, in a room intended more for socialization such as the living and dining rooms, you may want a bold color or a vibrant pattern that makes the floor the focal point. Neither of these is necessarily right or wrong, but having an idea of the uses of the room and the items you want to showcase, or not, is an important step in choosing the perfect carpet.
6) Sound-proofing and durability?
Many people pick an elaborate, expensive carpet and then skimp on the padding beneath. Carpet padding not only helps make the carpet more durable and provide more cushioning underfoot, but it can also help deaden sound and protect the floor beneath. This is particularly important in areas where children and pets congregate. In addition, a deeper pad gives the carpet extra “spring” and helps it resist damage from everyday usage and traffic better than carpet alone. Be sure, when planning your carpet task, to consider what kind of padding will work best with your carpet.
Conklin Bros brings over a century of dedication and experience to helping you choose the perfect carpet for your home or business. By considering these factors before you start, it will make your carpet-buying experience easier, more enjoyable, and help us help you choose a great carpet you’ll love for years to come!
