How to choose your perfect carpet

When you are renovating your home, or perhaps building from scratch, there are so many choices to make! Choosing your floor plan layout, what kind of finishings, colour schemes… it really is endless! And just when you feel like you have finally decided on something, it seems that there are even more choices to make.

Take flooring for example; there are so many different kinds, all with their own benefits and perfect usages. So if you have decided on carpet for your home’s flooring, now you just need to decide what type!

We have put together our top tips to help you make that decision easy. Read on to find out the factors you need to take into consideration to help make your choice simple!

Choosing what fibre type

Carpets are available in a wide range of different fibre types, from luxurious 100% wool, practical wool-nylon mixes and durable synthetic fibres.

Cool in summer and warm in winter, wool is one of the most popular carpeting materials as its dense and natural texture gives it a luxurious look and feel, it’s soft to the touch and also hides dirt reasonably well. It is the most expensive of the carpeting options.

Nylon carpeting is a popular choice as it is strong, highly resistant to damage, easy to maintain and static-free. It’s also available in a wide choice of colours, and is a cheaper alternative to traditional wool. The cons of Nylon carpeting is that the fibres do not have the ability to “breathe” or regulate your indoor air environment like wool, meaning that the fibres are cold in winter, hot in summer, and can feel damp if there is high humidity.

A popular carpet choice for those with young children and pets, Polypropylene carpet is anti-static, as well as fade and stain resistant, plus it is very budget-friendly if you are choosing to carpet large sections of your home.

Polyester is desired for it’s pleasing appearance and wide-range of colours, plus it offers a high level of stain resistance and is actually one of the most eco-friendly synthetic fibres available. It has a luxurious feel and is resistant to water but doesn’t hold on to its fibres under pressure. It can also fade under direct, constant sunlight.

Choosing your carpet’s finish

Once you know what fibre you want for your carpet, the next step is to choose what finish. All carpets come in one of three styles; cut pile, loop pile and cut-loop pile.

A cut pile carpet has the yarns cut off at the two opposite ends. This finish has a luxurious and formal look and push feel making it ideal for living rooms and bedrooms. Due to the loop-less nature of this carpet, it works well for those with pets, as looped styles tend to be pulled out by careless claws!

A loop pile carpet – such as level loop pile or high/low loop pile – is created when individual strands of yarn are pulled through the carpet backing twice to create a small loop, hence its name. It feels smoother than a cut pile and hides footprints well, making it a great choice for high-traffic areas.

A cut-loop carpet is a combination of cut and loop-pile carpets, with the extra texture of this style giving it the ability to hide marks and footprints better than the other styles of carpet.

Choosing your carpet’s colour

The colour of your carpet can make a big difference to your home. Choosing a light coloured carpet can help to make small spaces in your home look larger and more open, whereas darker colours can help to create intimate and cosy areas.

You also need to take into account your lifestyle and factor in foot traffic, pets and small children to your colour selection – these factors may lead to choose a darker colour which will be more forgiving of minor stains! Also, take into consideration that carpet tends to fade over time, so choose one that is a shade or two deeper than you planned, to ensure you are always happy with the look of your carpet.

Fit your carpet to your lifestyle

One of the most important things you need to consider when looking at what types of carpet you want for your home, is your lifestyle. Things like, how often are you going to be cleaning it? Do you have any pets or children? How much foot traffic would you expect?

If you are looking for a low-maintenance carpet, perhaps consider choosing Nylon or Polypropylene catering – these options are both durable and stain resistance options that are ideal for high traffic areas or families with pets or small children. Polypropylene is also very budget- friendly, meaning you have more money to spend on other things in your life!

If you are not worried about accidental spills, or perhaps you are carpeting a smaller area of your home with not so much foot traffic, then consider wool carpet for a luxurious flooring, that is also relatively stain-resistant, as long as you attend to those spills promptly!

Consider where in your home you are carpeting, areas with high foot traffic will require a more durable carpet type. Also, did you know that there is a ratings system for Australian carpets? It exists to help make your choice even easier, when carpeting certain areas. Look for a carpet that has an ‘extra heavy duty grade’ residential rating, and if you’re carpeting stairs, make sure it has a stairs rating.

If this is all still too much, you can trust the experts at Parrys flooring to help guide you towards the perfect carpet for your home. With decades of experience in helping Western Australian families find their perfect flooring, you can trust that you will make the right flooring decision with Parry’s expert assistance. Get in touch with a Parrys flooring expert today to get started.

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