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Choosing Carpets

The two most important considerations for the selection of a carpet in an average home are color and style.  

     The color of the carpet is responsible for the appearance of the room, and in many cases looks are the primary concern.  How a carpet looks, months and years after it is installed, is the responsibility of the type of carpet selected.  

     Obviously the question beyond color and style is ,"What kind of carpet is best?"  The answer depends on where it is installed and what kind of situation  it will be subject to.

1) Low Traffic Areas

     These areas may include bedrooms and other areas that are not heavily used.  The carpet may be nylon, polyester, wool, or a blend.  The feel of Olefin and polypropylene is the main reason why they are not recommended.

2) High Traffic Areas

     Areas such as living rooms, dining rooms, family rooms, and kitchens will no doubt need a higher resilient fiber such as nylon.  For areas that food will be used in, the recommendation is stain-resistant nylon.  Newer high-density olefins may be used, but resiliency may not be as good.  Avoid polyester and softer fibers.  Wool is very resilient but food spots and pet accidents may cause permanent staining.

3) Special Areas

     In areas where water tracking is a factor, the best recommendation is no doubt olefin or polypropylene.  This may come in the form of a loop, cut pile, or even a burber. Ideal places for this type of carpet would be around pools, hot tubs, on porches, and entry areas.   Dyes are stronger and these carpets are less susceptible to staining.

PILE:  Loop piles are more resilient than cut piles, as a rule. If you select a cut pile, we suggest a high density for better wear and luster.  Do not confuse density (thickness) with pile height.

Wear: Wear can be avoided by periodic professional cleaning and proper selection.  The best "wearing" carpets are nylon and wool.

Easiest to Clean:  No doubt the easiest to clean carpet is nylon and better yet the stain-resistant ones.  Nylon is dyed with a mild acid dye, so products such as tub and tile cleaners, red dye drinks, and mustard, should not be exposed to it.  Wool cleans well, but because it is a protein, it will be affected by such things as blood, milk, and urine. Polyester and olefin clean well but lack resilience.

Resilience: This determines how a carpet will hold up under traffic. Nylon and wool again lead the rest.  Higher density carpets will contribute to better wear.

Color Retention: Only olefin is resistant to sun fading.  Wool also comes in a close second.  Nylon should not be exposed to direct sun without a UV glass protection on windows.  Avoid whites, off-whites, and light pastels. Whether stain resistant or not, colors that are extremely light, will show surface soils and even light distortion.  These carpets will require considerably more cleaning to maintain appearance.

FIBERS

     There are six types of fibers that have been used in carpets over the years:

• Nylon

• Olefin

• Acrylic

• Polyester

• Cotton

• Wool

     Cotton and wool are natural fibers.  Cotton, although not as durable or resilient as wool and synthetic fibers, is soft and takes dye very well.  Cotton is used most often for specialty handmade rugs.  Wool is used in loose rugs and wall to wall installations.  Wool hides soil well, is resilient, and is considered the luxury fiber.

     The disadvantage to any natural fiber is that it is soft and absorbent. Absorbency permits easy staining. Soft fibers require a greater density to withstand traffic.  Considering the cost of wool fiber and the greater density normally used, wool carpets tend to be more expensive.

     Man-made fibers comprise over 90% of the market today. They are nylon, olefin, acrylic, and polyester.  Nylon, which makes up 80%, is extremely strong, durable, and is the most resilient synthetic.  This means that when  compressed by foot traffic, it does the best job of springing back to its original shape.  There had been problems with it initially, but with each new generation, nylon fiber ahs been improved. The latest "stain resistant" nylon fibers even include warranties against wear and staining.

     The next two types are olefin and acrylic.  Olefin and acrylic fibers are naturally resistant to water-based materials, which means they are almost stain proof.  Olefin is also resistant to sun fading and bleaching which makes it good for laundry rooms, outdoors, and around swimming pools.  The problem with both is that they crush with heavy traffic and they absorb oils.  This creates traffic pattern problems in main walkways.

      Polyester fibers make up a very small market share. Advantages are that it feels soft like wool and it is possible to get very bright colors not always possible with the other fibers.  Polyester has some problems with appearance loss and it is prone to the crushing and fraying of the yarns.