Nothing compares to the luxurious, soft feeling of carpet on your feet. Carpet flooring provides a comfortable and safe spot for children to play around and can even reduce the risk of getting an injury if someone will fall. It is true that carpet flooring needs more maintenance compared to tile or vinyl, however there is simply no substitute when it comes to warmth, sound absorption, as well as overall comfort.

With a lot of different materials, designs and colors available in the market nowadays, it can be challenging to select the best type of carpet for your house. Some carpet materials might require to be cleaned often and this simply would not fit into your hectic schedule. Other carpet materials come with a really high price and some other carpet may have negative effect on your health. Other carpet can also wear out fast, show or fade stains that stubbornly resist all your best cleaning procedures. In this article, you will learn some tips on how to protect your investment and select the best carpet for your house.

Picking the Right Padding

Do not be tempted not to buy carpet padding, or to choose the one with the lowest quality just to save a few dollars. A building needs a good foundation in order for it to be used effectively, prevent it from falling down, and for it to last for many years. Same goes with the padding. Carpet flooring relies heavily on padding layers for strength, a bit of extra cushioning, as well as overall support. While it is true that you cannot see the padding when you already have laid your carpet out, it is still a very important factor that contributes to the overall functionality of your carpet. If you do not use carpet padding or choose a low quality one, you will definitely be able to spot your new carpet’s extra wear and tear.

Carpet padding is made from foam or rubber materials. It conceals the imperfection of the floor in order to improve the carpet flooring’s appearance. Carpet padding can also contribute to carpet flooring’s insulation to help control your home’s temperature. It can also absorb sound that helps eliminate the noise coming from your neighbor, and protects your privacy as well. Most importantly, carpet padding supports your carpet flooring through many years of usage because it prevents the fibers and backing of carpet from coming apart through time.

You can consult the manufacturer of your carpet if they have any advice and recommendations with regards to choosing the right padding for your carpet. Most of the time, high traffic places require dense and firm padding, while light traffic rooms such as guest bedrooms may only need less protection. It is also vital to make sure that the padding matches to the kind of carpet you are planning to use. Experts recommend a 11 millimeter (7/16 inch) padding with 2.7 kilograms (6 lbs.) of density per cubic feet in order to support cut loop or cut pile carpeting. For thin loop rugs, experts recommend that you buy a 9.5 millimeter (3/8 inch) pad or much thinner than that, with 3.6 kilograms (8 lbs.) of density per cubic foot.

Consider Different Carpet Styles

Carpet comes in various styles, including frieze, textured, Berber, Saxony and plush. These terms are used to refer to its pile (the carpet surface you see), made from yarn tufts, which are either cut straight across, folded over into loops, or both. While each carpet style has a distinctive appearance, it should not be your primary consideration. Instead, try to look at how your lifestyle matches a particular carpet design. For example, plush carpeting is thick, inviting and soft, as it is created from tightly twisted pile. However, it can also show vacuum tracks and footprints, and can be able to develop something that is called “’pooling.” Pooling happens when some areas appear shaded because the carpet’s normal direction has been reversed. The most popular type of carpet is Saxony. It is quite similar to plush. This carpet style perfectly fits low traffic areas such as master bedrooms and formal living rooms.

On the other hand, Berber carpet is flat, dense and made from continuous fiber loops. It can have a cut and loop, level loop, or multi-level loop style. All of these features mean Berber is highly durable and does not show soil, stains or tracks. It is mostly used in high traffic areas.

Textured carpeting is created from fibers and is cut to different heights that cause them to reflect light. Light reflection makes it hard to see dirt and tracks. Therefore, this carpet type is great for high traffic spaces.

Friezes are created from slightly twisted fiber and are cut pile. The look is not completely formal compared to plush, yet fancier than Berber or any textured pieces. This carpet style feels soft to touch, but its fuzziness hides dirt and footprints well.