Making the right choice for flooring is, without a doubt, one of your most important decisions in home building, remodeling, or redecorating. Your lifestyle should play a primary role in making the right choices for you and your family.
Of course, it’s not all about efficiency and durability; you want to enjoy the look, feel, and style your flooring creates in your home. Choosing carpet for certain areas in your home above hardwood floors or tile is a great choice. Ask yourself these important questions when choosing new carpet:
#1 – Where will the carpet be used?
The amount of foot traffic your carpet must withstand is one of the most important considerations in making a smart carpet choice. If you’re choosing carpet for your children’s rooms, hallways or family room, you should choose the best quality carpet and padding you can possibly afford for long-lasting endurance.
The price of carpet depends primarily on its fiber content, pile weight, and style. Nylon is the best-selling carpet fiber, and typically costs more than polyester or olefin, which are also popular choices. If you’re going for luxury, more expensive wool carpets provide a luxurious look and feel, as well as long-lasting durability.
#2 – What are the most logical color choices for the area?
Contrary to what you may think, color choice in carpet doesn’t have to be neutral.
Of course, your carpet covers a lot of space and becomes the foundation of your décor. Although many choose a neutral color to blend with fabrics and other surfaces in the room, you can choose a vibrant color to make a bold personal statement of style and taste – it’s a personal choice and the choice is yours!
Warm colors bring light into a room, while cool greens and blues are very calming. Lighter colors tend to make rooms appear more spacious, while darker colors provide a cozy feeling. Don’t be afraid of choosing light colors - new stain and soil resistant technology makes today's lighter color carpet much easier to clean than in the past. Medium and darker colors, patterns, and textures help to disguise common soil in your high traffic areas.
#3 – Which fiber will look best and last the longest?
The type of fiber used and method of construction determine how well the carpet will withstand daily traffic, spills, and pets. Most carpet is produced using synthetic fibers designed for style, easy maintenance, and exceptional value. Basic types of carpet pile fibers include:
• Nylon – very resilient, conceals and resists soils and stains. Great for all traffic areas.
• Olefin (polypropylene) - Strong, resistant to wear and permanent stains, and easily cleaned. Notably colorfast, resists static electricity, moisture and mildew. (Many Berbers are made of olefin.)
• Polyester - luxurious and soft when used in thick, cut-pile textures, excellent color retention, cleans easily, resists water-soluble stains.
• Acrylic – looks and feels like wool but less expensive, resists static, moisture, and mildew. Often used in velvet and level-loop construction.
• Wool – luxurious, soft, very durable. Usually more expensive than synthetic fibers.
• Blends – combine the look and comfort of wool with the durability of nylon. Popular blends are acrylic/olefin and nylon/olefin.
#4 – Do I want a Design or Pattern?
You may be surprised at today’s wide array of choices in textures, designs and patterns. Select the carpet that makes your own personal statement of taste and style. New technology in carpet production offers many stunning designs and sculptured effects that will accentuate your style and add interest and sophistication to any room. You can choose texture, colors, and patterns to complement or contrast with patterns of your furniture and window treatments.
#5 – How easy will it be to care for?
Of course it’s important to choose carpets that will provide long-lasting durability, regardless of whether they are placed in high or low traffic areas. When you’re making your choice, check out the performance rating guidelines with various brands of carpet. The rating system offers guidance in choosing the carpet that will perform best for various traffic needs. Most guidelines are based on a 5-point scale, with a 4 or 5 rating best for highest traffic areas, and ratings of 2 to 3 work fine in areas with less traffic.
Choose Carpet that Fits Your Lifestyle for Long-Lasting Beauty and Durability
Fiber content, style, designs, patterns, and traffic are all important things to consider in how well your carpet will withstand usage and how easy it will be to keep a long-lasting look of attractiveness. Check out the care and instructions for cleaning before you purchase; then you can feel confident that you’ve made a wise choice for carpet that fits into your lifestyle and won’t require more time and effort than you can give. With these considerations, you should expect to enjoy your carpet for many years to come.
About the author:
Find a remarkable selection of finely crafted products for your remodeling, redecorating, or building project from DirectBuy including carpeting and furniture at wholesale prices direct from the manufacturer and their authorized suppliers. Make your home remodeling project easier with DirectBuy - you’ll find amazing products at fantastic prices!
