Everything You Need to Know About Carpet Textures and More
When it comes to choosing the perfect carpet style and color for your home, you may be wondering where to start. With so many selections on the market, making the right choice can seem overwhelming.
However, all residential carpets can be classified into one of only a few categories, which can really help to narrow your search.
Each of the following styles has a unique look, as well as distinct pros and cons.
At Hatcher’s Floors, we make choosing the right carpet for your home simple.
Here’s everything you need to know about carpet styles, including characteristics of each, durability, and performance expectations.
Pros to Choosing Carpet for Your Home:
- Can match any style, suit any room of your home, improve its appeal, and complement your décor.
- Carpet’s cushioned surface absorbs sound and is a quieter and warmer choice for your home.
- Carpet is an affordable option for a simple flooring update, without the high costs of hardwood and tile.
- The insulating properties of carpet provide additional warmth during cold seasons.
- Carpet provides a non-slip surface that is safe for young children, delicate furniture, and may prevent breakage in the event of an accident.
- Most carpet materials are treated with static, stain and soil resistant treatments, which makes them easy to clean and maintain.
Cons to Choosing Carpet:
- Can be prone to significant water damage should a leak occur in your home.
- Small pets and children can cause stains to certain carpet materials.
Planning Which Carpet Goes Best in Which Room
There is so much more to choosing carpet than just color and texture.
Before deciding on carpet, consider the room. The room’s purpose and size is going to guide your decision.
How much traffic does the room get?
Who will be using the room and how will the room be used? Is it a bedroom, family room, toy room, den, living room, home office, kids bedroom, master bedroom?
How large is the room? Believe it or not, some carpet styles may not compliment a small room, large room, or have too much pattern.
A highly trafficked room is going to need a durable carpet material and a neutral color to compliment any décor as well as hide potential stains.
On the contrary, a home office can get a pop of style with a more stylish pattern and color.
Looking to carpet your stairs? The best carpet for stairs will be a carpet that resists snagging, abrasions and dirt. Since stairs are more difficult to clean, the best carpet for stairs should also deter pet hair, so consider low pile carpet options.
When determining the quality and durability of carpet, start by finding out its pile height and face weight.
Pile Heights
Pile height is the height of the carpet fibers, excluding the backing. Carpet will typically be classified as low pile carpet, medium pile carpet or high pile carpet.
- Low pile carpet has short fibers that look and feel flat and dense. Low pile carpet is easy to clean and is the most durable carpet choice. Best for high traffic areas and rooms where dirt, pet hair or other messes are a concern.
- Medium pile carpet has fibers taller than those of low pile carpet, which makes it softer to the touch but still manages to hold up to moderate foot traffic and dirt. Medium pile carpet styles are a popular choice for living rooms and bedrooms where you may want more comfort under your feet.
- High pile carpet has long fibers that create a plush and fluffy look and feel. Due to the pile height, high pile carpet types are more prone to catching debris and require more routine maintenance. This pile height is a good choice for areas where you want to add a touch of warmth and luxury but won’t have heavy furniture and traffic.
Face weight is a measure of how much yarn makes up the carpet pile. A higher face weight means more yarn and a denser, longer-lasting carpet. A higher face weight typically means a better-quality carpet, more durable, but also more expensive. You can compare the face weight of carpet to the thread count of bed linens – the higher, the better.
Now that you are aware of the different pile heights and which would be best suitable for your carpeting needs, here are the different types of carpet fibers to choose from.
Different Types of Carpet Fibers:
Nylon
Nylon is the most durable and stain resistant carpet fiber available. It is the fiber of choice for homes with pets and children and for those who entertain a lot. Perfect for heavy traffic in hallways and stairs.
Polyester
Polyester is known for its luxurious look, feel and wonderful selection of colors and styles. It’s a good value for homes with a normal amount of traffic.
Olefin
Olefin offers good stain and moisture resistance, but scores below nylon and polyester for durability. It should be used in low trafficked areas.
Wool
Wool has a beautiful appearance and is naturally soil resistant. It has great durability and maintains its appeal for a long time.
Carpet Textures:
Carpet texture refers to how the fibers of the carpet are attached to the backing of the carpet. Primarily, there are three different types of carpet texture. As we mentioned pile heights before, these types of pile cuts also come into play.
Cut Pile
Cut pile carpet consists of yarns that are cut at the ends. The soft feel of cut pile carpet makes it a popular choice for the most comfortable areas of your home – bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms. There are five basic styles of cut pile carpet: Velvet, Saxony, Frieze, Shag, and Cable.
- Saxony is the most popular carpet style; it is the image that likely comes to mind when you are thinking about adding or replacing the carpet in your home. Saxony carpet is a cut pile that is medium pile height, making it a durable option, yet more comfortable than a lower pile. Because Saxony is available in different looks, it can work for almost any type of décor. Our carpet experts at Hatcher’s Floors will show you Straight Saxonies vs. Textured Saxonies and more. Depending on the room and its use, the type of Saxony carpet chosen will differ.
- Frieze is the evolution of the shag carpet. Frieze features long fibers that have been tightly twisted. Generally, as we mentioned above, longer fibers would not be ideal, but due to the highly twisted composition of Frieze, this higher pile type is still very durable. They are great in family rooms and in basements, and they often look great on stairs.
- Shag carpet is made up of looped yarn raise up to create a higher pile. Due to its longer strands, it should be cleaned weekly and is not recommended for high traffic areas of your home.
- Velvet carpet is not as common as other carpet textures due to its high quality and price tag. However, plush, rich, thick and luxurious velvet carpet often outlasts its buyer’s lifetime, lasting generation to generation. It is comprised of a thick pile and is great at hiding dirt, making it an excellent option for normal wear and even high traffic areas or office buildings.
- Cable carpet, according to the World Floor Covering Association, is constructed of thicker, longer yarn that is better suited for rooms without a lot of traffic or heavy furniture. It can matte and crush with continual activity, so best to install this style of carpet in a less-trafficked area like a home office.
Loop Pile
Loop carpet has yarns that are looped and uncut on the carpet surface. Berber is the most popular style of loop carpet.
Berber carpet or loop carpet is a dense construction that holds up well in heavily trafficked areas. The yarn is uncut and looped, which makes it highly stain resistant and one of the best carpets for stairs, hallways and basements. However, pet claws can snag this carpet, so that may be a consideration when choosing this style.
Berber carpet offers a colored pattern that looks like flecks of off-white, dark brown or gray.
Color Selection:
When selecting the right color carpet for your home, think of the room, the way the space is used, and the décor style of your home.
Your carpet should complement the walls, window treatments, and furniture to bring the look together.
Here at Hatcher’s Floors, we provide free home estimates, so our professional carpet installers will come and assess your home and style, then recommend the best carpet to look beautiful in your home.
Get a Free Carpet Quote Today!
