What to look for with Carpet



So you are looking for new carpet for your home. You like how it feels beneath your feet. When you go to your local flooring retailers, ask about the type of fibers, it is also important. Technology has grown in leaps and bounds in the carpet industry, sweeping away old myths about different types of fibers. Polyester, which consists these days often of recycled plastic bottle material, has improved resiliency as well as stain resistance. Olefin is being purchased for its outstanding stain resistance and brilliant patterns. Nylon has always been known for its resiliency and ability to resist crushing.

Ask them to get you information on “walk tests”, simulated with special machines that duplicate actual traffic, and see how the carpet has held up. If you haven’t bought carpet in a while or need an update on previous fiber, ask for the information. Soft carpets continue to grow in popularity, and they are startlingly durable. If you are concerned about the performance of such a lux-feeling product ask your sales professional for advice.

All carpet requires regular vacuuming and most likely annually by professional cleaning with a truck-mount steam cleaning system. Always ask about cleaning methods when shopping for carpet, what you can do as a consumer to see that your carpet looks better longer and what needs to be done to keep up that warranty.

We know that the “face” of the carpet (the style side) is the most exciting, but the back is also something for you to examine. Carpet backing adds to the dimensional stability of the carpet (so it hold its shape).

As you are looking for carpet, another thing to ask your flooring professional to show you are the types of cushion available. There is so much that goes into a great carpet and great carpet design, and carpet cushion is one – and it’s so easily overlooked. Like the backing, it’s never seen again after it’s installed, so, as fashion buyers we rarely if ever think of what lies beneath.

Hopefully these tips will help you when you are looking for carpet…going beyond the color and style and design.