What Should I Know When Shopping for Carpet?

What Should I Know When Shopping for Carpet?

It’s time for a new flooring installation, and you just decided on carpet.

Good choice! Carpet adds warmth and richness to a home. More than just flooring, it’s an investment, so you’ll want to keep the installation looking great for a long time.

At Carpets Galore, we’re all about education, and the more you know, the better you’ll be able to avoid certain carpet challenges. Here’s what you should know now:

• Density. That means how closely the fibers are woven together and that, not thickness, determines quality; this is a flooring where thicker isn’t necessarily better. You can check this easily…just bend a sample card and if you see a lot of white space, you’ll know the fibers aren’t close together.
• Style. Some styles are better for some rooms than others and if you aren’t aware, you can end up buying the wrong carpet for your installation.

For instance, the Frieze or Shag style is great for the bedroom or living room. On the other hand, if you’re shopping for a home office, chances are you’ll have chairs with wheels–and they’ll keep getting caught in the long fibers. For the home office, you may want to go with a Berber.

• High and low pile. Know the difference. High piles are those plush rugs; the most well-known examples are frieze and shag. Low pile rugs tend to be a little stronger and well-known examples are the Saxony, Berber or cut-and-loop patterns.
• Fibers: Don’t automatically assume that a man-made fiber is somehow inferior to a natural one. Basic synthetic fibers are nylon (ultra-strong), polyester (a close second), and Olefin.

Olefin, generally, isn’t as durable, but it does get really strong when it’s in a Berber style because that style tends to utilize the strongest part of the fiber.

An all-natural one is wool, and the oils tend to give it inherent durability and stain-resistance.

• Be sure it’s professionally installed. Carpet requires special skills and tools; if you try to DIY it, you’ll end up with wrinkles, rolls, a rug that doesn’t fit the room properly—and possibly even damage that the warranty won’t cover—because their installation specifications were not met. Ask your flooring pro whom they recommend.

  For more information, visit the Carpets Galore showroom in Las Vegas, NV.