Carpet Choice is almost Limitless
Carpet choices are almost limitless for wall to wall carpet. There are carpet choices in color, carpet choices in style, carpet choices in texture and carpet choices in fiber. Carpet is also manufactured in many different qualities from those designed for no more than a quick cover up, to qualities designed for excellent performance and those where a particular appearance is the most important feature. As you can see, there are many carpet choices and these are all considerations that you will want to make when considering the carpet options available to you.
Two popular carpet choices are tufted loop pile and tufted cut pile. With a loop pile the yarn is tufted or pulled through the backing of the carpet creating a loop. With cut pile carpet the loop is tufted or pulled through the back and the loop is cut which leaves the cut ends standing erect.
Many people consider cut pile to be the best carpet choice as they find it to be more stylish and a looped carpet to be more casual. Cut piles come in many styles, such as shag, textured, saxony, and velvet. Loop pile choices include Berber, cable, or sisal. For high traffic areas, loop pile is an excellent choice.
One of the factors with choosing your carpet is the cost. For years wool carpet has been considered the hallmark for style. Unfortunately a good quality wool carpet is more expensive than most of us can afford. Manufactures have made it a practice to emulate wool in many of their synthetic products creating a good-looking and good performing product and affordable costs.
Carpet choices for synthetic carpet yarns are available in continuous filament and spun yarns. While a spun yarn will look more like wool it will also shed more. Many people find their vacuum bags and canisters filling up with carpet fuzz. This is normally because the carpet is manufactured from a spun yarn and is a normal characteristic and not a defect.
If you are able to afford good quality wool carpeting,this can be an excellent carpet choice. You’ll find that even though it costs of wool carpet is more to purchase and install, it will prove to be far more superior to any other type of carpeting. While there is some wonderful man-made carpet fibers that come close to the durability, rich look, or even the feel of wool they still have a ways to go before they are perfected to the quality of a wool carpet which can both last and look good for 30 years or more.
Nylon carpeting is also a popular carpet choices, recommended for high traffic areas. Nylon is an easy to work with fiber enabling manufacturers to created unlimited styles, patterns and colors. Nylon is one of the most expensive types of synthetic fibers, although it is still cheaper than wool.
Olefin is a low-cost carpet material, often used for indoor or outdoor carpeting. Olefin is colorfast and strong, very easy to clean. One of the draw backs to olefin is that it can easily be crushed.
Another consideration you’ll have is the color and patterns of the carpet. Light carpeting colors help to create a spacious effect, making the room appear to be larger. Since light color carpet reflects light it will show soil and foot prints easier than your darker colors.
When looking for soil hiding qualities for homes with pets and children your darker colors are usually a better choice. Fortunately there are many carpet choices in dark colors, which is great for those interested in style. Dark colors are ideal for stains or pets, as they don’t show soiled areas near as much as light-colored carpets.
Don’t let the fact that a carpet has been treated for stain resistance make you comfortable in selecting a light-colored carpet. If you have children and pets and must have a lighter colored carpet be prepared for the extra care when it comes to stains and spots.
You mention good quality wool carpet, but what about low cost wool carpet? I am looking at some wool carpet that is about the same cost as a medium quality nylon. I can feel the difference between it and wool at twice the cost, or more, but how can I know that it will not crush or fuzz?
A wool carpet priced in the same range as a medium quality nylon is unlikely to be a wool carpet that will offer good performance. If it were me, I would purchase a good quality nylon.