What type of carpet wears best

You first will need to consider your lifestyle—what you typically do in that room—location, material, construction, and upkeep. Carpet manufacturers have responded to homeowners' desire for great looks, value, and easy maintenance with many innovations and options in recent years.

The type of fiber used determines the basic performance and appearance of the carpet. The biggest trend today is: soft. Homeowners seek comfort, and carpet offers a cushion underfoot. It also suppresses noise. The fiber content is usually listed on a specification sheet on the back of the sample. While names may differ among manufacturers, products still fall within one of five basic categories.

Wool, the granddaddy of all soft floorcoverings, retains its legacy of luxury. Natural and made from woven construction, it offers a greater range of designs, detail, and color than a traditional tufted carpet.

Expect good stain resistance as long as you treat it as soon as something is dropped on it. It also has inherent flame retardant characteristics.

Nylon comes a close second to wool in terms of performance and feel, but on average it costs less. This versatile fiber offers plenty of variety in styles and construction: frieze, textured, shag, loop cut loop LCL all can be made from nylon. It has excellent soil resistance, colorfastness and resilience, which allows it to bounce back, making it a suitable just about anywhere.

Some of it can be recycled once into another nylon carpet if the manufacturer so chooses. Because it is solution-dyed, it will not fade, making it good for rooms that get a lot of light or traffic from the outside or from a cholorinated pool.

Because it is less resilient than nylon, it is best used in low-pile carpets such as berbers low, loop-pile carpeting with flecks of different colors. Polyester is noted for its soft hand, or texture, especially when used in a luxurious thick pile.

It is a good value choice, as its styling attributes are competitive with nylon—it can be made into loop or cut loop, and it takes color extremely well. But it's not as resilient. Soil resistant and easy to care for, it's suitable for bedrooms as well as playrooms. Everstrand , a polyester carpeting from Mohawk , has been manufactured by a process that uses recycled soda bottles since One of the newest fibers to hit the market, triexta sold under the brand name SmartStrand combines the performance characteristics of polyester and nylon: durable, stain and soil resistant, easy to clean, colorfast, fade-resistant, and soft.

Its made from a polymer, 37 percent of which is created from corn, a renewable resource. Manufacturers are responding to the sustainability trend with a variety of products that incorporate pre- or post-consumer products. Some make carpets from recycled nylon carpeting. Others use recycled soda bottles to make a green line. And, be sure to reference our Five Star Selection System to help guide you to the right level of warranty protection. Carpet texture refers to how the fibers of the carpet are attached to the backing of the carpet.

Primarily, there are three different types of carpet texture. Cut Pile Cut pile carpet consists of yarns that are cut at the ends. The soft feel of cut pile carpet makes it a perfect choice for the most comfortable areas of your home - bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms. There are five basic styles of cut pile carpet: Velvet, Saxony, Frieze, Shag, and Cable, each provide a different look and texture.

The primary difference among these styles is the amount of twist in the yarns that will ultimately influence the carpet's durability. Loop Loop carpet has yarns that are looped and uncut on the carpet surface. The pile height can vary from low, tightly constructed to a more luxurious high-level pile.

Loop carpet has, strength and soil hiding capabilities. This style is ideal for heavy traffic areas. Berber is the most popular style of loop carpet that can be constructed as a level-loop or multi-loop carpet.

Cut-loop As the name suggests, this carpet has a combination of high cut tufts and lower loops in a variety of sculptured patterns. Cut-loop carpets offer good performance but are slightly less durable than loop carpets. The fiber is dyed before the fiber are woven. This method gives the carpet stronger stain and fade resistance, along with resistance to harsh cleaning agents, such as bleach.

This method is completed during the post-tufting process and most suitable for woven carpet. It is a process that achieves solid colors. Think of your floor as the fifth wall that connects all other design elements in the room.

Consider the walls, window treatments and other furnishings when choosing a color scheme. Bring fabric and color samples when you visit our store, where our flooring experts will assist you. All these elements make a difference in how your floor will look.

Don't forget to check out Installation to learn all about the little details that make a big difference when transitioning from old floors to new. Between fiber type, texture and color, there is a lot to consider when selecting the right carpet for your home. Use our My Design Finder tool to select a style that fits your lifestyle or reach out to your local Flooring America expert for more information. To learn more about the products and services we offer, contact us online today, or visit a store near you to sample the carpet styles we carry!

Want a preview of how new floors will look in your home? Try our room visualizer, My Floor Style. Upload a photo of your room, select your style preferences, and get a virtual look at each different flooring style.

With My Floor Style, there are no surprises. Only beautiful new floors. Types of Carpet Fibers Carpets are constructed from thousands of fibers, which are attached to a sturdy backing by industrial machinery.

Nylon Carpet Fibers When properly treated, nylon is an exceptionally well-rounded fiber that delivers the best of all worlds: durability, stain resistance, and of course, an almost infinite range of patterns, colors, and styles.

Olefin Carpet Fibers Olefin is another name for polypropylene, which is used to construct both indoor and outdoor carpeting.