The low-down on carpet

While timber has been the ‘it’ flooring material for the last few years, there’s something to be said about the tactile sensation and warmth that comes from carpeting.

Why choose carpet?

Aside from feeling amazing underfoot, carpets can add warmth, colour and sophistication to a room. Better yet, today’s myriad of carpet designs means there’s a style to suit every home and budget.

If you’ve never shopped for a carpet before, words like loop, yarn and cut-pile will probably go right over your head. Choosing a carpet means more than just picking the right colour and size. To ensure your carpet looks great, feels great and can go the distance, you need to consider different carpet types and their density and quality.

Carpet types

• Loop: Looped yarn shows track marks less than other types of carpeting, so it is a great choice for high-traffic areas such as the living room and entryway.
• Cut-and-loop: Ideally suited to smaller rooms in the house, such as bedrooms, home offices and other low-traffic areas, this type of carpeting is made of cut-and-loop yarns and is much softer than loop carpeting.
• Cut-pile-plush: Even softer than cut-and-loop, cut-pile-plush carpets will show foot and vacuum marks because they’re made with equally cut yarns. Again, this style of carpet is suited to low-traffic areas.
• Cut-pile-twist: Just as plush as cut-pile-plush, but more durable, cut-pile-twist is made using twisted yarns sitting in opposite directions.
• Shag: As the name suggests, shag carpeting is very shaggy-looking due to the long-cut piles, which sit in various directions for a very comfortable underfoot feel. Shag carpeting is one of the most durable of all carpet types.
• Sisal: Possibly the most low-maintenance carpet type, sisal carpeting can feel harsh underfoot but is ideal for very high-traffic areas.

Carpet colours

Before even looking at different carpet colours, you’ll need to consider the mood and the size of each room you’re carpeting. The size of a room can strongly dictate the colour of a carpet: you can make smaller rooms look bigger, or large rooms cosier, simply by choosing the right colour. Choose light colours such as beige, greys and creams for small rooms that need to feel roomier, and explore deep blues and red tones for rooms that need to feel more intimate.

Now you know what’s what when it comes to carpet you can make the right choice for your home. From shag to sisal, there is a wide range to choose from to suit your needs.