Buying Carpet: A Beginner’s Guide
We do love our wooden flooring but there’s always a place in our homes for carpet, after all there are few feelings as nice as walking on a new, plush carpet in bare feet. If you’re unsure about what to look for when buying carpet, here’s a beginner’s guide to set you on your way.
I’ve Heard About the ‘Pile’ of a Carpet, But What Is It?
Good question. Quite simply, the carpet’s pile is the length and thickness of the fibres used to create the weave of the carpet. The pile is what determines both the look and feel of the carpet.
Different Types of Carpet
As you’re probably aware, there are various different types of carpet available, each with distinctive properties and style. They are:
Loop Pile
Unsurprisingly, loop pile carpet is made up of lots of small loops of fibre. The weave springs back easily, making it great if you’re after something durable for high traffic rooms. However, It’s not the best if you have pets as the loops can snag on their claws.
Twist Pile
Without a doubt, twist pile carpet is the most popular type of carpet for use in homes. It’s made using twisted fibres and is reasonably durable, meaning it can be used pretty much throughout the house.
Saxony Pile
Saxony carpets have a deeper pile, meaning they often feel softer and more luxurious. They can be difficult to clean and aren’t the most durable, so best avoid for high traffic areas. However, in the bedroom, or perhaps the living room, they can look wonderful.
Patterned Carpet
Not strictly a type of carpet, more a design, but it’s still worth mentioning. Patterned carpet is quite often hard-wearing, the designs can help hide marks and stains making it good for homes with children or pets.
Where Should I Have Carpet In My House?
Pretty much anywhere you like! Carpet, in its various guises, can be used throughout the house. The only places we’d maybe advise against it are in wetter rooms such as bathrooms where vinyl might be a better option.
Like we mentioned above, rooms with higher traffic may require more durable carpet, such as loop or twist pile. Whereas if you’re looking for luxury, then a Saxony carpet might be more up your street.
Got Pets?
Then you’ll need to take a little more care in your carpet choices. Generally, we don’t recommend mixing carpets with pets, but if you’ve got no choice, this blog post on The Best Flooring For Pets will tell you everything you need to know.
But in short, if you’ve got a kitty cat or a puppy dog as an honoured member of your family, you may want to consider laminate, vinyl, or a wood floor instead.
How To Fit Carpet
First of all, before you fit your carpet, you’re going to need underlay. This will make your carpet last longer, provide insulation and be more comfortable to walk on.
Once you’ve laid the underlay, it’s time to fit your carpet. Lay it out on the floor so that it overflows the room by about 5 inches – this allows you to cut it easily to fit. We’d recommend using a dolphin-handled knife with a nice sharp blade. Be careful when cutting the carpet to go around difficult shapes of wall and also not to damage any skirting board with the knife.
You may want to consider using carpet grippers or tackless strips around the outside of the room to keep the carpet in place. In doorways you’ll need a threshold bar instead.
If you’re not sure what you’re doing, however, we’d recommend getting in a professional fitter to do the job for you.
How To Clean Carpet
If you or, worse, someone else, has spilt something on your lovely carpet then it’s going to need cleaning to restore it to its former glory.
The most common ways of cleaning carpet are powders and shampoos. Powders are better if you’re after a quick job as shampoos can take a while to dry. If your carpet is a real mess then you might want to get some professional carpet cleaners in who will give it a good going over.
It’s always best to try and keep on top of keeping your carpet clean, vacuum regularly and clean up spills and stains as soon as you can.
Is Carpet Flammable?
All of our carpets undergo stringent safety checks to ensure they are fire retardant in compliance with the relevant health & safety legislature. However, that doesn’t mean they’re inflammable. All we can say is do not expose your carpets to naked flames or prolonged exposure to excessive heat. Although you already knew that, didn’t you?
How About Carpet Tiles?
Carpet tiles have fallen out of favour somewhat but they can still have their place within a home. They’re good if you want to lay floor quickly and easily, so are fine for a DIY project, and they’re easily replaceable if one or two become stained or damaged.
There’s a lot more to go into about carpet but this should give you a quick overview. If you have any questions at all, then just leave them in the comments below or get in touch with us.