What Are the Different Types of Carpet?

There are several things you need to know before choosing carpeting for your home or business.  There’s different types of carpet fibers as well as different kinds of construction such as cut pile carpets versus loop pile carpets.  The right choice depends not only on your choice of style, but on where it will be used as well.  With our huge inventory you’re bound to find the wall-to-wall carpet that’s right for you.  Let’s go over the various types of carpet to help you make the best decision.

Carpet Fibers

In nearly every situation synthetic carpet fibers win out over natural fibers hands down, due to the wide range of choices, durability, and far lower maintenance cost.  Here are the leading types of carpet fibers, synthetic and natural.

• Nylon is the most popular type of carpet, and the strongest.  It’s wear-resistant, so it’s good for high traffic areas.
  But it’s not as stain resistant as other synthetics, so carpet-guard treatments are recommended.
• Polypropylene (olefin) resists moisture, and mold, mildew better than other fibers, so it’s a best choice for basements and outdoors.  Usually the lowest cost material, it’s easy to clean and is stain resistant.
• Polyester is another economical alternative to nylon.  It’s less durable, but is similar in softness and can be made from recycled materials.
• Acrylic has the look and springiness of wool at a lower cost.  It’s more soil, stain, and mildew resistant but isn’t as durable.
• Woolis the only natural fiber commonly used in carpet.  It has a unique sought-after look and feel, but is expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain.

Construction

Carpet pile is created by fibers woven through a backing material in continuous loops.  In the various types of carpet the pile can be flat (short) or shaggy (long), left in loops or cut.  Beyond the look and feel, quality can be judged based on weight and density (how closely the fibers are packed).

There are two main types of construction.

• Cut Pile Carpet — when the loops are cut for a softer feel.  Cut pile carpets are generally denser than loop pile.
• Loop Pile Carpet — when the loops remain uncut.

Styles

Even with the materials and basic construction narrowed down you’ll still have many carpet styles to choose from, in a wide range of patterns and colors.  Here are our most popular.

• Berber carpeting has short level loops.  It hides dirt well, and is good in high traffic areas.
• Multi-level loops are just that.  It’s also called patterned loop carpet when it features distinctive textures.
• Plush has an even cut pile.  It’s delight for bare feet and has a great appearance as well.  But it does show vacuum tracks and footprints.  So it’s most popular in low-traffic formal areas and master bedrooms.
• Saxony uses twisted fibers for more body, but shows footprints more.
• Frieze uses long fibers and is not suitable for high-traffic areas.
• Shag is the longest type of Frieze.
• Cable styles are especially comfortable, having long thick fibers.
• Cut and loop styles combine the two types of construction for a flat, dense, and very long-lasting carpet.  It hides dirt and stains well and is most often used in commercial settings.

So Ask Yourself

Now that you have the necessary background information you’re ready to judge the pros and cons of the many types of carpet, considering your particular needs and priorities.  The experts at our showroom will be happy to help.  But before you visit, ask yourself the following questions.

• How much foot traffic will there be?  High-use areas include hallways as well as popular rooms.
• Is the area formal or informal?  For example, will you be carpeting a family room or a dining room?
• Is there direct access to the outside?  That would mean that tracking in dust, dirt, and mud is likely.
• Is the feel of the carpeting important?  That’s usually true for bathrooms and bedrooms where you’re often barefoot.
• What sort of appearance are your after?  Do you prefer something uniform throughout, or various kinds of patterns of texture or color?
• What is your budget?  You should know the area or the room (length times width for simple rectangles) in square feet or square yards.

A great deal isn’t so great if it’s not exactly what you want and need.  That’s why we offer you the full range of choices, including leading brands at discount prices.  And with acres of stock, the odds are you can have same-day delivery.