When it comes to carpets, it’s no secret that many people have a love/hate relationship with them. To some carpets are a nightmare to maintain and others prefer them to hardwood floors – all in all, a lot of mixed feelings regarding carpets.
However, regardless of what anyone thinks, carpets have their many benefits. Some of those benefits include insulation of the floors, shock and sound absorption, the feeling of warmth and comfort, just to name a few. And yes, they may be a pain to maintain, but honestly, all the pros kinda overshadow the cons.
Photo by Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.
Now, let’s say that we’ve convinced you and you’ve decided to give a chance to a carpet. The next thing you should be aware of is how to choose the best carpet for your living space.
So, without any further ado, let’s see how exactly you should choose the said carpet.
Carpet textures and materials
Before you ever settle for a certain carpet, you should know that there are many different carpet textures and materials. Since we’re talking about choosing the right carpet for your living room, a place where you most likely spend a huge portion of your day, you’ll be seeing it quite often. The living room is also a place that sees a lot of traffic, so it’s important to be informed on things like material and texture of the carpet.
Photo by Jennifer Gustafson Interior Design
The top three types of carpet materials that you’ll see nowadays are wool, wool mix, and man-made carpets. Wool, as you probably know, is the most luxurious type of carpet material that you can choose and thus obviously the most expensive.
Wool mix carpets are some 80% wool and 20% other man-made fabrics. These carpets are the most practical ones as they are easy to clean, they provide good insulation and are very durable.
And man-made carpets are usually made either with nylon or some sort of polypropylene. They are the most affordable of all and are also ideal for families with children and pets.
Photo by Innovative Flooring Design
When talking about textures and fibers here we have uncut loop pile, cut-loop pile (longer or shorter), and the mix of both.
Carpet color
When it comes to choosing the color and style of the carpet, you should know the following couple of things. First, when going shopping for carpets always bring color swatches of fabrics from drapes, furniture, as well as paint chips. This way you won’t have to worry about whether or not you selected a good carpet color.
Photo by Alexander Johnson Photography
Next, consider the size and the lighting conditions of the room where you intend to fit the carpet. Small rooms tend to feel larger with the lighter color carpet and larger rooms with darker carpet colors may look cozier and with more character.
Similarly, rooms with a lot of natural light will bring out the true colors of the carpet. Whereas darker rooms may need lighter color carpets to make them seem brighter.
Padding
After you’ve decided on the ideal material and color of your living room carpet the following thing that shouldn’t be skipped is the padding. This is something that many people skip because they feel like it’s an unnecessary expense. However, carpet padding provides a layer of support and strength.
Carpet padding is made of rubber or foam, it insulates the floor and makes the carpet more comfortable, but most of all the padding prevents carpet fibers and it’s backing from coming apart with time.
Carpet installation
The installation of the carpet requires a special set of skills. This is why choosing a professional-fitting carpet service is essential. Don’t go with the logic that you can do it, because the chances are that you can’t. An improperly fitted carpet is prone to damage and it also ruins the look of the whole room.
If your goal is to have a nicely fitted carpet that will last for years, hire professionals from Carpet Logistics, a reputable carpet installation service that provides a full-service offer, including take-up and removal of existing floor coverings, amongst other things.
Carpet maintenance
Keeping a carpet clean can be challenging and this is why we need to be informed about all the carpet material types, textures, and colors. If you truly want to be satisfied with the carpet you chose, you also need to inquire about the way to keep it clean.
Photo by Nampa Floors and Interiors
If you have kids or pets, our recommendation is to stick with man-made carpets made of olefin, polypropylene, and even nylon. These kinds of carpets are easy to clean as they resist moisture very well. Additionally, they are abrasion-resistant and can resist heavy traffic.
Bottom line is that carpets have many benefits and choosing the right one for a certain area in your home will save you a lot of trouble. Before committing to a certain carpet, take all of these things into consideration.
