Carpet Before You Buy

Things to Know Before Deciding to Purchase Carpet

Many varieties of carpet designs and styles are available.

It just makes sense that the more you understand something, the better able you are to make a smarter purchase decision.

That goes for buying carpet. Knowledge about carpet construction, various unique characteristics, and about traits and subtle differences, can be invaluable.

It’s a fact. Choosing carpet is certainly about knowing the right combination of aesthetics, performance, characteristics, and budget to best meet the needs of your lifestyle.

For example, looped Berbers and high twist friezes perform perfectly in high traffic areas in your home, but an elegant Saxony in the same area may show footprints. Isn’t that good to know?

What You Need To Do Before Buying Carpet

We want you to know all of the significant carpet facts, and we’ve created this section specifically for that purpose.

Our goal is to help you be properly informed before your carpet is laid down — and long before you lay down your money.

So, we invite you to read on, check out these tips, notes and considerations, and get the upper hand on the flooring that may soon be underfoot.

Understand this About Seams

Carpet is available in 12’ and sometimes 13’ and 15′ widths.

Unless the room to be carpeted is narrower than these widths, the carpet will be seamed.

With looped or low-profile patterned carpets, you may have visible or peaked seams.

The degree of visibility depends on color, lighting, texture, and furniture placement.

A Note on Backing and Loops

Be aware that, as carpet bends over stairs, its backing may show depending on color, texture, and density.

Plus, you should know that looped carpet can snag, especially at a seam or at a carpet transition.

But never fear, in the Carpet Floor Care section, we provide more information on how to properly care for looped carpet.

Every Carpet Has a Chosen Course

The nap of all carpets runs in one direction. Pile reversal, or shading, is a typical characteristic of many cut pile style carpets. This can be chiefly apparent with plush carpet.

If this becomes an issue, consider furniture placement and window treatments as a way to minimize this effect.

Durability is a Function of Quality

Higher quality carpets typically will have tighter twist construction and greater pile density, which will result in better durability. Another consideration is that it’s easier to replace or renovate a home’s décor with carpet compared to other hard surface products. Dollar for dollar, carpet offers significant styling benefits and adds value to any home. Carpets also feel warm underfoot and reduce household noise.

Color Rules: You Should Know These

Color has a big impact on any room’s appeal. Carpet covers a large area of any room, so it’s important to keep some rudimentary rules in mind when selecting your carpeting.

An essential consideration of carpet color is that once a carpet is installed in a new home, it will often look slightly lighter than the sample you saw in the store. This is a natural optical or visual effect, and you should be aware of this when making a carpet color selection.

Another thing to remember is how the color of the carpet affects the apparent size of the room. Lighter colored carpet will visually increase the size of the room. Darker carpeting will seem to bring the walls closer together and create a more intimate feeling.

Neutral colors are the best choice if you expect to regularly change the decorating scheme, or if you’re trying to incorporate a lot of existing furniture. Using a neutral colored, good quality carpet is a great idea if the home will be resold any time soon. It’s easier for prospective buyers to imagine their furniture in a room that is decorated with neutral colors.